Sorry. I'm pretty zapped out. And today was pretty uneventful.
Watched some more of Life is Beautiful today. Not quite done but I have a feeling the saddest parts are yet to come. Italian class was fine, nothing too special. Had a meeting with my adviser about how the semester is going. Didn't talk about much since I think the semester's going fine. Had lunch, did homework, took a nap, did more homework, did some planning and now I'm writing this.
Still sick. I just wish I could break through the hearing aspect. Because I'm congested, I can't hear well. It's really obnoxious. If I could break that, I'd be fine with coughing and whatever. Hopefully soon.
Tomorrow we leave for Prague and Munich!!! Should be a very exciting weekend - if not super busy. I probably won't be able to post so you'll have to forgive the lack of communication for a bit.
Oh yeah and my visit presentation for my Renaissance Art class is tomorrow - oh joy. Let's see how awkward this is.
Ciao!!
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Tuesdays Are A Little Bit Better
Today, I'm feeling a little better than yesterday. Still sort of out of focus but I'm getting there. The nice thing is I want to do be doing stuff, I just know I need to rest. So mentally, I'm all better. Physically, still working on it.
Class today was fine. Nothing super interesting. After class, had lunch and napped mostly. Did some homework, got hot chocolate, did more homework, messed around and now I'm writing this.
Found my new debit card arrived in the US, not in Italy. Really Wells Fargo. REALLY. The amount of all-caps I could use right now could not accurately express my rage and disappointment. Shouldn't there be a better process for this? What if I had had my debit card stolen overseas, like a lot of people do? What if there was no one at my house to mail to me? Shouldn't there be a better way to handle this? Whatever, I think it's all been worked out, thanks to the never-ending vigilance and help of the parents (really though, I probably would have had a psychotic break over this stuff if it weren't for you guys). Two more calls to the bank and this should all be sorted (God willing, of course).
Tomorrow: finishing Life is Beautiful in class. Probably going to be sad. Great. Then hopefully feeling better and getting some stuff done. Won't that be the day.
Ciao!!
Class today was fine. Nothing super interesting. After class, had lunch and napped mostly. Did some homework, got hot chocolate, did more homework, messed around and now I'm writing this.
Found my new debit card arrived in the US, not in Italy. Really Wells Fargo. REALLY. The amount of all-caps I could use right now could not accurately express my rage and disappointment. Shouldn't there be a better process for this? What if I had had my debit card stolen overseas, like a lot of people do? What if there was no one at my house to mail to me? Shouldn't there be a better way to handle this? Whatever, I think it's all been worked out, thanks to the never-ending vigilance and help of the parents (really though, I probably would have had a psychotic break over this stuff if it weren't for you guys). Two more calls to the bank and this should all be sorted (God willing, of course).
Tomorrow: finishing Life is Beautiful in class. Probably going to be sad. Great. Then hopefully feeling better and getting some stuff done. Won't that be the day.
Ciao!!
Monday, February 25, 2013
Mondays Should Really Just Be Outlawed
Especially if you're sick. Which I am. A bit better but still congested, coughy and now, I can't hear very well. Great.
Class was average today. Watched some of "Life is beautiful." Looks good so far but I have a feeling it's going to get really sad. Italian class was fine - our presentation turned out to be more of a conversation so it was no big thing.
After my first two classes, I had lunch and called Wells Fargo again, only to be told everything I already knew. Sigh. Please, Wells Fargo, can it be over now? Probably not.
Then I had cooking class. We had some kind of fish with mushrooms (pretty good), wilted radicchio (good but radicchio is still a bit strong for me), tiramisu (incredible) and the only really interesting part of class, this potato and cheese dish.
So it was supposed to be something akin to hashbrown cakes with cheese in them AKA it was supposed to be crispy on both sides. Keep this in mind. Also, keep in mind our teacher is this Italian lady who doesn't speak great English and basically thinks butter is a crime. So we (I say we - but I mean other students) got it all mixed, it was time to cook it. They started out by making a huge single cake in a very thick layer of butter and attempting to cook it that way. Which might have worked except that the mixture was wayyyyy too creamy. The girl mixing had gotten a little carried away. They had also grated the potatoes when they were still too hot. Already we were headed for trouble. So, after toying with the one huge cake, they decided it was a no go and our teacher stepped in. Her idea was to pour a ton of olive oil into the pan and put small cakes in that. Which also might have worked, had she let the oil get hot enough. Which she did not. She also didn't leave it alone enough to form cakes - she kept stirring it. So those also turned to be a no go. We still ate it, but they weren't cripsy. Then we decided to Americanize it. We poured a ton of vegetable oil, let it get really hot and put small cakes in. Which probably would have worked had our teacher not stirred them again. I was like, "Listen lady, if there's one thing Americans know how to do, it's fry something. Back off." But alas, she did not. They were still delicious though.
Fish on left and radicchio on right
Potato thing
Tiramisu dish
My preciousssss
After class, it's just been hanging out at home and pretending to do homework. Ooh and stressing about graduating - that's a new worry though. Glad to know I'm panicking early.
Ciao!!
Class was average today. Watched some of "Life is beautiful." Looks good so far but I have a feeling it's going to get really sad. Italian class was fine - our presentation turned out to be more of a conversation so it was no big thing.
After my first two classes, I had lunch and called Wells Fargo again, only to be told everything I already knew. Sigh. Please, Wells Fargo, can it be over now? Probably not.
Then I had cooking class. We had some kind of fish with mushrooms (pretty good), wilted radicchio (good but radicchio is still a bit strong for me), tiramisu (incredible) and the only really interesting part of class, this potato and cheese dish.
So it was supposed to be something akin to hashbrown cakes with cheese in them AKA it was supposed to be crispy on both sides. Keep this in mind. Also, keep in mind our teacher is this Italian lady who doesn't speak great English and basically thinks butter is a crime. So we (I say we - but I mean other students) got it all mixed, it was time to cook it. They started out by making a huge single cake in a very thick layer of butter and attempting to cook it that way. Which might have worked except that the mixture was wayyyyy too creamy. The girl mixing had gotten a little carried away. They had also grated the potatoes when they were still too hot. Already we were headed for trouble. So, after toying with the one huge cake, they decided it was a no go and our teacher stepped in. Her idea was to pour a ton of olive oil into the pan and put small cakes in that. Which also might have worked, had she let the oil get hot enough. Which she did not. She also didn't leave it alone enough to form cakes - she kept stirring it. So those also turned to be a no go. We still ate it, but they weren't cripsy. Then we decided to Americanize it. We poured a ton of vegetable oil, let it get really hot and put small cakes in. Which probably would have worked had our teacher not stirred them again. I was like, "Listen lady, if there's one thing Americans know how to do, it's fry something. Back off." But alas, she did not. They were still delicious though.
Fish on left and radicchio on right
Potato thing
Tiramisu dish
My preciousssss
After class, it's just been hanging out at home and pretending to do homework. Ooh and stressing about graduating - that's a new worry though. Glad to know I'm panicking early.
