So this weekend my goal was to immerse myself in all Florence has to offer culturally. As I explained in my last post I joined a library, I got a haircut, and I went to a festival. Well last night was the culmination of all things awesome about this weekend. My landlord Michele had stopped by my apartment last week to have me sign some papers for him so that the government here knows I'm not a terrorist. While he was over he gave me a pamphlet for an event put on by the Arthur Murray School of Dance in Florence. If you are not familiar with them, Arthur Murray schools are dance academies where you can take ballroom dancing classes. They offer everything from swing to salsa. The school was putting on a performance of Dante's Inferno and Purgatorio (because we all know no one cares about Paradiso except Cervigni). The event was free and I love dancing, so I decided I was definitely going to go. My landlord had told me it was going to be a modern dance performance, so I was thinking modern dance like people not wearing shoes and doing interpretive dance, or maybe at least having ballet shoes on. I was totally wrong. I mean, I knew Arthur Murray specialized in ballroom dance, but honestly, how are you going to turn that into an interpretation of Dante? Picture this: people of the entire age spectrum, from infant (there was a baby dressed as an angel who got carried around the stage) to past expiration date. The majority of the performers were students of the "retired" age group who are taking ballroom dancing classes for fun. Imagine if all the worst participants from Dancing with the Stars (like Cloris Leachman, Kate Gosslin, and Steve Wozniak) all got together to put on a show. There you have two hours of my Sunday evening. Watching people portray characters from La divina commedia while ballroom dancing. Here's an example: my landlord, who failed to mention that he was going to be in the performance, was Cicero, one of the residents of limbo (my memory is currently failing me, but possibly in the noble castle?). He waltzed around the stage with one of the female residents of this same circle of Hell. Another example: Paolo and Francesca (played by two of the professional dancers) performing a very sensual waltz/foxtrot/tango combo. Honestly, I don't think I'm doing this spectacle justice, but if I find any Youtube clips I will attach them to a comment here.
The show's ending was by far the most ridiculous part of the evening. All the characters arrived on stage to do a final twirl about, when a great light shines and in comes Beatrice. For those of you not familiar with Dante, Beatrice is the woman that Dante idolized and loved. She shows up in all of his works and he pretty much dedicated his life to her. So Beatrice shows up and she is supposed to be this beautiful woman who shines with a heavenly glow, like the Virgin Mary. This Beatrice, to my surprise, was about 100 years old, with stiff joints and no dancing ability. Let me add that the man playing Dante was probably 30, with long flowing locks and a goatee. This woman had to be at least 50 years older than him and was his love interest! Why???? She couldn't even dance she was so old. They tried to do a little shuffle ball change, but I thought she was going to break. At the end of their painful performance, there was the curtain call, and everyone took their bows about three times and got flowers, etc. But then, of course, because this makes total sense, the whole cast breaks out into Thriller, including old Beatrice (who couldn't do any of the steps, so she just kept turning in circles). I know that this was a serious performance, but I totally lost it. I could not take Dante for Ballroom seriously. Honestly, I don't know how the directors of the studio came up with this. For real, this is a performance I will never ever forget, not because it was beautiful and moving, but because it was absolutely, without a doubt, one of the most ridiculous spectacles I have ever seen in my life.
Perugia
lunedì 27 settembre 2010
domenica 26 settembre 2010
"Che birre": Oktoberfest for Italians
Well my weekend here in Florence has been quite interesting. I have become a card-carrying member of an Italian library, the biblioteca delle oblate, so I can continue being nerdy and read the books from my comps list that I never actually got to reading (My first attempt is La coscienza di Zeno, by Svevo). I discovered the cutest bookstore ever, The Paperback Exchange, where I traded in some of the weird books in my apt. here for credit to buy new better books, my gift to whoever lives in this apt. next. I definitely think my first purchase will be one of Christobel Kent's books because I have been dying to read them ever since I saw her speak. I have also converted myself into an Italian by getting a super trendy haircut. Lesson to be learned though: ask the Italians what they are doing to you during the process. What I thought was going to be a 19 euro student haircut turned into a 47 euro day at the salon (15 euro to blow dry my hair, no thank you, next time I will walk home wet).
