Happy Easter from Paris!

In spite of no Easter Bunny coming to the hostel, it turned out to be a great Easter in Paris. Nikki, Eldon, and I went to Notre Dame cathedral for Mass this morning. It was completely packed with people sitting and standing, with not even room for everyone to enter who wanted to, but it was neat to see so many people celebrating Easter Mass at once. Notre Dame was beautiful, especially the gardens outside of it. All of the flowers here are in full bloom, and the colors are just magnificent! I can definitely see now why people flock to Paris for Easter. After Mass we went for a picnic in a big park not far from our hostel. It turns out we had the right idea as far a picnic on Easter, as the park was just packed with Parisans enjoying picnics and strolls. When I go back to the States I will definitely miss the European habit of taking long leisurely strolls and relaxing in public parks on weekends. After our picnic we went to the Montemarte district of Paris, which is an area where many artists live and there are lots of little cafes. Lots of people were out and about in this area as well, and we followed the crowds and ended up on some steps that look out over the whole city of Paris. There were a couple guys singing and playing guitar on the steps. They were performing popular American acoustic songs, and they were really good! I am definitely worn out from the day, but it was a great day. Tomorrow night I leave Paris and head for Florence to meet my mom and brother. I probably won't have wireless for a while after this, but I will update you all when I have the chance.

Pictures from Munich

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2026185&id=173301949&l=5c154bbaad

Paris at Eastertime

I arrived in Paris this afternoon, and Eldon and I met up with our friend Nikki who was studying with us in Florence. She has been in Poland for the last week or so, and it has been very interesting to hear her stories. After checking into our hostel and getting situated we went to the Eiffel Tower at night. I wasn't quite sure if the Eiffel Tower would be all that it is hyped up to be, but it turned out to be AMAZING when it is lit up in the dark! It really was breathtaking. Tomorrow we plan to go to Easter Mass at Notre Dame then go on a picnic for Easter lunch. Paris is really busy with people visiting for their long Easter weekends, but the atmosphere is very festive. I am definitely glad to be here, but of course it is a bit strange to be celebrating Easter away from home. I doubt that the Easter bunny visits hostels. But, on the upside, in just two more days my mom and brother are coming! I've been counting down the days.

Ireland

04/09/2009

Within the past few days I believe I have spent more time riding public transportation than on the ground. Ever since leaving Munich on Monday, life has pretty much been constant travelling. When Eldon and I got to London from Munich all we had time to do was find our hostel, check in, walk around trying to find an ATM, and go to bed. The next morning we woke up at 7:00 a.m. to get an early start on our journey to Londonderry/Derry in Northern Ireland where our friend Katie is studying. We thought that we’d be able to arrive in Derry the same day that we left, but our expectations were thwarted. Our train left at 9:10 a.m. from London, and our ferry did not get into Dublin until around 6:00 p.m. The bus from Dublin to Derry takes about four hours, and the next bus did not leave until 7:45 p.m. That would mean that we’d get into Derry around midnight, and our hostel did not accept check-ins after 10:00 p.m. I guess we were just spoiled by Italy’s public transportation system. So we ended up having to cancel our hostel in Derry for the night and got a hostel in Dublin. In Dublin I did get to experience some Guinness and “chips” in an Irish pub, but that’s about all I did besides sleep in the hostel. The next morning (Wednesday) we got up early again to catch a 7:15 a.m. bus to Derry. I slept most of the way to Derry, but when I did open my eyes I was able to see the beautiful Irish countryside. It is obvious why Ireland is called the Emerald Isle because everything is a vivid shade of green. I also saw two rainbows during the bus ride, which called to mind Irish leprechauns and pots of gold.

When we finally did get to Derry we found out that our friend Katie didn’t get off work until 5:00, which is pretty much what I expected. I decided that I needed some major alone time, so I went for a long run in the rain (it seems to always be raining in Ireland) around the medieval city walls that enclose the city center. We finally met up with Katie around 5:30, and she took us back to her dorm to make dinner. Eldon and I had brought pasta and wine from Italy so we could make a nice dinner, and it was really nice to be able to cook again and to just be with an old friend. Katie is one of the friends who I’ve known since freshman year of college, and she is going to be one of my village-mates next year. I’ve come to really appreciate the group of friends that I met freshmen year, and after being away for a semester it is really nice to reconnect.

Today (Thursday) Katie had to work until 5:00 again, so Eldon and I took a day trip to Giant’s Causeway, which is a national park area on the northern coast of Ireland. It is a really beautiful area and contains a lot of volcanic rock formations that are really something to see. Ever since I saw Katie’s pictures of the area I had wanted to go, and I really enjoyed this day. After we got back we met back up with Katie and went out to dinner. It was one of her roommates’ birthdays, so we celebrated by going out to an Italian restaurant. It was kind of strange to eat Italian food in Ireland, as it wasn’t at all like the Italian food in Italy. It was still good food…just different. We also did some laundry, which was much needed for me. I have a limited supply of clothes, since I am living out of a backpack, and I must admit that certain articles were getting pretty foul smelling. It will be so nice to have clean clothes to wear again!

Tonight I am not staying in a hostel. Instead we are catching the 12:45 a.m. bus from Derry to Dublin, which gets into Dublin at 4:10 a.m. Then we take an 8:45 ferry and get into London around 3:00 p.m. It will be a long day, but I guess you gotta do what you gotta do. I am definitely looking forward to getting back to Italy next Tuesday and being with my mom and brother and doing some things that I am familiar with. It has been challenging to figure everything out during this week or so of travelling, but it has also been a great confidence booster. I feel like I could travel anywhere now and get along alright, and I really feel like I have developed an ability to think on my feet and to stay calm in stressful situations. These are two traits that you really need to have when you travel. You just have to trust that everything will be okay, and you also have to use your resources and ask for help when you need it.

Kudos to Obama...I couldn't have said it better

President Obama recently spoke before the Turkish parliament during his tour of Europe after the G20 convention. During his speech he discussed repairing ties between the U.S. and the Islamic world and also Turkey's desired accession into the E.U. One of the main holdbacks from Turkey becoming an E.U. nation is their failure to acknowledge the Armenian genocide. There are also issues in Turkey with freedom of speech and the treatment of Kurdish citizens. Obama's words on this matter are especially relevant to my last post about Dachau and coming to terms with one's national history while taking a stand on human rights.

According to Tuesday's Financial Times:

Mr Obama said "the United States is still working through some of our own darker periods" - slavery, its treatment of native Americans and human rights abuses during the "war on terror."

"I say this as the president of a country that not too long ago made it hard for someone who looks like me to vote," he sid. "But it is precisely that capacity to change that enriches our countries ... Every challenge that we face is more easily met if we tend to our own democratic foundation. This work is never over. That is why, in the United States, we recently ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay closed, and prohibited , without exception or equivocation, any use of torture."

...

