The last 10 or 11 days I have been on Spring Break. Why so long you ask? Well, I normally don't have school on Fridays here, and St. Patrick's Day was actually the 150th anniversary of Italy's unification, so we got off of school for that as well. Instead of taking one giant vacation all over Europe like I did last semester, I have been taking short 3-4 day trips this semester. For about 4-5 days of this long break, I decided to take my first solo adventure out of Italy and went to Dublin, Ireland. I figured, if I had any problems, like getting mugged again, or getting so lost I can't find my way back to my hostel, I at least spoke the language in the country.
My trip began at 2:30 in the morning on Tuesday when I had to wake up to trek to the train station to catch the only bus that takes you to Pisa for early morning flights. Then, I had a relatively hassle free check-in with Ryan Air (you never know how things are going to work with them) and a lovely sleepy coma of a flight. I easily found my way from the airport, to the bus, to my hostel, then went on a free walking tour of the city. I learned all about Ireland's long rebellious history, as well as a lot of facts about vikings and the gaelic language, and I met some interesting people, including the most gorgeous rugby player from Cambridge who had broken his eye socket in a game against Trinity College. After a lovely lunch of fish and chips with above mentioned rugby player, I ventured to the archaeology museum of Ireland that my tour guide had told me was a must-see. Tots not. The only cool thing, beyond the copious amount of hammered gold jewelry, were the "bog men" (mummified humans found in various bogs by Irish farmers). Upon my return to my hostel, I was fortunate enough to meet a group of great girls from Virginia who were studying in England who invited me to join them for dinner and drinks at a pub. There I enjoyed my first Irish Guinness as well as another meal of fried food. The girls were also nice enough to leave me their Dublin Pass, which got me free entrance into pretty much every tourist site in Dublin the next day.
Day 2 was spent trying to cram as many free things in as I could. I started the day at the Guinness Storehouse, which is AMAZING! Imagine seven stories of interactive Guinness history. I learned about every step in the brewing process, the different advertising campaigns, which types of Guinness they sell in different countries, etc. Then, to top it all off, every visitor gets a free pint of Guinness in the gravity bar on the 7th floor, which is a glass walled room that provides excellent views of Dublin. To continue my day of early drinking, I next moved on to the Jameson Distillery, where I went on another tour of the brewing process, this time led by the most adorable Irish lad named Andy (though I wish he had been my Andy). I also was lucky enough to be chosen as a volunteer in the whiskey test. Me and 7 other guests got to learn the proper way to taste Jameson Irish whiskey, then compare it to Johnny Walker Black Scotch whiskey and Jack Daniel's Kentucky Bourbon whiskey. I now have a certificate saying that I am a qualified Irish Whiskey taster, which I will promptly frame on my return to the US. After enjoying my free glass of Jameson and "ginger beer", I trudged on to try to find a jail that you can tour that everyone told me was a must see. Well, this jail was really, really far, and I totally got lost,and somehow ended up at the Irish Museum of Modern Art. I though, well cool, I enjoy a lot of modern art, I'll go in, it's free. If you ever have a chance to go to Dublin, I do not recommend this museum. There was only 1 decent exhibit, and the museum is on the far edge of town. SPend your time drinking in a oub instead. After the IMMA, I moved on to the Dublin Zoo. This was another far trek, over t Phoenix Park, the largest park in Europe, but I was determined to do everything I could on this free Dublin Pass. I got to the zoo an hour before closing, so I pretty much ran through it, trying to take in as many animals as I could. Problem was, since it was night time, many of the animals were feeding, so I missed a few exhibits. Anyhow, after the zoo was closing on me, I finally went home and chilled in my hostel, eating cadbury cream eggs (yum!) and reading some British book about "yummy mummies" I bought for 3 euro.
Day 3 I decided to leave Dublin for a bit and took a bus tour to Malahide castle and the northern coast of Dublin bay. I was the youngest person on the tour by at least 20 years, but I still enjoyed myself. The castle was very pretty, and the grounds were even more beautiful. The bus guide, Decklin,was hilarious and kept singing Irish drinking songs. After the castle we drove all along the coast, while Decklin pointed out all the famous Irish people's homes. We made a quick stop in the town of Hougth, which I wish I had had more time to investigate, then we drove back into Dublin. I then spent the rest of my afternoon shopping, and found my new favorite store "Penney's" (not to be confused with J.C. Penney's). Upon return to my hostel, I had 5 new roommates, all from SC, one a CofC student, and two who were friends with this boy I tutored for 3 years. Small world! I then left to do something totally nerdy, a literary pub crawl of Dublin. I figured I couldn't stay in Dublin and not explore the pub scene. This way I would meet other nerds like me, learn a bit of history, and drink some more Guinness. The pub crawl was fantastic and probably one of the best things to do in Dublin. Two actors take you around the city, stopping at various pubs and sites throughout the city, stopping to act out various scenes from Irish literature and telling you interesting tid-bits about Dublin's literary elite. On the tour I met some awesome people, including a group of 4 Irish "physiotherapists" who took me under their wing and made me a part of their group for the evening. I taught them what a "hipster" was, and they explained to me that "craic" is not Nachos like Kildare's pub in Chapel Hill says, but really the word for "fun". I also met 3 other people who were traveling on their own in Dublin: Gianluca, a swiss poker player, Tim, a Canadian city planning masters student, and a boy studying in a village of 500 people an hour north of Venice. We made ourselves the loner table and got some disgusting late night food after our crawl.
