Part 2:
So after our exhausting trip over the weekend and all the traveling so Aunt Debbie decided to relax on Monday while I was at school. When I returned home from a full day on school she shows me her foot (the one slightly twisted on Friday) and it is completely black and blue up her ankle and totally swollen! So I call knower of all things, Nick, to see what to do. He makes an appointment for the next morning at the Doctors. After seeing the doctor he says she needs an xray. I have to run to class so Aunt Deb takes and taxi to the xray place. Next thing I know I'm in class and I get a text message saying that she's in the emergency room! Right after class I ask my teacher, Elizabetta, how to get to the C.T.O Hospital. Well...I have to take a bus she tells me. Ok...I can take a bus...nbd (no big deal). So I'm searching for hospital as the bus is taking me further and further out of Florence. I ask a few people and no one seems to know what I'm talking about. I get off at the last stop as Elizabetta had advised and ask a few more people. Still nothing so I'm walking and walking and happen upon what looks to be a hospital! So I walk in and I'm searching around and I notice all these little kids and then I finally see a sign saying that its a pediatric hospital. Nope..Aunt Debbie's not here! So I hop back on the bus heading towards Florence figuring I'd see it at some point. In the mean time I get a call from Aunt Deb saying that I have to meet her at the hospital! So I jump off the bus and just start walking, first looking for a taxi (but of course the one time I'm looking for one there's none to be found) so then I just start walking to what looks like a hospital. Then finally I see a sign that says C.T.O. (the last letter standing for Orthopedic) so now its all making sense as to why she is in the crazy hospital in the middle of now where! I'm not even sure it was still in Florence. So after this crazy trek and I finally make to the hospital where I find Aunt Debbie on a stretcher in the middle of a hallway with a full leg cast on up to her knee!! She sure enough broke her foot! I just couldn't help but laugh (well it was a nervous laugh) when I saw her sitting this with this huge cast on her leg! She's been in Italy for like 2 days and now shes in the hospital! And it gets better...so...she can't put any weight at all on her foot so she needs crutches...remember we are in the orthopedic hospital...they are fresh out of crutches!! OH ITALY!! So after wheeling her to a taxi which has to take us to a special crutches store where we had to buy crutches and then wait in the rain for another taxi to take us back into the center of Florence!
Boy...it was exhausting and I wasn't the one walking on crutches! She has to keep the cast on for at least 20 days and have it reevaluated next week when she gets back to the states. And Florence isn't a very handicap friendly city! Poor Aunt Deb! I feel so bad! She comes to Italy and breaks her foot in France! We are just going to take it day by day and see how she feels and try and do and see as much as her ginormous cast will allow!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
The French Riviera!
Things have been insane here! I have so much to update on!
This is part 1:
This past weekend I spend in the French Riviera! It was so pretty! On Thursday afternoon I picked up Aunt Debbie at the train station! She took the train in from Rome. Then I dropped her off at my apartment, got her settled and ran to class. Came back, packed and we were off to France! We went with Bus2Alps again (same program I went to Amalfi with). The bus ride was a long one...we left at about 11 and didn't get to the hostel until 5am! The hostel was at the top of a hill so the bus dropped us off at the bottom and we had to wait with out luggage to get a shuttle to the hostel, then get checked it and passed out immediately.
On Friday morning we were off to this town in the French Riviera called Eze. It was the cutest little town on top of a big mountain. It was hard to get to though so the whole group (about 50 people) had to take the shuttle to the center of town, where we got the tram, which took us to a bus, which took us to Eze. Eze looked like one of the towns where its impossible to think of anyone actually living there because its so cute it looks fake. At the top of the town was an exotic garden with all kinds of crazy plants and cactus's. The view from the top was unbelievable. The Mediterranean is so blue and that was all you could see. It was definitely something to see! We shopped around in Eze and I a really cool ring that I love, had lunch and it was back on the bus to head to Monaco! I was really excited about Monaco (pronounced MON-OC-O...who knew?!) Our first stop was the Monte Carlo Casino which is world famous for all of the many rich and famous celebrities that vacation and gamble there. It was really pretty from the outside. We couldn't go in because we didn't meet the dress code but it was still cool to see the outside and all of the fancy cars that are parked out front. Aunt Debbie and I decided to head up toward the Princes Palace to get a tour. It was really pretty at the top because you can see all of Monaco and the harbor. The palace was really pretty. I didn't know too much of the history of the family expect for Grace Kelly so it was cool to learn about. Then we went into the church at the top where Grace Kelly and Prince Reiner III got married. It definitly wasn't one of the more pretty churches I've seen. (And I say that with confidence after being on the church tour of Europe for the past 4 months!) But the family is buried behind the alter and Grace Kelly and Prince Reiner III are the only tombs that have fresh flowers every single day of the year!
Oh and I forgot to mention that our tour guide thought she was Posh Spice. She wore these ridiculous high heels and outfits everyday throughout the whole trip we called her Posh. She wasn't even that nice to us! And she wasn't a good tour guide!
Anyways...back to the trip. SO while on our walk back to the bus, Aunt Debbie, stepped out of the shoe and landed weird on her foot. Not thinking too much about it we got the bus, and then the tram, and then the shuttle back to the hostel and put some ice on it. No biggie. We had dinner in the hostel (which was actually really good food!) since it was such a hassle to get into the center of Nice (shuttle, tram, bus, I'm sure you're noticing a pattern!) And we were exhausted! We were only going on about 4 hours of sleep at most!
Saturday morning we got up early again and headed to this small sea town called Antibes. It was just the cutest town on the Mediterranean with the biggest marina in the French Riviera. There was a big antique market there which we walked though and then Aunt Deb and I ate lunch in the middle of the square. The weather was just perfect! Then we did some shopping and wandered around the town going to a few markets and stuff like that. It was just very relaxing taking in all the sights and sounds. We had a few hours there and then it was to Cannes, where the famous Film Festival is held every year. I was really excited to go to Cannes because I had always seen pictures. It is a lot like Beverley Hills if you ask me. Really cool to see but not much there besides the beach (which is awesome of course!) and designer clothing shops. For the rich and famous its perfect but for the everyday person its too much. We laid on the beach for awhile but it started to get cold and windy so we decided to take a tram car tour ride though the town. That was fun learning about the different buildings and which celebrities had stay in where. My favorite part was standing on the stairs were all the celebrities walk at the film festival (does that surprise you?!) haha. It was definitely a fun place but unless or should I say until I'm rich and famous...not much else to do. When we returned to the hostel we took a look at Aunt Deb's foot and it was really purple but she said it didn't hurt too much as long as she took it easy! But that was hard to do when we had Posh all over our tails!
