An Amazing Weekend

This weekend was amazing, and I wanted it to never end. It started on Thursday night, going out with some friends for drinks and dancing. It was a lot of fun. We learned that there are a lot of Italian men at all the younger clubs ... and they are quite handsy. I had to physically move their hands off of me ... and my friend Lunar, went so far as to telling men that we were a couple and they needed to back off. It was entertaining. I was ready to be done with that spot though way before anyone else, so I got back into bed at about 3:30 and at 4. The next day, Lunar (my roomie), Bryan and Lucy (friends from New York) took the train to Pisa and spent most of the day there. We took our typical tourist pictures holding up the tour, and walked around quite a bit. We all made sure to get a postcard. After eating and riding back to Florence, I spent the evening in and went to dinner in the hostel with Lunar and packed for my school trip. At 4:30 am. On Saturday morning, I woke up and walked to the train station. I wont lie ... it was a scary walk in the dark, by myself. There were lots of odd people out at that hour! We got on the bus and rode for 4 1/2 hours to the city of Pompeii. Once the bus stopped, Luca (our hilarious tour guide) advised us on places to eat and a set of bathrooms that we should NOT go into. He really emphasized how serious he was on all this. Haha...he said, "if you go....it will be the worst experience of your life. like nothing you've ever seen before. just don't. walk away. run, even!" we were cracking up. We then proceeded to go on a 3 1/2 hour walking tour of the ruins of Pompeii. I thought it was amazing. I can't imagine what those people went through being buried by molten ash, debris, and poisonous gases. I wrote a lot of the history on the posted pictures. It hit me really hard when we got to see actual bodies that had mummified b/c the ash was so hot and they all laid curled around together with their family, trying to cover their faces. It was sooo sad.
After Pompeii, we loaded up and went to Sorrento. Upon arrival, we checked into the hotel and had very little time before dinner. I took a swim in our non-heated pool...froze my tushee off and got ready for dinner. We were served a 3 course dinner. (however..the staff was very rude and rushed our meal and made us leave the moment we were through b/c they had another group coming in. EVEN THOUGH there were plenty of other open tables...it was a HUGE dining room...and we only had 4 tables...gah....not very hospitable or Italian like!) But, dinner was very good. We had wine, house red and white. To start, I had a sausage and mushroom pasta. The main dish was scorpion fish and grilled eggplant and potatoes. Dessert was peach shortbread and tiramisu. After dinner, we walked to the local Lemoncello factory and had unlimited tastings. We tried regular, creme, chocolate, mango, pineapple, oragne and an assortment of candies. I LOVED the chocolate the most, of course. Afterwards, my friend and I walked around with the tour guide and his brother and some other students. We ended up at an Irish pub and hung out there for awhile. We then went to a small shop and played foozeball. It was a fun evening of just roaming around the streets of Sorrento. It's a pretty small place really! I liked it though. In the morning, we met at 8 and headed to the ferry....
Here's where things got interesting...as we headed to the ferry, it was slick cobblestone sets of steps..and I had on cheap, old-navy worn out flip-flops...and so I fell...in my dress...down a few, fell HARD (and almost took out Luca who was standing in front of me). It hurt, I was shaky...but I shook it off. We rode the ferry to Capri. The island was gorgeous as we approached! :) We started to notice how cloudy it was getting, but blew it off in our excitement. We boarded our private boat for our tour and started out. We were all blown away by the view and completely giddy. We saw the green and white grotto, the purple and orange coral, and a lot of famous ridges and arches in the cliffs. AND THEN...came the DOWNPOUR! It was the most rain I have seen in a VERY long time; huge drops, fast and hard. The captain let us ride it out for awhile, all of us trying to get our umbrellas to protect us, but it was coming from all angles. So, we got under a huge tarp. We were laughing our heads off....b/c really, what else can you do. We were going along the Almafi coast, covered by a tarp, still holding up umbrellas because the tarp wasn't very efficient. Water was pouring in from all sides. It was a pretty rough 30 minutes or so. We were waiting with tons of other boats so that we would could go into the Blue Grotto, but it was going to be another 45 minutes, and we couldn't wait it out. We headed back and it started to clear up. But, just a few football field lengths away, there was a tornado on the water, it was amazing. I guess they are called waterspouts. It came down sooo slowly, touched the ocean and went right back up! The trip to Capri and AnaCapri were amazing. We had awesome pizza...I had a slice of my friends seafood: shrimp, squid, and octopus....SO GOOD! I couldn't believe it. Afterwards, we got gelato and the toasted almond and chocolate were to DIE for....soooooo delicious! We took the bus from Capri to Anacapri....and it was the scariest thing ever, winding really quickly around the roads and the buses barely scraped by. INSANE. Then we took the cable car to the top of the mountain on AnaCapri and the view at the top, literally brought tears to my eyes. It was such a moving experience...amazingly gorgeous! :) After that, headed to the beach. The water was soooo clear and sooo blue. This place was the most beautiful place I had ever seen. AMAZING! After that, we took a ferry to naples and headed home. We got in about 12:30 am and then walked home to fall in bed for school! It was an amazing trip. If you haven't seen pictures yet, do it soon!