Day 4 was just spent shopping for souvenirs and making my pilgrimage to "The Queen of Tarts", a cafe every guide book I had read said was a must-eat in Dublin (so true!). Then I caught the bus back to the airport, the plane back to Bologna, then a train back to Florence.
I had a great time on my first solo Euro adventure, and was truly lucky to meet really nice people, have a nice, clean, safe hostel, and have sunshine and somewhat warm weather the entire time I was there (miracle of all miracles, no rain in Ireland!). I now feel comfortable enough to travel solo again, and am trying to plan one more big adventure before I head back to USA.
Perugia
martedì 29 marzo 2011
lunedì 21 marzo 2011
An Explanation of an Italian Phenomenon: La fila
Okay, so I know Italians and Americans are very different. Americans are orderly, hard working, and enjoy personal space. Italians are a disorganized, lazy, and can't unclasp hands for even a second to let you by on your bike. I have totally gotten used to how Italians work during my time in Italy. I actually appreciate how less stressed they are than Americans and how much they enjoy life. Even though I try to pretend I'm Italian and speak to tourists in Italian so they won't know I'm an American, there is one thing I will never accept and never be able to implement in my life: not being able to wait in a line.
Italians are incapable of waiting in a line. It's just a fact of life. If you want a perfect example, watch Bruno Bozzetto's youtube video about the difference between Italians and everyone else in the EU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHWBL9_alKs. My patience with the forming of "file" has been tested a lot lately. For example, when Megan, Matteo and I were in Viareggio for Carnevale, we spent almost 45 minutes trying to buy a train ticket home because instead of forming a line and groups buying their tickets as a group, the Italians just formed one big clump, cut people in line, and every single person bought their own ticket, even if there were 10 of them in a group. The worst I have experienced in a while was this past week when I tried to see Roberto Saviano, the author of Gomorra, the book that the movie I wrote my thesis on was based.
Saviano has recently published a new book based on this TV special that he and Fabio Fazzi hosted this past fall called Vieni via con me. When I was on my way home from the train station one day I saw the book and went in and bought it the next day. The woman at the Feltrinelli told me that Saviano was actually going to be giving a short presentation at the store on Wednesday, and I about wet my pants in nerdy excitement. I prepared myself to meet Saviano, who I just think is too cool for words, since he pretty much outed the workings of the Camorra and is now in the Italian version of the witness protection program. The woman told me to get to the bookstore early, so I counted down the days until I would get to meet the man in person.
Wednesday came and there were a few things not in my favor: 1) My landlord was coming by to pick up the rent that evening at 7:30, and the talk was at 9 2) Florence was all abuzz for "notte tricolore" the special events going on all night in honor of Italy's 150th anniversary as a unified country. So I made it to the Feltrinelli by 8 that night, and much to my horror, there were police everywhere and about a crowd of 2000 people already at the bookstore. I thought there still might be hope, so I joined the fila and waited patiently to see if I would make it inside the store. At 9, the talk still hadn't started, the line had not moved, and I was getting restless. I was not giving up on seeing Saviano though. So when the line finally started moving, I realized there was no way I was getting in the store. I did actually make it into a baracaded area with a jumbo screen where the talk was televised for all of us schmucks that didn't get there at 5 AM (when some woman told me people had started arriving). I stood outside in the cold with about 500 other Italians they let into the small space and enjoyed listening to Saviano's message about why life is worth living. After the talk, we were told that if we waited in line, we would be able to go inside and get Saviano's autograph. I pushed my way to the front of the clump, book in hand, and patiently waited for the next 3.5 hours.
If this had been an American event, there would have been people with little clicky-counters, and when one person left the bookstore, one person in line could go in. Since we were in Italy though, the guards had no idea how many people they had actually let in, and decided to let all the peopl inside get out, then let us in. Since the people inside where Italians, they took their sweet time, perusing the store for hours after they had actually met Saviano, and no one made them leave. I watched one man seriously pick up almost every book in the store, and not buy anything! After waiting forever, and people starting chants and the clump pushing in tighter and tighter, Saviano came out for 1 minute, waived, and then the guards told us all to leave. I was so incredibly frustrated and just huffed off. It just confirmed my stereotype that Italians cannot organize an event that goes smoothly to save their lives. I will say, I am lucky that I even got to see Saviano, if only from a distance, but for once I wish Italians could just form a line and do things in an orderly fashion.
