To Venice we go...

This weekend marked my first European excursion, a two-day trip to Venice! I went with a group of 10 students from class, leaving early Friday morning to catch our train. The train ride was about 3.5 hours, but it was a neat experience! I did learn one crucial thing about the European train system though: you better make sure to validate your ticket before getting on the train! During the chaos of our 10 minute transfer in Bologna, we did not have time to stamp our tickets. Luckly, the captain who came by to check was friendly and gave us a break since we were American. Needless-to-say, we left plenty of time for the validation process on the way back haha.

Train to Venice

Getting into Venice was amazing! The second we walked out of the train station we saw the Grand Canal, full of gondolas and water-taxis and all other things Venetian. The first day we spent just wondering around, making our way through alleys and bridges to Piazza San Marco, the main square in Venice. The church was beautiful, and from the bank you could see other little islands surrounding central Venice. The only bad part about the day was that it was absolutely freezing... by 6:00 PM we were all cold and tired, so we decided to head back to our hostel for the night.

Venice

Bridge overlooking the Grand Canal

San Marco

I was a bit nervous about my first hostel experience in Europe. We booked a 1-star room for 9 euro a night, so at least we knew not to expect a luxury resort haha. It really didn't seem too bad once we got there... the room I stayed in was actually decently clean. Unfortunately, some of the other girls got assigned to a room that had mold growing up the wall, which smelled awful! But out of concern for their safety, they convinced "Uncle George" to put them in another room. All-in-all, the night was a success, and we made it out alive the next morning.

For our second day in Venice, we took a waterbus out to the island of Murano. One of the coolest things about the trip was a glass-blowing show, where we witnessed the creation of a glass vase and horse sculpture. It was really incredible, and I was amazed by the detail he was able to include in his work. We spent most of the afternoon looking around in shops and buying blown-glass souveniers. We then went back to central Venice for more exploring, picture taking, and gelato sampling before catching our train home to Florence. By the time we made it back to the hotel at 12:30 AM, we were completely exhuasted. I have never been so happy to see the Palazzo Ricasoli!

Glass-blowing show

Girls in front of a glass sculpture

We now have one week left in Florence, including a day-trip to Pisa on Friday. We actually have a test this week too, so unfortunately I need to start doing some school work haha. Can't believe that one week from today I'll be saying "ciao" to Florence and "bonjour" to Paris!

Exploring Firenze

With class ending at 12 everyday, most of our afternoons are spent just wandering around Florence. In the past few days we've covered many of the city's famous sites and landmarks.


Girls ready to explore

Our first adventure was a trek up to Palazzo Michelangelo, a courtyard atop a hill that overlooks the city. Our professor orignially told us that a bus ride was neccessary to reach the palazzo, because the roads leading up are so steep. Being cheap college students, however, we decided to forgo the bus tickets and make the climb ourselves. Although I've never felt so out of shape in my life, the climb was completely worth it! The view of Florence was breathtaking, you could see the entire city backed by mountains in the distance. It finally started to hit me that I'm actually in Italy!


Panorama from Palazzo Michelangelo

Another stop on our list of things to see in Florence was Michelangelo's David. Although I've seen pictures and replicas before, nothing compares to seeing David in real life. I had no idea how large the statue was going to be (17 feet!), and the amount of detail was incredible. Even more amazing is that Michelangelo created David from a leftover slab of marble that the church allowed him to use! Unfortunately, cameras weren't allowed in the museum, so I couldn't take any good pictures... although I did sneak a shot from behind haha.


Illegal pic of David

Other visits during our first few days in Florence included the Ponte Vecchio (an old bridge over the Arno River), Palazzo Pitti, Forte di Belvedere, and Palazzo Vecchio (a courtyard featuring copies of famous statues). We've also stopped at the marketplace and some gelaterias along the way! Florence is fairly small, so it's nice to be able to walk everywhere. I'm really enjoying city life so far!

View from the Ponte Vecchio

Palazzo Vecchio

Dried fruit stand at the market

Updates soon!

Buongiorno, Italy!

We're finally in Florence! After a long weekend of plane flights, layovers, and bus rides (on about three hours of sleep), it feels good to settle in. I am completely exhausted... don't really know how I'm functioning properly at the moment. I think I'm running purely off of excitement!

Airport in Rome
I must admit, my first "real" experience in Italy was kind of intimidating. On the bus ride from the airport in Rome to our hotel in Florence, we stopped at a rest area for lunch. Some of the girls and I went to use the bathroom, only to find that the toilets had no seats! You literally had to squat over what was basically a porcelain bowl to use the bathroom. Gross haha.

Ordering our food was another adventure. The workers at the rest stop cafe didn't speak any English, so we literally had to point and say "si" to order our food. Luckily, one of the girls in our group knows some Italian, so she could at least help us communicate the basics. The experience did make me feel a little nervous about living in Florence though... guess my background in Spanish isn't as helpful as I thought it would be haha.

Although the rest stop induced a bit of culture shock, getting into Florence was a sigh of relief! The city is absolutely beautiful and everything I imagined it would be. We're staying at the Palazzo Ricasoli hotel, which is actually really nice! Not only do we have the basic room with beds and bath, but we have our own little sitting room complete with kitchenette. We're even picking up free Internet in our room near the windows, which is an added bonus! (It costs about 3 euro per hour at an Internet cafe!) Oh, and I can't forget to mention the heated towel rack in our bathroom. Definitely putting one in my house when I get older, it's amazing!

Hotel sitting room
After getting settled in, we explored Florence throughout the afternoon. Our hotel isn't too far from the center of town, which holds several shops, markets, restaurants, and the Duomo. The Duomo is a HUGE church covered in intricate carvings and paintings. It's truly beautiful, and the sheer mass of the building itself is breathtaking.

The Duomo
City exploration was followed by group dinner at a nearby restaurant, which had the most amazing pasta and chicken! After that, we all headed back to our rooms to get some rest before class the next morning. This entire trip has seemed like a vacation so far, it's weird that we actually have to start studying again! Oh well... I think I can handle 2.5 hours of class per day when I get to spend the rest of the afternoon experiencing Florence!

More to come soon - ciao!

Three Months + One Suitcase = Major Challenge

I cannot believe I am leaving in FOUR DAYS! All of my preparation has finally led to this, and now it's nearly time to go! I just got back home from recruitment at Theta, and I've been organizing/packing ever since. Mom and I went shopping yesterday for last-minute items like extra passport photos, a travel alarm clock, and luggage locks. I think I have almost everything I need... but I'm still nervous I will forget something important!

The rest of this week will be spent packing and getting things done before I leave. I need to work on applications for a scholarship and a research internship so I don't have to worry about them while I'm abroad. Thursday I'm going to head back to Butler to say my goodbyes, which is really sad to think about! Then Friday it's back home for some family time and final preparations.

I have to be at the airport at 6AM on Saturday morning... which means leaving my house at 5AM, ouch! This is especially unfortunate because we have a 7 hour overlay in Newark. It's going to be a long day! Oh well, I guess it will give me time to start the book I was supposed to read over Christmas break (oops, haha).

Well it's time to get back to packing... next post will be from Florence, can't believe it!