Prague!

I know my posts are starting to become more spread out, but I cannot apologize because it is due to the fact that for four weekends in a row I will be traveling!!! On Valentine's Day, Lainey and I decided to book a trip to Prague through a company called Bus2Alps. Although it was last minute, it was by far the best decision I have made thus far. (obviously Paris is up there too but that is this weekend so lets not put the cart before the horse.) Lainey's two guy friends (Alex and Nick) whom she knows from back home, who are also studying here, joined us on the trip. I will try to break down my trip, but to be honest, it was hard to understand our Swedish/Czech tour guide who had a irish-esque accent when he spoke english.


Prague

Thursday, February 16th--

Buses left from the train station (Santa Maria Novella) at 8pm. The buses were actually really nice and since we had a 12 hour ride there, benedryl became Lainey and I's best friend.

Friday, February 17th--

Old Town Square

We arrived to our hotel, the Czech Inn (hahaha) around 9:30 am and had an hour or so to eat breakfast and freshen up before our walking tour at 11. Our walking tour was headed by a funny man named Christian, who was full of energy and really tried to make the tour as funny and educational as possible. Due to sleep deprivation, I am having trouble recalling exactly what we saw and the history behind it, so forgive me on my inability to be as descriptive. When we left for our tour, we had to take the tram in order to get deeper into the city, unlike Florence, Prague is not small enough to walk everywhere. Our tram dropped us off by the Old Town Square. One thing I really liked about Prague was how open it felt in comparison to Florence. The streets were wider, allowing more light to shine through, making the city seem a little brighter. Old Town Square was surrounded by buildings that reminded me of Disneyland, because they were bright colors and too perfect to be real.

Clock

There was an astronomical clock and beautiful church in the square, the clock was actually named the world's most disappointing clock. Yes, it was made around 1410 and is the world's oldest working clock, but when it rings every hour, it really isn't all that exciting. However, the clock is still gorgeous and the contrast of black/grey stones and the gold/green in the clock make it very pleasing to the eye.


We walked all over the old city, saw the Jewish Quarter, after eating at Bohemian Bagel (of course, I miss bagels) and saw a few famous synagogues, an unbelievably depressing Jewish cemetery and ended at the Rudolfinum.

Jewish Cemetery 

The Rudolfinum is a very famous landmark in Prague, it is a concert hall and is an example of neo-Renaissance architecture. Very beautiful building and is right on the river, allowing for some amazing views of the Prague castle and Charles Bridge.

Rudolfinum

Our tour lasted about 3 hours and after the tour, Lainey, Alex, Nick and I all decided to see the Jewish Museum since it is closed on the weekends and we had some time to kill before dinner. The museum consisted of a few different buildings but we only managed to make it into one, which was a small little synagogue that had the names of 100,000 innocent men, women and children who died during the Nazi occupation in Czech. To see that many names was overwhelming and I was shocked that I, of all people, didn't burst into tears. On the second floor the names continued but they also had a room housed drawings from children held in one of the concentration camps in the area. The pictures depicted hope, family, and only a few were about death or sorrow. The drawings are in museums all over the world and the Jewish woman who had the children draw as a form of therapy managed to hide over 400 drawings (my numbers could be completely wrong, so for that I apologize) in suitcases before her death in a gas chamber, in which we volunteered to enter since she thought her husband was dead. We also walked through the cemetery in the back of the temple that is at least 7 feet above ground and said to have 11 layers and holds over 100,000 people. The lot was a about 100 yards long (again bad at math but it was not very large) and the reasoning for it being up so high is because the Jew's were not given much land in the city and they also do not believe in cremation, thus they just piled up.

Nick, Me, Lainey and Alex on the Charles Bridge

After being very sad for an hour and a half, it was time to head back to the hotel and figure out what we were going to eat for dinner. After freshening up, we asked the front desk for a really good, traditional czech restaurant and we ended up at U Bulinu. Dinner was amazing. I had beef goulash, potato dumplings and hot raspberries with vanilla ice cream (for dessert) along with a beer. Hands down, best meal I have had since being in Europe. Not only was it nice to have a lot of protein (Italians do not eat a lot of meat) but the food itself tasted so fresh and light. Our waiter was also very good looking and spoke very funny english. He kept saying the "f" word but did not understand the meaning of it and we all died laughing. The boys also told the waiter is was my birthday and that I really wanted to take a picture with him...so embarrassing but sadly partially true. Bummer we never found out his name, oh well.