Sunday morning it was pouring so Posh changed our plans from spending the day in Nice to going to this tiny town in the hills of the French Riviera called Saint-Paul. Saint Paul is a tiny walled Medieval town in the area of Vence. Again...so small and quaint with great little shops and cute places to eat! Unfortunately it was raining cats and dogs so it wasn't as enjoyable as it could have been but we did have fun looking in the shops and getting some warm french food! I was disappointed I didn't get to see more of the town of Nice itself but I had to go with the flow, or should I say Posh, and do what everyone else was doing. Since Sunday was such rainy and cold day we headed back to Florence early. Which in the end turned out to be a good idea because we got stuck in crazy traffic and it took us forever! It was so wonderful being back in Firenze! I had a great time in the French Riviera...it was beautiful and the weather was great...but Florence is my home (aside from Voorhees of course!) but I was just so happy to come back!!
I plan on spending the remaining few weeks left in Florence just soaking it all in and checking off my list of "must do's" before I leave!
Here are pictures from the weekend!!
stay tuned for part 2...
This is part 1:
This past weekend I spend in the French Riviera! It was so pretty! On Thursday afternoon I picked up Aunt Debbie at the train station! She took the train in from Rome. Then I dropped her off at my apartment, got her settled and ran to class. Came back, packed and we were off to France! We went with Bus2Alps again (same program I went to Amalfi with). The bus ride was a long one...we left at about 11 and didn't get to the hostel until 5am! The hostel was at the top of a hill so the bus dropped us off at the bottom and we had to wait with out luggage to get a shuttle to the hostel, then get checked it and passed out immediately.
On Friday morning we were off to this town in the French Riviera called Eze. It was the cutest little town on top of a big mountain. It was hard to get to though so the whole group (about 50 people) had to take the shuttle to the center of town, where we got the tram, which took us to a bus, which took us to Eze. Eze looked like one of the towns where its impossible to think of anyone actually living there because its so cute it looks fake. At the top of the town was an exotic garden with all kinds of crazy plants and cactus's. The view from the top was unbelievable. The Mediterranean is so blue and that was all you could see. It was definitely something to see! We shopped around in Eze and I a really cool ring that I love, had lunch and it was back on the bus to head to Monaco! I was really excited about Monaco (pronounced MON-OC-O...who knew?!) Our first stop was the Monte Carlo Casino which is world famous for all of the many rich and famous celebrities that vacation and gamble there. It was really pretty from the outside. We couldn't go in because we didn't meet the dress code but it was still cool to see the outside and all of the fancy cars that are parked out front. Aunt Debbie and I decided to head up toward the Princes Palace to get a tour. It was really pretty at the top because you can see all of Monaco and the harbor. The palace was really pretty. I didn't know too much of the history of the family expect for Grace Kelly so it was cool to learn about. Then we went into the church at the top where Grace Kelly and Prince Reiner III got married. It definitly wasn't one of the more pretty churches I've seen. (And I say that with confidence after being on the church tour of Europe for the past 4 months!) But the family is buried behind the alter and Grace Kelly and Prince Reiner III are the only tombs that have fresh flowers every single day of the year!
Oh and I forgot to mention that our tour guide thought she was Posh Spice. She wore these ridiculous high heels and outfits everyday throughout the whole trip we called her Posh. She wasn't even that nice to us! And she wasn't a good tour guide!
Anyways...back to the trip. SO while on our walk back to the bus, Aunt Debbie, stepped out of the shoe and landed weird on her foot. Not thinking too much about it we got the bus, and then the tram, and then the shuttle back to the hostel and put some ice on it. No biggie. We had dinner in the hostel (which was actually really good food!) since it was such a hassle to get into the center of Nice (shuttle, tram, bus, I'm sure you're noticing a pattern!) And we were exhausted! We were only going on about 4 hours of sleep at most!
Saturday morning we got up early again and headed to this small sea town called Antibes. It was just the cutest town on the Mediterranean with the biggest marina in the French Riviera. There was a big antique market there which we walked though and then Aunt Deb and I ate lunch in the middle of the square. The weather was just perfect! Then we did some shopping and wandered around the town going to a few markets and stuff like that. It was just very relaxing taking in all the sights and sounds. We had a few hours there and then it was to Cannes, where the famous Film Festival is held every year. I was really excited to go to Cannes because I had always seen pictures. It is a lot like Beverley Hills if you ask me. Really cool to see but not much there besides the beach (which is awesome of course!) and designer clothing shops. For the rich and famous its perfect but for the everyday person its too much. We laid on the beach for awhile but it started to get cold and windy so we decided to take a tram car tour ride though the town. That was fun learning about the different buildings and which celebrities had stay in where. My favorite part was standing on the stairs were all the celebrities walk at the film festival (does that surprise you?!) haha. It was definitely a fun place but unless or should I say until I'm rich and famous...not much else to do. When we returned to the hostel we took a look at Aunt Deb's foot and it was really purple but she said it didn't hurt too much as long as she took it easy! But that was hard to do when we had Posh all over our tails!
Sunday morning it was pouring so Posh changed our plans from spending the day in Nice to going to this tiny town in the hills of the French Riviera called Saint-Paul. Saint Paul is a tiny walled Medieval town in the area of Vence. Again...so small and quaint with great little shops and cute places to eat! Unfortunately it was raining cats and dogs so it wasn't as enjoyable as it could have been but we did have fun looking in the shops and getting some warm french food! I was disappointed I didn't get to see more of the town of Nice itself but I had to go with the flow, or should I say Posh, and do what everyone else was doing. Since Sunday was such rainy and cold day we headed back to Florence early. Which in the end turned out to be a good idea because we got stuck in crazy traffic and it took us forever! It was so wonderful being back in Firenze! I had a great time in the French Riviera...it was beautiful and the weather was great...but Florence is my home (aside from Voorhees of course!) but I was just so happy to come back!!
