Hi!

Sooooo remember how I said the whole journaling thing isn't really my thing? Well it's coming back to bite me. While some days I am very lazy and can barley make it to class, most days are extremely busy and I can't even remember what I had for breakfast, so bare with me here as I try to dig through my brain to pull out the memories and adventures I can share with you all.

Here's a quick low down on what's about to come in this post. Since I last blogged I have been to Napoli (Naples), Pompeii, some stinky sulphur place, Roman thermal baths and Prague. Napoli, Pompeii, Capri, and the stinky sulphur place (seriously, sorry I cannot even remember the name) were all visited in the same weekend with the rest of my program. We visited the ruins of Pompeii and we were able to enjoy wonderful views of Mt. Vesuvius, unfortunately due to snow, we were not allowed to hike to the top. We visited a museum in Napoli which was mostly devoted to, and pardon the language, penises. I learned that in Napoli and especially Pompeii, sculptures and other erotic artworks were very common even in households. So in short, we ate pizza and saw some erotic penis artwork.  Capri was absolutely gorgeous. We took a boat around the island and were able to explore some of the caves within the island. It was beautiful.

The next weekend I went to a Roman thermal bath, it was only a few bucks and was provided by my program, but it was far from authentic, a bit disappointing actually. But we were able to sit in a hot pool for hours surrounding by a million other toursits and visit the sights of the surrounding town which included underground tunnels where Popes and other hierarchy punished, or rather tortured the heretics of early Roman times. All in all, one of my least successful days while abroad.

The next week I attended school as usual and this past weekend was the start of my Spring Break. I headed to Prague on Thursday evening. We arrived in the very chilly city that night and were ripped of by our cab driver as we headed to our hostel. The Czech Republic uses the Koruna (crown) for currency. So, one US dollar is equal to about 21 Crowns, it's crazy. We ended up paying about 700 crown for our cab ride, and according to the nice kid who worked at our hostel, we really should have only payed about 500, oh well. We arrived at our hostel less than impressed. It was definitely not the nicest hostel I have stayed in, and none of us were too thrilled about sharing a slightly dirty room with 19 other roommates. With optimistic thoughts, we headed out for some traditional Czech dinner, beef, gravy, and dumplings, and of course Pilsner. I enjoyed it very much, but I'm finding that I enjoy all foods a bit to much, well at least that is what my jeans are telling me. My friends and I headed back to the hostel, counting down the hours till when we got to leave Prague, none of us were very happy at this point.

We headed to Old Town the next day, which is mostly where the sights of Prague are. It was a half hour walk from our hostel, so that added to our annoyances even more, but a quick turn of events happened, we arrived at Old Town Square and all was well. There was a gigantic open market offering all kinds of tasty Czech treats that we of course had to Czech (get it?) out. We hopped on a free walking tour of the city and explored the Jewish Ghetto, New Town, etc. I also learned some rather interesting, slightly disturbing history of Prague's famous Astronomical Clock. It was built over 800 years ago (don't quote me on that) and it was unlike any other clock in the world. It was the pride of Prague, and thus the people of Prague wanted no one else to have a clock as great as this one. So one night the people of Prague kidnapped the clockmaker, gauged out his eyes and chopped off his tongue so he was a blind mute, thus not being able to build another clock anywhere. Seriously, that was how the city repaid him for his masterpiece?! The story gets better though. In order to get back at the people of Prague, the clockmaker had his servant take him to the top of the clock tower, and told his servant to push him, and there he fell into the clock fixtures killing himself, but also damaging and breaking the clock. The clock was so complicated, and he knew it. For over 600 years, the clock went unfixed, no one could figure out how to get it working again. After a long day of touring, we did some more eating and called it a night.

The next day we visited the Charles Bridge, the John Lennon Wall, and the Dancing House. We "petted" the famous statue on the bridge (I'm not too sure what it is) and according to the locals, if you touch it, you'll find yourself back in Prague. I can't wait! Then I headed to the John Lennon Wall. It's a masterpiece of graffiti. It is a wall dedicated to Lennon, Beatles lyrics, peace, and any other nice, cute, funny, funky things you can think of.

While the trip to Prague started off as a bit rough, each day was better and better, I cannot wait to find myself back in Prague one day. Below are some pics of my most recent adventures. Hope all is well America, I'll be home in about a month (I hate saying that).

Ciao.