Ciao!!
Sunday, February 24, 2013
My Coughing Might Be Louder Than The Italians
Still sick. Now I'm more congested and coughy - yay. Better than being feverish.
Actually did something productive today and yesterday. Yesterday I went to the grocery store and attempted to call the bank (honestly Wells Fargo, really though). Today me and Liz went downstairs for lunch (salami pizza - couldn't really taste it but the texture was good), did some Spring Break planning and I did my homework. HAH.
We found some hostels/hotels that look pretty good for Barcelona and Paris and I have kind of an itinerary for us in Paris. So I'm doing good. And really, if they end up not liking what I've showed them, well then foo foo for them because I'm going back and they're not. DOUBLE HAH.
So yeah. That's about it. Oral presentation in Italian tomorrow - oh goody. No other perfect time. Maybe I'll break out into a coughing fit and have to be excused and she'll give me a 100 because she feels sorry for me - that happens right? I'll keep you updated.
Ciao!!
P.S. Also I've been trying to make soup all weekend and I still have put it off again. So so lazy, so so sick. Maybe tomorrow I'll have something new and delicious to eat. But tomorrow is cooking class...maybe Tuesday. Maybe never. Haha just kidding I'll probably make it tomorrow. Toodles!
Actually did something productive today and yesterday. Yesterday I went to the grocery store and attempted to call the bank (honestly Wells Fargo, really though). Today me and Liz went downstairs for lunch (salami pizza - couldn't really taste it but the texture was good), did some Spring Break planning and I did my homework. HAH.
We found some hostels/hotels that look pretty good for Barcelona and Paris and I have kind of an itinerary for us in Paris. So I'm doing good. And really, if they end up not liking what I've showed them, well then foo foo for them because I'm going back and they're not. DOUBLE HAH.
So yeah. That's about it. Oral presentation in Italian tomorrow - oh goody. No other perfect time. Maybe I'll break out into a coughing fit and have to be excused and she'll give me a 100 because she feels sorry for me - that happens right? I'll keep you updated.
Ciao!!
P.S. Also I've been trying to make soup all weekend and I still have put it off again. So so lazy, so so sick. Maybe tomorrow I'll have something new and delicious to eat. But tomorrow is cooking class...maybe Tuesday. Maybe never. Haha just kidding I'll probably make it tomorrow. Toodles!
Friday, February 22, 2013
I Knew My Luck Would Run Out Eventually
Right. Very very sorry I haven't updated in a couple of days. But there hasn't been much going on.
Class has gone as normal. Had quizzes in a couple classes this week - I think they all went okay. Went to the Uffizi yesterday for one of my classes - surprisingly I wasn't bored until our teacher started talking (it was the teacher I don't like). Business as usual.
This weekend all the roommates are gone to Interlaken except for Liz. I'm happy I didn't go for several reasons - money, the fact that it's covered in snow, etc. but now I have one more reason to add to the list, the reason for the title of this blog post.
I'm sick. Started yesterday afternoon - didn't feel right. As the night went on, I could tell my fever was becoming worse and worse. Took some Cold Quell, Vitamin C and some Tylenol. Didn't make a lick of difference (yet). Woke up this morning around 10 still with a huge fever. Laid in bed for awhile, fell back asleep, woke up around 2 feeling a lot better but then I tried walking around. It's like I'm drunk, except not. So I've just been laying in the bed all day. This is the first time I've done something other than go to the bathroom and go get water. Ughhhhh. I knew I'd get sick eventually, and I suppose I'm grateful that it's on a weekend where I have nothing to do but still. I hate being sick.
Yeah so that's about it. I'm going to go lie back down now. Hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow.
Ciao!!
Class has gone as normal. Had quizzes in a couple classes this week - I think they all went okay. Went to the Uffizi yesterday for one of my classes - surprisingly I wasn't bored until our teacher started talking (it was the teacher I don't like). Business as usual.
This weekend all the roommates are gone to Interlaken except for Liz. I'm happy I didn't go for several reasons - money, the fact that it's covered in snow, etc. but now I have one more reason to add to the list, the reason for the title of this blog post.
I'm sick. Started yesterday afternoon - didn't feel right. As the night went on, I could tell my fever was becoming worse and worse. Took some Cold Quell, Vitamin C and some Tylenol. Didn't make a lick of difference (yet). Woke up this morning around 10 still with a huge fever. Laid in bed for awhile, fell back asleep, woke up around 2 feeling a lot better but then I tried walking around. It's like I'm drunk, except not. So I've just been laying in the bed all day. This is the first time I've done something other than go to the bathroom and go get water. Ughhhhh. I knew I'd get sick eventually, and I suppose I'm grateful that it's on a weekend where I have nothing to do but still. I hate being sick.
Yeah so that's about it. I'm going to go lie back down now. Hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow.
Ciao!!
Monday, February 18, 2013
Don't Know What This Country's Coming To
But in Rome, do as the Romans do. This weekend was one of my trips with the school to Rome and the Vatican. It was both exhausting and exhilarating and here is my attempt to document it.
Saturday morning. 5:30 am. Cue us (me, Liz and Jessica with a crutch for her severely sprained ankle) trying to leave the apartment, actually leaving at like 5:45, and almost being late. We were the last ones on the bus. But hey, we made it! The bus ride was uneventful. I slept for about an hour and then I kept dozing on and off. I woke up once we started driving into Rome and I got really excited. I was not disappointed - Rome is beautiful. Pictures do not do it justice. So once we started driving through the historical part of Rome, I got really excited. We passed pretty much every monument you can drive by in a charter bus (including Castel Angelo - LIKE FROM ANGELS AND DEMONS - but we didn't get to stop there) and ended up right around the Colosseum, our first stop that day. We got to walk around the Colosseum and the Arch of Constantine for about an hour, before we headed over to the Forum. Jessica was such a trooper, but having to stay with her did slow us down a bit. So in the Forum, we only got to see the Palatine Palace ruins before we had to go back down to grab a quick sandwich from a street vendor and get back on the bus to go to the Vatican. It's so weird, you study all these monuments in school over and over again and it's so strange to be able to see them in person and walk around them and touch them!! It also makes the history much more interesting, which is an impressive feat for me.
Arch of Constantine
Colosseum
More Colosseum
Me!
Palatine Palace Ruins
Me!