Today...ah.

So, yesterday, I will admit, I got a very bad case of the homesickness. I was mopey and was feeling very unloved and out of touch with everything I know in love....but, I guess you could say I was "shaken" back to my senses because I witnessed a small earthquake. Only, I'm such a Kansas girl, that I didn't realize that was what it was until today when everyone was talking about it. I noticed that my bed, the walls, and all of my belongings were shaking gently for about 20 slow seconds...and then it was over. At first, my being a slight perv, I thought that maybe there was something crazy going on in the room above ours...but after i saw that everything was shaking....i thought, no this can not be the case. So, I went to sleep and woke up a couple times throughout the night.

Today, went to class. Italian was good...but I feel like I lose it all as soon I leave the room. So, I must do some homework asap. Then, during my break, one of my roomies and her friend was in the room. We hung out, decided to go shopping, and then went to get gelato. We found the best place and it's pretty cheap. Raspberry and blueberry with dark chocolate is what i had today. DELISH! Then, we went to a friend's place and hung out until I had to go to class. THEN when i went there...I had a change of heart. I was so hungry b/c I had eaten so lightly all weekend. AND so, we made pasta al pomodoro (pasta with a tomato/chili pepper sauce), polpettone (a version of meatloaf...so good!), herb and garlic zucchini (mmmmmmmmmmmm), and torta di Ricotta (which is lemon cake that you use ricotta cheese instead of butter in....so scrumptious). since our class only has 6 people in it, we're getting to know eachother really well and we get to be more relaxed and more hands-on with all of the recipes. We listened to music of the meditteranean, danced a little, made hand squeezed lemonade, and ate like Kings! I ate soooooo much. It was delicious! If a good meal and great company doesn't make you rethink the homesick situation, I don't know what will. I feel like a whole new woman.

I have the day off of class tomorrow and so I have a few things on my to do list:
1)buy a backpack...didn't bring one and it might be handy for this weekends adventures...plus, all of my luggage broke per the whole arrival experience
2) finish buying textbooks...if they didn't squeeze all my money out through all the books...they are doing a great job with lab fees! SHEESH!
3) go to the appliance store and investigate buying a hotplate...see if it's worth it.
4) finish all homework so i can be free for the weekend
5) who knows...explorE?

If I were a medicine woman...

I will tell you the following cure for these ailments:
1) Hunger (when you starve yourself due to the need to stop spending money)....be in 3 culinary classes...one of which only has 6 students in it, so you don't just sample the food...you eat a huge meal! :) Therefore, 3 meals out of your week are completely planned and paid for! :)
2) Allergies...go to Italy. I suffer from awful allergies in America, and none here! LOVES IT!
3) Homesickness...go to your cooking class...meet people, and get over it, b/c you know back home, the food doesn't taste nearly this good! :)
4) Fatty-mcfatfatness....go to another country where you're forced to change your diet b/c they don't have your kind of food there. And go on a very tight budget, so you can't afford to eat. Walk EVERYWHERE...trust me...you'll be looking good in no time. Also, go to a beach in Italy...you're self confidence will soar! :)

This weekend=tame...but, if you've got to be tame anywhere, why not Firenze!?

