Paris: Part Un

We got back Sunday from a wonderful weekend in Paris! I was doubtful of how much I would like the city, but it is by far one of my favorite cities in the world. We left Thursday afternoon for Milan to have our first Ryanair experience. It ended up being better than I expected, though upon landing we bounced down the runway. Then we took a bus ride into the city. When the Eiffel Tower was in the distance the whole bus erupted in screams of excitement!

After getting a cab from the bus station, we arrived to our hostel, 3 Ducks. We got to our room and I immediately started panicking. 10 bunks. No sheets. Odor. Bathroom outside. Bathroom dirty. No showers in sight. Sketchy people. Easy to break in. The list goes on. I tried to SOS my parents, but they didn't answer. So we headed down to the bar in the downstairs and drank away our fears (just kidding...but we did try some French or German beer).

The next day we got up and ready for our first day exploring Paris. Here are pictures from the first day.

The Arc de Triomphe. We pranced from the Louvre down the Champs Elysees to see this. Its a pretty long walk, but y'all know how I don't mind walking by all the shops! After seeing the Arc de Triomphe, two of the girl and I went shopping and ended up in the biggest Sephora I have ever been in. Ahhhhhhhhhh makeup heaven :)


DON'T FEED THE MODELS.
On our way to the Arc de Triomphe, we stumbled upon the end of a Dior fashion show. It made my heart so happy. We got to watch all the important fashion people and models leave the show. And we saw Jared Leto...not sure who he is but some people in the group went NUTS.

The crew in front of the Louvre. How precious. After this photo, we proceeded to take jumping and cartwheel pics. Hello American tourists!

On another note, did y'all know Paris is the greenest city in the world? There were so many parks, grassy areas, and gardens. I loved it...it makes you feel like you're not in one of the biggest cities in the world. The gals in front of the Seine. It made me think of the MK an Ash movie "Passport to Paris" when they didn't like how dirty it was.

The hot chocolate from Angelinas. Did y'all know Coco Chanel drank one of these everyday!? It was like melted chocolate with cream. YUM. If you go to Paris, this place is a MUST.

NB: Our group got around Paris with relative ease thanks to an amazing guide from Dawson's friend, Elisabeth. If anyone's going to Paris soon you need this guide.

That's all for now...here's a little about what to look forward to:
-Louvre
-Flaming shots
-Eiffel Tower
-Wine in baby bottles

Ciao!

Venice

Yesterday our program director Martin took the whole crew the Venice for the day. We loaded up in the bus and headed east. When we got close we stopped to get a bus pass or something to get into Venice. From my seat I was the scariest scelator Venetian man. Yikes. And he had a wedding ring, meaning there is a Mrs. Scelator.

After Scelator, we got into Venice and loaded up in the Venice cab, which is a boat. Everyone clutched their bags (having been warned that there are a lot of pick-pockets here) and we rode to San Marco square. We had time to go eat lunch, so a few of us found a sandwich shop and got food to go. We ate in the square but not comfortably because there are pigeons EVERYWHERE. Seriously, they will walk right up to you. One girl was pecked and another got hit with a wing. I am NOT a fan of pigeons.

We went to the Doge Palace after lunch, where the people working there proceeded to ruin our whole tour. They were so rude and followed us from room to room and radioed ahead to make sure there were other workers waiting when we moved on. Everytime Martin tried to speak, they barked an Italian order at him. Even when he just pointed they got mad. It was absolutely ridiculous. All I got from the tour was that I saw the larget oil painting in the world.

Martin left us to explore Venice and our group walked around shops and searched for a place to eat dinner. The girls split from the boys (who wanted to eat at yet another sandwich shop) and found a cute little restuarant with great food. Then we wandered through Venice in the rain to the train station and headed home to Verona. I can't say that Venice is one of the top places I have ever been...it may actually be at the bottom. There were a ton of birds, it smelled, it was rainy, it seemed like everything was under construction, and the people were not very friendly and were eager to rip you off. Because it is mainly a tourist place, everything is expensive (1.50 euro just to use the bathroom!!!). Maybe on a day with better weather I would enjoy it.


Scelator striking a pose.

A canal and bridge.

Under construction canal. The bridge there is the Bridge of Sighs.

Gondolas.

Marshmellow baby.

Now we are off to Paris for the weekend!! Ciao!