I plan on spending the remaining few weeks left in Florence just soaking it all in and checking off my list of "must do's" before I leave!
Here are pictures from the weekend!!
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| Weekend in the French Riviera April 23-26, 2009 |
stay tuned for part 2...
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Time is flying...
This week flew by with the blink of an eye! Had tons of fun celebrating Jes's birthday! I'm still waiting on midterm grades but now I have to start writing my final papers. 1 MONTH from today I leave Italy :( I better stop talking about this before the tears ensue! Last night Nick had us all over for a BBQ on this gorgeous terrace! It was so much fun! The hamburgers and hot dogs tasted really great...never thought I would actually miss them but I did! In a few minutes I'm going to pick up my Aunt Debbie at the train station. She is coming to visit for awhile! Today after I pick her up I have class and then I have to run back home to pack and then its off to the French Riviera for the weekend!! We are going to Cannes, Nice, and Monaco! I've only heard good things so I'm sure it will be amazing!! Update and pictures upon my return!!
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Spring Break!
Why does Spring Break always go so fast? I feel like it just flew by!
My parents and sister came to visit me for Spring Break in Firenze. We had a wonderful time!
On Saturday afternoon I picked them up from the airport, checked into the hotel and freshened up. Then we headed out so I could show them my apartment and the area. After that we went to dinner at this delicious restaurant across the street from my apartment called "Il Teatro" (the theater) and had dinner. Jes and Morgan joined us as well. Then we headed back to my parents hotel which had a terrace with a 360 degree view of Florence!! It was really an incredible view of the city! We sat up on the terrace and had some vino and caught up. It was lovely! After that my parents headed to bed since the time difference and all the traveling was sinking in they were very tired. Jes, Morgan and I headed out with a few other people from Rutgers and Nick and Maria to Friends Pub to hang out a little. Amanda stayed at my apartment and she was beat as well so she stayed back.
Easter in Florence is quite the experience! Originally we had planned to go to 11 o'clock mass at the duomo. I had heard there was also some sort of parade and lighting of fireworks that happened around 10am so I figured we could see that and then head to mass. Well apparently Florence has a tradition called Scoppio del Carro or the “Explosion of the Cart." There is a cart which is lead by 4 white oxen and it travels though Florence behind a parade. Once the parade and the cart arrive in the center by the Duomo the cart stops in between the Duomo and the Baptistery. Then they hand attached fireworks to the cart (keep im mind this is Italy where nothing really ever makes sense and everything is slow!!) They put some fireworks on the top with a cherrypicker and there were a few momnets where I thought it was going to go overbroad! I must say it was quite entertaining to watch! Once that was all settled they lit the cart starting at the bottom and all the fireworks to go off! It was quite exciting and certainly different. There was massive amounts of crowds! We got there a little late so it was really hard to see the parade from where we were standing but we could see the fireworks well. (That was the first time I've seen fireworks in the daytime). Definitely an Easter mass celebration to remember! After that, I took them on a walking tour through Florence, stopping in some shops and a few markets. Then we hit up my favorite panni shop, GustoPanni, for sandwiches. We packed a book bag with snacks, panni's, and wine and made the hike up to Piazza Michelangelo for a view of the whole city. It was a beautiful clear day and we could see everything! There was a guy at the top playing music as we ate our panni's and drank wine. It was definitely different from our usual Easter but it was a lot of fun and definitely one to remember! After hiking back down, I took them for their first gelato which I think they really enjoyed!
Monday was a very busy day! Bright and early we climbed the Duomo! (There was many things that I hadn't gotten a chance to go yet in Florence but I knew that my parents would enjoy them as well so I waited until they came. This was one of them.) The Duomo has a total of 463 steps. They start off as spiral and then they get really steep and go straight up! Boy, it was some workout! You start off climbing up and then you climb between the two different shells of the dome so thats why its so steep. The dome was designed by Fillipo Brunellschi and at the time it was a major innovation, built with bricks and wood using a movable scaffold system. It was really cool to see how it the insides of the duomo. (Especially since I have to write a paper on it!) There are two times when climbing the dome that you are actually up close with the frescos painted on the inside of the dome. Its really neat. The view from the top is really incredible as well. We were very lucky as we had beautiful weather! After the domo we visited the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo which contains a lot of orignal things from the Duomo along with one of Michelangelo's Pieta and several works by Donatello. It was very interesting as I had never been there before. Then we grabbed lunch at an outdoor cafe and sat in the sun. It felt so nice! Then my mom and I headed to San Lorenzo Market for some shopping while Amanda and my Dad look a little nap. Afterward's I showed them Palazzo Vecchio and Loggia dell'Signoria.
On Tuesday we got up early again and visited Santa Trinita Church and Santa Croce Church. Santa Croce was hit hardest during the flood of 1966 and a lot of it was destroyed. It was since been restored. It was very beautiful. Galileo and Michelangelo's tombs are also inside Santa Croce. After that we hopped on a train to the tiny town, Lucca. Lucca is about an hour and a half away in northern Tuscany. It is famous for its intact wall that surrounds the city from the Renaissance era. It was built to keep out the Pisans (from Pisa) and the Florentines. Jes joined us for our day in Lucca. We had lunch at another outdoor cafe in the center of town, then walked around and went in some shops and then rented bikes and road around the wall. It was so much fun! I hadn't road a bike in so long and I forgot how fun and relaxing they are! Again, the weather was beautiful so it was just so enjoyable. My mom joked that were like the Van Trapp Family and started singing "Do-re-me!" Haha! Unfortunately big dark clouds were off in the distance so we rode around for about the an hour and decided to head back to Florence before we got caught in the storm. We were cutting it close on time for the train and had to literally sprint to the train! When we got back to Florence, my mom, dad, and Amanda come over to Trattoria Ghibellina (AKA...my kitchen were Jes and I cooked a very authentic spaghetti and meatballs dinner). It was a delicious if I do say so myself!