Italians are incapable of waiting in a line. It's just a fact of life. If you want a perfect example, watch Bruno Bozzetto's youtube video about the difference between Italians and everyone else in the EU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHWBL9_alKs. My patience with the forming of "file" has been tested a lot lately. For example, when Megan, Matteo and I were in Viareggio for Carnevale, we spent almost 45 minutes trying to buy a train ticket home because instead of forming a line and groups buying their tickets as a group, the Italians just formed one big clump, cut people in line, and every single person bought their own ticket, even if there were 10 of them in a group. The worst I have experienced in a while was this past week when I tried to see Roberto Saviano, the author of Gomorra, the book that the movie I wrote my thesis on was based.
Saviano has recently published a new book based on this TV special that he and Fabio Fazzi hosted this past fall called Vieni via con me. When I was on my way home from the train station one day I saw the book and went in and bought it the next day. The woman at the Feltrinelli told me that Saviano was actually going to be giving a short presentation at the store on Wednesday, and I about wet my pants in nerdy excitement. I prepared myself to meet Saviano, who I just think is too cool for words, since he pretty much outed the workings of the Camorra and is now in the Italian version of the witness protection program. The woman told me to get to the bookstore early, so I counted down the days until I would get to meet the man in person.
Wednesday came and there were a few things not in my favor: 1) My landlord was coming by to pick up the rent that evening at 7:30, and the talk was at 9 2) Florence was all abuzz for "notte tricolore" the special events going on all night in honor of Italy's 150th anniversary as a unified country. So I made it to the Feltrinelli by 8 that night, and much to my horror, there were police everywhere and about a crowd of 2000 people already at the bookstore. I thought there still might be hope, so I joined the fila and waited patiently to see if I would make it inside the store. At 9, the talk still hadn't started, the line had not moved, and I was getting restless. I was not giving up on seeing Saviano though. So when the line finally started moving, I realized there was no way I was getting in the store. I did actually make it into a baracaded area with a jumbo screen where the talk was televised for all of us schmucks that didn't get there at 5 AM (when some woman told me people had started arriving). I stood outside in the cold with about 500 other Italians they let into the small space and enjoyed listening to Saviano's message about why life is worth living. After the talk, we were told that if we waited in line, we would be able to go inside and get Saviano's autograph. I pushed my way to the front of the clump, book in hand, and patiently waited for the next 3.5 hours.
If this had been an American event, there would have been people with little clicky-counters, and when one person left the bookstore, one person in line could go in. Since we were in Italy though, the guards had no idea how many people they had actually let in, and decided to let all the peopl inside get out, then let us in. Since the people inside where Italians, they took their sweet time, perusing the store for hours after they had actually met Saviano, and no one made them leave. I watched one man seriously pick up almost every book in the store, and not buy anything! After waiting forever, and people starting chants and the clump pushing in tighter and tighter, Saviano came out for 1 minute, waived, and then the guards told us all to leave. I was so incredibly frustrated and just huffed off. It just confirmed my stereotype that Italians cannot organize an event that goes smoothly to save their lives. I will say, I am lucky that I even got to see Saviano, if only from a distance, but for once I wish Italians could just form a line and do things in an orderly fashion.
giovedì 17 marzo 2011
3 weeks+3 adventures= behind in blog posts
Ciao a tutti!
So after reading my friend Allie's blog today about how she had gotten behind, I realized I really need to update. Here's what's been going on in my life for the past few weeks:
1) My family's visit- My parents and my little sister Claire came to visit me for a week to celebrate my birthday with me. It was wonderful to finally have something to distract me from the boredom/constant rain and cold that had been most of February. Also, when they came they brought the sunshine with them and we even got some weather in the 60s, which was fabulous! Anyhow, our first stop was Rome, where we visited the vatican museums, St. Peter's, the Colosseum, the Pantheon, Trevi fountain, Spanish steps, etc. The two highlights of Rome would have to be when we walked into St. Peter's and mass was going on, so my family got to participate, and when we went to the tombs of the popes the next day and walked in on Pope Benedict's Sunday address, so we got to listen to him speak. AMAZING! After Rome we returned to Florence, and my family explored the city, as well as went to Lucca and Pisa while I worked. Then we went to Assisi together, then spent my birthday wine tasting in Chianti. The week was way too short and I hated to see them leave, but thank goodness, I had more visitors the following week.