After that, we went over to the Vatican to take our guided tour. I feel like we spent forever there yet I didn't nearly have enough time to see everything. The Sistine Chapel was incredible - I could have stayed there for literally an hour without moving. Raphael's rooms were also incredible - I've studied these paintings and there they are, just hanging out on the wall. The Galleries - incredible. Literally from the ceiling to the floor, it was covered in art. The Gallery of Maps was also really cool - subjective maps of Italy, radical. And of course, St. Peter's Basilica and Square. The nerd inside me almost jumped for joy upon seeing it - I loved Angels and Demons and watching mass from St. Peter's. Naturally, I also don't think I had enough time here but it's huge. It's gorgeous, Bernini is becoming one of my favorite sculptors. And the Pieta by Michelangelo is just unfairly good. He made that when he was 24 - it was the only work he signed. It shines like it's almost made of glass, truly breathtaking. It's easy to see how people could be overcome by the glory of God when walking into places like this. Of course, my entire tour of the Vatican was...altered by one simple fact: The tour guide thought Jessica needed a wheelchair. So yes, I pushed Jessica around the Vatican. So this also limited by art-seeing capabilities. Of course, I didn't mind. I know I'll be back to the Vatican at some point. So yes, I loved it. Yes, I'll be back. Yes, I'm re-reading Angels and Demons (shut up, my inner nerd is very excited about this).
Gallery of the Maps - hopefully you can see how detailed and awesome the ceiling is
Hopefully you can tell but it's Graffiti done by German mercenaries when they invaded the Vatican
Just one of the SUPER FAMOUS artworks just hanging around in the Vatican
Nave at San Pietro
Pieta
St Peter's Square (or at least as much of it as I could fit in a photo)
Facade of San Pietro with yours truly
Stone where the second Cardinal was killed in Angels and Demons (yes I spent a good portion of this trip going, "Remember this from Angels and Demons?!" Again, shut up.)
After our tour of the Vatican, we finally checked into the hotel and were on our own for dinner and the night. Originally, we were planning on going sightseeing at night...no. We went to this small ristorante the hotel recommended, where I had spaghetti carbonara (which was delicious but super heavy so I couldn't eat too much of it) and then we promptly returned to the hotel to get in the bed and go to sleep. It actually took me awhile to fall asleep because I was so hot and I couldn't get the covers situated the way I wanted them, but eventually, I managed to drift off into a deep sleep only to be rudely awakened at 7:15 the next morning. We had breakfast at the hotel (nothing too special - had some peaches though), packed up our stuff, and got back on the bus to be dropped off for our walking tour of Rome.
Dinner
Our beds were so close we were basically sharing a queen bed. Lucky we're already roommates.
Our walking tour included Piazza Navona (with the Four Rivers Fountain), the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Vittoriale and the Trajan Column. My favorites were definitely the Trevi Fountain and the Vittoriale. Both of them just immediately took my breath away and are so much more impressive in person. Of course, it was beautiful and incredible and mind blowing. The Pantheon was built BEFORE CHRIST. They had figured out how to make a dome sit on top of something without collapsing before Christianity came into practice. It's just mind-boggling. Of course, I needed more time at each place, but with only two days, you have to move fast.
Me with the Four Rivers Fountain
Pantheon
Street vendors make and sell roasted chestnuts...I think they do it a lot better than when we tried at Christmas
Trevi Fountain
Me throwing a coin into the Trevi Fountain (and yes I did actually throw a coin into, I didn't just put my hand in the air)
Me and the Spanish Steps
One of the oldest cafes in Europe - something like 250 years
Vittoriale
It was some South American festival thing so there were all these dancers in the Piazza
Me
More Vittoriale - it's hard to capture just how huge it is but it's incredible
Finally, after our walking tour, it was time for our Roman lunch. Five courses: bruschetta with veggies, spicy tomato pasta, pasta with mushrooms, peas and prosciutto, eggplant parmesan and of course, tiramisu. My favorites were the pastas, especially the mushroom one. With a nice cream sauce, it was delicious. After our lunch we took a tour through one of the Catacombs. It was pretty interesting actually, to think about how much our burial practices have changed. Also that there are all these tunnels with dead people running under the city...creepy. After our tour, it was time to go back to Firenze, so we got on the bus where a rainbow waved goodbye as we left Rome.
Penne alla arrabbiata
Pasta alla Monteruzzo
Stairs into the Catacombs
Hallway
Goodbye Rome rainbow
After sleeping another hour on the bus, we arrived back in Firenze around 8:15 and had to stop and get photos taken for our Permit of Stay appointments today...blergh. Luckily, it was pretty easy, it was just annoying and a hassle. After getting back to the apartment, I took a shower, did my homework and collapsed into bed.
This morning (hah I'm finally caught up to today!), I had my fingerprinting appointment. All in all, it went fine. Although, I don't know why the woman explained it all to me in Italian when I clearly did not speak Italian but tutto bene. Maybe I'll actually get the permit before I leave (doubtful). Let's see, then class, market, META, lunch, "studying" for cooking class and then actual cooking class. Our teacher is getting better but still, I miss Marco. Today we made a saffron rice risotto, breaded veal cutlets and an almond cake. And I do have pictures!
Veal and risotto
Cake and dessert wine (not as good as the Vin Santo and cantuccini but still)
After class, I came home, did homework and am about to publish this and go to bed. Finally.
Ciao!!
Saturday morning. 5:30 am. Cue us (me, Liz and Jessica with a crutch for her severely sprained ankle) trying to leave the apartment, actually leaving at like 5:45, and almost being late. We were the last ones on the bus. But hey, we made it! The bus ride was uneventful. I slept for about an hour and then I kept dozing on and off. I woke up once we started driving into Rome and I got really excited. I was not disappointed - Rome is beautiful. Pictures do not do it justice. So once we started driving through the historical part of Rome, I got really excited. We passed pretty much every monument you can drive by in a charter bus (including Castel Angelo - LIKE FROM ANGELS AND DEMONS - but we didn't get to stop there) and ended up right around the Colosseum, our first stop that day. We got to walk around the Colosseum and the Arch of Constantine for about an hour, before we headed over to the Forum. Jessica was such a trooper, but having to stay with her did slow us down a bit. So in the Forum, we only got to see the Palatine Palace ruins before we had to go back down to grab a quick sandwich from a street vendor and get back on the bus to go to the Vatican. It's so weird, you study all these monuments in school over and over again and it's so strange to be able to see them in person and walk around them and touch them!! It also makes the history much more interesting, which is an impressive feat for me.
Arch of Constantine
Colosseum
More Colosseum
Me!
Palatine Palace Ruins
Me!
After that, we went over to the Vatican to take our guided tour. I feel like we spent forever there yet I didn't nearly have enough time to see everything. The Sistine Chapel was incredible - I could have stayed there for literally an hour without moving. Raphael's rooms were also incredible - I've studied these paintings and there they are, just hanging out on the wall. The Galleries - incredible. Literally from the ceiling to the floor, it was covered in art. The Gallery of Maps was also really cool - subjective maps of Italy, radical. And of course, St. Peter's Basilica and Square. The nerd inside me almost jumped for joy upon seeing it - I loved Angels and Demons and watching mass from St. Peter's. Naturally, I also don't think I had enough time here but it's huge. It's gorgeous, Bernini is becoming one of my favorite sculptors. And the Pieta by Michelangelo is just unfairly good. He made that when he was 24 - it was the only work he signed. It shines like it's almost made of glass, truly breathtaking. It's easy to see how people could be overcome by the glory of God when walking into places like this. Of course, my entire tour of the Vatican was...altered by one simple fact: The tour guide thought Jessica needed a wheelchair. So yes, I pushed Jessica around the Vatican. So this also limited by art-seeing capabilities. Of course, I didn't mind. I know I'll be back to the Vatican at some point. So yes, I loved it. Yes, I'll be back. Yes, I'm re-reading Angels and Demons (shut up, my inner nerd is very excited about this).