"Each country must work through its past," he said. "I know there are strong views in this chamber about the terrible events of 1915...The best way forward for the Turkish and Armenian people is a process that works through the past in a way that is honest, open and constructive."

End quote.

Obama is quite the man of words, and he knows how to use his words sensitively to inspire people to action. I am very grateful that we have a president who can communicate respectfully with other nations and can begin to repair international relations that have been strained in recent years. Hopefully with this leadership Americans can begin to recognize mistakes made in the nation's recent past and can address the damage done as a result of these mistakes.

Munich: I think I could live here!

As I prepare to head out for London, I can't help but think that my time in Munich has gone by way too fast. I haven't had much time to blog during my time here, so I'll take you through day be day to let you know what I've been up to.

Friday:

We arrived in Munich at 6:30 a.m. and couldn't check into our hostel until 1:00 p.m., so, although we were tired, we went on a free walking tour of Munich. Our guide, named Luke from England, was really good; he was humorous, yet very informative on historical matters. We learned a lot about the history of Munich and how Hitler came to power here. We also saw the infamous glockenspiel! I really like the layout of the city of Munich. The streets are wide, people follow traffic laws, and it is very friendly towards bikers and pedestrians. This all probably has something to do with the fact that Munich is a fairly modern city, with much of it being rebuilt after WWII. It is actually very similar to a U.S. city, but after Italy it is nice to get back to some sanity.

Saturday:

During our tour on Friday Luke really encouraged us to make a visit to the Dachau concentration camp memorial site during our time in Munich. He was leading a tour today, so we decided to go on it. It was a very informative experience, and actually being inside a concentration camp made that history I have always learned about seem more real. It is just unbelievable what humans can justify doing to other humans. We say that we would never let something like that happen again, but there are gross human rights violations going on in many places in the world right now, but we turn a blind eye. Our tour guide made it clear that Germany is one of the best countries in the world as far as recognizing and coming to terms with their dark past. Many countries have had similar things happen in their history, but many do not even admit it, let alone memorialize it. Think of the Armenian genocide in Turkey or even Guantanamo Bay for example. Those things just tend to get pushed under the rug. There is no doubt that the Holocaust was one of the worst events in the recent history of the world, and for many years Germans were ashamed of this history. Just recently have Germans began to show pride in their country again. For example, last year's world soccer cup was the first time Germans have waved their flag proudly in public since WWII. Overall Dachau was an experience that really made me think about things that are hard to think about but must be thought about nonetheless.

After getting back from Dachau we went to the Hofbrauhaus, the most famous beer hall in Europe. It was sort of touristy, but there were still lots of Germans there, including many wearing leiderhosen. Munich is the home of leiderhosen, so we have seen quite a bit of it since being here. The beer was really good at Hofbrauhaus, probably the best I've ever had! German beer is very strong though--about three times the strength of American beer by volume--and it is served by the liter! After getting back from the Hofbrauhaus we spent some time at the bar in our hostel, and it was a really great time. I am really enjoying the hostel experience. At the bar I met people from all over the world and some from the U.S. It is really interesting to hear stories of people's travels and just to meet some new people. I talked to a German guy for a while, and he gave us some pointers on what we should see in Munich.

Sunday:

Today we started the day with Palm Sunday Mass at the Munich cathedral, and, let me tell you, it was quite the ceremony. The Mass began with the entire congregation outside of the church, and the bishop and priests processed in and said a few words. Everyone in the congregation was carrying pussywillow branches for some reason unknown to me. After the bishop blessed the congregation with holy water, there was a little parade with a brass band, children singing, men carrying a large wooden cross, and men and women dressed in traditional German wear (inclduding leiderhosen). The entire congregation joined the parade and processed around the church, then filed into the church. The entire cathedral, which is huge, was filled, and people had to stand in the aisles. The mass was projected up on big screens on each side of the church. The whole ceremony lasted two hours, which is a testimony to the German Catholic tradition of always using the long reading (as Fr. Meyer always used to say).

After Mass we headed to a castle called Nympfenburg, which is a place the German I met at the bar last night recommended we see. It was a really neat place, with huge grounds which have been converted into a park where lots of people walk. I will put up some pictures on facebook for you to see later. It turned out to be a very nice thing to do on a Sunday afternoon.

After spending a few hours at the castle, we went to the English Gardens, which is another place the German recommended to me. The English Gardens is a huge park in Town, but it is so huge that it feels like you are outside of town. There are lots of deciduous trees, and there is a river that flows through it. Overall, the landscape here reminds me a lot of Minnesota, and I can definitely see why many Germans chose Minnesota as their place of residence when immigrating to the U.S. In there English Gardens there is a huge beer garden. When we got there it was absolutely packed with Germans enjoying their evening beers. This seemed like a much more authentically German experience than the Hofbrauhaus. I had a drink called a Radler, which is beer mixed with lemonade. It sounds really weird, but I actually enjoyed it a lot. It is especially good with food. To eat I had a bratwurst, sauerkraut, and a giant pretzel...now that's my kind of meal! As we ate a brass band played in a nearby tower, and it was just a really great atmosphere.

Monday:

Today has been a pretty low key day. We packed everything up and checked out of our hostel this morning, then we went to climb up St. Peter's tower, which is a tower attached to a church. This was yet another recommendation of the German guy, and I am very thankful that I talked to him because this ended up being another great experience. We climbed up 306 stairs, and at the top we could see the entire city of Munich. It is a very flat city, so we could see the whole thing. There seems to be a lot of industry here, which is different than Italy where the main commerce seems to be fashion. On our way back from the tower we saw some street performers doing some traditional Mongolian singing and instrumental performance. They could make crazy sounds with the voice boxes, and it was really something to see. There have been many great street performers in Munich who have provided lots of free entertainment for us.

Now it is almost time to say goodbye to the homeland of my ancestors, but I really hope I get the chance to return here someday. I think I could live here and fit in just fine if I learned German. I don't know if I ever will, but I could definitely see myself here more so than I could ever see myself in Italy. Italy was just getting too hectic and touristy for me, and this has been a very much needed reprieve from that.

Pictures from Follonica, Orvieto, and Roma!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2026095&id=173301949&l=bb3971b193

The last week: a whirlwind!

I don't even know where to begin to start describing the time in between my last blog entry and now. When I last wrote I was in Orvieto, getting ready to head to Rome. On the train to Rome on Monday I finished my last final, so I have been done with schoolwork since then. I am finally a senior, and I'm glad to have made it this far with all the hard work I have put into everything. But I also have mixed emotions because this means that I only have one year left at St. Mary's, a place that I've grown to love. But I don't really want to dwell on that part right now. I am in Europe having a great time, and I am looking forward to returning home and starting my job at Whitewater State Park.