By far the most exciting thing I did in Florence all weekend was go to the Italian artisanal beer festival called "Che birre". My new friends Katie and Charlie and I hit up Santa Croce to see what the festival was going to be like. We figured it would be a bunch of Americans drinking beer samples out of tiny little cups around the square. We ended up being quite pleasantly surprised. To participate in Che birre, we had to go to the cassa and decide how many beer chips we wanted to buy, each chip being 2.50 euro. Once you had your chips (we all bought 4 each), you went to all the booths set up in the square and traded in your chips for beer. Each chip got you the equivalent of 12 oz. of beer, or you could trade in 2 chips and get giant beer stein size cups. We all sampled different beers, me enjoying light birre chiare, Charlie trying the beers with the highest percent alcohol, and Katie drinking all the stouts. The best booth was this manufacturer from outside Parma. My beer tasted a bit like Cruz Campo and green Alhambra beer (delicious Spanish brands) and Katie's tasted like some smoked turkey was in hers. I asked the man at the booth where he distributes here in Florence and he told me his beer is only carried in a German pub, which I am now on a mission to find. While all the beers were delicious, I think what I enjoyed most were the people I was surrounded by. The majority of the people at the festival were young Italians, not tourists. Also, my new friends are so nice, and we had the pleasure of meeting a great group of students from a study-abroad institute here. They were my ideal students, and reminded myself a lot of me when I was studying abroad. They were all trying really hard to immerse themselves in Italian culture. They were going out and having fun, but they were trying to branch out to places where it wouldn't just be Americans, but Italians too. They had only traveled in Italy so far, and they have done a great job of seeing cities that are off the radar. We liked these kids so much we invited them to this cool pub, The William, with us, and we had a great time discussing travel, their classes, music, halloween, etc. This was probably the most fun activity I have done in Florence yet and I can't wait for "Firenze Wine Town" coming this week!
By far the most exciting thing I did in Florence all weekend was go to the Italian artisanal beer festival called "Che birre". My new friends Katie and Charlie and I hit up Santa Croce to see what the festival was going to be like. We figured it would be a bunch of Americans drinking beer samples out of tiny little cups around the square. We ended up being quite pleasantly surprised. To participate in Che birre, we had to go to the cassa and decide how many beer chips we wanted to buy, each chip being 2.50 euro. Once you had your chips (we all bought 4 each), you went to all the booths set up in the square and traded in your chips for beer. Each chip got you the equivalent of 12 oz. of beer, or you could trade in 2 chips and get giant beer stein size cups. We all sampled different beers, me enjoying light birre chiare, Charlie trying the beers with the highest percent alcohol, and Katie drinking all the stouts. The best booth was this manufacturer from outside Parma. My beer tasted a bit like Cruz Campo and green Alhambra beer (delicious Spanish brands) and Katie's tasted like some smoked turkey was in hers. I asked the man at the booth where he distributes here in Florence and he told me his beer is only carried in a German pub, which I am now on a mission to find. While all the beers were delicious, I think what I enjoyed most were the people I was surrounded by. The majority of the people at the festival were young Italians, not tourists. Also, my new friends are so nice, and we had the pleasure of meeting a great group of students from a study-abroad institute here. They were my ideal students, and reminded myself a lot of me when I was studying abroad. They were all trying really hard to immerse themselves in Italian culture. They were going out and having fun, but they were trying to branch out to places where it wouldn't just be Americans, but Italians too. They had only traveled in Italy so far, and they have done a great job of seeing cities that are off the radar. We liked these kids so much we invited them to this cool pub, The William, with us, and we had a great time discussing travel, their classes, music, halloween, etc. This was probably the most fun activity I have done in Florence yet and I can't wait for "Firenze Wine Town" coming this week!