We ended up staying at dinner for 4 hours, missing the pub crawl (not that we needed to drink more) and so we just went back to the hotel and had more drinks in the bar. It was nice to be in good company and simply just enjoy Prague without having to spend a lot at clubs or freeze to death outside in the rain.






Saturday, February 18th---

Woke up at 9:30 am, had breakfast then headed off on a tour of the Charles Bridge, Lennon Wall and then we had a separate walking tour for the Prague Castle and the Lesser Quarter.

Lainey and I (charles bridge behind us)

The Charles Bridge was very cool. Unlike Florence, Prague doesn't seem to constantly keep their landmarks clean, meaning the stone was very black, giving it more of a Gothic, dark fairytale type feel. Most of the statues that were along the bridge were made of gray stone and had accents of gold (i.e. a crown, cross). The bridge lead to the other side of the river and from there we went down and had walked through this little street fair that I guess is there every Saturday. There was food, drinks, and a live band. Lainey and I got, Pikle, which is basically a small dessert that tasted like a churro. It was freshly made and very delicious.

"In My Life" my favorite beatles song

Then we walked over to the Lennon Wall, which is a large wall that has been graffitied, mainly with Beatles songs but also other words of love or funny drawings done by those who visit the wall. I tagged the wall with "Love Wins" from Tuesday's with Morrie. Here is the full excerpt from the book:

 "Have I told you about the tension of opposites?" [Morrie] says.
- The tension of opposites?
- "Life is a series of pulls back and forth. You want to do one thing, but you are bound to do something else. Something hurts you, yet you know it shouldn't. You take certain things for granted, even when you know you should never take anything for granted."
- "A tension of opposites, like a pull on a rubber band. And most of us live somewhere in the middle. Sounds like a wrestling match," I say.
- "A wrestling match." He laughs. "Yes, you could describe life that way.
- "So which side wins," I ask?
- "Which side wins?" He smiles at me, the crinkled eye, the crooked teeth."Love wins. Love always wins."

Love Wins

I loved the Lennon Wall. I got some really great shots and look forward to turning them into prints and hanging them in my room back in Orange. After the wall, we went on our Prague Castle tour which lasted about 3 hours and was on the other side of the river (also the more wealthy side since the houses were bigger and only the most wealthy families could live in the area around the castle). The church that sits on top of the hill was by far my favorite site that we saw. 

French Gothic architecture and neck straining due to its sheer size. I cried a little I was in such awe of the cathedral. From the gargoyles, to the gothic arches, to the detail and bell tower, the entire thing was a masterpiece. The outside was stunning but entering into the church made my mouth drop. The tall ceilings and various stain glass windows could make even the hardest heart soften. It was beautiful, heavenly (pardon the pun) to say the least. The view other churches we saw after that one were beautiful, but could not compete. We wandered more around the area, seeing places where the Nazis tortured people (well the outside of the buildings) and other important buildings to Prague's history and the final collapse of communism in 1989. We ended the tour outside a monastery which brews its own award winning beer, not for the beer but for the amazing view overlooking the city. 

By this time it was dark and the city was glowing. The feeling you get when you feel as if the entire world is gone and it is just you and whatever you are staring at and for a moment you feel completely weightless, that happened while standing there look out over this gem of a city I never dreamt I would visit. 

From there we walked to dinner, we weren't original at all and simply ate at the same restaurant. It was too good to not have again! We went to an 80's & 90's (American music only) club with Bus2Alps people after dinner. It was fun! They played Whitney Houston (r.i.p), michael jackson, Grease, and other very cheesy songs. It was a fun place to end our amazing weekend in Prague. 


Sunday, February 19th--- was spent entirely on a bus. 12 hours. we watched 5 movies (Forrest Gump, 50 First Dates, Blood Diamond, The Social Network and Jerry Maguire) Today was also the 1 month mark of being abroad. :] Great way to celebrate my accomplishment of finally making it to Europe. 


I still cannot believe that I was there. It went by too fast and I truly hope that I can go back to Prague before I die. It was a beautiful city, rich with history and amazing architecture. I had a smile on my face the entire trip and I am greatly looking forward to going to Paris this weekend for my 21st birthday. Now THAT is a dream come true. 