Now, for a brief synopsis, becuase that's really all I think anyone can handle, of Rome. I was in Rome for three nights, four days, and during that time I saw so much. Every night I was just ready to collapse! My first day in Rome I saw St. Peter's Basillica, Hadrian's Tomb, Bridge of the Angels, and the Spanish Steps at night. The highlight of the day was the Spanish Steps at night. There were tons of young people around our age there, and Rome had just won a soccer game, so they were doing lots of soccer cheers. Also, Nikki and I got to speak to some of the Swiss guards at the Vatican in order to pick up our tickets for the Papal Audience on Wednesday. Despite their ridiculous outfits, Swiss guards manage to be very attractive for the most part. Most of them are young, and it is required that they be single, fluent in at least four languages, be of a certain height, and be Catholic. So, in other words, they pretty much have to be perfect :-)

On Tuesday I went to the Trevi Fountain, the Coliseum, Palatine Hill, and the Forums with a bunch of people from our group. We got a tour for the Coliseum and Palatine Hill, and I learned a lot about the history behind these ancient ruins. Palatine Hill is where the Roman emperors used to live, and the Forums are where the Roman government, worship, and markets took place. Also, the Vestal Virgins lived in the Forums.

On Wednesday we had the Papal Audience with Pope Benedict. There were tons of people there for this. We got there over two hours before the audience began, and we still had to wait in line for almost a half hour to get through security! There were people from all over the world there, and everything was spoken in Italian, German, English, Spanish, and Polish. Groups were welcomed in special announcements, so Saint Mary's got its name mentioned. Our group, being the group we are, actually cheered for the wrong St. Mary's college, as there was another one from England. So we actually ended up cheering twice. The ceremony itself got kind of long, as everything had to be said in so many languages. The Pope spoke about his recent visit to Africa and the Catholic Church's place in Africa. After the Papal Audience I went to the Pantheon, the oldest building in Rome that is still in use today. It was originally a temple for the worship of all Roman gods, but now it is a Catholic church, of course. Much architecture has been based on that of the Pantheon, including any building that employs a dome ceiling! After the Pantheon I went to go spend a little more time in St. Peter's alone and to look at the tombs of the Popes. It was very crowded for some reason, and I was kind of disappointed because many people were not respecting the holy significance of these areas. Also, there was a lot of set up going on in St. Peter's for a memorial Mass for JPII to occur the next day, and there was much confusion among the security guards, who all seemed to have different versions of where visitors could and could not go. Some were even turning visitors away from Mass, which really bothered me. Everyone should be able to attend Mass if they so desire! I even saw them turn away a nun! I hope my experience in St. Peter's is not representative of the experience of the majority of visitors.

On Thursday I went to the Vatican Museums with a few others. Once again, we had to fight the crowds. I guess April is just not the best time to be visiting Rome if you don't like huge crowds of people. The Sistine Chapel was really something to see and worth the effort it took to get there. I still really don't see why the Church needs so much treasure. I guess it all has to do with power. The more I learn about the history of the Church, the more I see why many people condemn the Church and why Martin Luther took the actions he did. However, I am Catholic, and I am not going to change this because of past mistakes of the Church. Almost every government and religion has dark things that happened in their past. The important thing is to learn from these mistakes so that they don't happen again. You cannot flee from an organization because it has made mistakes—that is the cowardly thing to do—you must accept your place within that organization and work to make it better. (Just a side note—I am not calling Martin Luther a coward by any means, but I just realized that what I just said could be read like that. Luther himself did not advocate splitting from the Church but desired to make public the flaws in the Church so that we may work to change them.) We cannot deny that the Catholic Church accumulated much of what they have in the Vatican through actions that do not live up to Christian standards. Since the Christian religion was at first solely practiced through the Catholic faith, all Christians have their roots in the Church. These are roots that we can choose to accept or deny, but the truth is that they are a part of all Christianity, and all Christians, Catholic or not, can learn from their Christian past through the history of the Catholic Church.

Okay, enough of my rambling. I am now in Munich, after arriving here at 6:30 a.m. on a night train from Rome. Eldon and I went on a walking tour of the city today, then checked into our hostel to get some rest. So far I really love Germany. It is so much more organized and clean than Italy! It actually reminds me a lot of Minnesota, and I can see why so many Germans chose to immigrate to Minnesota. Tomorrow we will be touring Dachau...another dark part of history that must be recognized nonetheless. For now I am going to get some much needed rest. That night train was quite the experience, just let me say that.

The sea and a symphony

I just thought I should give a quick update on what I’ve been up to lately. I am now in Orvieto, a small village built on a plateau. I arrived here today after spending four nights in Follonica, a small resort town on the coast. In Follonica our hotel was right on the coast, and our rooms had balconies that looked out over the sea! While we were there we took most of our finals. I still have one more to take tomorrow, but after that I am all done with school work for this semester…yay! There wasn’t much to do in Follonica other than spend time on the beach, so it was a really good place to be with minimum distractions for finals. My daily schedule went like this: wake up, go for a run on the beach, get ready for the day, eat breakfast, study a bit for my upcoming final, take my final at 10:30, spend a couple hours relaxing on the beach, study for a few hours for the next day’s final, then go to dinner in the hotel at 7:30. I loved spending time on the beach, and I actually got a tan! Also, the dinner at the hotel was wonderful. We had a choice of what we wanted, and I usually chose seafood. I can’t imagine a better place to take finals. In fact, I think St. Mary’s should take all of it’s students to the beach for finals each semester.

Today in Orvieto I did a bit of exploring, and when we went to the cathedral we were pleasantly surprised to find a symphony orchestra practicing. We found out that they were offering a free concert at 5:00, so we decided to go. I just got back from it, and it was amazing. The setting inside the cathedral was perfect, and the acoustics were great. When we arrived at 4:40, there was standing room only inside this huge cathedral. It turns out the band conductor used to be the conductor for the New York Symphony Orchestra, and he is world famous. What a day to pick to come to Orvieto! Then, as we were walking back to our hotel, a marching band came right by us on the street. They were citizens of Orvieto in an antifascism group. So, all in all it was a very musical sort of day.

I will be staying in Orvieto tonight and tomorrow night, then we depart for Rome, where I will be staying for three nights.

Pictures from the weekend

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2025821&id=173301949&l=8e3989f475

A busy, yet relaxing weekend

As I mentioned before, I went on the Amalfi Coast tour this weekend. On Friday we spent the day in a small fishing village called Positano. While there I got in a good couple hours laying on the beach reading my book, even though it was overcast and not very warm. I have discovered that I really love the sea. I love the sound of the waves rolling in, the feel of waves washing over my feet, and the far-off horizon of water. Ashley and Bailey were there as well, but they went out for lunch, and I decided to just stay by the water. It was nice to get some alone time, something that has become quite the rarity on this trip. The downfall of the day was that it started getting really windy and raining heavily in the afternoon. It definitely wasn't the ideal day to spend on the coast, but I am grateful for the time that I did have on the beach.