Friday night, after the wine tour, my friend Kane (the Australian I met on the tour and mentioned in my last post) and I were to meet up for dinner at 8. I had time to rest, change, and get ready to go. We met at Piazza del Signoira (where the Uffizi) is and the weather was gorgeous. Our first stop was at the Rivoire which is known for their chocolate. We both ordered the hot cocoa's, but he got his with cream and a cookie. They were foodgasmic! :) I stole some of the cream from his, because it's definitely worth the price difference to have the cream. The hot cocoa is made by melting down chocolate, versus using powder. AMAZING. You have to more eat it then drink it. So, we sat there for awhile and talked. After that, we went to a pizzeria in the square and ordered waters and our meals. He got a tortellini and chicken broth soup that was amazing, and then we both ordered a pasta in cream and tomato sauce with pecorino mushrooms......SO good. The meal came with bread, and I ate every bit of it. It was the biggest meal I'd had so far and definitely the most expensive. But, it was delicious and oh-so worth it. While we were sitting there eating, an orchestra set up on the church steps and played. The songs started out quiet and slow...and were soon getting faster and louder. The sound echoing off of those old buildings was amazing. Megan met up with us for a little while, and we walked her to where she was meeting up with her roomies and friends. Then, Kane walked me home b/c of all the stories I'd told him about creepers. Haha.



Saturday, we met at 8:30 am to go visit the Uffizi which has amazing paintings that are incredibly ancient and famous! I spent a good 3 to 3 1/2 hours there, listening to the audio and just enjoying the art. After that I showed him where the main market was and where the good restaurant recommended to me by my teachers was. Then, I headed home and actually got to talk to my family, Seth, Eric, and some clovia girls! It was great! Then I made myself a delicious dinner of brucshetta, cheese, bread, and Chianti Classico. Cheese and orange marmalade for dessert! Read Julie and Julia and felt like a big old stereotype. Loved it though!

Sunday I slept in very late...ate, showered, did laundry...and it's SO EXPENSIVE, so I only washed one big load and hung it all over my room to dry. Then just homework all day! YAY!

Wine Tour

Friday, Sept. 11th, I went on a "Taste of Tuscany" wine tour through the hostel. It cost 35 Euro and was worth every bit of it! We met at 9:30 and boarded a bus. There was only one seat not filled. The tour guide, funny guy named Dario (see him all the time around here) asked who was from the states. There were maybe 10 of us. Suprising. Then he asked who was from Australia and then entire bus full raised their hands. It was hilarious. I ended up sitting by a nice fellow named Kane and we talked all the way there.

BUT FIRST>>>a History lesson for you. As you may be aware, Florence is a part of Tuscany and that is Chianti region. A long time ago when Sienna and Florence were trying to claim territory and figure out where the border would be they came up with simple solution. Sienna had a white rooster, and Florence had a black rooster. The plan was that whichever rooster crowed first in the morning, that town's rider was allowed to take out riding towards the other town and the plan was that wherever they met in the middle would be the new border. So, the Sienna people made the mistake of feeding their rooster way too much. It woke up late...and crowed very late. However, the Florence people starved their rooster and so he was very hungry all night and woke up very early crowing. The Florence rider took out very early and made it just 11 km outside of Sienna when the Sienna people rode up to meet them. That's where the border of Chianti region is and that's why a true Chianti will have the symbol of a black rooster on it! :)

BACK TO THE TRAVELING:

Our first stop was at La Palagina winery. It was a quaint little winery tucked up into a hill/mountain. We were ushered into a covered veranda where we were going to have brunch. I sat at a table for 6, and I was the only person not from Australia...but they all ended up being so incredibly nice. We started out with a white wine. It was delicious. Very nice, and light. Our food was brought out on all sorts of different platters. We had lettuce, tomatoes, crunchy bread, porcino cheese, white and red table wine, apple pastry, peach shortbread, procshutto, olive oil, strawberry & peach & pepper jams for the cheeses....and it was all grown and produced right there! :) Then we had red wine...and all the wine here was bottomless..so, we had plenty but no one was getting too crazy. We had some great dinner conversation and then after we had a chance to go in and buy some of the products. Then, we walked up to see where their animals graze, their equipment, and some of their vineyard. It was great. BIG WALK though. Our second stop was Casa Sola...and it was picturesque! :) You can stay at the farmhouse (so if your ever looking for a romantic getaway...perfect spot for it). There were two big friendly dogs that barked and walked along with us when we first got there. Reminded me of home and Lucky and Sallie! Hehe. We walked through the vineyards, the wine cellar, the olive groves, the wine production area, and tasted their products. It was delicious! Their dessert wine was much better than what we had at our LDM (that's my school, Lorenzo de Medici) private dinner. We toured and tasted. Then back to the bus. Our last stop was at the Monteriggioni castle. Parts of the movie "Gladiator" were filmed here. It was a wonderful little castle and village. We had less than 20 minutes here, and after walking up all the steps, all we had time for was our free ice cream and a few pictures around at the neat architecture. It looked like a pleasant little settlement! After that, we started back to the hostel. With bellies full of wine and food, most people snoozed. I wrote in my diary and talked to our guide! It was a wonderful trip! :)

Cultural Differences

The men here are not like the men at home. Well, they have the same track mind...but are sooo much more forward about it. And...sadly, I seem to be a magnet for unwanted attention and lewd comments. Guys also think I'm stupid and will follow them down alleys...but I won't. I'm smarter than that. It's just something to get used to I guess. I'm learning two rules: no eye contact if they are talking to you, and no speaking to them. I'm not saying all men are like this, but ...it is a common trend.

Next, the meals are sooo different. First of all, the food is amazing. All of it. Even the weird stuff...so good. But, you don't eat breakfast, if you do, it's very light. You grab your coffee/espresso and shoot it quickly and then go about your day. Lunch is the biggest meal and people take big lunch breaks. Some businesses are closed for siesta's in the middle of the day. Then, shops close up around 5 or 6. Dinner starts about 8 or 8:30 and lasts late into the night. That is hard to get used to. Normally at a restaurant you wouldn't spend hours at your table, it would be 45 mins max and then you would rush out. Not here! You spend the whole night dining and chatting and having wine. It's great!

Finally, I don't know how they wear their shoes on these streets! Heels on cobblestone? OUCH! I am still recovering from attempting wedge shoes! And, I guess I normally blend in pretty well b/c an Italian local news crew tried to interview me about a local issue, but I didn't know what the heck to say or what they were saying...they said they thought I was Italian. The men, they think I'm from Rome. And today, I got a pamphlet about having more babies b/c the population is dying down and it was all in Italian. Hah. And yet, if I walk in a big group of friends...I get "Americanas...."

School

This week was the first week of classes...and let's just say, they were amazing!
Mondays I have Human Potential in Business Organizations and Current Trends in Italian Cuisine. Human Potential class is going to be extremely thought provoking and interesting. We watched "the Corporation" on our first day...so, should be intrigueing. It starts at 9, which is the latest class I've had in a long time...but it sure does feel early here. haha. Then the Current Trends class is going go to be MY FAVORITE! The teacher, Milva, is such a sweet woman. When we had the dinner on the river, she introduced me to some NC students so that I wouldn't have to walk home alone. She has such a passion for cooking and has so much professional training and experience! :) We could be very good friends! :) She was excited to hear about my passion and commented on what a small world it was. We'll make 3 or 4 dishes each class period and focus on famous chefs, regions, and culture shifts/trends. She gave us a great tour of the market so we knew who to buy from and how to check for freshness and quality! sO helpful! The market can be pretty intimidating!
Tuesdays I don't start until noon. Hehe. My first class is Italian. The professor is very nice and it's fast pace, but managable. I think if i have trouble, I'll be able to get help really easily. My next class is at 6 pm and is Meditteranean and Middle Eastern Cuisines. This class will also be a favorite. We cover lots of different areas on the Meditteranean and will be cooking an appetizer, two entrees, and dessert in every class. I'm going to have soooo many amazing recipes when I'm finished. Every time I have a cooking class, that's just another meal i won't have to buy! hehe. That one gets out at 8:30, so then I walk home in the dark alone...but it's on two main roads, so not very scary.
Wednesday...I don't have class. Exploring the city day! :) Or homework...we'll see.
Thursdays, I have a 9 am class and a noon class. The 9 oclock is "Science of Food, Health, and Well Being" and is a Vegetarian course. Don't know how I feel about that yet, but it's good to know and will make me more versatile as a cook! :) Then noon is Italian. Good to have it twice a week...keeps me up to date. :)
Fridays...I don' t have class and so begins many fun weekends!