                                                    Boating around Capri

                                          Capri

                                          Stinky Sulphur Place

                                          View of Mt. Vesuvius from our hotel

                                                    Astronomical Clock

                                          Lennon Wall

                                                    Beer drinking in Old Town Square

                                                    Charles Bridge

                                          Yum Yum. Czech Food

                                                    View of Old town Square from Clock Tower

Hi Guys,

My last two weeks have been quite adventurous, it's hard to remember everything (I have a journal, but the whole journaling thing just really isn't "my thing").

Two weeks ago I visited Barcelona. It was AWESOME. Aside from the food poisoning that only permitted me to basically eat saltines and drink 7Up all weekend, a good time was had by all. I visited the Sagrada Familia, and while I am kinda over the whole "visiting churches" thing, there really is nothing like the Sagrada Familia. Beautiful gothic architecture that is rarely found in many places, especially Italy. If you have the chance to visit Barcelona, make sure you check out everything  Gaudi. He is the artist that mostly responsible for all of the city's magnificently beautiful tourist destinations. Park Guell is a must. I'm not one for descriptions, so be sure to see the pictures below. I also was able to attend an FC Barcelona Futbol game. One word, EPIC. It was quite chilly, but the atmosphere and quality of soccer made it all worth it. I ended my trip with some bomb enchiladas and a tasty margarita to make up for the lack of eating I was able to do my first couple days there. If I wasn't studying in Roma, Barcelona would for sure be the next best thing. I also went to the Open Air Market, it puts any and all U.S farmer's markets to shame. So much fresh meat, bread, candy, pastries, it's almost overwhelming. Our hostel was very nice. It was skateboard themed, and all of our roommates were from different countries and none spoke English. It was a great experience that makes me wish the U.S had hostels to offer too.

I caught an early morning flight home from Barcelona to Rome, then went straight to class that same day, but the adventure didn't stop there. I locked my bag shut on the plan with a master-lock  and in the process I managed to accidentally change the passcode of the lock. I had 10 Euro in my pocket and was not about to drop gross amounts of Euro on a locksmith, but I also didn't want to cut my lifesaving Timbuk2 bag open, thus I had a dilemma. Have no fear though, I was able to conquer what they do in the movies. I listend closely to the lock while I twisted each number and boom, yep, I opened it. Just call me a locksmith.

After that adventure, I went to "school" for another few days and hopped on a 12 hour bus ride to Interlaken Switzerland with some of my roomies and friends from my program. The 12 hour trip wasn't too fun, for obvious reasons, but everything about Interlaken was amazing. I went there with the intention to canyon dive (you are attached by a rope, jump of a cliff, and swing through the beautiful Swiss Alps) that unfortunately was canceled due to falling icicles that could potentially impale canyon divers, thus my new activity was to be paragliding. This in no way was "pee your pants, heart attack, adrenaline rush canyon diving" but it was an awesome experience. We flew all over the surrounding mountains and had a great view of the town (see pics below), paragliding is definitely an activity I recommend.

After paragliding we attended a chocolate shore, I mean c'mon, nothing like chocolate in Switzerland, we learned about the whole process of making chocolate, but I was too preoccupied eating the chocolate so I missed most of that lecture. But seriously guys, there's nothing like chocolate in Switzerland, from white to dark, it's all good. Later that night we sought out some schnitzel, you have to eat schnitzel in Switzerland, it's a given. It basically tasted like fried chicken, but it was still mighty tasty. Quick side-note, DO NOT go to Switzerland, especially Interlaken on a budget, it's impossible. A plate of schnitzel cost 35 Franc, so about 37 USD. After our day of paragliding, chocolate, schnitzel fun, we spent the night playing cards for 4 hours at our hostel and called it a night, we were all extremely tired from the bus ride. We woke up the next day and finally found something cheap. We rented bikes for the entire day for only 20 Franc. The Swiss biker dude suggested we ride around the lake, which we had intentions of doing anyways, but our trek took longer than expected. With some occasional wrong turns, we ended up biking about 30 miles in a 3 hour span. I also was not in appropriate attire; jeans, toms, a sweater, not ideal for biking. 3 hours later after we conquered the lake tour I felt like Lance Armstrong, minus the drugs and tight bike outfit. That night we hit up a place called Little Thai. I know what you're thinking, "Thai food in Switzerland?" well at least that's what I thought. But yes, apparently parts of Switzerland are known for having great little Thai spots and we found quite a gem. BEST PAD THAI EVER, and that is not an understatement. I have to stop thinking about it or else I get upset that I can't have it anymore.