Ciao!

La vita è teatro. Tutti in maschera.

"Life is a theatre. Let's get masked."

So many of you were concerned about my last post. Understandable since you are not here and usually I would call half of you to talk about my problems, however since I cannot do that, I am challenged to face issues that arise head on (no, I am not blogging about a boy for those of you who assumed that, I am not THAT girly.) and I am really thankful for the challenges because I feel as if I am growing closer to myself, both emotionally and spiritually. So please, do not freak out, but I told myself I would blog my experience abroad, so that includes the good days, the bad days, but not the ugly days because I don't want pictures taken when I feel gross. (I hope you can sense feel my humor and are laughing)

Allora (that means "well/so" it is equivalent to saying "okay so/umm") on Friday the 10th I actually met up with one of my sorority sister's who is currently studying abroad in Rome for dinner with the group of friends she traveled to Florence with for the weekend. We had a lot of fun at dinner and it was really nice to get out and enjoy a fun meal with a group of girls. Jessi and Lainey spent the night at our apartment after dinner since we all were going to Venice together and the buses left at 6 am on Saturday the 11th.

--Venice-- (I'll break the trip down the best I can)

Saturday, February 11th 2010
6 am--Buses left Firenze. It was not easy waking up at 5 am to walk in the cold to go to where the buses were meeting, but the worst part was sitting for 3.5 hours. We drove through the mountains and countryside, which was really pretty but completely covered in snow! It was nice to drive through different parts of Italy since all I have really seen so far is just Florence. Also, two teachers were our guides for the weekend, Franco and Stefano. They bicker and talk like a married couple and Franco has the funniest accent when he speaks English that I just can't but smile and giggle when he talks. He is also very intelligent and I always made sure to walk close to him so I could hear all about the history of basically everything we walk past over the course of the weekend.

Piazza San Marco

10am-- Arrived at the boating dock where we had a boat take us from the mainland to Venice. Venice is completely surrounded by water (hence the gondolas) so getting to Venice and the other islands happen by boat. Once we got to Venice, we went to Piazza San Marco, the most iconic scene of Venice. (the large open square where all the pigeons are) Sadly, I did not get my pigeon picture due to the large amount of people celebrating the opening weekend of Carnival, which officially began on Sunday the 12th. (During my study abroad experience there are two pictures I want: one, a picture of me running through a large group of pigeons and two: storming the beach at normandy (probably won't happen so it has transferred to my 'bucket list') There is a church in the Piazza, Basilica di San Marco that we got to go inside of and I was in awe by the outside, but my mouth hit the floor the second I stepped inside and looked up.

Inside the Basilica di San Marco

The entire ceiling was done in a mosaic (the Italian's love their mosaics) and it took 5 centuries to complete. The tiny glass pieces that appear gold in color actually had gold in them, added during the glass making period. It is unbelievable the amount of detail, dedication and perfection artists had back then and they would start projections they most likely wouldn't see the end result of, unless you managed to live for hundreds of years. Renaissance and Gothic style are the two most common styles in Italy, personally my favorites because I love the mass amounts of small detail and symmetry. In other words, Europe is simply beautiful and I am excited to travel to other countries and revel in the beauty that is there. After the church I had lunch with Alex (not my roommate but one of my sorority sisters), Aubrey (another Alpha Phi), Lainey (who is actually an Alpha Phi and is technically my 'niece' since her big sis is my twin, meaning we share the same big Chelsea...don't think too hard about that one), Jessi and Alex (my roommate). It was good, we all had pizza since it was the only thing under 10 euro...Venice is too expensive for its own good.

2pm--After lunch we walked back to the dock where the boat first dropped us off in Venice to get back on the boat to head to Murano, a small island famous for its handblown glass. We got to go inside one of the factories and watch them make a vase and a small glass horse, then shop of course. I bought Mom a pair of earrings (knowing how picky she is, I hope she actually likes them :]) and I bought myself a pendant to put on a chain. I figured it was small enough that I could always wear it and remember my trip to Venice.

Murano Glassblowing 

3:30pm-- Back to the boat and off to another island, Burano. Burano is famous for their lace work but more importantly the brightly colored houses. If you google Venice, a lot of the pictures that come up are of Burano because the bright colors make for wonderful photos. The island was very quite and peaceful. So far, Burano has been one of my favorite places because of the calming effect it has on the mind and body. Also, I wouldn't mind living in an aqua colored house...just saying.