Gallery of the Maps - hopefully you can see how detailed and awesome the ceiling is
Hopefully you can tell but it's Graffiti done by German mercenaries when they invaded the Vatican
Just one of the SUPER FAMOUS artworks just hanging around in the Vatican
Nave at San Pietro
Pieta
St Peter's Square (or at least as much of it as I could fit in a photo)
Facade of San Pietro with yours truly
Stone where the second Cardinal was killed in Angels and Demons (yes I spent a good portion of this trip going, "Remember this from Angels and Demons?!" Again, shut up.)
After our tour of the Vatican, we finally checked into the hotel and were on our own for dinner and the night. Originally, we were planning on going sightseeing at night...no. We went to this small ristorante the hotel recommended, where I had spaghetti carbonara (which was delicious but super heavy so I couldn't eat too much of it) and then we promptly returned to the hotel to get in the bed and go to sleep. It actually took me awhile to fall asleep because I was so hot and I couldn't get the covers situated the way I wanted them, but eventually, I managed to drift off into a deep sleep only to be rudely awakened at 7:15 the next morning. We had breakfast at the hotel (nothing too special - had some peaches though), packed up our stuff, and got back on the bus to be dropped off for our walking tour of Rome.
Dinner
Our beds were so close we were basically sharing a queen bed. Lucky we're already roommates.
Our walking tour included Piazza Navona (with the Four Rivers Fountain), the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Vittoriale and the Trajan Column. My favorites were definitely the Trevi Fountain and the Vittoriale. Both of them just immediately took my breath away and are so much more impressive in person. Of course, it was beautiful and incredible and mind blowing. The Pantheon was built BEFORE CHRIST. They had figured out how to make a dome sit on top of something without collapsing before Christianity came into practice. It's just mind-boggling. Of course, I needed more time at each place, but with only two days, you have to move fast.
Me with the Four Rivers Fountain
Pantheon
Street vendors make and sell roasted chestnuts...I think they do it a lot better than when we tried at Christmas
Trevi Fountain
Me throwing a coin into the Trevi Fountain (and yes I did actually throw a coin into, I didn't just put my hand in the air)
Me and the Spanish Steps
One of the oldest cafes in Europe - something like 250 years
Vittoriale
It was some South American festival thing so there were all these dancers in the Piazza
Me
More Vittoriale - it's hard to capture just how huge it is but it's incredible
Finally, after our walking tour, it was time for our Roman lunch. Five courses: bruschetta with veggies, spicy tomato pasta, pasta with mushrooms, peas and prosciutto, eggplant parmesan and of course, tiramisu. My favorites were the pastas, especially the mushroom one. With a nice cream sauce, it was delicious. After our lunch we took a tour through one of the Catacombs. It was pretty interesting actually, to think about how much our burial practices have changed. Also that there are all these tunnels with dead people running under the city...creepy. After our tour, it was time to go back to Firenze, so we got on the bus where a rainbow waved goodbye as we left Rome.
Penne alla arrabbiata
Pasta alla Monteruzzo
Stairs into the Catacombs
Hallway
Goodbye Rome rainbow
After sleeping another hour on the bus, we arrived back in Firenze around 8:15 and had to stop and get photos taken for our Permit of Stay appointments today...blergh. Luckily, it was pretty easy, it was just annoying and a hassle. After getting back to the apartment, I took a shower, did my homework and collapsed into bed.
This morning (hah I'm finally caught up to today!), I had my fingerprinting appointment. All in all, it went fine. Although, I don't know why the woman explained it all to me in Italian when I clearly did not speak Italian but tutto bene. Maybe I'll actually get the permit before I leave (doubtful). Let's see, then class, market, META, lunch, "studying" for cooking class and then actual cooking class. Our teacher is getting better but still, I miss Marco. Today we made a saffron rice risotto, breaded veal cutlets and an almond cake. And I do have pictures!
Veal and risotto
Cake and dessert wine (not as good as the Vin Santo and cantuccini but still)
After class, I came home, did homework and am about to publish this and go to bed. Finally.
Ciao!!
Friday, February 15, 2013
What a Stupid Idea
So, yesterday was Valentine's Day. It didn't really mean that much but still. First real holiday in Italy!
Class was fine, nothing new. I am loving my literature professor more and more as class goes on - so that's really good. And we're about to start Dante - yesssssss. I am really really excited.
After class, I came back, had lunch and began the long process of calling Wells Fargo. Okay, I should give them their credit. I really didn't have to do much. I told them about the charges, they've sent a claim (I hope), closed the debit card, are sending me a new one here in Italy (though it's in 5-7 days...really though, there's no overnight option?) and I've put in an application for my credit limit to be raised. So all in all, it went okay. Literally the only bad part was that my phone dropped the call twice so I ended up talking to 5 people at Wells Fargo, while having mini panic attacks that because we got cut off, something was wrong, but I think everything is okay. Phew. Let's hope the debit card gets here no problem and my life can once again continue on.
For dinner, we went to Dante's Pizzeria. Where they had...wait for it....free unlimited wine for students. Yes, you read that correctly. Free. Unlimited. Wine. Needless to say, we indulged a fair amount and thus, this morning was a bit of a struggle. I certainly was not at my perkiest. But the museum was kind of interesting and it didn't take that long. Once I had had a sandwich, some Sprite and a nap, I felt a lot better.
Let's see, after class we came back and Jessica announced that she wanted to go to the doctor. Last night, she had fallen and sprained her ankle pretty badly and she wanted to make sure it wasn't broken. Luckily, Liz took her to the doctor so I got to sit around all afternoon. They actually ended up going to the hospital to get x-rays, so it took them quite awhile. But it is only a sprain, and she got some pain meds so I think she'll be okay. Rome should be interesting though.
For dinner, Liz and I got Mexican food. I had nachos. They were delicious. We will definitely be back there.
And now, I'm showering and packing for Rome because we're planning on leaving the apartment at 5:30. Ughhhhh. It's worth it, it's worth it, it's worth it.
Ciao!!
Class was fine, nothing new. I am loving my literature professor more and more as class goes on - so that's really good. And we're about to start Dante - yesssssss. I am really really excited.