Yesterday we spent the day in Capri, a small island off the coast of Italy. Capri is sort of a jet-set vacation destination. Some really famous stars have villas there, including Mariah Carey, so it is quite the expensive place. It was a nice place to spend the day though because it is beautiful and really clean without too many tourists around. We rode a ferry from Sorrento, where our hostel is, to Capri. It was sunny, but, once again, it was windy and cold. I really wanted to swim in the ocean for the first time during this trip, and I brought my swimming suit along. It wasn't looking too good for swimming as we made our walking tour to the beach. Even with jeans and a windbreaker I was freezing! However, once we got to the other side of the island it warmed up a lot, and the beach was sort of blocked from the wind. I decided I would brave the cold and jump in. After all, I have jumped into Lake Superior in October in the rain, so what could be colder? So Bailey and I changed into our swimming suits and jumped in. The water was cold, I will admit, but I've definitely been in colder. The water was really clear and blue, and, once again, it was just beautiful. It was very cold once we got out of the water, but I was still glad I did it. That was the highlight so far of this trip!

Today we go to Pompeii, which lies inland in the shadow of Mt. Vesuvius. It 79 A.D. Mt. Vesuvius blew up, and the lava covered Pompeii. The houses and buildings were preserved exactly how they were in that time. Later archaeologists discovered the city, and now you can go on tours of the old buildings. I hadn't really heard too much about Pompeii before this trip, but the more I hear about it, the more excited I get about it.

Pictures!

I just put up some pics from my birthday. If you'd like to see them, go to: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2025711&id=173301949&l=88b64cbf2a

Update

Since it's been so long since I've had Internet, it's hard to know where to start with this post. Tomorrow I leave for one last weekend trip, this time to the Amalfi Coast, Capri, and Pompeii. This is another Florence for Fun trip, so it will be like the one I took to Interlaken. The part I am most excited to see is Capri, which is an island off the coast of Italy. I've heard that it is just beautiful. I am just hoping for good weather, as the forecast calls for rain.

After I get back from my weekend excursion, I will only have two more nights at Villa Bonelli, then the whole group heads out next Tuesday for Follonica, Orvieto, and Rome. During this time Bob will administer our finals to us, but we will not have classes other than that.

On April 2nd I am completely done with my study abroad program, and Eldon and I have finally got all of our necessary train and plane tickets and reserved hostels for each night. It all seems like quite the whirlwind right now, so I am looking forward to having this weekend just to relax and get away.

Last Italy Editorial

This is this month's editorial for the Cardinal:

It’s hard to believe that it has been another month in Italy, and soon my time here will draw to an end. It will definitely be hard to leave, even though I really do love Minnesota. As I reflect on the time I’ve spent in Europe, I cannot help but come to the conclusion that everyone should study or travel abroad at some point. Not only have I had some of the best experiences of my life in Italy, I have also learned so much about being a citizen in today’s globalized world. My time in Italy has been a series of many “live and learn” moments, and each of these moments has given me confidence.
Before travelling to Italy, I had never been outside of the United States. I will admit that I was pretty scared and lost when I first arrived at the Minneapolis airport. I now feel confident finding my way through airports and train stations, and I know I can go into a foreign city where I don’t speak the language and find my way around. If I had not had the opportunity to study abroad, I don’t know how I would have gained this confidence.
It has recently come to my attention that Saint Mary’s intends to significantly change the Florence study abroad program to allow students to study a greater variety of subjects with a more diverse group of students and to live more independently while studying abroad. I agree that these changes will improve the SMU Florence program as a whole.
However, along with these positive changes comes a negative side. Since SMU will no longer operate its own program in Florence, students will only be able to apply $2,000 of their SMU scholarships to studying abroad in Florence. Previously, students wishing to apply their scholarship of more than $2,000 to study abroad could choose between the SMU programs in Florence and London. Now it appears that the only choice for these students will be London.
Studying abroad would not have been possible for me if I had not been able to use my full scholarship from SMU. It saddens me that other SMU students may miss out on this valuable experience because of monetary issues. I sincerely hope that the university will continue to realize the value of studying abroad and make this opportunity available to as many qualified students as possible.

Cinque Terre

My Internet finally works again, allelulia! When everyone found out that the wireless was on, it honestly sounded like midnight on New Year's Eve out in the lounge. Anyway, here is what I had to say about Cinque Terre:

03/15/2009

People always seem to ask, “Was this your best birthday ever?” And usually out of politeness, I respond yes. But after this weekend, I can say with all honesty that my 21st birthday was my best birthday ever! Cinque Terre was beautiful, the weather was amazing, and my friends put a lot of work into making it a great celebration.

I will begin with Friday the 13th, the day before my birthday, which, in some ways, lived up to its unlucky reputation. The unlucky part came in the morning when we were headed down to the train station. Eldon and I had left before the rest of our group so that we could obtain our train tickets for Munich. When we were on the bus it was stopped by a police officer who told the driver that he could not take his usual route passing the Duomo. I’m not sure if there was an accident or a special event or what, but a ride that usually takes about a half hour took almost an hour, so I was very worried about the rest of our group missing the train to Cinque Terre. When we got the train station I called Villa Bonelli right away to warn the group, and I found that they had already left for the bus. What a relief! And that was the end of the unluckiness for Friday the 13th, because from there on out the day was fabulous!

It was about a three hour train ride to Cinque Terre, so it was around 4:00 p.m. when we arrived in Monterossa, the town we were staying in. Our first mission was to find Manuel’s Guesthouse, where we would be staying for the next two nights. I had directions that the guesthouse had emailed me, so I guided the group. I was pleasantly surprised when a man outside a wine bar asked us what we were looking for. When I told him we were looking for Manuel’s Guesthouse, he shook my hand and said, “I am Manuel,” then he directed us up the stairs. Manuel is an artist, and he paints outside in the plaza outside the wine bar in Monterossa. He lives in the guesthouse he runs and rents out his extra rooms for guests. Talk about living the dream! The guesthouse was a very authentic place, almost like living in an Italian home. We had to climb over 100 steps to get up the house, then Lorenzo, Manuel’s employee, showed us to our rooms. The rooms were nothing fancy, but they did their job. Just as the website promised, there was indeed a terrace that overlooked the sea, and on that terrace there was indeed a bar and grill. It was kind of strange because there was rarely anybody around, so we just had free range of the place. It ended up being the perfect place for our group, and I would definitely stay there again.

After getting settled into the hotel, we all went down to have a look around town, and we all ended up at the beach. I was just going to wade, but I ended up going in up to my hips and getting my jeans soaking wet. That wasn’t nearly as bad as what happened to Lorenzo, a member of the SMU group. He was standing in the water, about up to his knees, and I came up behind him. I was just going to push him a little to scare him a bit, but he ended up going in all the way. Luckily nothing in his pockets was ruined, and he decided to go for a swim after that anyway, so I didn’t feel so bad.