On Wednesday we got an early start again and went inside church of the Duomo which we didn't really get to see when we climbed it. Its so beautiful inside. Just incredible to look at. Underneath the church there is a museum showing the remains if the cathedral, Santa Reparata, that the Duomo was built on. There was tons of tombs including that of Brunelleschi (who built the dome). Santa Reparata was from the 6th century and was discovered in the 1970's when archeologist found it. They excavated it and it is now a museum. It was really interesting because I didn't even know this existed. After that we went to the inside part of San Lorenzo to get some snacks to have for dinner on the terrace at the hotel. The day was beautiful again so we went to Boboli Gardens, which is part of Pitti Palace, where the Medici family used to live. The gardens are huge! So pretty but tons of walking! There is one part the overlooks the city on one side and Tuscany on the other side. So pretty! Then we went inside Pitti Palace to see the Royal Apartments which are cool to see too. Then we had a lovely dinner on the rooftop of the hotel. It was a little chilly but still so nice. Saw the sunset and all. Then my dad, Amanda and I went out for gelato and sat on the Ponte Vecchio and listened to the guys in the street play music. It was a lot of fun!
Thursday was another early morning. We got up early to head to the Uffizi. Its a big museum and it takes some time going through but it is definitely worth seeing. After that we also went to see Michelangelo's David. It was yucky weather on Thursday so we did inside things. Then we had our final dinner in Italy.
Friday morning Amanda has a separate flight then my parents so I left at about 7am to take her to the airport. Her flight was delayed about an hour and she was nervous to fly by herself but she got on the plane safe and sound. Then my parents arrived at the airport and they were about to check into their flight and it comes up on the screen that their flight had been canceled due to "Handling Agent Strike." All flights in and out of Germany were now canceled. I mean come on...everyone could just put their bags on the plane themselves! So after talking to Lufthansa my dad came back with two tickets for a flight on Saturday morning. So they got a nice hotel near the airport. We took a cab to the hotel and then took a bus back into the city of Florence where we walked around and did some more shopping. Then back to the hotel for a delicious dinner on Lufthansa! Then I headed back to my apartment. It was so nice to have the extra, unexpected day with them!
I had a really great time with my family! I really enjoyed showing them around my city. I feel like I have learned so much about Florence and it was fun to share it with them! We fit so much into such a small window of time but I was really glad we got to do everything we did. I think they had a great time! And I got to see things in Florence that I hadn't seen yet. And the weather was just perfect! I couldn't have asked for better weather or a better time!!
Now the party is over :( Back to school on Monday. On Thursday my Aunt Debbie is coming to visit and we are going to the French Riviera for the weekend so I'm really looking forward to that!
Tonights its out to celebrate Jes's Birthday and tomorrow its homework :)
Pictures!
My parents and sister came to visit me for Spring Break in Firenze. We had a wonderful time!
On Saturday afternoon I picked them up from the airport, checked into the hotel and freshened up. Then we headed out so I could show them my apartment and the area. After that we went to dinner at this delicious restaurant across the street from my apartment called "Il Teatro" (the theater) and had dinner. Jes and Morgan joined us as well. Then we headed back to my parents hotel which had a terrace with a 360 degree view of Florence!! It was really an incredible view of the city! We sat up on the terrace and had some vino and caught up. It was lovely! After that my parents headed to bed since the time difference and all the traveling was sinking in they were very tired. Jes, Morgan and I headed out with a few other people from Rutgers and Nick and Maria to Friends Pub to hang out a little. Amanda stayed at my apartment and she was beat as well so she stayed back.
Easter in Florence is quite the experience! Originally we had planned to go to 11 o'clock mass at the duomo. I had heard there was also some sort of parade and lighting of fireworks that happened around 10am so I figured we could see that and then head to mass. Well apparently Florence has a tradition called Scoppio del Carro or the “Explosion of the Cart." There is a cart which is lead by 4 white oxen and it travels though Florence behind a parade. Once the parade and the cart arrive in the center by the Duomo the cart stops in between the Duomo and the Baptistery. Then they hand attached fireworks to the cart (keep im mind this is Italy where nothing really ever makes sense and everything is slow!!) They put some fireworks on the top with a cherrypicker and there were a few momnets where I thought it was going to go overbroad! I must say it was quite entertaining to watch! Once that was all settled they lit the cart starting at the bottom and all the fireworks to go off! It was quite exciting and certainly different. There was massive amounts of crowds! We got there a little late so it was really hard to see the parade from where we were standing but we could see the fireworks well. (That was the first time I've seen fireworks in the daytime). Definitely an Easter mass celebration to remember! After that, I took them on a walking tour through Florence, stopping in some shops and a few markets. Then we hit up my favorite panni shop, GustoPanni, for sandwiches. We packed a book bag with snacks, panni's, and wine and made the hike up to Piazza Michelangelo for a view of the whole city. It was a beautiful clear day and we could see everything! There was a guy at the top playing music as we ate our panni's and drank wine. It was definitely different from our usual Easter but it was a lot of fun and definitely one to remember! After hiking back down, I took them for their first gelato which I think they really enjoyed!
Monday was a very busy day! Bright and early we climbed the Duomo! (There was many things that I hadn't gotten a chance to go yet in Florence but I knew that my parents would enjoy them as well so I waited until they came. This was one of them.) The Duomo has a total of 463 steps. They start off as spiral and then they get really steep and go straight up! Boy, it was some workout! You start off climbing up and then you climb between the two different shells of the dome so thats why its so steep. The dome was designed by Fillipo Brunellschi and at the time it was a major innovation, built with bricks and wood using a movable scaffold system. It was really cool to see how it the insides of the duomo. (Especially since I have to write a paper on it!) There are two times when climbing the dome that you are actually up close with the frescos painted on the inside of the dome. Its really neat. The view from the top is really incredible as well. We were very lucky as we had beautiful weather! After the domo we visited the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo which contains a lot of orignal things from the Duomo along with one of Michelangelo's Pieta and several works by Donatello. It was very interesting as I had never been there before. Then we grabbed lunch at an outdoor cafe and sat in the sun. It felt so nice! Then my mom and I headed to San Lorenzo Market for some shopping while Amanda and my Dad look a little nap. Afterward's I showed them Palazzo Vecchio and Loggia dell'Signoria.