The next afternoon we hopped back on the bus for our 12 hour trek home. We made it to the rome transportation station around 2am where we played some casual soccer with some taxi drivers who kindly brought us back to our apartment later on. Check out the pictures below (Barcelona first, Interlaken second).

                                         FC Barcelona Soccer Game

                                                    Park Guell

                                                     Park Guell

                                                     Park Guell

                                         Candy on candy on candy

                                                   Paragliding

                                         Paragliding (most intense selfies ever taken, in the history of selfies)

                                                   Chocolate Show

                                                    Selfie biking fun

                                         Swiss Alps and Lake

           


Miss you all family and friends!

Hola Amigos,

I'm speaking Spanish because I was just prepping for my weekend trip to Barcelona, but before we head there, let me update you on my first week in Roma.

Wowza. Rome>Florence. It's bigger, more lively, and the size and population make it much harder to run into any Americans or other English speaking know it all tourists (too harsh?). We started classes last Monday, it was an exciting first day, but lets be real, school is pretty universal, sitting in a classroom for an hour and forty minutes per class is only slightly more exciting in Rome than in the States. We live in a cute area, Trastevere, which translates to "the other side of the tiber." Our neighborhood is very lively, lots of restaurants, bars, and boutiques. I had the pleasure of running along the Tiber River last week. It was not all it seems though, mostly reeks of pee, dog poop, and is the camp ground of many roaming Romans. The parks here however are nothing short of beautiful and have been my designated workout spots.

Our school is about a fifteen minute walk from our apartment, it took me about a week to learn that the Argentina ruins we walk by EVERYDAY were where Caesar was stabbed by Brutus 23 times, cool right? Lizzie McGuire has been blasting in our apartment every afternoon and evening, I can't decide if that will get old or not, but hey why not (get it?)? My blog humor is lacking, I will be sure to keep working on it. Speaking of Lizzie McGuire, I made my wishes at the Trevi Fountain on Valentine's Day, but my wish will forever be secret.

Obviously I have done plenty of touristy things while I have been here, climbed the Spanish Steps, I spent an evening at Vatican City, attempting to see the Pope give his last Ash Wednesday Mass, not because I am a big Pope supporter, but hey why not try and witness some history? Long story short, I didn't get in. I also made a trek to the Colosseum and took plenty of touristy pictures and selfies (see below). While looking for a gelateria that has over 150 different flavors of gelato, I stumbled upon the Pantheon, I got kit-kat, chocolate amaretto, and bigne flavored gelato, then took my tourist shots of the Pantheon.

I had the awesome opportunity to attend the Roma soccer game last Saturday. They played the number one team in the Italian League, and won! The atmosphere was unlike anything I have seen. There was a "fire" section, where lucky fans could literally set things on fire, but don't worry, there were firefighters to put out the flames. The soccer game put American football to shame. The crowd and the atmosphere that it created were truly spectacular and I was very lucky to be a part of it.

This weekend I head to Barcelona, to give the Sagrada Familia a looksie and compare it to the wonders I have seen by Brunelleschi, Leonardo and Michelangelo, oh and to eat and drink of course.

Here are some pictures to recap what I have been up to, and for my Facebook friends, an album titled Ugly, Ridiculous Selfies will be published shortly.


Hope all is well friends and family.

Buonasera.

                                       My new friend Alessia, before we got denied to see the Pope

                                                        Becky and I at the Trevi Fountain

                                               The Spanish Steps

                                                Pantheon, post Gelato of course

                                                  Selfie outside of the Colosseum

                                                      Some Roma soccer fun

Ciao Friends,

I don't even know what day it is. This trip has been flying by. We have spent the last two weeks in Florence with a few day trips and one weekend trip. So many touristy things were accomplished there, I did some solid work on my bucket list. From the top of the Duomo to the Uffizi Museum, to dropping 30 euro for gross overpriced pasta in Venice, I have to say I have done much more than expected. Becky and I climbed the Duomo, ran up to the Palazzo Michelangelo, ate tons of pizza and gelato of course and enjoyed the sighting in Siena and Venice.