Our group decided to go out for a fancier dinner on Friday night, then grill out on my birthday. So we found a nice restaurant with an ocean view and went there. I had a caprese salad, a swordfish steak, and some great white wine. Many people in our group had seafood, which was served in some interesting ways. Ania and Ashley had fresh cod, and it came as a whole fish, head, skin and all. The waiter filleted them right there at the table. Allyson and some others had shrimp that came with the shell and antennas still on. Some people were a bit grossed out by this, but I guess its all part of the experience.

After dinner we all just went up to the hotel and sat on the terrace for a while with some wine. A group of us ended up going back down to the beach around 10:00 p.m. We climbed way up on a rock that looked over the sea and just sat there for a long time. We ended up ringing in my birthday on the beach when it turned midnight…what a way to start the celebration.

On my birthday we all got up fairly early to get started with our hiking, and we received some disappointing news from some others staying at the guesthouse. They went hiking the day before, and they said the majority of the trails were closed for maintenance. The ironic thing was that it was also one of the girls’ 21st birthday in their group on Saturday as well. But, anyway, we decided to try the hiking and see what we found. We bought our train and hiking pass at the train station, and we found that the trails were truly closed. The only stretch that was opened was from the first town to the second, a section called “Via di Amore,” or “Lover’s Lane.” So I reconciled myself to an easy hike and decided to just take things slowly.

I think it actually worked out better that most of the trail was closed, because it would have been difficult for our whole group to stay together given the size, and this way we could just sort of relax and take it all in. We stopped frequently to go down to the ocean and dip our feet in. At one point there was a bar along the trail, and Ania bought me my first drink of the day, a Pina Colada, which was very good, I must say. After we got to the end of the open section of trail, we took the train to the next town and walked around there for a while. All of the towns in Cinque Terre are just adorable. They are painted in pink, yellow, and salmon colored stucco, and they are all built right into the sea cliffs. There was one town we did not get to because it was getting late, and we were all ready to go back and grill. I would like to come back to Cinque Terre sometime when the trail is open, as I think it would be a very nice way to experience the towns.

After we got back to Monterossa, we all went to purchase our meat and other food. To buy the steak we went to this local butcher shop, and the owner working behind the counter did not speak English. There was basically a whole side of a cow lying behind the counter, and we weren’t quite sure how to ask for seven steaks. We finally figured it out, after we pointed to the wrong type of meat, and the owner made pig noises, indicating that the meat was pork, not beef.

When we got back to Manuel’s we discovered that using the grill, which also doubled as a stove, would be a bit more difficult than we intended. Plus, we wanted to ask permission first, but no one was around to ask. Manuel finally came home and helped us out, and the cooking began. Ania and Allyson prepared a pasta and vegetable dish for the entire group, and it was delicious! Lorenzo did all the grilling, and the steak was tender, juicy, and rare, just the way I now like it. It was the best birthday meal that I could have asked for. Everyone ate out on the terrace, and after we were done Ania, Allyson, and Bailey brought out a slice of birthday cake with candles on it. They also got me a beach ball and water wings, which, unfortunately I haven’t used yet. Hopefully next weekend…more about that later. I also received a couple of other gifts which were very suitable for a 21st birthday…I’ll leave that up to your imagination. Needless to say, we had quite the celebration.

We went down to the beach later that night, and I saw my birthday out the same way I brought it in, on the beach. I could not have asked for a more perfect weekend, and I am very thankful for everyone who helped to make it so great for me. I hope to go back to Cinque Terre again sometime when the trails are open. In fact, I have already decided that I am bringing my mom and brother there, although they may not know it yet. For anyone who ever plans to travel to Italy, I would definitely recommend putting Cinque Terre at the top of your list of places to see. It is just a very authentic Italian experience, and the natural beauty of the area cannot be compared to anything else.

Internet Down

The wireless internet router exploded at my hotel, so that's why I haven't published anything about Cinque Terre yet. I'll tell you now that it was a wonderful weekend and the best birthday of my life! Hopefully I'll be able to get my post up soon.

It's been a while

Dear faithful readers, I am sorry it has been so long since I have last posted a blog. I know there is not a valid excuse for such an action, but, to my defense, I have been pretty busy during the past couple weeks. As I mentioned last week, I am in the process of making travel plans for April, and I am glad that I have so much free time here, because it is taking more time to plan all this than I expected. Now I see why people still hire travel agents. But I am slowly getting everything figured out, and I'm sure it will all come together. I guess my main goal right now is to secure transportation from point-to-point for the eleven days that I'll be travelling before my mom and brother arrive in Florence.

Aside from all that, I have also spent a portion of the week planning the last minute details of my birthday weekend in Cinque Terre. We leave tomorrow and will not be back until Sunday, so, once again, you won't hear from me for a few days. The weather is supposed to be just beautiful in Cinque: 57 degrees and sunny all three days!

The weather is another reason for my not writing the past few days. Suddenly spring has hit northern Italy full force! The days have been sunny and warm, flowers are in full bloom, and everything is even more green than it was when we arrived! I have been going on some long runs and just trying to soak it all in. Sorry to make all of you back in Minnesota jealous, but I'm loving all this sun in March! I don't even have to worry about snow on my birthday, and that's the first time in my life that's happened.

Other than just enjoying the weather, I've done a couple other interesting things this week. One was for history class we went to the Medici chapels and to a museum that featured the inlaid marble art that is common for this area. I really like looking at the inlaid marble because it emmulates reality so well. You wouldn't think that you could make a realistic picture by piecing together marble, but often times the marble version of a scene looks even more realistic than a painting of the same scene. It is such an intricate art, and it is so strange to think that they did it all before the days of laser cutters and computer technology. It was all just painstaking work, and the results are beautiful.

Today for art class I finally got to see Michelangelo's real David. This is something that I have been looking forward to since I got here, and it was really a neat experience. I learned a bit about Michelangelo's, Donatello's, and Verocchio's Davids in honors class last semester, and now I have seen them all in person. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Florentine Davids, they are sculpures of the Biblical character from the David and Goliath story. The reason why there are so many Davids in Florence is that they are a symbol of the Republic. I really can't describe Michelangelo's David, and looking at pictures of it doesn't do it justice. I keep having experiences like this, and I just want to be able to communicate them. But really you cannot know until you've been to the Accademia and stood in the presence of David what I am really talking about. To begin with, David is a huge statue, bigger than I ever expected it to be from the pictures I saw. He is probably at least ten times as big as a normal human being, so he just towers over everything. Michelangelo carved him out of a single block of marble that had been discarded by other artists. He is the first David to be depicted before the act of killing Goliath, so you can see that he is in deep thought and poised for action. Michelangelo chose to represent David in this moment in order to emphasize his intellectual capacity and it's influence on his physical actions. It is just amazing to be in the presence of such a meaningful and famous work of art.

Anyway, I'm sure I'll have lots of stories and pictures to post after this weekend. And I'll try to be a good blogger and keep my writing habit up!