A Terror in the Night

Sunday night after Cameron and I returned from Lucca and Siena, we were sitting in the kitchen at our usual spots when it happened. She was facing the sink area and I was facing the rest of the room when suddenly we heard a crashing sound and the lights flickered. Both of us stood up and bolted out of our room. I believed it to be a bird while Cameron thought it was a monkey-man. We ran across the hall to Kari and Katie's room for help. They came back to the room but were just as nervous as we were. No one wants a bird, monkey-man, or any other creature surprise attacking. Finally we got a couple of the boys to take care of it. They bravely ventured in the room and knocked on cabinets to lure the creature out. After a few minutes they began to gave up when one found the source of the noise: an Italian grasshopper/cricket/locust. These bugs are HUGE. I'm talking 6 inch bug with wings. One of the boys played the whole "I'm going to throw the bug at y'all" trick and Kari and I proceeded to run down the hall and Kari smashed into a glass door. She's really scared of bugs. We have not had a bug in here since and lets hope it stays that way.


I didn't take a picture but I think this is probably accurate. And ps I have to close my eyes while typing this because I really hate looking at it. SICK.

Siena

After navigating the Italian trains again, we arrived in beautiful Siena and began another quest to find our hostel. En route to the hostel we came across a gelato place...when in Rome! My favortite flavor is panna cotta. Its like caramel cake batter ice cream. Then we found our hostel office where the nicest woman gave us so much information on Siena...where to eat, what sights to see, where to go out, etc. Who know hostels had concierges?

We found our place and showered and got ready for dinner. We went to a delicious place (not microwaved food) and had a long Italian-style dinner. The bruscetta there was a-maz-ing.

After that we made our way to the discoteca, Gallery. You have to pay a cover but the cover is the price of a drink and you get a drink voucher. Thus when going to a discoteca, you are obligated to have a drink. I like their style. Throughout the night American music raged through the building, much to our enjoyment. A personal favorite was to see hoards of Italians doing the YMCA.

The next morning we got up and prepared for the day. We had a great lunch of pizza that was really unique (I ordered pepperoni pizza...but by pepperoni they meant pepper. It was delicious regardless). We then walked around Siena and found a great spot that overlooked the town. Then we went to two churches. One was really beautiful but was under construction. Like the one in Lucca, there was a preserved person, but this time just the head. Sick. Despite the coaxing from my fellow travelers, I never ventured anywhere near the head. After that we made our way to the Duomo, which was truly breathtaking. There was a woman outside playing a violin which only made the experience more magical. My favorite room was the library. The entire ceiling was so beautiful and along the walls were paintings depicting the life of Pope Pius __. Also in there were the songbooks from the 1400s (I think) that were HUGE. Each page had a beautiful drawing and there were tons of pages and tons of books. I can't even imagine how long that must have taken. If you ever go to Siena, the Duomo is a must.

After our exploring we went to the hostel to regroup (yeah, Barb!) and then went to eat at a place in Piazza del Campo. Again, the food was amazing. After dinner we found a few neat bars and ended the night at the Gallery. While wandering from bar to bar to hostel, we would just pass groups of young people sitting around with bottles of wine. They were so chill and laid back...it was pretty cool to see.

The next day we ate breakfast and then sat in Piazzo del Campo again. I love how Italians can just eat lunch, have a drink, or just be in these big open areas. No one is on their cell phones or computers...they just enjoy their surroundings and each other. We then went back to the train station to begin our 10 hour train adventure back to Verona. At one point we believed that we were at the correct stop. Half the group got out but as I was about to step off the train the door slammed shut. On the inside we pounded on the door and pressed button and on the outside they pounded on the door and pressed buttons. The surrounding Italians watched and laughed. As the train pulled away from the station Cameron ran beside the train like a scene in a movie. We weren't sure how we would get back but then realized they were at the wrong place and we were right...oh how the tables have turned. We finally figured out the whole fiasco and continued on home.