THERE! now you know exaclty where i am all the time! :) heheeh. I've met some pretty cool people in classes, too. That's always fun

Firenze and Viareggio

I thought it might be time for an update. Currently, Im having internet problems, so this may or may not get posted.

Since I last wrote, I have gotten to do a substantial amount of exploring Florence...but only within a small space. I have found a delicious gelato place (real banana is freaking amazing...i say real meaning homeade), a great liquor store called Happy's (the owner loves us and knows our name after only one time going there), a supermarket within one block of the hostel, and the main market which is phenomenal! I must say that every day that goes by makes me want to live here a little bit more. Everything is so fresh and so real. The people seem to value life and family more than we do in America. Things are slower, with more time to appreciate things and food and family and surroundings. For the most part, if you looked lost, you will receive lots of help...and it does help if you're female. Haha. We have met some wonderful people who showed us our way and made themselves late to their event just to help us!

This weekend was pretty relaxed. We had a dinner for 14 on the terrace of some students apartments. It's funny...we've known eachother only a week or less and it feels like we're family. We stick together, but we also go off on our own to experience the locals. I have met some AWESOME students from all over the world! :) Today was the first day of classes. I had Human Potential in Business Organizations and it seems like it will be extremely thought-provoking and interesting. HOWEVER:....after my 2nd class of the day,I may need to add another culinary class in the Human Potential's place. My culinary class is going to be freaking fabulous. We meet on Mondays only and cook so many dishes every day. From the sounds of it, I will have the most kitchen knowledge of the students....but, I don't think it will matter. The class is called Current Trends in Italian Cuisine and it covers famous chefs, regions, and changes in time and culture. There is lecture, but even more cooking. We will make all sorts of dishes and get to try foods of all types (even tripe! yikes!). The teacher is a wonderful woman named Milva. On the night I spent at our private dinner...she introduced me to a group of students from North Carolina who live close to me so that I wouldn't walk home alone. And now, I have a feeling she will be my favorite teacher! Her passion is cooking and she has had some awesome experiences. She has a room in her house that is filled with italian cookbooks....needless to say, i want to go visit! :) She took the class on an intense tour of the market telling us buying tips, how to look for freshness, what to avoid, and a little history of how things are made and where they come from! It was great! She is making a list for me of restaurants that I need to go to!:)

Yesterday...we ventured outside of Firenze (which is Florence for those of you who don't know!) and went to Viareggio beach outside of Pisa. It's on the Meditteranean Sea and GORGEOUS! I will upload pictures on facebook soon...add me if you aren't already my friend! There are these tall beautiful mountains in the background, the pier and sailboats, fishermen, tons of men in speedos (haha...not a good thing, necessarily) and a beautiful stretch of ocean and sand. We had to travel a long way to get to the public area...and it was small compared to all the cabanas. Haha. But, so nice. We didn't know if our train would leave because the workers were on strike. Both train rides there and back were very late. We didn't really care. It was great. There were 9 of us from all over! I wanted to set up a tent and stay for a long time!!! :) I wish the pictures did it justice!

