7-19-07
Today was my last day of class. Tomorrow is my last day in Florence. For the past couple of days, I have been trying to figure out what I have done here to make the time fly by so fast. Yes, I traveled every weekend, but what the heck did I do during the week? I cannot even remember. All I know is that I love Firenze. I love Venice, Sorrento, Capri, Rome, Siena, Cinque Terre, Via Reggio, Paris, and I am sure I will love Barcelona too. It has been a great six weeks experience and I truly feel like I have grown as a person and learned a lot about the world. I am definitely more independent now and I know that independence will carry over to life back home. It will be hard not traveling somewhere every weekend, not being able to walk cobblestone streets at night, not having my own place, not seeing famous, historical things on a daily basis, and not living the European lifestyle. However, I am ready to be back home with my family and friends. I wish they could have been with me to experience everything I experienced because it was so amazing and hard to explain. I know that once I am home for a while I will want to hop right back on a plane and come back. Hopefully, it won’t be too long before my next trip. I mean, I did toss a coin into the Trevi Fountain and I will rub the boar’s nose tomorrow, so that guarantees a return.
As a little remembrance, I made a top ten list of things I loved about Italy and another one for things I did not love…
LOVED…
1. Gnocchi al Pesto
2. Planning Weekend Trips
3. The David
4. Watching Harry Potter in an Opera House
5. MTV Italia
6. Leather Boots and Bags
7. Manelli Keys and Bracelets
8. Streets of Florence at Night
9. Climbing the Duomo
10. Cappucino and Pastries in the Morning
LOVED NOT SO MUCH…
1. Tourists
2. Pigeons
3. Everyone Smoking
4. 100 Degree Weather and No Air Conditioning
5. Catcalls From Italian Men
6. The Train Station at Night
7. Mosquitoes
8. Homework and Finals
9. The Exchange Rate
10. Screaming Children for Neighbors
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Bienvenue a Paris
7-16-07
(FYI: Its a Looong one)
Our last big weekend here in Europa was quite the success...well, in the end. Jessie and I decided to let the boys handle the travel plans for the entire weekend because we basically organized everything else over the six week period. Not a good idea. Come Tuesday of last week, the only thing they knew was that we were flying out of some Milan airport on Friday morning, we were staying in some Paris hotel, and we were leaving some time Sunday. Time for the girls to step in. We planned to meet for dinner to discuss every last detail of this huge trip because we were not stepping onto an airplane/train/bus without knowing how exactly we were getting to another country. The boys assured us that it was only Tuesday and we did not leave until Friday so we should not worry. Oh, really? Well, Jessie and I were extremely worried and started drilling them with questions. We first figured out that our plane would leave at 8 a.m. Friday morning from Milan. Milan is about 3-4 hours away by train and the latest train we could catch was Thursday night at 9:45. The earliest was Friday at 5:45, but we would miss our plane by a good couple of hours. So, our only option was to take the late train on Thursday night. The train would arrive in Milan at 12:05 a.m. and we would have to figure out sleeping accommodations for the remaining 5 hours. Should we book a hostel with beds and pillows or sleep on benches at the train station? Answer…the train station. No, I am not kidding. Like homeless people, we found the hardest, most uncomfortable bench in the station and parked ourselves there until our train to the airport arrived at 5 a.m. We used our luggage as pillows and dressed ourselves with every article of clothing we had and slept for about an hour. If only I had taken pictures to document this moment, but I was not entirely thrilled to be there. I’m sure you can picture it. Because we were too cold and uncomfortable to sleep, we stayed awake playing cards and “would you rather” (ex: would you rather marry a creepy gypsy or a creepy Albanian). It turned out to be a pretty fun night. We took the morning train to Bergamo, the city with our airport, and made our flight with only about 15 minutes to spare. We had some issues with Bergamo buses, so we were late. Isn’t traveling fun! We finally made it into Paris after taking an hour bus ride from our far away airport and immediately saw our first French attraction. A crepes stand. Crepes are fried tortilla-looking things filled with either Nutella, chocolate, banana, jam, or a combination