After my first trip I learned several things:

1. At some churches, there are bodies/body parts in clear coffins. Not for the sensitive souls.

2. Train travel can be very confusing, and the train doors won't reopen.

3. Don't put your feet on the seats in the train. They can fine you.

4. There are not open containers laws in Italy. Want to tote a bottle of wine around town on your tour? Go right ahead.

5. The John Wall/Paul Wall/John Paul dance as well as "Cranking the Roosevelt"

6. Hostels aren't as scary as you expect (but maybe thats becaue we pay extra for private rooms/baths)

7. Just because a restuarant is in Italy does not make it homemade.

8. American music is everywhere (as I was writing this I went through the lobby where "Freebird" was blasting. Made me feel like I was back in Bama)

9. Italians are not loud at restaurants. And they don't like it when a pack of rowdy American college kids are loud.

10. Tuscany is even more beautiful than I expected!

What a wonderful weekend! Can't wait for Paris!


The ceiling in the library at the Duomo. Pictures don't do justice.

The outside of the Duomo.

A courtyard we wandered into.

A few gals overlooking Siena.

A sidewalk artist. It was amazing to pass this throughout the weekend and see the progress.

View from Piazza del Campo.

Lucca

This weekend we took our first weekend trip. I loaded up my backpack (yep, I have a big ole camping backpack to tote through Europe...I feel like such a world traveler) and hit the road. Our first stop was the sleepy town of Lucca. Originally, it was surrounded by a moat and had walls all around it, but the moat has long since dried up (or at least i never saw any water). It was so neat to see a little Italian town and be out of bustling Verona.

After a few hours of deciphering the Italian train system, we arrived in Lucca and found our hostel. It was a pretty big challenge because the streets are odd on one side and even on the other (like America) but the odd and even don't correspond. ie 37 is a cross from 2. We arrived to find a note that said call Fabio when we get there. We made the call and Fabio showed us to our rooms. One had 3 twins and the other a king and 2 twins and both had private bathrooms. I was really excited/nervous about my first experience with a hostel. Turns out, another American woman who was about to move to Lucca was staying in the third room. She was so nice and told us all the hot spots in Lucca.

The group tried to find a great local place for dinner, but it seemed like there were only shops. We finally came across a little cafe with a good menu and moderate prices and we invaded. Not many little Italians restuarants are ready to accomodate 10 loud Americans. As we ordered one person asked if the seafood was fresh. The waitress looked surprised and said, "No. Frozen." Way to be honest. As we were waiting for our food I joked, "I bet this won't take long. They are probably microwaving everything in the back." Well turns out Cameron had a view of the kitchen and they in fact were microwaving little bags of food and dumping it on plates. So much for the great local cuisine.

The next day we woke up and explored Lucca. It is not the biggest town so our exploring only lasted about 2 hours. We went to a really pretty church and discovered that some places like to display important church founders in clear coffins. Thats right...500 year old monk was laid out for the world to see. Needless to say I bolted from that room and went to get some fresh air. Despite the body, I really loved seeing the architecture and art in the churches and could even identify some of it thanks to Camarata's class in high school and the class I am currently taking.

After sight seeing we boarded on another train and headed to Siena...



The group in front of the hostel where the girls stayed.

This used to be a Roman arena but it has morphed to what you see. There are bricks on some of the buildings that are the Roman originals.

The room I stayed in at the hostel. Cameron and I got to share the king...yay for sharing beds and cuddling.

The entrance to Lucca.

The outside of the church with the body. The door to the left is where I bolted out of post sighting.

A carousel in the middle of a piazza. Maybe like the one at the galleria??

our humble abode...(this ones for you, janet)

Cameron and I have finally settled into our quaint little apartment. Though most people have an apartment with a seperate bedroom from the kitchen and living area, we were lucky enough to have it all in one big space! But I'm not complaining...its much roomier than I expected. Also, once a week the hotel cleaning service cleans the room and changes the sheets and towels, which too is very nice and unexpected!


These are our wanna-be twin beds. They are a little smaller than normal ones and are about 5 inches from one another. So basically we share a queen.

Our futon/living area. Weirdly enough we rarely sit there.

This is the view from the kitchen of the living room (to the left), the bedroom (to the right, you can see the little twin peeking out), and our desk.

This is the kitchen. We have a stove, a microwave, and a mini mini fridge. No oven. Cooking will be interesting. But then again me trying to cook is always interesting. And that table is where Cameron and I spend 99% of the waking hours when we are in our room. (Notice the blue camelback on the table...yes its probably the most well traveled camelback ever)

So there are a few pics of the room. Hope you enjoyed them! Tomorrow is another day of class and then a wine tour in the afternoon!

Ciao!

in fair verona...