After class, I came back, had lunch and began the long process of calling Wells Fargo. Okay, I should give them their credit. I really didn't have to do much. I told them about the charges, they've sent a claim (I hope), closed the debit card, are sending me a new one here in Italy (though it's in 5-7 days...really though, there's no overnight option?) and I've put in an application for my credit limit to be raised. So all in all, it went okay. Literally the only bad part was that my phone dropped the call twice so I ended up talking to 5 people at Wells Fargo, while having mini panic attacks that because we got cut off, something was wrong, but I think everything is okay. Phew. Let's hope the debit card gets here no problem and my life can once again continue on.
For dinner, we went to Dante's Pizzeria. Where they had...wait for it....free unlimited wine for students. Yes, you read that correctly. Free. Unlimited. Wine. Needless to say, we indulged a fair amount and thus, this morning was a bit of a struggle. I certainly was not at my perkiest. But the museum was kind of interesting and it didn't take that long. Once I had had a sandwich, some Sprite and a nap, I felt a lot better.
Let's see, after class we came back and Jessica announced that she wanted to go to the doctor. Last night, she had fallen and sprained her ankle pretty badly and she wanted to make sure it wasn't broken. Luckily, Liz took her to the doctor so I got to sit around all afternoon. They actually ended up going to the hospital to get x-rays, so it took them quite awhile. But it is only a sprain, and she got some pain meds so I think she'll be okay. Rome should be interesting though.
For dinner, Liz and I got Mexican food. I had nachos. They were delicious. We will definitely be back there.
And now, I'm showering and packing for Rome because we're planning on leaving the apartment at 5:30. Ughhhhh. It's worth it, it's worth it, it's worth it.
Ciao!!
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Really Though, My Head Might Explode
I promise I am trying to write everyday, I have just been incredibly stressed this week. Like I'm surprised my head hasn't just fallen off or I haven't collapsed to the floor, weeping, "I'm done, I'm done," over and over again. But time waits for no man, so here we go.
Class yesterday was uneventful. My opinion of my teachers hasn't changed from what I wrote last time. I did bring the wrong course pack to one of my classes, which was lovely to discover 20 minutes into class. After class, I had lunch, shitted around and planned some stuff with the roommates.
So, hopefully, my outgoing and incoming flights for Spring Break are booked!! Outbound to Barcelona, Inbound from Dublin. We might be cutting London off the list, just because we want to spend a lot of time in Ireland. Which is fine with me, as I'll be back to London anyways. But we're still in the midst of planning it all and probably will continue to be for awhile.
Then, we began the process of attempting to book the Bus2Alps Amalfi Coast trip...words cannot express my frustration with them and their website. First of all, the sale was advertised as 50% off everything - lies. It was some discount off one date a trip ran. Then, the website kept crashing so we couldn't check the prices of anything. We ended up not booking it but hopefully we can still either make our own trip or just pay the full price later.
We also went out for Mardi Gras! We had some people over to the apartment and we really just went out to a bar for a couple of drinks and some good old fashioned drunk yelling the lyrics to American songs. It was a good time, but I regretted it this morning when I woke up super tired.
Speaking of this morning, class today was also fine. Nothing too special. Except in Italian class we had to act out a poem about verbs. I've done stupider things though so it wasn't that bad. After class today, I napped, did homework and now we've been talking about more planning and stuff.
Everyone is starting to panic about money, me included. I know that I'm not supposed to be worrying about it but I am. I have all the program to get through and my three weeks afterwards. And I just have to realize that I can't do everything I want and some things will have to wait for another time. But I really don't want to accept that, as hard as it is. For example, I might forego Greece in order to do the Amalfi Coast. But I don't know, I also want to see the islands of Greece. Ughhhhhh. Me no likey. Why can I not have unlimited money and unlimited time here??
I guess the questions I have to ask myself are where to do I really want to go, where do I think I won't go back versus where do I think I will get back to someday. See, I'm betting I get back here to go to Greece and Croatia. Those are close together and sort of out of the way. I also think I'll be back somewhere close enough to hit the "central European" cities like Brussels, Berlin, Luxembourg, etc.
Honestly, the second you think you have something all planned out, you start second guessing yourself, your friends change their plans and your plans are thrown straight up into the air again. Oh and Wells Fargo, if this call tomorrow is any version of "complicated," I will hurl the almost broken chair in my apartment so far it smashes your branch in Charlotte. Or possibly hurl myself so far that I smash into your branch in Charlotte. Still undecided.
Class yesterday was uneventful. My opinion of my teachers hasn't changed from what I wrote last time. I did bring the wrong course pack to one of my classes, which was lovely to discover 20 minutes into class. After class, I had lunch, shitted around and planned some stuff with the roommates.
So, hopefully, my outgoing and incoming flights for Spring Break are booked!! Outbound to Barcelona, Inbound from Dublin. We might be cutting London off the list, just because we want to spend a lot of time in Ireland. Which is fine with me, as I'll be back to London anyways. But we're still in the midst of planning it all and probably will continue to be for awhile.
Then, we began the process of attempting to book the Bus2Alps Amalfi Coast trip...words cannot express my frustration with them and their website. First of all, the sale was advertised as 50% off everything - lies. It was some discount off one date a trip ran. Then, the website kept crashing so we couldn't check the prices of anything. We ended up not booking it but hopefully we can still either make our own trip or just pay the full price later.
We also went out for Mardi Gras! We had some people over to the apartment and we really just went out to a bar for a couple of drinks and some good old fashioned drunk yelling the lyrics to American songs. It was a good time, but I regretted it this morning when I woke up super tired.
Speaking of this morning, class today was also fine. Nothing too special. Except in Italian class we had to act out a poem about verbs. I've done stupider things though so it wasn't that bad. After class today, I napped, did homework and now we've been talking about more planning and stuff.
Everyone is starting to panic about money, me included. I know that I'm not supposed to be worrying about it but I am. I have all the program to get through and my three weeks afterwards. And I just have to realize that I can't do everything I want and some things will have to wait for another time. But I really don't want to accept that, as hard as it is. For example, I might forego Greece in order to do the Amalfi Coast. But I don't know, I also want to see the islands of Greece. Ughhhhhh. Me no likey. Why can I not have unlimited money and unlimited time here??
I guess the questions I have to ask myself are where to do I really want to go, where do I think I won't go back versus where do I think I will get back to someday. See, I'm betting I get back here to go to Greece and Croatia. Those are close together and sort of out of the way. I also think I'll be back somewhere close enough to hit the "central European" cities like Brussels, Berlin, Luxembourg, etc.
Honestly, the second you think you have something all planned out, you start second guessing yourself, your friends change their plans and your plans are thrown straight up into the air again. Oh and Wells Fargo, if this call tomorrow is any version of "complicated," I will hurl the almost broken chair in my apartment so far it smashes your branch in Charlotte. Or possibly hurl myself so far that I smash into your branch in Charlotte. Still undecided.
Monday, February 11, 2013
I Never Could Get the Hang of Mondays
Especially since I have most of my classes on Mondays. Me no likey.