Wishing I was still in Venice

As I mentioned in my post last Thursday, I went to Venice for the weekend with Ania and Allyson. We stayed there on Friday and Saturday night and returned to Florence on Sunday afternoon. It was a very relaxing trip, and we had beautiful sunny weather the whole weekend. Venice is one of the most unique and beautiful places I have ever seen in my life. To begin with, of course, the streets are canals, so this means that we did not see a car once we entered the city. There are boats instead of cars or trucks for everything--we saw a police boat, a mail boat, and garbage boat, bus boats, and taxi boats, not to mention many gondolas. The city is actually built on a series of islands, so if you walk to the periphery, you can see the sea. There were many tourists there this weekend, and it is easy to understand why. If you'd like to see some pictures, here is the link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2025484&id=173301949&l=ab233. I will write a bit about each day to give you a better picture of my time there:

03/06/2009

Today I traveled to Venice with Ania and Allyson. We are going to stay here for two nights. I found a cheap one star hotel (75 euros per night) right in central Venice. We were a little bit worried about what we’d be getting, but it turned out to be great! It took us a long time to find our hotel because when you're walking on the streets rather than riding a boat you come to many dead ends. While we were walking, we paused on a bridge to look at a map and see where we were. This is when we saw a lone Asian woman going for a gondola ride. We were looking at her, wondering why she would go alone, and the gondola driver caught us looking. He yelled up to us, "You know Pokeman?" We said yes, then he pointed to the woman and said "Pikachu!" The woman had no idea what was going on, and we were just laughing so hard. His comment may have been a bit inappropriate, and it just makes me wonder what they say about us in Italian. After that little adventure and a quick stop for gelato, we finally found our hotel. When we entered the room the towels were folded like hearts on the beds! We had a small room with three beds that overlooked a canal. When I first opened the window there were some men outside unloading a boat, and they started calling to us and whistling. After we got settled in the room we walked around the city for a while. Venice just has such a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere. Aside from the sheer charm and beauty of the canals, people everywhere are friendly and happy, probably because they are on vacation. Today was just sort of our day to get adjusted to the city. We did some shopping at the many blown glass shops and markets then ended up sitting by the seaside for a while. Tomorrow we plan to go on a gondola ride and see the St. Mark’s Basilica. We saw St. Mark’s from the outside today, and I’m pretty excited to go in. St. Mark, the one who wrote the Gospel of Mark, is buried there, which to me is just amazing. Actually knowing where the bodies of the saints are just makes them seem so much more real. The gondola ride should be pretty sweet too…there are some pretty cute gondola drivers in their striped shirts and straw hats.

03/07/2009

Since today was our only full day in Venice, we had a lot to accomplish. I woke up early and read from a guide book that I had borrowed from Bob. I learned all about the city, and picked out the sites that are most important to see. Our first mission of the day was to tour St. Mark's Basilica. The basilica's construction began around 800 A.D., and, although it was sacked and rebuilt a couple times, it has still been around for almost 1,000 years! It is made in the Italo-Byzantine style, which basically means that it uses tons of gold, mosaics, and traditional iconography of the saints. The overall effect is just staggering! You walk in, and you are completely surrounded by gold! It is hard to know where to focus because the whole is just so magnificent. If you look closely at the mosaics, they tell stories of Christ and the Apostles. I also found out today that no one is really certain where St. Mark's body is. His tomb is under the main altar, but during the destruction of the church in it's early years, his remains were lost in the rubble. It is said that a prayer service for the recovery of St. Mark's remains was said during the early days of the new basilica. During this service, it is said that a cracking sound came from a pillar in the back of the church, and St. Mark's entire body came out of the pillar. Who knows, I guess anything is possible with miracles. After we were done touring the basilica we went to have a picnic in the Garden Reali. This is a place that I discovered from Bob's guide book, and I'm really glad I found it. It was a nice relaxing place to take in some greenery and be away from the masses of tourists. There were also these cute little nuthatches that ate bread crumbs out of our hands! After our picnic we went to see the Arsenale, which for many years was the largest harbor in the world. Then, after that, we went to the Piazza Margherita, which was highly recommended by the author of the guidebook. It was not all that he made it out to be, and it was a very long walk to get there. But we did get to see a lot of the city along the way. Oh well, live and learn. After that walk, we were all feeling pretty tired, so we went back to the hotel to rest up for the evening. In the evening we went for a gondola ride, which was amazing! It was quite expensive, but worth it. We went just at dusk, so the moon and stars were visible, but it was not quite dark yet. It was a really neat way to take in the city, and we enjoyed a bottle of wine along the way. Overall, I'd say this evening is an evening that I want to remember forever. Good friends, good wine, and a gondola ride in Venice, what more can a girl ask for?

03/07/2009

Today Ania and I went to Mass in the morning at a church near to our hotel. It was a very strange Mass that did not completely follow the parts of the Mass that I am used to, and there were only about 10 people there, all of them over 65. It was a huge church, but the Mass was held in a side chapel. There are 107 churches in Venice, so I guess they all can't be filled. Plus, during communion there was no choir, so the priest played a song from a tape recorder. Can you say tacky? We should have gone to one of the bigger churches, but oh well. If there's a next time, I'll know where not to go. Other than that, we did a little more shopping, had lunch, then headed back to the train station for our journey home. The train ride home was a bit interesting, as there was an Italian man, probably about 30 years old, across the aisle from me who stared at me for about two hours straight. I was reading a book, and every time I looked up, his eyes were just locked on mine. Finally, I wrote a note to Allyson that said I was going to get up to go to the bathroom, then move into the seat next to her, which faced away from the man. When I got up to go to the bathroom, he turned completely to stare at me as I walked down the train aisle. So creepy! I hate it when this kind of thing happens on a train or bus and I can't get away from the person. At first it was funny, but now it's just getting annoying. I think I'm going to figure out how to say in Italian, "Take a picture, it will last longer!"

Planning, and now off to Venice!

I haven't written too much this week because I have spent the majority of my time making travel plans for the 20 days I will be in Europe after my program ends, not to mentions some plans for this weekend. You'd be surprised at how much time is effort is needed in order to make sure your travel goes smoothly, and then sometimes it still doesn't. Beginning April 3 I will be completely on my own for providing food, lodging, and transportation for myself. At first that was kind of scary to think about, but the more plans I make, the better I feel about it. I will spend the first ten days travelling with Eldon and perhaps a few others. We will go to Paris, visit a mutual friend in Ireland, stay in London for a night, then head to Munich and stay there until Easter. After Munich we will part ways, and I will head for Florence, as my mom and brother Matt are coming to visit. They will be here for ten days, and I will essentially be their tour guide. We will mostly visit places where I have already been, so I will know how to get around. I'm looking forward to both of these adventures, and I have been doing a lot of searching for decent hotels and hostels. You'd be surprised how much more difficult it is to book hotels in Europe than in the U.S. Everything is privately run, so there are no Motel 6's or Super 8's or Holiday Inns where you know exactly what to expect and what you'll be paying. The hotels are rated on a five star system, but there is not standard way of deciding how many stars a hotel should receive, so some one star hotels are more like three stars and some 3 stars should be one stars. The prices are also a lot higher here for what you are actually getting. The cheapest hotel I could find in Florence was about 60 euros per night for a triple, which is about $80, depending on the exchange rate. In the U.S. you'd probably be able to get a fairly decent room for that. Here you get the most basic room you can imagine: three beds, that's it, no decorations on the walls, nothing. There is a sink and a shower in the corner, and they toilet is located in the hallway for sharing. Now I don't mind getting by cheaply, as long as the place is safe and clean, but it takes so much research just to find a place that will be suitable. In order to book our hotel in Florence I spent hours checking online rates and reviews, then I went into town to visit the hotel. I guess I could always just go with the blind date method and just hope for the best, but I just prefer having some idea of what I am getting.