Today is my fourth day in Verona! It is absolutely amazing! These first few days have been a whirlwind of meeting people, figuring out the city, unpacking, etc. Here's a little bit about what I've been doing!!

Day 1

Cameron and I left London fairly early to fly to Verona. FYI British airport security is tiiight. I had forgotten to put a few liquids in bags and they saw it on the X-ray scanner. Soon the entire contents of my backpack were dispersed on a little table. Embarrassing. We finally made it to Verona and to our residence about 15 minutes after the introductory meeting began. After the meeting the whole group took the bus to town to eat dinner. We went to a cafeteria-ish place that had delicious pizza! yum!

After dinner the group decided that we needed to go out on our first night...the only issue was where. In Italy, bars are not the same things as our American bars; bars are like little resturaunts. Somehow we found a bar called Campus bar. The door was unlocked so the group of 27 rolled in to find all the bartenders still sitting and getting ready (seeing as it was about 7:30). I guess with such a large group, they didn't think about opening time and just started pouring wine. We all parked up in some booths and got to know each other...a great first night.

Day 2

The next day we had a meeting at 9:30 AM. The night before Cameron and I set an alarm, but didn't look to see that the phone was 5 hrs and 39 min off. Luckily Cameron woke up at 10 and we scrambled downstairs just as everyone was leaving for the grocery store. Our director, Martin, showed us how to buy groceries even though everything was either in Italian or German. I'd always heard that wine is cheaper than water here but though it was an exaggeration. It's not. Literally you can buy a bottle of wine for 0.80 euros. Wow.

The rest of the day Cameron and I unpacked and organized our room. That night the group got together in someone's room with our newly purchased wine and had a relaxing night at home.

Day 3

In the morning everyone got together to try to plan our first weekend trip. Everyone broke up into smaller groups to figure it out. Its pretty awesome when your biggest issue is picking which place in Italy you want to visit for the weekend. Me and 5 other girls planned a trip to Lucca and Siena. We leave Thursday for Lucca for the night and then spend the next two in Siena. I was really weary of staying in hostels (I've never seen the movie, Hostel, but I always associate the word hostel with hellish situations)...after seeing ours on the internet I am not too worried. A few of us set of into town with the hopes of getting Italian sim cards and a hairdryer. Both were unsuccessful, but I feel like I have a way better idea of Verona.

Everyone was pumped to go out again Saturday night. We went back to Campus Bar and it was significantly more packed. They were having a special on sangria...it was delicious. I also had my first experience with the beer Hoegaarden. It was great! We later moved to a bar called Camelot that was mainly lit by candles. It was a pretty interesting place. One of the bartenders knew exactly where we were from because his ex-girlfriend is from Atlanta.

Day 4

Most of the people Cameron and I got to know took a trip to Lake Garda Sunday, but we weren't willing to be ready for the 10 AM bus. Instead we slept late and had a lazy morning. In the afternoon we waited for the bus into town for nearly 30 minutes only to realize our bus doesn't run on Sundays. The weather was so beautiful even though it was a little chilly so we walked. I loved just wandering down the Italian streets and making our way to Piazza Erbe. There was a marathon going on so we got to see some of the runners. I can't imagine trying to run a marathon on cobblestone-ish streets...I have a hard time walking on them without tripping. We found a great place to eat lunch outside and we split a pizza with Parma ham and gnocchi with bolognese sauce. Both were delicious...I know I am going to love the Italian food :)

While eating lunch we noticed that, I kid you not, 3/5 women carry Louis Vuitton bags. We couldn't figure out how they were so common and concluded that they must be having a huge sale or a giveaway. After lunch we walking around the shops and went into Louis Vuitton. We were wrong. No sale. No giveaway. Still expensive. (Though the $700 bag I love is 450 euros...maybe its a little cheaper?) We even found the Verona Sephora and McDonalds and got perfume samples from Sephora and Coke light from McDonalds.

On our way home we found a path along the river near our residence and watched people walking their dogs. Its so crazy that these dogs understand Italian better that I do. haha. I even found an Italian Squeals!!!!!!!!

It was such a wonderful and relaxing day. Tomorrow is our first day of class at 8 AM! Yikes. Hopefully we won't be late!

Ciao! xo


Italian Squeals!!!!!!!

In the castle in Verona

View from the bridge walking to town

Piazza Erbe