mercoledì 22 settembre 2010
In my next life I'm going to be Christobel Kent
Today my inner nerd came out to play. This is my first time not technically being a student and though I enjoy not having to study and write papers, I really do miss going to class. To continue my efforts to meet new friends in Florence and explore the city, I attended a lecture at the British Institute by author Christobel Kent on Florence as a setting for fiction. As soon as I arrived I got super excited because the lecture is one of the beautiful rooms of the library, which looks more like a library in someone's home (like the beast had in Beauty and the Beast). Also, the room was filled with old British people, as well as trendy looking students, two of my favorite types of people. Since I am a total geek and really enjoy being an attentive student, I sat right up front for the lecture, next to this adorable old British couple. Ms. Kent gave an absolutely wonderful lecture on her writing process, why she chooses to set all of her novels in Florence instead of in England, how she chooses her setting before she dreams up characters, etc. She was wonderfully honest and open, not uppity or stuffy like a lot of lecturers are. She is also as cute as a button, a mother of five kids, and married to a professor at Cambridge. I pretty much decided right on the spot that if there is such a thing as reincarnation, I want to come back as Christobel Kent.
After the lecture, and since we are in Italy, the British Institute has free wine and refreshments to partake in while people chat about their thoughts on the lecture. I went up to a group of people with American accents and introduced myself. I ended up meeting a really cool girl named Yoko who is a PhD student in Art History at UVA, as well as her friend Monica, who just finished her PhD and is a writer now in Florence. I even got the chance to talk to Ms. Kent, who sympathized with me over the lack of interest study abroad students have in the culture of Italy, as well as all the "Wow, I can't believe this is where I live" moments an expat in Florence experiences (i.e. every time I walk by the duomo and just go "whoa"). Ms. Kent also reignited my wish to maybe write some day (I definitely have lots of stories to tell).
I loved the feeling of being in an academic environment again. I know, I'm a teacher and tutor who spends all day at school, but it's just not the same as attending class yourself and learning about subjects that really interest you. I will definitely be attending more lectures at the British Institute and will hopefully learn even more about Florence, Italy, and the culture that I so dearly love.
After the lecture, and since we are in Italy, the British Institute has free wine and refreshments to partake in while people chat about their thoughts on the lecture. I went up to a group of people with American accents and introduced myself. I ended up meeting a really cool girl named Yoko who is a PhD student in Art History at UVA, as well as her friend Monica, who just finished her PhD and is a writer now in Florence. I even got the chance to talk to Ms. Kent, who sympathized with me over the lack of interest study abroad students have in the culture of Italy, as well as all the "Wow, I can't believe this is where I live" moments an expat in Florence experiences (i.e. every time I walk by the duomo and just go "whoa"). Ms. Kent also reignited my wish to maybe write some day (I definitely have lots of stories to tell).
I loved the feeling of being in an academic environment again. I know, I'm a teacher and tutor who spends all day at school, but it's just not the same as attending class yourself and learning about subjects that really interest you. I will definitely be attending more lectures at the British Institute and will hopefully learn even more about Florence, Italy, and the culture that I so dearly love.
martedì 21 settembre 2010
What a beautiful day to learn English!
Fall has definitely arrived in Florence. If I were in Charleston or Chapel Hill right now it would still probably be 85 degrees outside and humid. Instead, I am enjoying crisp fall weather, a beautiful breeze, and wearing my new Italian trench coat. What could make this beautiful day any better? The fact that I am now giving English lessons to five Italian bankers!