On another note, I will leave for Venice tomorrow morning, and I am staying two nights there with Ania and Allyson. I booked a cheap hotel for us near the center of the city, so hopefully it's decent. I'm really looking forward to seeing Venice, as I've heard that it is beautiful. You probably won't hear from me until Sunday, then I'll tell you all about it.

Ayuto...help...I don't know

I seem to have a knack for coming across elderly people who need help. There was the one old lady I encountered last month who needed help with opening her door, and today I had a bit more extreme experience. I was out on a walk just to get some fresh air, as it had been raining all day today and most of the day yesterday. I walked up the hill to the Franciscan monastery, and I entered the park that is on the monastery grounds. Shortly after entering the park, I saw an old man, probably about 80 from the looks of it, on his hands and knees crawling up the hill. At first I wasn't quite sure if I should say anything. I didn't know what he was doing, and I thought maybe he was a homeless person, as there are a few who frequent the monastery. Upon careful examination, I realized that he was quite nicely dressed in a knee-length wool coat and beret, and his umbrella, journal, and handkerchief were scattered on the ground in front of him. This is when I realized he must of fallen off the approximately two foot embankment on the side of the path. In the most comprehensive Italo-Spanglish I could manage, I asked him if he needed help. We were having some trouble communicating, so I just went down there, and he motioned for me to grab his arm and lift him up. Once I got him up I realized that his injury was more severe than I anticipated. He was not able to put any weight at all on one of his feet, and I could tell he was in a lot of pain. There was no way that I was going to get him over the embankment, so I sat him on the edge and tried to explain to him that I was going to get help and would be back. I didn't want him to think I was just leaving him, but it was so difficult to say what I wanted. I did understand him when he told me to go to the Franciscan brothers though, so that is what I did. The only thing was, I wasn't quite sure where the brothers actually lived. I tried to ask a homeless man who was sitting by the church, but I don't think he understood be because he asked me if I could give him some money for coffee. So I went and rang the nearest doorbell that I could find, and I figured it was the brothers' house because there was a religious crest over the door. Once again, I had to try out my Italian while speaking over the intercom, trying to explain the situation. Finally, a cook came to the door, and he came with me to find the hurt man. When we found the man, the cook started talking to him like they knew each other, so I assume they did. We helped the old man up, each taking an arm. That's when two British tourists came by and asked if we wanted more help. I let the British man take over my position at the old man's arm, and we worked our way back to the brothers' house. There they had a wheelchair, which they put the old man in, and I assume everything will work out fine now. I talked with the British people a little more, then came back to Villa Bonelli and told my friends about my unexpected encounter on my walk. It was kind of a scary experience, but I'm glad I could help the man out and that things worked out in the end.

A Dream Come True

Let me just preface this by saying that Switzerland was amazing, and no matter how hard I try, words and pictures just won't do it justice. I've said I wanted to ski in the Swiss Alps for years, and I've imagined many possible scenarios of doing so, but I have to say that the actual experience was better than I ever could have imagined. I would go back in a heartbeat, and I know I will someday. In fact, I would consider living in Switzerland if given the chance. I felt so much more at home there than I ever have in Italy. Most people that we encountered there spoke German as their main language and French and English as other languages. Most people were pretty fluent in English once you started to talking to them, which was very nice for a change. Many people there are of German nationality, and I felt very at home. I know it may sound like I'm exaggerating, but I never realized how much my German heritage really has shaped who I am. You would think that it would all just be neutralized after generations in the United States, but I noticed many similarities between the German people and myself and my family. Their intonation and mannerisms are very similar to what I am used to. Unlike Italians, who use flamboyant gestures and sound like they're having a heated argument not matter what they're saying, Germans tend to use lower, softer tones and be more reserved in public. Another similarity is their looks. For the first time since being in Europe, I felt like I blended in. My dishwater-blond hair and hazel eyes did not draw attention at all amongst the Germans. People in Interlaken were also a lot more friendly than they are in Florence. I've heard that the unfriendliness of the Florentines is not common to all Italians, but it sure gets to be annoying after a while. Nobody says "excuse me" when they bump into you, and nobody smiles or says "hi" when they pass you on the street. In Interlaken people greeted us on the street and the store clerks were friendly. Now I know this may not be true for all of Switzerland, but it sure did make for an enjoyable weekend getaway. Interlaken is pretty touristy, since it is one of the biggest adventure sports destinations in the world, so this may be one reason why so many people speak English and such. I kept a journal while I was in Interlaken, and those are the two entries below this one. If you would like to see pictures from my weekend, you can go to: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2025381&id=173301949&l=8c543

02/27/2009

After arriving at our hostel around 4:00 a.m. last night, I woke up at 7:00 a.m. to grab a quick breakfast of bread and jam at the hostel and go rent skis. I must admit, I wasn't too psyched to begin my first day skiing on only three hours of sleep. But I've survived on less before, so I just told myself I wasn't tired, and by the time I hit the slopes I was so amazed by everything I saw that I forgot all about my fatigue. Ever since sixth grade, when I started skiing, I have been reading ski magazines about Switzerland, and in high school I used to go online and look up Swiss ski vacations. Skiing in the Swiss Alps has been my dream for almost as long as I can remember, and today it came true.

Today I skied with a guy named Mike who was also with the Florence for Fun tour group. He is from New Jersey and studying in Florence for the semester as well. We men on the bus to Interlaken, and when we found out that we were both skiing, we decided to meet up in the morning. Our day go off to a bit of a rocky start because Mike could not find his wallet which had his credit card, debit card, and all of his money in it. He thought that it may have fallen out of his pocket on the bus, but the bus driver was sleeping and could not be woken until afternoon. So Mike borrow our tour guide Fabio's credit card in order to rent his skis and buy his lift ticket. The rental skis were very nice--I got a brand new pair of Solomon women's boots and Solomon skis, which are probably the best I've ever ridden.