of everything. Yum! I was loving France already. The Arc de Triumph was the next big thing we saw, but it was not all that exciting. We did not want to pay the money to climb to the top either, so we just took a few quick pictures and called it a day. Plus, we had to find our hotel because, of course, I was carrying the biggest bag and my shoulder was killing me! Thanks to New York native, Julian, figuring out the Metro system was a piece of cake. Metros are really fun too and I think My Man Mitch and I will have a discussion when I return about incorporating them into the downtown Indianapolis area. Knowing that the boys were the ones to book the hotel, I was a little skeptical and kept picturing a place very similar in comfort and cleanliness to the Milan train station. But, they pulled through and booked us two very nice hotel rooms with breakfast included. We put our bags down, showered, which felt amazing, and headed towards the Louvre. On Fridays, the Louvre is free for students after 6, so we were very excited. However, not as excited as when we spotted a Starbucks sign inside the pyramid. We have all been playing a game lately where we talk about the first things we are going to do when we get home…For example, Jessie wants drive-thru Wendys and a pedicure; Brice wants a Chipotle burrito; Julian wants to go gambling; Mark wants to go to his Fraternity house; and I want a Starbucks Carmel Frappucino. Basically what I am trying to say is that I sprinted from the Louvre entrance to the Starbucks line so fast that I completely forgot why I was actually there. That particular frappucino was ten times better than my very first. Now, the first thing I want when I get home is a home cooked American meal. The Louvre is gigantic and there was no possible way we could see everything in one night, so we decided to focus on the Denon Wing. The Denon Wing has the Michelangelo slaves, the Venus, the Mona Lisa, and many more less important pieces. My favorites were the slaves because I have been studying them for the past six weeks. Again, it is amazing how different sculptures are in person compared to pictures. The Mona Lisa was a major disappointment because she is so small, she sits behind a huge glass wall, and viewers have to stand so far away. I like her better in pictures. After the Louvre, we grabbed a typical French dinner of steak frites (steak and fries) and went straight back to the hotel to sleep. The next morning we all felt completely refreshed and ready to try some French continental breakfast. I chose the coca puffs, a croissant with strawberry jam, and orange juice. I have branched out so much over here. The itinerary for day two included a visit to the zoo, Notre Dame, and the Eiffel Tower. Zoos in Paris are much like farms in Indiana. Goats, pigs, rabbits, llamas, and deer are huge attractions, which is not what I paid money to see. Due to the lack of interesting French animals, we ended up spending most of our time staring at the monkeys. One of the monkeys gave me a fist pound on the opposite side of the glass and that is when I knew I had to take him home with me. But zoo people don’t like that idea and I am pretty sure airport security does not allow monkeys on planes. Dang it! We ate more crepes at the zoo before moving on toward the Notre Dame Cathedral down the street. It is so enormous and so architecturally unique that is almost seems fake. We did not go inside because the line was miles long, but I did get some great photos of gargoyles and flying buttresses. The last stop of the trip was the Eiffel Tower. French people absolutely despise the tower and that hatred was made crystal clear when we were mocked by two little French girls for taking pictures. Oh the Tour de Eiffel is tre magnifique. Oo la la. I still think it’s awesome. As we got closer to the base of the tower, we noticed and extremely large group of people facing a stage about a football field length away. We were really confused but then realized we were smack dab in the middle of the French Independence Day celebration. What independence they were celebrating…I have no idea. But, we found a spot on the grass and tuned in to the concert. All the performers were big timers here in Europe so it was a good thing I watch MTV Italia because otherwise I would have had no idea who was playing. The best part of the night was the amazing fireworks show that followed the concert. It was right behind the Eiffel Tower, which was lit up and sparkling, and the fireworks were choreographed to music. By far the best fireworks show I have ever seen. It was a perfect end to our last weekend together abroad.