Holocaust and Italian were fine, nothing special. After morning class, I went to the market, cooked, had lunch and then went back to class for cooking. This time, we met our actual teacher and...I wish I had Marco. But I think this lady will be fine, she just doesn't seem that lively or funny. And I met a friend! Okay, well I don't actually know her name but we have that bond now where almost everyone else in the class knows each other, so we can hang out. She's from Holland and seems super nice. Glad I met someone I can talk to, other than just listening to the one girl who seems to believe the class is about her and her taste preferences. The amount of information I could quote to you about what she likes to eat is just creepy.
Regardless, class was good. We made tagliolini con tartufo (I think this is the name...I could get up and look but come on, I'm in my bed), which (hopefully) is these thinner than spaghetti noodles with truffle sauce. Delicious. Didn't know I liked truffle sauce but now I can add that to the list. Then we made pesto pasta with green beans and potatoes (which I've made already so it wasn't anything new, but it was still good). Then we had...brace yourself...Asti-style rabbit. Essentially, it was rabbit with a white wine, oil, butter, garlic, rosemary, sage and bell pepper sauce. I know some people have a mental block against rabbit (like my mother, who accused me, jokingly, of eating Fluffy), which is fine but I'm not one of those people. And while rabbit isn't my favorite meat out there (I think bacon might be my favorite...or chicken...I don't know), it's still good and worth trying. I tend to believe that unless food goes against your moral code, you're allergic to it, or you really just can't eat it, you should try everything. And if you don't like it, now you know. But how are you going to know otherwise? And for dessert, we had chocolate fondue with strawberries. Again, one of my favorite sweet combinations, but nothing new so not much to say.
After class, I had a pre-departure meeting for my school trip to Rome and the Vatican. Nothing new, just going over the itinerary and what to bring and stuff. Both Liz and Jessica are going on the trip so it will be nice to have them there. I'm really excited about this trip, especially since the Pope just announced his resignation. The Vatican will definitely be all atwitter - should be exciting! I would put the itinerary on here, but you guys will hear about it once I get back, so I won't tease you now.
Now, I want to talk about some important Italian people in my life right now, namely my teachers, different merchants I deal with and others. I think it's important you guys know who I regularly have contact with that's not my roommates.
Holocaust teacher AKA I Won't Be Getting to the Point Anytime Soon - The Lagger for short: takes forever to get to a point. Literally takes five minutes to say one thing. Seems nice and is Jewish, so obviously is invested in the subject matter. Hopefully, will become a better storyteller as the course progresses. Is very wishy-washy and kind of a pushover. Wish she would be a little more affirmative - to be a teacher, you need a strong hand.
Italian teacher AKA Precious: Is an adorable teacher with the cutest bouncy accent and gestures. Makes Italian easy to understand. Seems like she would be okay if I had a problem with the language and needed to talk to her about it. Willing to help. Literally no complaints (so far - I always hold my breath with teachers).
Cooking teacher AKA Maybe English Wasn't a Requirement to Get the Job - The What for short: English isn't her strong suit. Is also not a cook but a biologist or some kind of scientist. Seems nice though and doesn't mind if I ask her stupid questions. Also is a willing participant in the cooking instead of just supervising (can't decide if this a good thing yet). Still reserving opinions and judgement on her though.
Renaissance Art teacher AKA Please Stop Talking: Short squat little man with annoying English habits who makes art boring. That is all I can describe him as. It is his encapsulating sentence. I hope, for my sake, he gets better. I have him tomorrow so we'll see.
Literature Professor AKA Can We Just Be Best Friends AKA Cute Old Man: My favorite professor, by far. Funny, laid back, interesting, charismatic. Makes general history interesting. Could possibly be a magician or a wizard.
Vegetable Merchant AKA Another Cute Old Man AKA Seriously Do You Just Grow On Trees: I'm a creature of habit so naturally, I get the same thing from the market and from this guy at least once a week. I get two hundred grams (more/less depending on how many days I'm buying for) of green beans and today, when I walked up to him, he stopped, pointed at me, and said, "Due ette di fagiolini" (which is 200g of green beans in Italian) and I smiled and laughed and said, "Si, grazie" and we laughed some more. He's just so nice and cute and he remembers me, which I think is funny but maybe an American girl getting the same thing over and over again is hard to forget.
Lady who works at the bar downstairs AKA Samantha AKA Don't You Get In Trouble for Giving Us so Much Free Stuff: One of the sweetest people I've met in awhile. She is always smiling, always happy to see us and always gives us something free when we go eat there, whether it's chocolate or a lollypop. And of course, she has this incredibly moving backstory. One of these days, we're going to get her a really nice gift of some kind, probably wine. Everybody likes wine.
Pre-Session Italian professor AKA Daniele AKA How am I Supposed to Learn Italian if I Can't Stop Laughing: Definitely stereotypical Italian. Loud, funny, charismatic, etc. I still sometimes see him around but not as often as I'd like. Was a great introduction to the Italian people.
That's about all I can think of for the moment. I know that every country has it's bad or annoying people, and too often, those are the ones we see first. But in any case, most of the people above make my life better on a daily basis. Most of them are so full of life and excitement, it's so refreshing. They have a zest for life that sometimes, it's hard to remember to have. Italians man...maybe they know something we don't.
Ciao!!
Holocaust and Italian were fine, nothing special. After morning class, I went to the market, cooked, had lunch and then went back to class for cooking. This time, we met our actual teacher and...I wish I had Marco. But I think this lady will be fine, she just doesn't seem that lively or funny. And I met a friend! Okay, well I don't actually know her name but we have that bond now where almost everyone else in the class knows each other, so we can hang out. She's from Holland and seems super nice. Glad I met someone I can talk to, other than just listening to the one girl who seems to believe the class is about her and her taste preferences. The amount of information I could quote to you about what she likes to eat is just creepy.
Regardless, class was good. We made tagliolini con tartufo (I think this is the name...I could get up and look but come on, I'm in my bed), which (hopefully) is these thinner than spaghetti noodles with truffle sauce. Delicious. Didn't know I liked truffle sauce but now I can add that to the list. Then we made pesto pasta with green beans and potatoes (which I've made already so it wasn't anything new, but it was still good). Then we had...brace yourself...Asti-style rabbit. Essentially, it was rabbit with a white wine, oil, butter, garlic, rosemary, sage and bell pepper sauce. I know some people have a mental block against rabbit (like my mother, who accused me, jokingly, of eating Fluffy), which is fine but I'm not one of those people. And while rabbit isn't my favorite meat out there (I think bacon might be my favorite...or chicken...I don't know), it's still good and worth trying. I tend to believe that unless food goes against your moral code, you're allergic to it, or you really just can't eat it, you should try everything. And if you don't like it, now you know. But how are you going to know otherwise? And for dessert, we had chocolate fondue with strawberries. Again, one of my favorite sweet combinations, but nothing new so not much to say.