How did I secure this new job you may ask? I have a new colleague at the school who told me that her friend Fabrizio was looking for English lessons for himself and a few of his colleagues. I told her that I had never really given English lessons before, but I had translated a lot between my sketchy Pugliesi friends and my sorority sisters, as well as attended a lot of tandem language exchange sessions, so I was up for the challenge. Fabrizio and I set up a meeting for us today at the bank. I came prepared with my English grammar book, thinking it would just be him and that we would discuss how to set up the lessons, then ask his friends if they were interested. Instead, I was led into a big meeting room where 4 more very vocal Italians showed up to discuss our meetings (they are hilarious!). What we have decided to do is meet for lunch next week (since everything in Italy revolves around food) and have a preliminary chat, where I will decide what level everyone is at with their English. I will then divide them into groups and we will have differeng lessons based on if they fall into beginner or intermediate English. After we decided all of this I was rushed out of the bank, but not before they asked me if I was British, to which I replied no, which they liked because they would rather have American accents.
Beautiful weather, new teaching opportunities and the prospect of having non-creepy Italians to speak with is getting this day off to the right start!
How did I secure this new job you may ask? I have a new colleague at the school who told me that her friend Fabrizio was looking for English lessons for himself and a few of his colleagues. I told her that I had never really given English lessons before, but I had translated a lot between my sketchy Pugliesi friends and my sorority sisters, as well as attended a lot of tandem language exchange sessions, so I was up for the challenge. Fabrizio and I set up a meeting for us today at the bank. I came prepared with my English grammar book, thinking it would just be him and that we would discuss how to set up the lessons, then ask his friends if they were interested. Instead, I was led into a big meeting room where 4 more very vocal Italians showed up to discuss our meetings (they are hilarious!). What we have decided to do is meet for lunch next week (since everything in Italy revolves around food) and have a preliminary chat, where I will decide what level everyone is at with their English. I will then divide them into groups and we will have differeng lessons based on if they fall into beginner or intermediate English. After we decided all of this I was rushed out of the bank, but not before they asked me if I was British, to which I replied no, which they liked because they would rather have American accents.
Beautiful weather, new teaching opportunities and the prospect of having non-creepy Italians to speak with is getting this day off to the right start!
domenica 19 settembre 2010
Turning into an expat, one day at a time
This week I have really been making an effort to find new and unique places in Florence. My first great discovery of the week was The British Institute of Florence. For those of you who know me well, you know pretty much my favorite things in the world are Italians and BBC mini-series. Seriously, I have equal obsessions with both. The British Institute is pretty much my nerdy idea of paradise. The library is three floors of English and Italian books, dvds, and newspapers, all housed in a beautiful palazzo on the Oltrarno side of the Arno river, with beautiful views of the city from all of its windows. I was given a lovely tour in "italish" by Lucia, one of the librarians, of the beautiful premises, as well as given at least 4 pamphlets on all the institute has to offer. Being the nerdy academic that I am, I am so excited to tend the lectures and film series that happen every Wednesday, this week's being on "Florence as a setting for fiction", as well as get more involved in the expat community here in Florence. I'm a sucker for the Brits (especially anyone that may resemble Richard Armitage, my BBC lover), so I can't wait!!!!
Next, I have finally started to find a community of people my age. I had previously met these super nice boys at my school's library named Charlie and Peter who work for this great company called "Snow or Sand" (check out their site). Charlie studied at the same school I did in Perugia, so we are able to reminisce about "the good ole' days" and how different students are in Florence from Perugia. Charlie and Peter invited me to go out for aperitivo with them, pretty much one of the best things about Italian food culture. Aperitivo is the Italian version of "happy hour". When you buy a drink at the bar though, you can partake in a buffet of delicious antipasti for free. So with my pint of beer I was able to eat a heaping plate of couscous, veggies, crostini, etc. What more could a girl on a budget ask for! The boys also invited a friend of their's named Cristina who is working for their company. She and I had all sorts of things in common, like having boyfriends named Andy, studying abroad in Italy at the same time, and both being friends with the owners of my favorite hostel in Ischia. After hanging out at Pop Cafe, which is in Santo Spirito, a piazza where Italians hang out, not drunk students, we went to this cool bar that reminded me somewhat of Fuse back in Chapel Hill, minus the annoying hipsters. I had the most delicious cocktail ever (which the waitress created especially for me) and just chilled. I loved being with people my age and definitely more my speed than my students. We all rode our bikes, so we had a lovely ride along the Arno on the way home. It was such a fun night, being with people interested in the culture and travel.