When in Florence we took a 2 week, 4.5 hour/day Italian Language and Culture Class, I actually enjoyed it. Beatrice (my lovely teacher) rocked, so much Italian was thrown at us over this two week period, but it has been a wonderful experience to be able to use some of my knowledge to engage with the locals. 

Now down to the good stuff: FOOD. Seriously, everything does taste better in Italy, well except for the "Fried Chicken Delicacy" and "mashed potatoes" that were served to us one evening for our free hotel meal, food in genearl is just that much yummier here. I'm for sure a coffee addict now, #hipster. I need my espresso every morning, along with my croissant. 

Florence was a very beautiful city, but two weeks was the perfect amount. I was very good at being an American Tourist too. We left Florence on Saturday afternoon, and arrived in Roma, where we will officially be living for the next 3 months, Saturday evening. We moved into our apartment, it is "so Italy." I have four other roommates, and we have two bedrooms, a living room, two bathrooms, and a kitchen, with a washing machine and dishwasher, thank god. We were greeted by our landlord, a very friendly cute old man along with his son, his daughter, and his granddaughter, they gave us chocolates too. Our apartment is located in the Trastevere region of Rome, it is a great neighborhood, lots of restaurants, and lots of bars (this is key). Our walk to school is about 15 mins, based on the walking I have been doing the past few weeks I have been here, 15 mins is a walk in the park. Tomorrow we start classes, I'm not sure how I feel about saying that, I have gotten in a routine of attending one class, sightseeing, and eating, and now I actually have to go to class? Weird. Don't worry Mom, I'll take a first day of school picture along the Tiber River.

Now that I actually have working internet, here are some photos over my stay in Florence. More posts and photos to come. 

                                             Palazzo Michelangelo

                                                   Spritz

                                            Walk up to Palazzo Michelangelo

                                              Top of the Duomo

                                                Leaning Tower

                                                          Venice

Ciao Friends.

Ciao

I am in Firenze (Italian for Florence)! It is beautiful here. I have been out of the states for about a week now. I was able to spend two days in London sightseeing and then hopped on a plane to Florence. I feel like I have been gone for months, we have done so much in such little time. Coming across Brunelleschi's Duomo on a daily basis has become the norm, Palazzo Vecchio has become the new place to grab some pizza, wine, and people watch. I have had the opporutnity to do such wonderful things already and see such amazing sights. According to my program director, I am currently in the "honeymoon phase," of the culture shock that I am  experiencing. Based on my environment, the new friends I am making, the Italian I am slowly, but surely learning, the honeymoon phase won't be coming to an end any time soon.

Down to the good stuff though. I had gelato the other day, it was called Affogato, which literally means "drowning." This intricate sounding ice cream dish is a scoop of your choice of gelato with dark hot chocolate poured over it, so the gelato melts as you eat it. For the chocolate lovers, this is something that you cannot miss out on. I also learned a few favorite dishes of the Firenze citizens, most popular, a sandwich on white bread that consists of a cows 4th stomach; not exactly enticing fo rmy palet, but I can tell you I will be trying it soon enough. Our lovely local tour guide, recommended a few pizza joints for Becky and I to try out. We tried a cute little hole in the wall place, the owner is a nice little man from Naples. BEST pizza ever, and no I am not just saying that because I am in Italy, but sidenote, the food, coffee, and pretty much everything is tastier and better when some nice Italian serves you.

Moving on to the logistical things, if you can even call it that. Everyday has been go go go, nonstop, 14 hour days. We spend two weeks here in Florence, then head to Rome and move into our student apartments. Here in Florence we take a two week "intensive" Italian Language and Culture course, 9am-1:30pm Monday-Friday. Believe it or not, it is actually fun to go to class. After class we have more adventures. Our program provides us with daily activites that are usually free or very cheap. Today I was able to explore the Medici Palace and wander through the secret passageways created by Cosimo and his son. Tomorrow I am heading to Pisa to see the leaning tower and a cathedral (basically the only things that exist there). Friday I will be heading to Venice, next week we have wine tastings, Uffizi Gallery visits, and a 450 step climb to the top of the Duomo. Hey coach Bell, hows that for off season training?

That is all for, this might be the most disorganized piece of writing I have ever written, oh well, who has time to write when you are in Florence (and when the internet is the speed of a snail). I have much more to say, perhaps I will save it for a later post, or most likely I'll just forget it. Miss you all. I will drink plenty of Tuscan Reds and load my body with carbs on carbs on carbs.

Ciao for now.