After class, I had a pre-departure meeting for my school trip to Rome and the Vatican. Nothing new, just going over the itinerary and what to bring and stuff. Both Liz and Jessica are going on the trip so it will be nice to have them there. I'm really excited about this trip, especially since the Pope just announced his resignation. The Vatican will definitely be all atwitter - should be exciting! I would put the itinerary on here, but you guys will hear about it once I get back, so I won't tease you now.
Now, I want to talk about some important Italian people in my life right now, namely my teachers, different merchants I deal with and others. I think it's important you guys know who I regularly have contact with that's not my roommates.
Holocaust teacher AKA I Won't Be Getting to the Point Anytime Soon - The Lagger for short: takes forever to get to a point. Literally takes five minutes to say one thing. Seems nice and is Jewish, so obviously is invested in the subject matter. Hopefully, will become a better storyteller as the course progresses. Is very wishy-washy and kind of a pushover. Wish she would be a little more affirmative - to be a teacher, you need a strong hand.
Italian teacher AKA Precious: Is an adorable teacher with the cutest bouncy accent and gestures. Makes Italian easy to understand. Seems like she would be okay if I had a problem with the language and needed to talk to her about it. Willing to help. Literally no complaints (so far - I always hold my breath with teachers).
Cooking teacher AKA Maybe English Wasn't a Requirement to Get the Job - The What for short: English isn't her strong suit. Is also not a cook but a biologist or some kind of scientist. Seems nice though and doesn't mind if I ask her stupid questions. Also is a willing participant in the cooking instead of just supervising (can't decide if this a good thing yet). Still reserving opinions and judgement on her though.
Renaissance Art teacher AKA Please Stop Talking: Short squat little man with annoying English habits who makes art boring. That is all I can describe him as. It is his encapsulating sentence. I hope, for my sake, he gets better. I have him tomorrow so we'll see.
Literature Professor AKA Can We Just Be Best Friends AKA Cute Old Man: My favorite professor, by far. Funny, laid back, interesting, charismatic. Makes general history interesting. Could possibly be a magician or a wizard.
Vegetable Merchant AKA Another Cute Old Man AKA Seriously Do You Just Grow On Trees: I'm a creature of habit so naturally, I get the same thing from the market and from this guy at least once a week. I get two hundred grams (more/less depending on how many days I'm buying for) of green beans and today, when I walked up to him, he stopped, pointed at me, and said, "Due ette di fagiolini" (which is 200g of green beans in Italian) and I smiled and laughed and said, "Si, grazie" and we laughed some more. He's just so nice and cute and he remembers me, which I think is funny but maybe an American girl getting the same thing over and over again is hard to forget.
Lady who works at the bar downstairs AKA Samantha AKA Don't You Get In Trouble for Giving Us so Much Free Stuff: One of the sweetest people I've met in awhile. She is always smiling, always happy to see us and always gives us something free when we go eat there, whether it's chocolate or a lollypop. And of course, she has this incredibly moving backstory. One of these days, we're going to get her a really nice gift of some kind, probably wine. Everybody likes wine.
Pre-Session Italian professor AKA Daniele AKA How am I Supposed to Learn Italian if I Can't Stop Laughing: Definitely stereotypical Italian. Loud, funny, charismatic, etc. I still sometimes see him around but not as often as I'd like. Was a great introduction to the Italian people.
That's about all I can think of for the moment. I know that every country has it's bad or annoying people, and too often, those are the ones we see first. But in any case, most of the people above make my life better on a daily basis. Most of them are so full of life and excitement, it's so refreshing. They have a zest for life that sometimes, it's hard to remember to have. Italians man...maybe they know something we don't.
Ciao!!
Sunday, February 10, 2013
I Feel Like I've Been Thrown Into a Blender
So this weekend (well these past two days) was an eventful one, both good and bad.
Saturday, Jessica and I went to Bologna, which in short, was incredible. I really liked Bologna. There were so many interesting people to watch and we sat outside and just soaked it in for probably an hour. But in order, our day went something like this.
First, we actually made it to Bologna. Again, surprisingly no problems. Look at the those Europeans, making things easy. Madness, I tell you. Then, with a bit of street wandering and guessing, we finally made it to the main street, Via Independenza, where we saw the gate to the city and the main park, which has a name but I couldn't tell you. So we walked through the park, which was pretty but it was also winter so there wasn't anyone around and the nature was limited. As we were leaving the park, we saw all these tents set up, which turned out to be the market we had also wanted to see. It mostly clothes, shoes, home goods and stuff like that, but it was still fun to walk through. After the market, we got back on the main street and walked down towards the main piazza, Piazza Maggiore. We stopped at one of the churches, where we accidentally went sightseeing during a service (but there were other people so we're still not sure if it was okay or not). The church was beautiful, just like everything else in Italy.
City Gate
Steps to the park
Nature! In the streets!! Call the news!!
Church nave
The classiest H&M I have ever seen. Step it up, Firenze.
Once we had made it to the smaller piazza, Piazza del Nettuno, off Piazza Maggiore, we were going to walk towards the main piazza, when we got distracted. But in all fairness, there was the first of many street bands and they were playing Eye of the Tiger. So we walked down towards the famous Bologna towers (and towards the band) where we saw the first of many cute kids. These were dancing to the music the band was playing. After also listening to the Pink Panther from the band, we walked down and saw Bologna's towers, which are apparently leaning.
The only Apple store close to Firenze.
First (of many) street bands!
One tower (possibly leaning)
Second tower (definitely leaning)
After walking back towards the main piazza, we found the (apparently famous) Neptune statue, the main piazza, and another street band. There were a lot of street performers that day - perhaps that was why I liked it so much, it was so lively! After hanging around the piazza a bit, we walked through an old building of some sort (stopping of course to take cute pictures on the stone furniture) and found an Old Well!! So of course, we also had to stop and take pictures there.
Neptune statue
Street band
Stone furniture
Old Well!
We then went in the world's fifth largest church (but no pictures allowed - boo). It, also, was beautiful. And I stood on both sides of Cassini's sundial in the form of a meridian line, which I suppose is something cool even if I don't quite understand what that means. After hanging around a bit more, we started walking around the streets of Bologna. We saw a lot of cute streets, dogs and people but eventually, we decided to find lunch. This was easier said than done, but eventually, after finding our way to the market district, we found a cafe for lunch. Also, in walking through the market, we discovered that instead of being in a separate building, the markets and vendors were just lining two streets. Other than that, it reminded me very much of the Mercato. I don't know, having a separate building makes things easier but there's something to be said for walking through streets with beautiful food spilling out onto the sidewalk. For lunch, I had lasagna bolognese (of course, it's from Bologna you know), which was delicious.
Street
Market
Lunch!!