Burano--my favorite place

4:30pm-- After a long and very freezing day, we were back on the boat to return to the mainland in order to get back to our hotel which was more in the countryside, around popular places for summer vacationing. We had to wait for the buses at the bus stop for about 25 mins and I swear we were all about to collapse from exhaustion and delirium from the cold. We all huddled up like penguins and sang songs with the word "sun" it in, thinking it would warm us up. To be honest, I think it worked only because we were laughing so hard at how crazy we probably looked to everyone around us.

6:30pm-- We got to the hotel and got our rooms and had about an hour before we would leave for dinner. I decided to put on an extra pair of pants since one wasn't enough.

8:30pm-- I swear we got lost because it took us an hour to find this restaurant, but we finally made it! We had a delicious traditional Carnival dinner, four courses of course. The first course was a specially cooked radish with a cheese melted on the side, it has a similar consistency to brie. It was actually very good, I was a little nervous at first because I didn't know exactly how I would feel about this baked, cooked, I don't really know, radish but I was surprised by how yummy it was. It was flower shaped like an artichoke but tasted more like asparagus (in texture). The second dish was pumpkin risotto with smoked grated cheese on top. I was tempted to have seconds because it was unbelievable, but the two pairs of pants weren't very giving. The third dish, to be honest, I am not 100% sure what meat it was, it sounded like he said chicken, but I think it was stuffed hen to be exact, wrapped in bacon (obviously). Potatoes were served on the side and it was pretty yummy, but I was getting full since I am not used to having such large, long, filling meals. Dessert was tiramisu and fritters (pastries). Dinner didn't end until 11pm and I swear I lost my mind sometime during that period because I was so tired that nothing I said made sense. We all were just completely out of it and full. The second we got to the hotel, at midnight, I got into my pajamas and passed out.

---Carnival in Venice---

Sunday, February 12th.

7am-- Rise and Shine! We had a terrible 'continental' breakfast at the hotel and realized that our hopes of it being warmer were crushed by the sight of snow all over the ground. Oh well, the sun was out at least :] Never been so happy to see the sun before in my life.

10am-- Arrived in Venice to go to the Palazzo Grassi, which was a palace but it was bought in 2004 (If I remember correctly) by some very wealthy Frenchman who transformed it into a contemporary art museum. The pieces on display were very interesting, my favorite being a giant, metallic pink, balloon animal (a dog to be exact) and the artist's attention to the smallest details was mind-blowing. He got the tie on on the nose spot on and even included the ripples the balloon makes where the balloon-artist would twist to make the legs and head. Oh and the entire thing was made out of some very heavy, solid material...not sure what exactly...still impressive.

12 noon--After the museum we made our way back to Piazza San Marco to watch "Volo dell'Angelo" Flight of the Angel, which signifies the start of Carnival. A woman dressed in a traditional outfit was lowered from atop the bell tower down onto the stage on the other side of the Piazza. It was completely packed and the frenchman behind me was literally on top of me which his small child leaning on my head telling his dad all about what was going on. If I didn't love children so much, I would have been highly annoyed, plus he also had a cute little accent and spoke french. After, we all went to lunch at a caffe, had pizza again (I know, it's terrible) but it was amazing. It had brie and bell peppers on top of it and I was in heaven. The italian's really know what they are doing when it comes to cooking, except when they use too much salt. Alex and I ate at a restaurant right by our house and it was so salty that we couldn't finish our meal. I got sick after, I felt like I ate the ocean. But, the overall atmosphere of the city was amazing. Masks, costumes, laugher were everywhere. People were dancing and I was wearing my mask that I had bought in Burano. Funny story, a man was taking a picture and I thought I was standing in the way, when in actuality he was taking a picture of me and I just started laughing and he thanked me. :]