As a side note, after all of my trying to be an expat and faking that I'm Italian, I am currently in the most American place on the planet, McDonalds. Why you ask? Well, in Italy everything is closed on Sundays (and oftentimes on Monday) so Mickey D's has free wireless. You dont even have to buy anything to use it. Future tip for anyone who needs internet and has cruddy service like I do.
Next, I have finally started to find a community of people my age. I had previously met these super nice boys at my school's library named Charlie and Peter who work for this great company called "Snow or Sand" (check out their site). Charlie studied at the same school I did in Perugia, so we are able to reminisce about "the good ole' days" and how different students are in Florence from Perugia. Charlie and Peter invited me to go out for aperitivo with them, pretty much one of the best things about Italian food culture. Aperitivo is the Italian version of "happy hour". When you buy a drink at the bar though, you can partake in a buffet of delicious antipasti for free. So with my pint of beer I was able to eat a heaping plate of couscous, veggies, crostini, etc. What more could a girl on a budget ask for! The boys also invited a friend of their's named Cristina who is working for their company. She and I had all sorts of things in common, like having boyfriends named Andy, studying abroad in Italy at the same time, and both being friends with the owners of my favorite hostel in Ischia. After hanging out at Pop Cafe, which is in Santo Spirito, a piazza where Italians hang out, not drunk students, we went to this cool bar that reminded me somewhat of Fuse back in Chapel Hill, minus the annoying hipsters. I had the most delicious cocktail ever (which the waitress created especially for me) and just chilled. I loved being with people my age and definitely more my speed than my students. We all rode our bikes, so we had a lovely ride along the Arno on the way home. It was such a fun night, being with people interested in the culture and travel.
As a side note, after all of my trying to be an expat and faking that I'm Italian, I am currently in the most American place on the planet, McDonalds. Why you ask? Well, in Italy everything is closed on Sundays (and oftentimes on Monday) so Mickey D's has free wireless. You dont even have to buy anything to use it. Future tip for anyone who needs internet and has cruddy service like I do.
mercoledì 15 settembre 2010
La Questura: Italian bureaucracy at its best
Yesterday I was lucky enough to experience the oft dreaded experience of La Questura. The Questura is the Italian office where anyone who wants to live in Italy for longer than 90 days must go to register with the police, be fingerprinted, and receive a card, il permesso di soggiorno, saying that you are in fact allowed to be in Italy Italy. The last time I studied in Italy I completed the first part of the permesso process, but was not actually summoned to the police station until after I had actually left Perugia. Yesterday I finally got to experience the torturous experience everyone had warned me about.