On Tuesday we got up early again and visited Santa Trinita Church and Santa Croce Church. Santa Croce was hit hardest during the flood of 1966 and a lot of it was destroyed. It was since been restored. It was very beautiful. Galileo and Michelangelo's tombs are also inside Santa Croce. After that we hopped on a train to the tiny town, Lucca. Lucca is about an hour and a half away in northern Tuscany. It is famous for its intact wall that surrounds the city from the Renaissance era. It was built to keep out the Pisans (from Pisa) and the Florentines. Jes joined us for our day in Lucca. We had lunch at another outdoor cafe in the center of town, then walked around and went in some shops and then rented bikes and road around the wall. It was so much fun! I hadn't road a bike in so long and I forgot how fun and relaxing they are! Again, the weather was beautiful so it was just so enjoyable. My mom joked that were like the Van Trapp Family and started singing "Do-re-me!" Haha! Unfortunately big dark clouds were off in the distance so we rode around for about the an hour and decided to head back to Florence before we got caught in the storm. We were cutting it close on time for the train and had to literally sprint to the train! When we got back to Florence, my mom, dad, and Amanda come over to Trattoria Ghibellina (AKA...my kitchen were Jes and I cooked a very authentic spaghetti and meatballs dinner). It was a delicious if I do say so myself!
On Wednesday we got an early start again and went inside church of the Duomo which we didn't really get to see when we climbed it. Its so beautiful inside. Just incredible to look at. Underneath the church there is a museum showing the remains if the cathedral, Santa Reparata, that the Duomo was built on. There was tons of tombs including that of Brunelleschi (who built the dome). Santa Reparata was from the 6th century and was discovered in the 1970's when archeologist found it. They excavated it and it is now a museum. It was really interesting because I didn't even know this existed. After that we went to the inside part of San Lorenzo to get some snacks to have for dinner on the terrace at the hotel. The day was beautiful again so we went to Boboli Gardens, which is part of Pitti Palace, where the Medici family used to live. The gardens are huge! So pretty but tons of walking! There is one part the overlooks the city on one side and Tuscany on the other side. So pretty! Then we went inside Pitti Palace to see the Royal Apartments which are cool to see too. Then we had a lovely dinner on the rooftop of the hotel. It was a little chilly but still so nice. Saw the sunset and all. Then my dad, Amanda and I went out for gelato and sat on the Ponte Vecchio and listened to the guys in the street play music. It was a lot of fun!
Thursday was another early morning. We got up early to head to the Uffizi. Its a big museum and it takes some time going through but it is definitely worth seeing. After that we also went to see Michelangelo's David. It was yucky weather on Thursday so we did inside things. Then we had our final dinner in Italy.
Friday morning Amanda has a separate flight then my parents so I left at about 7am to take her to the airport. Her flight was delayed about an hour and she was nervous to fly by herself but she got on the plane safe and sound. Then my parents arrived at the airport and they were about to check into their flight and it comes up on the screen that their flight had been canceled due to "Handling Agent Strike." All flights in and out of Germany were now canceled. I mean come on...everyone could just put their bags on the plane themselves! So after talking to Lufthansa my dad came back with two tickets for a flight on Saturday morning. So they got a nice hotel near the airport. We took a cab to the hotel and then took a bus back into the city of Florence where we walked around and did some more shopping. Then back to the hotel for a delicious dinner on Lufthansa! Then I headed back to my apartment. It was so nice to have the extra, unexpected day with them!
I had a really great time with my family! I really enjoyed showing them around my city. I feel like I have learned so much about Florence and it was fun to share it with them! We fit so much into such a small window of time but I was really glad we got to do everything we did. I think they had a great time! And I got to see things in Florence that I hadn't seen yet. And the weather was just perfect! I couldn't have asked for better weather or a better time!!
Now the party is over :( Back to school on Monday. On Thursday my Aunt Debbie is coming to visit and we are going to the French Riviera for the weekend so I'm really looking forward to that!
Tonights its out to celebrate Jes's Birthday and tomorrow its homework :)
Pictures!
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| Spring Break in Firenze with the Family April 11-17, 2009 |
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Trip to Sorrento, Capri. Positano & Pompeii
Its been a very busy and eventful week here in Firenze. Everything is okay with the earthquake. Very sad though. Many people died...it was such a shame. Florence wasn't effected luckily but it very easily could have. I also had midterms but they weren't too terrible. Somehow taking midterms in Florence is much easier than taking then in New Brunswick haha.
As for my fabulous trip, we departed Thursday night around 7:30 pm from Florence. A bit behind schedule, we stopped in Rome and picked up more kids. (Rome kids are very different from the Florence kids!) We were told we were staying in "bungalows on the beach." Sounds pretty awesome right?! Well...after a very long ride we finally arrived in Sorrento at around 3am and we were shown to our four person "beach bungalows" which were most like cabins in the woods! (Family: think Saugerties trailer meets Burns Lake.) It was this tiny tiny cabin with 2 small bunk beds and a double bed and barely any room to move around in between. By the time we were settled it was about 3:45am and we had to be up at 8am the next morning. In our exhausted stooper we didn't realize that we had to turn the heat ON so we froze to death...by froze to death I mean fully decked in most of the clothes I had and covers over my head to save the warmth!