Our last big weekend here in Europa was quite the success...well, in the end. Jessie and I decided to let the boys handle the travel plans for the entire weekend because we basically organized everything else over the six week period. Not a good idea. Come Tuesday of last week, the only thing they knew was that we were flying out of some Milan airport on Friday morning, we were staying in some Paris hotel, and we were leaving some time Sunday. Time for the girls to step in. We planned to meet for dinner to discuss every last detail of this huge trip because we were not stepping onto an airplane/train/bus without knowing how exactly we were getting to another country. The boys assured us that it was only Tuesday and we did not leave until Friday so we should not worry. Oh, really? Well, Jessie and I were extremely worried and started drilling them with questions. We first figured out that our plane would leave at 8 a.m. Friday morning from Milan. Milan is about 3-4 hours away by train and the latest train we could catch was Thursday night at 9:45. The earliest was Friday at 5:45, but we would miss our plane by a good couple of hours. So, our only option was to take the late train on Thursday night. The train would arrive in Milan at 12:05 a.m. and we would have to figure out sleeping accommodations for the remaining 5 hours. Should we book a hostel with beds and pillows or sleep on benches at the train station? Answer…the train station. No, I am not kidding. Like homeless people, we found the hardest, most uncomfortable bench in the station and parked ourselves there until our train to the airport arrived at 5 a.m. We used our luggage as pillows and dressed ourselves with every article of clothing we had and slept for about an hour. If only I had taken pictures to document this moment, but I was not entirely thrilled to be there. I’m sure you can picture it. Because we were too cold and uncomfortable to sleep, we stayed awake playing cards and “would you rather” (ex: would you rather marry a creepy gypsy or a creepy Albanian). It turned out to be a pretty fun night. We took the morning train to Bergamo, the city with our airport, and made our flight with only about 15 minutes to spare. We had some issues with Bergamo buses, so we were late. Isn’t traveling fun! We finally made it into Paris after taking an hour bus ride from our far away airport and immediately saw our first French attraction. A crepes stand. Crepes are fried tortilla-looking things filled with either Nutella, chocolate, banana, jam, or a combination of everything. Yum! I was loving France already. The Arc de Triumph was the next big thing we saw, but it was not all that exciting. We did not want to pay the money to climb to the top either, so we just took a few quick pictures and called it a day. Plus, we had to find our hotel because, of course, I was carrying the biggest bag and my shoulder was killing me! Thanks to New York native, Julian, figuring out the Metro system was a piece of cake. Metros are really fun too and I think My Man Mitch and I will have a discussion when I return about incorporating them into the downtown Indianapolis area. Knowing that the boys were the ones to book the hotel, I was a little skeptical and kept picturing a place very similar in comfort and cleanliness to the Milan train station. But, they pulled through and booked us two very nice hotel rooms with breakfast included. We put our bags down, showered, which felt amazing, and headed towards the Louvre. On Fridays, the Louvre is free for students after 6, so we were very excited. However, not as excited as when we spotted a Starbucks sign inside the pyramid. We have all been playing a game lately where we talk about the first things we are going to do when we get home…For example, Jessie wants drive-thru Wendys and a pedicure; Brice wants a Chipotle burrito; Julian wants to go gambling; Mark wants to go to his Fraternity house; and I want a Starbucks Carmel Frappucino. Basically what I am trying to say is that I sprinted from the Louvre entrance to the Starbucks line so fast that I completely forgot why I was actually there. That particular frappucino was ten times better than my very first. Now, the first thing I want when I get home is a home cooked American meal. The Louvre is gigantic and there was no possible way we could see everything in one night, so we decided to focus on the Denon Wing. The Denon Wing has the Michelangelo slaves, the Venus, the Mona Lisa, and many more less important pieces. My favorites were the slaves because I have been studying them for the past six weeks. Again, it is amazing how different sculptures are in person compared to pictures. The Mona Lisa was a major disappointment because she is so small, she sits behind a huge glass wall, and viewers have to stand so far away. I like her better in pictures. After the Louvre, we grabbed a typical French dinner of steak frites (steak and fries) and went straight back to the hotel to sleep. The next morning we all felt completely refreshed and ready to try some French continental breakfast. I chose the coca puffs, a croissant with strawberry jam, and orange juice. I have branched out so much over here. The itinerary for day two included a visit to the zoo, Notre Dame, and the Eiffel Tower. Zoos in Paris are much like farms in Indiana. Goats, pigs, rabbits, llamas, and deer are huge attractions, which is not what I paid money to see. Due to the lack of interesting French animals, we ended up spending most of our time staring at the monkeys. One of the monkeys gave me a fist pound on the opposite side of the glass and that is when I knew I had to take him home with me. But zoo people don’t like that idea and I am pretty sure airport security does not allow monkeys on planes. Dang it! We ate more crepes at the zoo before moving on toward the Notre Dame Cathedral down the street. It is so enormous and so architecturally unique that is almost seems fake. We did not go inside because the line was miles long, but I did get some great photos of gargoyles and flying buttresses. The last stop of the trip was the Eiffel Tower. French people absolutely despise the tower and that hatred was made crystal clear when we were mocked by two little French girls for taking pictures. Oh the Tour de Eiffel is tre magnifique. Oo la la. I still think it’s awesome. As we got closer to the base of the tower, we noticed and extremely large group of people facing a stage about a football field length away. We were really confused but then realized we were smack dab in the middle of the French Independence Day celebration. What independence they were celebrating…I have no idea. But, we found a spot on the grass and tuned in to the concert. All the performers were big timers here in Europe so it was a good thing I watch MTV Italia because otherwise I would have had no idea who was playing. The best part of the night was the amazing fireworks show that followed the concert. It was right behind the Eiffel Tower, which was lit up and sparkling, and the fireworks were choreographed to music. By far the best fireworks show I have ever seen. It was a perfect end to our last weekend together abroad.
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