2pm--We headed back to Piazza San Marco to meet Franco and Stefano because the group decided that we all wanted to go inside the Palazzo Ducale, the Duke's Palace. The entire palace was done in Gothic style and I swear someone had to walk behind me and pick my mouth up so I wouldn't trip, the details and decorations were indescribable. From the grand entrance to the hallways to the CEILINGS, yes the ceilings were decorated more so than the walls. The purpose of the palace was not to only house the Duke but it was also used by the Senate and Grand Council. Venice was once a Republic, so the Palazzo Ducale is where courts were held (the court room was decorated with gigantic paintings, the central one depicting Christ) and it was also attached to the prison next door by a very tiny bridge that we were able to walk through and see the cells. Two rooms were my favorite, the first room had large maps (at least 10 feet tall and 25 feet long...probably bigger but we all know I am terrible at math and dimensions, just imagine GIANT rooms) on the walls and two giant globes in the middle of the room. The second room was the Grand Council, a room that could easily fit 2000 people and looked similar to the ballroom from Beauty and the Beast. I still am not sure how they did it, but the art work and decorations on the ceilings were jaw dropping. Seriously, it would bring tears of wonderment to your eyes to see every detail throughout the entire Palace, inside and out, it was beautiful.

Palazzo Ducale

Back row (left to right): Jessi, Aubrey, Franco, Stefano, Alex. Front row (left to right): Alex (alpha phi), me, Lainey

3:30pm-- We headed back to the hotel to pick up two girls who were sick and stayed there instead of joining us and then we headed back to Firenze.


Overall, the weekend was amazing. I loved Venice and although I was frozen, I enjoyed every second of the weekend. I felt amazing the entire time and I am happy to realize how positive of a person I really am. I love Florence, I love Italy and I am SOOOOOOOOO EXCITED FOR PARIS!!!! I cannot begin to describe how excited I am, I can't think about it because I'll start crying.


CIAO!


P.S.

I have had a lovely Valentine's Day so far. Alex and I went to Gusta's pizza which they made the pizza's into hearts and tonight we are having a girls night with Jessi and Lainey at our favorite restaurant.

Happy Valentine's Day from Firenze!! (Gusta's pizza)

A Mountain to Climb

Sorry that I have not updated my blog in the past week. One, nothing exciting has really happened, just been going to classes and doing homework. Two, I have been faced with quite a few challenges this week and I am glad that I understand the concept that no matter where you go, your life follows. Although it has been a challenging week and I was not expecting it, I am studying abroad in order to grow and discover new places as well as new things about myself. I can only look back on this week and ask myself three things: what is hurting me? why is it hurting me? and how can I move forward and overcome it? Self evaluation and reflection are necessary in order to learn from the past and better prepare yourself for the future. Being faced with new obstacles is not an uncommon occurrence in my life, thus I look at this as a blessing not a curse.

Thankfully I will be going to Venice this weekend for a school trip that I signed up for, it is also Carnival in Venice this weekend. I am SO EXCITED. It is my first trip outside of Florence and it couldn't be happening at a more perfect time. (Life has a funny way of working out) There are about 60 people from my school going and I know about eight girls on the trip. Buses leave tomorrow (Saturday) at 6 am, so it is going to be a very long two days. I will update my blog after my trip and post pictures to facebook once I return, so keep a look out!


"happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, when one only remembers to turn on the light. "






Always remember to count your blessings, gratitude is knowing what you have right now, not wanting something you don't. 


Ciao!

Best Hot Chocolate Ever

On Thursday, I spent hours doing school stuff, i.e. running around in the snow finding books and paying for my Permit to Stay which you have to get in order to stay in the country legally. Personally, I don't understand exactly what it is for and I think they just want more money from people staying here longer than 90 days but thats ok. I also found Grom, which is an amazing gelato place that makes authentic gelato and it was mind blowing. Nothing too exciting really happened yesterday but at night I went to dinner with Alex, Lainey and Jessi at a restaurant around the corner from my house. Dinner was awesome! We just spent the whole dinner laughing and talking and our waiter gave us all a free drink. After dinner we went to the Lion's Fountain and had a few drinks and just hung out. It was nice to finally go out and enjoy myself after a week of school.