When I arrived here in Florence I asked my boss at school if it was at all possible for me to use the same service that the students at the school use for registering for their permits of stay. She hooked me up with this man, Dottore Careri, who I payed money to to pretty much facilitate all of my paperwork so that the process would be less painful. I felt he was well worth the cost. Anyhow, I received all of my documents from Dott. Careri telling me that I have my appt. at the questura on September 14 at 9:36 AM. Me being American and used to the American rules when it comes to setting appts. thought that I just needed to show up at the correct time and I would go have my fingerprints taken and receive my permesso. Boy was I wrong! Okay, so I show up at 9:20, approach a police man and tell him I have an appt. at 9:36 and ask him where I need to go. He hands me a number (227) and I proceed to a giant room filled to the max with people all waiting in line. The workers are currently assisting number 121. So I spend a half hour waiting to be seen, and when I approach my window and pull all of my paperwork out, the man at the desk just hands me a new number and tells me to go wait in another area of the room. I'm really tired of standing at this point, but I don't want to sit in just any open spot. I found the questura a bit scary. Let me paint you a picture. Imagine if the DMV were combined with the United Nations and you have the questura. There were people of every nationality, and a bunch of varying "ethnic" smells (curry, chinese food, Italian B.O., etc.). I spotted an open seat next to a priest and I figured I would be relatively safe from gypsies, black santas, and creepers sitting next to him. I had a group of young people sitting across from me who also looked relatively harmless. I see that the priest is reading a book in English, so I ask him why he's here in Florence. He was actually a seminarian from New Orleans who was at his last year of school in a neighboring town. I got some information on churches in Florence that offer mass both in English and Italian that have friendly priests. I then proceeded to spend the next 3.5 hours chatting with him in Italian, as well as the young people across from me, while I waited to be called the second time. I had the pleasure of meeting two Albanian girls who are studying medicine and physical therapy at the University of Florence and a boy from Israel who is also hoping to study medicine here. We discussed all the differences between our countries, why we love the Italian language, the abundance of annoying Americans, and our mutual hatred of "i cinesi". Of course, I was the last person to be called from our group, but finally, at 1:45, my 2nd number was called and I had my fingerprints made and received my next letter, which told me to report back on October 14 at 15:00 to receive my actual permesso. I can't believe I have to go back to that awful place, but I hear the 2nd visit is never as awful as the 1st. I also know that i"m lucky I only ended up spending about 5 hours there, since I've heard horror stories of friends being stuck at the questura for 18 hours or more. Next time you go to the DMV and your hour-long wait seems like the biggest waste of time, thank your lucky stars you are not in line at the questura and dealing with Italian bureaucracy!
When I arrived here in Florence I asked my boss at school if it was at all possible for me to use the same service that the students at the school use for registering for their permits of stay. She hooked me up with this man, Dottore Careri, who I payed money to to pretty much facilitate all of my paperwork so that the process would be less painful. I felt he was well worth the cost. Anyhow, I received all of my documents from Dott. Careri telling me that I have my appt. at the questura on September 14 at 9:36 AM. Me being American and used to the American rules when it comes to setting appts. thought that I just needed to show up at the correct time and I would go have my fingerprints taken and receive my permesso. Boy was I wrong! Okay, so I show up at 9:20, approach a police man and tell him I have an appt. at 9:36 and ask him where I need to go. He hands me a number (227) and I proceed to a giant room filled to the max with people all waiting in line. The workers are currently assisting number 121. So I spend a half hour waiting to be seen, and when I approach my window and pull all of my paperwork out, the man at the desk just hands me a new number and tells me to go wait in another area of the room. I'm really tired of standing at this point, but I don't want to sit in just any open spot. I found the questura a bit scary. Let me paint you a picture. Imagine if the DMV were combined with the United Nations and you have the questura. There were people of every nationality, and a bunch of varying "ethnic" smells (curry, chinese food, Italian B.O., etc.). I spotted an open seat next to a priest and I figured I would be relatively safe from gypsies, black santas, and creepers sitting next to him. I had a group of young people sitting across from me who also looked relatively harmless. I see that the priest is reading a book in English, so I ask him why he's here in Florence. He was actually a seminarian from New Orleans who was at his last year of school in a neighboring town. I got some information on churches in Florence that offer mass both in English and Italian that have friendly priests. I then proceeded to spend the next 3.5 hours chatting with him in Italian, as well as the young people across from me, while I waited to be called the second time. I had the pleasure of meeting two Albanian girls who are studying medicine and physical therapy at the University of Florence and a boy from Israel who is also hoping to study medicine here. We discussed all the differences between our countries, why we love the Italian language, the abundance of annoying Americans, and our mutual hatred of "i cinesi". Of course, I was the last person to be called from our group, but finally, at 1:45, my 2nd number was called and I had my fingerprints made and received my next letter, which told me to report back on October 14 at 15:00 to receive my actual permesso. I can't believe I have to go back to that awful place, but I hear the 2nd visit is never as awful as the 1st. I also know that i"m lucky I only ended up spending about 5 hours there, since I've heard horror stories of friends being stuck at the questura for 18 hours or more. Next time you go to the DMV and your hour-long wait seems like the biggest waste of time, thank your lucky stars you are not in line at the questura and dealing with Italian bureaucracy!