2) Matteo and Megan's visit- Less than a week after my family left, my friends from UNC, Matteo and Megan came to visit. Having my good friends around was definitely something I had been needing. We drank Lambrusco, in true ROML style, explored Florence, and ate lots of delicious Italian food, including the meals we made ourselves. The coolest thing that happened during Matt and Megan's visit was our trip to Lucca and Viareggio for Carnevale. I had been to Carnevale in Venice when I studied abroad, which is a huge deal in Italy, but Viareggio's was a million times better. Imagine the biggest parade floats you have ever seen, all with political undertones, and thousands of Italians dressed up in costumes like it is Halloween, all on the beach. A truly awesome experience, one I recommend to anyone who is ever in Italy for Carnevale. Hopefully Megan, Matteo, and the mysterious Rambo can make a trip to Italy again before they return to the US.
3) Morocco Foodies Weekend- The day after Matteo and Megan left, I hopped a plane with my friend Jen for Snow or Sand's Morocco Foodies Weekend. We went to Marrakech for 3 days to learn how to cook Moroccan cuisine, as well as stuff ourselves silly with tagine. We bargained our way through the souks multiple times, met snake charmers, rode camels, and hiked through the Atlas mountains. Some highlights from the trip were: a) the actual cooking lesson, where we learned how to make lemon chicken tagine, Moroccan salad, and mint tea b) when Jen and I got a private tour of our riad from the owner, a half French-half British businessman who said he just needed 6 million euro to make all his dreams come true c) eating lunch at the home of a local family in a Berber village in the Atlas mountains d) meandering through the beautiful and colorful Majorelle gardens and e) our trip to the herbalist where we learned about Moroccan home remedies, such as Argan oil. I did not want to leave Morocco and can't wait to go back some day.
So if I haven't posted in a while, now you know how busy I've been. Look forward to me posting again after my spring break trip to Dublin next week. Also, a shout-out to my wonderful boyfriend Andy, who I met a year ago today and have been with ever since. Love you!
So after reading my friend Allie's blog today about how she had gotten behind, I realized I really need to update. Here's what's been going on in my life for the past few weeks:
1) My family's visit- My parents and my little sister Claire came to visit me for a week to celebrate my birthday with me. It was wonderful to finally have something to distract me from the boredom/constant rain and cold that had been most of February. Also, when they came they brought the sunshine with them and we even got some weather in the 60s, which was fabulous! Anyhow, our first stop was Rome, where we visited the vatican museums, St. Peter's, the Colosseum, the Pantheon, Trevi fountain, Spanish steps, etc. The two highlights of Rome would have to be when we walked into St. Peter's and mass was going on, so my family got to participate, and when we went to the tombs of the popes the next day and walked in on Pope Benedict's Sunday address, so we got to listen to him speak. AMAZING! After Rome we returned to Florence, and my family explored the city, as well as went to Lucca and Pisa while I worked. Then we went to Assisi together, then spent my birthday wine tasting in Chianti. The week was way too short and I hated to see them leave, but thank goodness, I had more visitors the following week.
2) Matteo and Megan's visit- Less than a week after my family left, my friends from UNC, Matteo and Megan came to visit. Having my good friends around was definitely something I had been needing. We drank Lambrusco, in true ROML style, explored Florence, and ate lots of delicious Italian food, including the meals we made ourselves. The coolest thing that happened during Matt and Megan's visit was our trip to Lucca and Viareggio for Carnevale. I had been to Carnevale in Venice when I studied abroad, which is a huge deal in Italy, but Viareggio's was a million times better. Imagine the biggest parade floats you have ever seen, all with political undertones, and thousands of Italians dressed up in costumes like it is Halloween, all on the beach. A truly awesome experience, one I recommend to anyone who is ever in Italy for Carnevale. Hopefully Megan, Matteo, and the mysterious Rambo can make a trip to Italy again before they return to the US.
3) Morocco Foodies Weekend- The day after Matteo and Megan left, I hopped a plane with my friend Jen for Snow or Sand's Morocco Foodies Weekend. We went to Marrakech for 3 days to learn how to cook Moroccan cuisine, as well as stuff ourselves silly with tagine. We bargained our way through the souks multiple times, met snake charmers, rode camels, and hiked through the Atlas mountains. Some highlights from the trip were: a) the actual cooking lesson, where we learned how to make lemon chicken tagine, Moroccan salad, and mint tea b) when Jen and I got a private tour of our riad from the owner, a half French-half British businessman who said he just needed 6 million euro to make all his dreams come true c) eating lunch at the home of a local family in a Berber village in the Atlas mountains d) meandering through the beautiful and colorful Majorelle gardens and e) our trip to the herbalist where we learned about Moroccan home remedies, such as Argan oil. I did not want to leave Morocco and can't wait to go back some day.
So if I haven't posted in a while, now you know how busy I've been. Look forward to me posting again after my spring break trip to Dublin next week. Also, a shout-out to my wonderful boyfriend Andy, who I met a year ago today and have been with ever since. Love you!
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