Today, I got to sleep in :] I don't have class on Fridays with is really nice and although it was 28 degrees, I was brave enough to go outside. Alex, Lainey, Jessi, Leah and I walked around by the Duomo and did a little shopping. We went to the pastry/caffe place Rivore and had probably the most amazing cioccolato calda EVER. The whipped cream was unreal and the chocolate was literally melted chocolate that was warmed. I think I died and went to heaven. No, I am pretty positive that I did. Sadly, the city is pretty dead due to the cold weather and there is a trip to the French Riviera so even on the school end it is pretty quiet. I am starting to enjoy the peacefulness of doing nothing. This past semester was jam packed with events, class, meetings and I never had the time to relax, read, journal, etc. I am adjusting to this laid back life style a little faster than I thought and I am very excited about that. I want to enjoy the city, take it easy and not worry about anything other than what is currently going on. I am still very thankful for the support I have back at home and I am even more thankful that they WANT me to be here. I get to go to Paris for my 21st birthday...never in a million years did I imagine spending my 21st in the city of my dreams. I am beyond words really. I don't quite know how to express what I am feeling but I hope the next few weeks fly by :]

rivoire's cioccolato panna

ciao!

Today Was Perfect (includes recipe)

Done with my second day of school and it is really hard for me to not cry tears of joy because today was awesome. I definitely started my day off right with a positive attitude and trying to really focus on being present. This morning I had my Italian 1 class which has only 7 people including myself in it and my professor is absolutely adorable. For the most part, she teaches the class in Italian which made is a lot easier to pick up and grasp. I am thankful that Italian, for the most part, is not similar to French. It makes learning the language easier because the pronunciations are different, where Spanish is very similar so it can make things difficult. Overall, I am VERY excited to learn Italian :] After Italian, I had a break from 10:15-6 and unfortunately I spent that break inside because it has started to snow here...it is really awesome but also very unfortunate for my toes since they froze. Heating isn't exactly that great in our apartment so I am bundled up trying to keep warm, but experiencing snow is pretty magical. I am enjoying spending time with Alex, we always have great conversations and it only adds to the freedom of living here, in an amazing apartment on our own.

My night class was my Pairing Italian Food and Wine, which is a 2.5 hour class where we learn about wine tasting, the different regions of Italy and the wines they are most famous for, how to critically analyze wine through its aroma, taste and color. While doing this we also learn how to cook a variety of meals and then compare what me make with wines and how to choose what wines go best with certain dishes. Not only do we cook main courses, but desserts too! Tonight in class our professor took us around the city and showed us different restaurants that are famous for different things such as Grom for its gelato or Rivore (not sure on the spelling) which is a place famous for their chocolate--they were one of the first families to come into Florence in the 1700's and make chocolate. I also learned that there is a chocolate tasting festival where you can pay an entrance fee and learn how to taste chocolate. SIGN ME UP! Our professor cooked for us after she gave us this walking tour, which took place as it was snowing mind you, and she named a dish called Cucina Povera. It is a dish that the poor italians would make when they had very little in the cupboards and little money to buy meats and finer ingredients.

Cucina Povera 

need:
3 golden (or yellow) onions (depending on how many people you are going to feed, if it is not very many use less, probably 1-2 depending on the size of the onion)
lots of olive oil
1 fresh chili pepper
bread crumbs (plain)
Penne pasta


1. add water to pan and cover (for the pasta. fun fact: don't add olive oil to the water, it makes the pasta less sticky which in turn makes it more difficult for sauce to stick)

2. while pasta water is coming to a boil, coat (and I mean coat) a large frying pan with olive oil and add sliced onions. Add enough oil to really coat the onions, this allows them to turn soft without caramelizing or turning brown.

3. Dice chili pepper and add to onions. Season with salt and pepper

4. Once water starts boiling, add a significant amount of salt, 30% of the salt you put in the water evaporates, then add pasta. Cover until water starts boiling again, then uncover. (thats how you make perfect al dente pasta)

5. Add four tablespoons (with an actual table spoon) of bread crumbs. (The crumbs were the cheaper substitute for parmesan cheese for the poor Italians, thats why they are used)

6. Add about 1/2-1 cup, depending on how many onions you have, of pasta water to the onions. Add the water once starch begins to be released from the pasta. (This keeps the sauce from becoming too thick and saves calories since you aren't adding any fats to do the same job!)

7. Drain the pasta once it is done cooking and add it to the onion sauce. Mix well and serve :]

The wine we had with the dish was a rosata (rosé). Seriously, this dish sounds so plain and boring but it was probably the best pasta I have had since being here. SO YUMMY!!! Awesome poor college student dish that is for sure!

Enjoy and Ciao :]


p.s. ITS SNOWING!!!