lunedì 13 settembre 2010
Bus2Alps, thanks for saving me from boredom
Okay, so I know I've been complaining a lot about being bored and lonely, and y'all are probably like "hey, shut-up, you're in Italy". Well, I finally decided to take a stand against boredom this weekend and go off on an adventure. Not that teaching in a foreign country isn't an adventure, but for real Florence is like the "little America" of Italy. You know how they have little Italy in a bunch of cities in the US? Well Florence is the complete opposite. I mean, yes, I do speak Italian on a daily basis, and yes, there are a bunch of creepy Italians still following my scent, but there are also about 100,000 American study abroad students and just as many tourists. So I decided I needed some time out of the city and a new opportunity to meet people. My cousin told me about this company called Bus2Alps because she and her friends (and possibly me) are using them to get to Oktoberfest in Munich. So on Friday after my teachers meeting, I went on their site to see if this site was legit. Well let me tell you, I am in love. Most of you who know me know I love to plan trips. On my blackberry at home I had the kayak app on my phone which I used every day to check flight prices, hotel rates, etc. Well, Bus2Alps offers about 12-15 various trips across Europe, ranging from one day to 11, at very reasonable prices. Every trip includes at least luxury transport by bus, a guide for the day, and a handout about important sites and good places to eat. Longer trips offer extra options, like walking tours, breakfast, and hostel reservations. Well, I decided right there and then to take a trip over the weekend. The only one that was open was a day trip to Venice, which was fine with me because I love it there. Yes, it was my third time going there, but 1 day in Venice is just perfect (trust me, you really don't need more than that). I also made a reservation to go to the Eurochocolate festival in Perugia (home sweet home), and I'm looking into going on this awesome trip they have during fall break to go to Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam, and Paris. Seriously, this site is my new travel addiction.
So I woke up Saturday bright and early and trekked it to the train station, where I met up with my group. Of course, I was the oldest person there, besides Mike, my tour guide, but oh well, I don't have a problem with babies. So we loaded up the bus and spent a nice three hours drive watching "Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist" (kind of cute, way better than "Nights in Rodanthe", Sherry) and chatting. We arrived in Venice to perfect weather, sunny and 75, and proceeded to hop the water taxi out to some of the surrounding islands. So I've been to Venice twice before, but I had never been out to Burano, the island closest to Murano, where they blow all the glass. It is definitely worth the trip. The island is famous for its lace, as well as its colorful houses. For all of my Charleston people, imagine if Rainbow Row had been transported to Italy, been put on an island, and multiplied by hundreds. There you have Burano. So I walked around the island with Mike the tour guide and badgered him about how someone can get his job, because it really sounds too good to be true. After a lovely hour or so, we hopped the ferry to Murano, where of course, the girls went crazy shopping for Murano glass items. I even bought myself a souvenir, this awesome ring that is half the size of my middle finger and is made of swirly white and red glass, like a giant peppermint. After Murano, again we hopped the water taxi and booked it for mainland Venice. We checked out Piazza San Marco, which was full of pigeons and tourists, as always. We walked over the rialto bridge and checked out the grand canal, and we went on a search for cheap food in Venice (which is near impossible, since Venice is probably one of the top 5 most expensive cities I have ever been to). We ended up at a local trattoria, where Mike convinced me, but no one else, to try the local cuisine. I ate spaghetti with squid/cuttlefish that was cooked in a sauce made from the ink of the fish (just imagine black spaghetti with bits of grey stuff in it. Did it look appetizing, no. Was it delicious, YES! I'm happy that with age I have become quite adventurous with food. I love trying unfamiliar things (remember the fried sea creatures Allie?). After dinner, we spent a while just enjoying Venice by night, then we took the water taxi back to Tronchetto to pick up our bus. Overall, a lovely day, where I got to talk to a lot of new people, including two girls from CofC, eat good food, and enjoy the beauty that is Venice.