Luckily, waking up at 8 wasn't as bad as I had thought. We had breakfast at the camp sight slash "hostel" and walked down to water. I had finally found the "beach" that our "bungalow" was supposed to be situated on. There was major cliffs and rocks with very blue water and a clear sky. The view definitely woke me up and got me going for the day. We waiting a few minutes on the rocks and then our ferry came to pick us up and take us all around the Amalfi Coast and to the Island of Capri. Our first stop was the very famous Blue Grotto. It was here that everyone got off the ferry and onto tiny boats (about 4 person per boat). This was such a feat that we had to try and not tip the boat over going from one to the other. Then we had to pay the "Blue Grotto Officers" for our ticket and then we could head on it. Keep in mine this happened while floating around the sea in tiny boats. As we are about to enter the very tiny cave-like entrance the man paddling our boat yells "DUCK!" Immediately, Jes, Jen, Morgan and I hit the deck as the boat cleared the entrance. He says, "didn't want you to hit your head" very nonchalantly and we are inside. Once inside all the boat paddlers start singing in Italian! Its so funny! The Blue Grotto is a sea cave on the island. When the sun is shining it passes through the underwater cavity and the light reflects lighting up the cave and the water a beautiful blue color. It was really beautiful and I'm glad I got to see it although it was so short! I guess it just wasn't what I was expecting. After making a circle inside the cave it was over and back to our ferry. (I later learned that we didn't see the Blue Grotto at its finest due to the fact that we went in the morning and the sun was not at the proper angel to create optional lighting of the cave. But...2 hours after we visited they closed it off due to t0o many waves...so...if we had waited for the sun we wouldn't have been able to see it. So it was a good thing that we went when we did.) From there we continued along our tour of Capri. The ferry dropped us off at Marina Piccola. We walked up a ways to Capri Town which has amazing views of the Island. We got some really good lemon slushies as we were very warm after our walk and the sun was beating down. After strolling around Capri Town we took a bus up to Anacapri which is the town at the top of the Island. They have these tiny bus's that drive on this crazy roads right on t he edge of the cliff! The views are beautiful but I'm not going to lie...I feared for my life on a few of the turns. There was an older lady sitting next to me and as she looked out down the cliff she did the sign of the cross and started saying Hail Marys!! I had to laugh! She was so cute!! Thankfully making it alive, we went to a limocello (Capri is famous for its limocello) and chocolate tasting! So yummy! There is also a place were they would custom make sandals. It was all very neat. From there...we took a single person gondola ride up to the tipity top of the island. (Picture a ski lift for one.) This was my favorite thing. It was just so peaceful and pretty! At the top was a little snack bar with 360 degree view of the island, Mt. Vesuvius and the Amalfi Coast. I think this what the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. The water is so blue and clear! I really enjoyed going up there and just looking out at the sea. After the gondola ride down we shopped around the town a little bit and then grabbed some lunch at a cute outdoor cafe. Then we had to take the bus back down to Capri Town and walk back down to Marina Piccola. We laid on the beach (which consisted of rocks, but it wasn't as uncomfortable as it sounds) and basked in the sun while taking in the sights and sounds. Not before long, the ferry was back to pick us and up and finish our tour of the island. Our first stop was the Faraglioni which are three blocks of rocks which have survived coastal landslides, erosion and atmospheric erosion. They are named Stella, Faraglioni di Mezzo, and Faraglioni di Fuori. The middle rock, Faraglioni di Mezzo, is the most famous. It was a tunnel in the middle which is called the tunnel of love. Our ferry driver told us that the tradition is that when the boat goes through the tunnel you have to kiss the person you love. It was very neat. The next stop was the Green Grotto which is similar to the Blue Grotto but the water is green. And there's even a White Grotto. The White Grotto is a little different. Its a large cave above the water with all white rocks. At one point a stalactite and a stalagmite meet they formed what looks to be a statue of the Madonna.(See pictures). It was very neat. Then the ferry headed back to port and we returned to our cabin for a little nap time as the whole only-got-3-hours-of-sleep and being out in the sun on the water all day was starting to hit us. After a much needed nap the whole group got together and went to dinner in the center of Sorrento. I got gnocchi and....it was delicious!! By far the best meal I've had in Italy so far! (The tortellini in Bologna is a close second though!) Just so good. Then it back to the cabin for bed...and we figured out how to work the heater so we weren't icicles in the morning when we woke up!
Saturday we took the bus to Positano which is the first city on the Amalfi Coast. Some scenes from the movie "Under the Tuscan Sun" were filmed there. Because the roads are so curvy, the bus has to drop us off on the outskirts of town and we had to walk on the road into town. Unfortunately, as we got closer to town we could see the clouds starting to roll in over the cute little beach town. Once we made it into town and found a spot on the beach it was really cloudy and chilly. We hung out for awhile and then walked around town. It was so cute! A very typical Italian beach town. Little shops and tiny twinkle lights were throughout the town. Just adorable. In May 1953, the famous author, John Stienbeck wrote an essay on the town saying, "Positano bites deep. It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone." The town is definitely a step out of reality. I was so bummed that the weather wasn't very nice but finally in the afternoon the sun came out and we went right back to the beach. It was so nice to be able to just lay in the beach and take in the sun in Italy. We had the day to do whatever we wanted in the town we just had to take a bus back to Sorrento and we were told that the last bus returning was 9pm so we figured we'd spend the day, eat dinner and then had back. Well it started getting chilly so at around 7pm we decided to head to the bus stop (we weren't really given any directions as to how to get to the bus stop except that its near a big tree. Really great directions I know.) So luckily, Morgan had her "Rick Steves: Italy 2009" book with her so we looked it up and found out where it was. We make it to the bus stop, buy a ticket for Sorrento and check to see when the next bus is (we were told they run every 20 minutes). Well, the schedule informs us that the last bus to Sorrento was at 7pm! Its 7:10! And the leader of the trip told us that they didn't stop running until 9! So after a few moments of widespread panic (in an afterthought, Positano wouldn't have been a bad place to get stuck!) we figure out that if we take another bus we can switch and then take another one back to our camp sight but the bus we needed didn't come for another 45 minutes...and in Italian time that means god knows when. So we did what any logical people would do...bought a bottle of white wine (the area is known for its white wine) sat on the sidewalk and cracked it open! Luckily for us, the bus was on time and we actually met some other kids from the trip on the bus and apparently the bus was making a special stop at our camp sight so in the long run it all worked out. But...it was definitely stressful for a few minutes. I was upset at the leaders because I really thought they should have informed us better of how to get home but then I thought...this is just another learning experience and thats what I'm here for. So once back to our cabin we headed into the center of town again for dinner. I had to get pizza since we were near Naples (where pizza originated from). Listen to this pizza, cheese, spring tomatoes, pineapple, and kiwi! When the description didn't say sauce...they weren't kidding. It only had cheese...no red sauce! It was quite interesting...I didn't hate it...but I don't know if I would get it again!