I signed up for 3 school trips that will be coming up soon: Switzerland and Lake Como, Capri-Pompei-Sorrento, and Nice and the French Riviera! CANT WAIT FOR THAT !!!!!!! :) Anyway, I will update again soon, I hope.

I love you all and hope you enjoy these blogs!
T.

The trip there...nucking futs...

So much has happened, and there is so much to fill in on. I don't know how I'm going to work pictures and updates. If you would like more pictures...go to facebook. I will add you as a friend if you aren't already!
Let's start at the trip over here, it was long! I went from KC to Chicago. That flight was easy and short. Then I had a four hour wait, and I wasn't able to connect to the internet, so I couldn't locate any of the addresses or maps that I thought I would need upon landing in Rome. In Chicago, I got on a plane to Rome. It was a 9 hour flight. The people around me were amazing and had so much advice to give. However, my seat wouldn't lean back, my headphone jack was broken so i couldn't watch the airline movie or listen to music, my reading light was broken so i couldn't read or write in my journal. There was a baby right behind me that cried most of the flight. Thank you Cait Eyestone for your earplug Christmas gift...they were the only reason I got one hour of sleep...and I was very grateful.
I landed here at 8:30 am, which is 1:30 am Kansas time. I couldn't find my luggage, but luckily it arrived. Then, i couldn't find the right train. Then I when i got to the right Rome terminal, I was told the wrong train 7 times by employees and travelers. I don't speak Italian, so it was hard to communicate...but, I thought I had it taken care of. Then, I had to go up and down several flights of stairs to get to the right terminal. However, by this time...two handles off of 2 pieces of luggage had snapped off, and therefore, I was manhandling my luggage up and down stairs. It was incredibly humid, and I was sweating like mad. Once I got on the right train, I was in the wrong car....so, a local took pity and helped me drag my luggage through 6 cars. I was so grateful for her help. Then, someone was in my seat. He was American and just as lost as I was, so I felt horrible asking for him to move. I dozed a couple times, but tried to keep myself awake looking out the windows. At first, the scenery looked a lot like here...but then it all started to changes. It goes from shacks to mansions to wineries to mountains. AMAZING.
I got off in Florence and had to pay for 15 minutes of internet after everyone I talked to said they didn't know what Plus Florence hostel was or where it was on the map. So, I paid. Sent an email to the parents so they knew I made it, and then looked up and highlighted my maps from Google. Then, I debated walking...but with broken luggage and drenched in sweat, I decided I'd pay the taxis. It cost 8.30 in Eur, which was rediculous, but I did it....I was so exhausted.
Moved in before my roomates. Cooled down and then met them. They are really cool! One's name is Lunar and she lives in New York. She's so much fun. Then, Florencia is from Argentina and speaks Spanish and Italian extremely well. She's sweet and a lot of fun too!
That night, we went out in the hostel to the bar. I got hit on and asked if I was from Rome...a lot. It was humorous. Then, about 1:30 am I collapsed knowing I had to be up for orientation, even though my roomies orientation wasn't until Friday. So, it was soooo hot that I didn't sleep. I got maybe 2 hours...maybe. I was drenched in sweat. I went to the front desk and said that I couldn't get the air to work and stay on...and wouldn't you know...they have remotes for it....and so I got one...cooled down and then slept another 30 minutes....that was the fate of my first day. Luckily, things turned for the better! :)

The hostel

This is the table, microwave, fridge, and one bed. Lunar from New York lives here.




Street view from room

That's how wide the shower is. Have to go in sideways.



My closet. I was the only one who could fit it all in one.

The other girls barely made it into 2/each.

I was going to take the lower, bigger bed. but, since good old

Clovia always taught me to have the top bunk. That's what I

took to be nice.

Love the hostel! It has a pool, 2 saunas, a cheap

restaurant, a great view, terrace for sunbathing,

bar terrace, pool tables, disco bar, laundry. All it's

missing is the community kitchen I was promised.

Makes studying culinary a little less enjoyable when

you can't play in your offtime! :(



*will be posting when possible...computer isn't liking

all the upload attempts