The next day, I slept really late because I was exhausted, lounged around, then called Mike the tour guide because he had told me about a bar in Florence showing American football on Sundays and said a lot of expats would be there. Well, he didn't pick-up, but I decided to suck it up, get some guts, and just go to the bar by myself. I ended up meeting up with Mike there and meeting a cast of characters ranging from "Cheese", an Australian club promoter, to Tim, an international real estate salesman. Though I talked to a lot of new people, it was a bit like sorority recruitment, with me just going up to strangers, introducing myself, asking them where they were from, what they do, etc. I'm proud that I actually broke out of my funk, and maybe I will continue to just go out and be that creepy loner at the bar, but at least I will meet new people and hopefully start to make friends here. I'm just glad I discovered Bus2Alps and will hopefully continue to meet lots of cool people and experience new places on their tours.
So I woke up Saturday bright and early and trekked it to the train station, where I met up with my group. Of course, I was the oldest person there, besides Mike, my tour guide, but oh well, I don't have a problem with babies. So we loaded up the bus and spent a nice three hours drive watching "Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist" (kind of cute, way better than "Nights in Rodanthe", Sherry) and chatting. We arrived in Venice to perfect weather, sunny and 75, and proceeded to hop the water taxi out to some of the surrounding islands. So I've been to Venice twice before, but I had never been out to Burano, the island closest to Murano, where they blow all the glass. It is definitely worth the trip. The island is famous for its lace, as well as its colorful houses. For all of my Charleston people, imagine if Rainbow Row had been transported to Italy, been put on an island, and multiplied by hundreds. There you have Burano. So I walked around the island with Mike the tour guide and badgered him about how someone can get his job, because it really sounds too good to be true. After a lovely hour or so, we hopped the ferry to Murano, where of course, the girls went crazy shopping for Murano glass items. I even bought myself a souvenir, this awesome ring that is half the size of my middle finger and is made of swirly white and red glass, like a giant peppermint. After Murano, again we hopped the water taxi and booked it for mainland Venice. We checked out Piazza San Marco, which was full of pigeons and tourists, as always. We walked over the rialto bridge and checked out the grand canal, and we went on a search for cheap food in Venice (which is near impossible, since Venice is probably one of the top 5 most expensive cities I have ever been to). We ended up at a local trattoria, where Mike convinced me, but no one else, to try the local cuisine. I ate spaghetti with squid/cuttlefish that was cooked in a sauce made from the ink of the fish (just imagine black spaghetti with bits of grey stuff in it. Did it look appetizing, no. Was it delicious, YES! I'm happy that with age I have become quite adventurous with food. I love trying unfamiliar things (remember the fried sea creatures Allie?). After dinner, we spent a while just enjoying Venice by night, then we took the water taxi back to Tronchetto to pick up our bus. Overall, a lovely day, where I got to talk to a lot of new people, including two girls from CofC, eat good food, and enjoy the beauty that is Venice.
The next day, I slept really late because I was exhausted, lounged around, then called Mike the tour guide because he had told me about a bar in Florence showing American football on Sundays and said a lot of expats would be there. Well, he didn't pick-up, but I decided to suck it up, get some guts, and just go to the bar by myself. I ended up meeting up with Mike there and meeting a cast of characters ranging from "Cheese", an Australian club promoter, to Tim, an international real estate salesman. Though I talked to a lot of new people, it was a bit like sorority recruitment, with me just going up to strangers, introducing myself, asking them where they were from, what they do, etc. I'm proud that I actually broke out of my funk, and maybe I will continue to just go out and be that creepy loner at the bar, but at least I will meet new people and hopefully start to make friends here. I'm just glad I discovered Bus2Alps and will hopefully continue to meet lots of cool people and experience new places on their tours.
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