On Sunday we packed up, loaded the bus, and were off to Pompeii. Pompeii is someplace I always thought would be awesome to go! The area outside of it isn't very nice. Its just a bunch of tents trying to rip tourist off. Everyone is very pushy and I didn't really care for the atmosphere but inside Pompeii was awesome! We had an excellent tour guide who spoke perfect English and was very knowledgeable. In the year 79 AD Mt Vesuvius, which is 8 miles from Pompeii, erupted and left the city covered in 16 feet deep worth of ash and rock. The city was accidentally rediscovered in 1748. It took archeologist years and years to dig out 2/3 of the city. They are saving the last 1/3 for the next generation to discover. 20,000 people are recorded to have lived in the city at the time but only 2,000 bodies were found so that makes the historians believe that were was some sort of warning before the eruption. The archeologists have discovered a way to make cast molds of skeletons so it preserves the skeleton but it also shows the person just as they died. They have several of them to see. It was really interesting but totally creepy and sad at the same time! Its amazing to me that so much of the city is so well preserved considering how old it is! The tour guide also told us how worried they are that Mt. Vesuvius will erupt again sometime soon. There has not been any activity in many many years and it is still considered an active volcano. The area surround Mt. Vesuvius is very densely populated with about 9,000 people every square kilometer so if it were to erupt it could be catastrophic. I learned so much! It was so interesting. After the tour it was back on the bus back to Florence. We got back around 11pm and then it was back to school on Monday.
This was a really great trip! I had the greatest time! It might have been my favorite trip I've gone on so far! and It was definitely the most beautiful!
Now I am patiently awaiting the arrival of my mom, dad, and Amanda! I'm so excited that they are coming! I can't wait show them around town! After spring break I have a very busy schedule ahead of me...the time is going to fly by :(
Pictures of the trip below!
Shout out to Francesca Catherine: Happy 21st Birthday!! xo
As for my fabulous trip, we departed Thursday night around 7:30 pm from Florence. A bit behind schedule, we stopped in Rome and picked up more kids. (Rome kids are very different from the Florence kids!) We were told we were staying in "bungalows on the beach." Sounds pretty awesome right?! Well...after a very long ride we finally arrived in Sorrento at around 3am and we were shown to our four person "beach bungalows" which were most like cabins in the woods! (Family: think Saugerties trailer meets Burns Lake.) It was this tiny tiny cabin with 2 small bunk beds and a double bed and barely any room to move around in between. By the time we were settled it was about 3:45am and we had to be up at 8am the next morning. In our exhausted stooper we didn't realize that we had to turn the heat ON so we froze to death...by froze to death I mean fully decked in most of the clothes I had and covers over my head to save the warmth!
Luckily, waking up at 8 wasn't as bad as I had thought. We had breakfast at the camp sight slash "hostel" and walked down to water. I had finally found the "beach" that our "bungalow" was supposed to be situated on. There was major cliffs and rocks with very blue water and a clear sky. The view definitely woke me up and got me going for the day. We waiting a few minutes on the rocks and then our ferry came to pick us up and take us all around the Amalfi Coast and to the Island of Capri. Our first stop was the very famous Blue Grotto. It was here that everyone got off the ferry and onto tiny boats (about 4 person per boat). This was such a feat that we had to try and not tip the boat over going from one to the other. Then we had to pay the "Blue Grotto Officers" for our ticket and then we could head on it. Keep in mine this happened while floating around the sea in tiny boats. As we are about to enter the very tiny cave-like entrance the man paddling our boat yells "DUCK!" Immediately, Jes, Jen, Morgan and I hit the deck as the boat cleared the entrance. He says, "didn't want you to hit your head" very nonchalantly and we are inside. Once inside all the boat paddlers start singing in Italian! Its so funny! The Blue Grotto is a sea cave on the island. When the sun is shining it passes through the underwater cavity and the light reflects lighting up the cave and the water a beautiful blue color. It was really beautiful and I'm glad I got to see it although it was so short! I guess it just wasn't what I was expecting. After making a circle inside the cave it was over and back to our ferry. (I later learned that we didn't see the Blue Grotto at its finest due to the fact that we went in the morning and the sun was not at the proper angel to create optional lighting of the cave. But...2 hours after we visited they closed it off due to t0o many waves...so...if we had waited for the sun we wouldn't have been able to see it. So it was a good thing that we went when we did.) From there we continued along our tour of Capri. The ferry dropped us off at Marina Piccola. We walked up a ways to Capri Town which has amazing views of the Island. We got some really good lemon slushies as we were very warm after our walk and the sun was beating down. After strolling around Capri Town we took a bus up to Anacapri which is the town at the top of the Island. They have these tiny bus's that drive on this crazy roads right on t he edge of the cliff! The views are beautiful but I'm not going to lie...I feared for my life on a few of the turns. There was an older lady sitting next to me and as she looked out down the cliff she did the sign of the cross and started saying Hail Marys!! I had to laugh! She was so cute!! Thankfully making it alive, we went to a limocello (Capri is famous for its limocello) and chocolate tasting! So yummy! There is also a place were they would custom make sandals. It was all very neat. From there...we took a single person gondola ride up to the tipity top of the island. (Picture a ski lift for one.) This was my favorite thing. It was just so peaceful and pretty! At the top was a little snack bar with 360 degree view of the island, Mt. Vesuvius and the Amalfi Coast. I think this what the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. The water is so blue and clear! I really enjoyed going up there and just looking out at the sea. After the gondola ride down we shopped around the town a little bit and then grabbed some lunch at a cute outdoor cafe. Then we had to take the bus back down to Capri Town and walk back down to Marina Piccola. We laid on the beach (which consisted of rocks, but it wasn't as uncomfortable as it sounds) and basked in the sun while taking in the sights and sounds. Not before long, the ferry was back to pick us and up and finish our tour of the island. Our first stop was the Faraglioni which are three blocks of rocks which have survived coastal landslides, erosion and atmospheric erosion. They are named Stella, Faraglioni di Mezzo, and Faraglioni di Fuori. The middle rock, Faraglioni di Mezzo, is the most famous. It was a tunnel in the middle which is called the tunnel of love. Our ferry driver told us that the tradition is that when the boat goes through the tunnel you have to kiss the person you love. It was very neat. The next stop was the Green Grotto which is similar to the Blue Grotto but the water is green. And there's even a White Grotto. The White Grotto is a little different. Its a large cave above the water with all white rocks. At one point a stalactite and a stalagmite meet they formed what looks to be a statue of the Madonna.(See pictures). It was very neat. Then the ferry headed back to port and we returned to our cabin for a little nap time as the whole only-got-3-hours-of-sleep and being out in the sun on the water all day was starting to hit us. After a much needed nap the whole group got together and went to dinner in the center of Sorrento. I got gnocchi and....it was delicious!! By far the best meal I've had in Italy so far! (The tortellini in Bologna is a close second though!) Just so good. Then it back to the cabin for bed...and we figured out how to work the heater so we weren't icicles in the morning when we woke up!