Then began our period of sitting around and talking, which honestly, was really nice. No rushing, no feeling like I have to see everything and get a picture of it, no pressure, just sitting, people watching and talking. Which was lovely. Finally, we decided to again wander around, ending up getting a hot chocolate and some delicious gelato (caramel and spicy chocolate - just unfairly incredible) and wound up people watching again before making our way back to the train station. After getting back to Firenze again with no problems (I'm becoming suspicious now...) we stopped at the chocolate festival again, where I got dark chocolate covered strawberries and proceeded to float away into heaven, until I got rudely pulled back to Earth upon glancing at my bank account.
Gelato - deadly
Street band playing a didgeridoo - I still miss you Oz!!
Strawberries
Essentially, several companies have gotten hold of my debit card information and have been charging my account without my noticing for several months. Mostly, it's just a giant hassle because we're going to cancel my current debit card and get a new one and even though it's the right and easiest thing to do, it's just a hassle. And it doesn't help that I'm overseas and am therefore severely limited in being able to deal with this, for which I feel useless and not helpful at all. And really, I feel like a moron. Basically, I'm pretty convinced this is the result of something stupid I did and it really bothers me. Being smart and responsible and making good choices is something I pride myself on and then having this happen to me really calls that into question and it just makes me feel bad and stupid. I don't like it. And I'm trying to let it go and move on but I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon. I just have to accept it and move on, I suppose.
I think that's part of being an adult. Admitting to your mistakes, trying to fix them, paying the consequences, learning from them and moving on. But no matter how many times I tell myself that, I still mentally berate myself for this whenever I start thinking about it. But I'm sure it will get better. I just have to learn and move on. Learn and move on. Learn and move on.
Luckily, today was better. I slept for a long time, had lunch, went to the grocery store, did homework, talked things out with my parents and went to dinner. On a good note, dinner was delicious. I had Pellegrino (from a glass bottle, people - they're classy here in Italy) and a pizza with smoked mozzarella and smoked ham on it. Mmm. Delicious.
Leather placemat - now I know I'm in Italy
Glass bottle Pellegrino - definitely better than plastic
Delicious pizza
Now I've finished my homework, am updating my blog, watched some funny videos and I feel okay. Hearing what the bank has to say will make me feel better. Holocaust, Italian, Mercato, lunch, Cooking, and meeting for Rome on the agenda tomorrow. Should be a good day!
Ciao!!
Saturday, Jessica and I went to Bologna, which in short, was incredible. I really liked Bologna. There were so many interesting people to watch and we sat outside and just soaked it in for probably an hour. But in order, our day went something like this.
First, we actually made it to Bologna. Again, surprisingly no problems. Look at the those Europeans, making things easy. Madness, I tell you. Then, with a bit of street wandering and guessing, we finally made it to the main street, Via Independenza, where we saw the gate to the city and the main park, which has a name but I couldn't tell you. So we walked through the park, which was pretty but it was also winter so there wasn't anyone around and the nature was limited. As we were leaving the park, we saw all these tents set up, which turned out to be the market we had also wanted to see. It mostly clothes, shoes, home goods and stuff like that, but it was still fun to walk through. After the market, we got back on the main street and walked down towards the main piazza, Piazza Maggiore. We stopped at one of the churches, where we accidentally went sightseeing during a service (but there were other people so we're still not sure if it was okay or not). The church was beautiful, just like everything else in Italy.
Once we had made it to the smaller piazza, Piazza del Nettuno, off Piazza Maggiore, we were going to walk towards the main piazza, when we got distracted. But in all fairness, there was the first of many street bands and they were playing Eye of the Tiger. So we walked down towards the famous Bologna towers (and towards the band) where we saw the first of many cute kids. These were dancing to the music the band was playing. After also listening to the Pink Panther from the band, we walked down and saw Bologna's towers, which are apparently leaning.
After walking back towards the main piazza, we found the (apparently famous) Neptune statue, the main piazza, and another street band. There were a lot of street performers that day - perhaps that was why I liked it so much, it was so lively! After hanging around the piazza a bit, we walked through an old building of some sort (stopping of course to take cute pictures on the stone furniture) and found an Old Well!! So of course, we also had to stop and take pictures there.
We then went in the world's fifth largest church (but no pictures allowed - boo). It, also, was beautiful. And I stood on both sides of Cassini's sundial in the form of a meridian line, which I suppose is something cool even if I don't quite understand what that means. After hanging around a bit more, we started walking around the streets of Bologna. We saw a lot of cute streets, dogs and people but eventually, we decided to find lunch. This was easier said than done, but eventually, after finding our way to the market district, we found a cafe for lunch. Also, in walking through the market, we discovered that instead of being in a separate building, the markets and vendors were just lining two streets. Other than that, it reminded me very much of the Mercato. I don't know, having a separate building makes things easier but there's something to be said for walking through streets with beautiful food spilling out onto the sidewalk. For lunch, I had lasagna bolognese (of course, it's from Bologna you know), which was delicious.
Then began our period of sitting around and talking, which honestly, was really nice. No rushing, no feeling like I have to see everything and get a picture of it, no pressure, just sitting, people watching and talking. Which was lovely. Finally, we decided to again wander around, ending up getting a hot chocolate and some delicious gelato (caramel and spicy chocolate - just unfairly incredible) and wound up people watching again before making our way back to the train station. After getting back to Firenze again with no problems (I'm becoming suspicious now...) we stopped at the chocolate festival again, where I got dark chocolate covered strawberries and proceeded to float away into heaven, until I got rudely pulled back to Earth upon glancing at my bank account.
Essentially, several companies have gotten hold of my debit card information and have been charging my account without my noticing for several months. Mostly, it's just a giant hassle because we're going to cancel my current debit card and get a new one and even though it's the right and easiest thing to do, it's just a hassle. And it doesn't help that I'm overseas and am therefore severely limited in being able to deal with this, for which I feel useless and not helpful at all. And really, I feel like a moron. Basically, I'm pretty convinced this is the result of something stupid I did and it really bothers me. Being smart and responsible and making good choices is something I pride myself on and then having this happen to me really calls that into question and it just makes me feel bad and stupid. I don't like it. And I'm trying to let it go and move on but I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon. I just have to accept it and move on, I suppose.
I think that's part of being an adult. Admitting to your mistakes, trying to fix them, paying the consequences, learning from them and moving on. But no matter how many times I tell myself that, I still mentally berate myself for this whenever I start thinking about it. But I'm sure it will get better. I just have to learn and move on. Learn and move on. Learn and move on.
Luckily, today was better. I slept for a long time, had lunch, went to the grocery store, did homework, talked things out with my parents and went to dinner. On a good note, dinner was delicious. I had Pellegrino (from a glass bottle, people - they're classy here in Italy) and a pizza with smoked mozzarella and smoked ham on it. Mmm. Delicious.
Now I've finished my homework, am updating my blog, watched some funny videos and I feel okay. Hearing what the bank has to say will make me feel better. Holocaust, Italian, Mercato, lunch, Cooking, and meeting for Rome on the agenda tomorrow. Should be a good day!
Ciao!!
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