Saturday we took the bus to Positano which is the first city on the Amalfi Coast. Some scenes from the movie "Under the Tuscan Sun" were filmed there. Because the roads are so curvy, the bus has to drop us off on the outskirts of town and we had to walk on the road into town. Unfortunately, as we got closer to town we could see the clouds starting to roll in over the cute little beach town. Once we made it into town and found a spot on the beach it was really cloudy and chilly. We hung out for awhile and then walked around town. It was so cute! A very typical Italian beach town. Little shops and tiny twinkle lights were throughout the town. Just adorable. In May 1953, the famous author, John Stienbeck wrote an essay on the town saying, "Positano bites deep. It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone." The town is definitely a step out of reality. I was so bummed that the weather wasn't very nice but finally in the afternoon the sun came out and we went right back to the beach. It was so nice to be able to just lay in the beach and take in the sun in Italy. We had the day to do whatever we wanted in the town we just had to take a bus back to Sorrento and we were told that the last bus returning was 9pm so we figured we'd spend the day, eat dinner and then had back. Well it started getting chilly so at around 7pm we decided to head to the bus stop (we weren't really given any directions as to how to get to the bus stop except that its near a big tree. Really great directions I know.) So luckily, Morgan had her "Rick Steves: Italy 2009" book with her so we looked it up and found out where it was. We make it to the bus stop, buy a ticket for Sorrento and check to see when the next bus is (we were told they run every 20 minutes). Well, the schedule informs us that the last bus to Sorrento was at 7pm! Its 7:10! And the leader of the trip told us that they didn't stop running until 9! So after a few moments of widespread panic (in an afterthought, Positano wouldn't have been a bad place to get stuck!) we figure out that if we take another bus we can switch and then take another one back to our camp sight but the bus we needed didn't come for another 45 minutes...and in Italian time that means god knows when. So we did what any logical people would do...bought a bottle of white wine (the area is known for its white wine) sat on the sidewalk and cracked it open! Luckily for us, the bus was on time and we actually met some other kids from the trip on the bus and apparently the bus was making a special stop at our camp sight so in the long run it all worked out. But...it was definitely stressful for a few minutes. I was upset at the leaders because I really thought they should have informed us better of how to get home but then I thought...this is just another learning experience and thats what I'm here for. So once back to our cabin we headed into the center of town again for dinner. I had to get pizza since we were near Naples (where pizza originated from). Listen to this pizza, cheese, spring tomatoes, pineapple, and kiwi! When the description didn't say sauce...they weren't kidding. It only had cheese...no red sauce! It was quite interesting...I didn't hate it...but I don't know if I would get it again!
On Sunday we packed up, loaded the bus, and were off to Pompeii. Pompeii is someplace I always thought would be awesome to go! The area outside of it isn't very nice. Its just a bunch of tents trying to rip tourist off. Everyone is very pushy and I didn't really care for the atmosphere but inside Pompeii was awesome! We had an excellent tour guide who spoke perfect English and was very knowledgeable. In the year 79 AD Mt Vesuvius, which is 8 miles from Pompeii, erupted and left the city covered in 16 feet deep worth of ash and rock. The city was accidentally rediscovered in 1748. It took archeologist years and years to dig out 2/3 of the city. They are saving the last 1/3 for the next generation to discover. 20,000 people are recorded to have lived in the city at the time but only 2,000 bodies were found so that makes the historians believe that were was some sort of warning before the eruption. The archeologists have discovered a way to make cast molds of skeletons so it preserves the skeleton but it also shows the person just as they died. They have several of them to see. It was really interesting but totally creepy and sad at the same time! Its amazing to me that so much of the city is so well preserved considering how old it is! The tour guide also told us how worried they are that Mt. Vesuvius will erupt again sometime soon. There has not been any activity in many many years and it is still considered an active volcano. The area surround Mt. Vesuvius is very densely populated with about 9,000 people every square kilometer so if it were to erupt it could be catastrophic. I learned so much! It was so interesting. After the tour it was back on the bus back to Florence. We got back around 11pm and then it was back to school on Monday.
This was a really great trip! I had the greatest time! It might have been my favorite trip I've gone on so far! and It was definitely the most beautiful!
Now I am patiently awaiting the arrival of my mom, dad, and Amanda! I'm so excited that they are coming! I can't wait show them around town! After spring break I have a very busy schedule ahead of me...the time is going to fly by :(
Pictures of the trip below!
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| Trip to the Amalfi Coast: Sorrento, Capri, Positano & Pompeii. April 3-5, 2009 |
Shout out to Francesca Catherine: Happy 21st Birthday!! xo
Monday, April 6, 2009
Earthquake in Italy
I never thought I would be writing a post about an earthquake in
I woke up this morning to one of my roommates telling me about an Earthquake that happened in central
Luckily,
Well, I didn't feel anything but others in my program swear they felt tremors in the night. I am so lucky to have been far enough away! I could have easily been driving though on the bus last night. Its just really scary and crazy to think about. I can honestly say, an earthquake was not one of my fears when coming to
I'm staying tuned in to cnn.com for all the updates. Keep you posted!
Midterms this week so my weekend in
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Weekend in Sorrento
Midterms are next week :( boo...
Going to Sorrento, Capri, Naples and the Amalfi Coast this weekend!! We are supposed to see Pompeii, the Blue Grotto, Mt. Vesuvius, and possibly go cliff jumping? All weather depending of course...and the way things go in Italy...so cross your fingers!!
Updates and pictures upon my return!
Going to Sorrento, Capri, Naples and the Amalfi Coast this weekend!! We are supposed to see Pompeii, the Blue Grotto, Mt. Vesuvius, and possibly go cliff jumping? All weather depending of course...and the way things go in Italy...so cross your fingers!!
Updates and pictures upon my return!
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