Actually getting onto the slopes was an experience in itself. We rode a bus to a village just up the mountain from Interlaken, then we rode a train up the mountain to another little village where we changed trains to get up to one of the highest points in the ski area. I really wasn't expected to ride trains while skiing, but this is just the way the Swiss do it. You could "hike" all over the Swiss Alps without doing much walking at all, you could just hop on a series of trains and be at a peak. I will admit that it was confusing where to go at first, as everything is so big that maps can't possible give much detail. We pretty much just played it by ear most of the time, looking for slopes that looked fun and trying them. The design of the slopes is also a lot different than those in the U.S. There is a lot more open space that has not been converted to groomed slopes, and everything is very spread out. Also, one company does not own the entire area. I'm not quite sure how the land ownership works, but there are many private bars that sell beverages and food on the slopes. There are also many ski villages scattered throughout the mountains, and you can ski right through them on your way down. Some people must live in these villages year-round, because on our way down we saw a herd of sheep exiting a barn!

The snow conditions toward the top of the mountain were just amazing! It took me a while to realize that I didn't have to carve as hard here as I do on the icy slopes of Minnesota. it's a good thing I realized this because my legs were about to give out by the end of the day even with my gentler carving. I could literally ski down for miles without stopping if I wanted to, but my legs would get so tired on the way down that I'd have to stop. Throughout the day I just kept wishing that my family and certain friends could be here to experience this with me because I know they'd all love it so much. If I ever have the funds to pay for a group ski vacation to Switzerland, it will definitely be top priority. There is something for every level of skier here too--from miles of never-ending easy runs that snake through pine forests and beautiful vistas to off-piste skiing for the more adventurous.

The off-piste skiing was something Mike and I tried today, and I must say that it was the best part of the day, but also one of the most scary experiences of my life. While riding the lift up, we saw a guy skiing down an are that looked like it was covered in fresh powder. there were a few tracks, but not many. This was because no lifts went to the slope, but it looked so nice, we decided we had to try it. In order to get to the area where we wanted to ski we had to walk uphill from the top of a lift. It didn't look too far from where we began, but when we started climbing it sure felt far. After all, we were wearing ski boots and lugging skis and poles up the hill. When we got the the top we both just collapsed into the deep snow and started eating it, then just laid there taking in the scenery for a while. It was really beautiful up there, and the sun had just burned through the clouds, so we could see far. When we finally got up and got our skis on we realized that the slope was a lot steeper than it looked from the lift. The snow was powder, but it was not fresh, so it had some crust on top, which made it hard to maneuver through. Skiing in this type of snow also uses an entirely different skill-set than skiing on ice or even groomed slopes. We got about half-way down the slope, and we realized that it got even steeper. At one point I fell with my body going down hill from my skis, which were pointed across the hill, and I wasn't sure I had the strength to force my body to the uphill side of my skis where I needed to be in order to stand up. I just laid there for a while, not moving. I could tell Mike was a bit concerned, but I knew all along that I would find a way to work things out and get down the hill, because that is just what I do. Finally we got past the steepest part, and things were going better. I decided to let my speed go a bit, and I totally ate snow. I didn't get hurt at all, but one of my skis did come off, which make that the worst wipe out I've had in quite a while.

At the end of that fun I was just shaking from the physical exertion and the adrenaline. Mike was pretty shook up too, so we decided it was time for a break and went to one of the nearby on-piste bars. I was planning on getting water before I did the off-piste run, but after that I decided that a beer would be much better. So that's how we ended up sitting in lounge chairs overlooking the Alps and drinking Swiss beer. This is just what I imagined Switzerland being, skiing and relaxation all rolled into one nice package. I really think today was one of the best days of my life, and I think I've already said that a few times during this trip. I just never thought all those years when I was reading about the Swiss Alps that I would actually get there. Now I am here, and it is just so majestic that I can't describe it!

02/28/2009

Today I got a little bit later start to my skiing than I would have liked to. Mike and I had planned to meet at 10:00 a.m. and go together again, but I saw him at breakfast, and he was debating between skydiving and skiing. He had already renewed his ski rental for the day, but I told him not to let our plans prevent him from skydiving. After all, I am pretty used to navigating ski slopes on my own. So he decided to takes his rentals back and go skydiving. One of the Florence for Fun guides named Alison was going skiing today, and she invited me to join her for the day. She is originally from Australia and has travelled all over the world, so she had many great stories. We also met a girl named Melissa at the bus stop who was from Chicago and is studying in Rome this semester, and she was by herself, so we invited her to join us as well.

We planned our route fro the day and decided to work our way up to the highest peak in the area. This peak is featured in the Jame's Bond movie, Her Majesty's Secret Service, which was made is 1969 with George Lazenby as James Bond. This is the trailer for the movie, and it actually gives you a pretty good feel for the Alps:
At the top of the mountain there is a circular restaurant that is surrounded by windows, and the seating area slowly spins as you eat, so you take in the whole view. This restaurant is where the women in the film trailer are eating.

Today was a beautiful day in Interlaken, so lots of people were making their way to the top. I heard a couple of locals say this is the best weather they've seen in a month. There was literally not a cloud in the sky, and it was around 50 degrees Fahrenheit even near the top of the mountain. It was a bit warm for skiing, and the snow conditions weren't too great, but it was perfect for taking in the scenery.

We decided to do a bit of skiing as we worked our way up the mountain, and I realized that Alison and Melissa did not ski at the same level as me, as they stuck to mostly the easiest runs and snowplowed most of the way down. So we worked out a plan in which I did two or three harder runs while they did one run, then we met at the bottom of the lift. I was okay with taking it a bit easier today because I could definitely feel my legs after yesterday. If I had my choice, I would stay in Switzerland longer and allow for a day of recovery after each day of skiing.

We finally made it to the top peak around 2:00 p.m., after two bus rides, two trains, and three cable cars. People were just flocking to the top because of the nice weather, and the cable cars especially were packed shoulder to shoulder. At the top we walked around the terrace of the restaurant and took lots of pictures. Then we had dessert inside the spinning restaurant. After that Alison and Melissa were both done skiing for the day, but I definitely was not. The only way down from the peak without taking the cable car was a black, so the most difficult, and I knew I would beat myself up later if I didn't at least try it. We had been looking at it on our way up, and it really didn't look that bad. This turned out to be another of those live-and-learn moments that I keep having. The hill didn't look so bad from the lift, but once again it ended up being much longer and steeper than I thought it was. Imagine the toughest double black diamond with moguls you've ever seen in Minnesota, and multiply the distance by about 20, then subtract the ice and add some powder, and the result is this slope. I did almost the whole hill on the edges of my skis, inching my way down bit-by-bit sideways. You see, I have this irrational fear of letting my speed or control go even a little bit on steep long hills, and this fear is derived from my experiences on the icy slopes of Minnesota. Skiers of less ability than me were taking the hill just fine. Yes, it was steep, and yes, there were lots of moguls, but the snow was very soft, so it would have been easy to regain control. My mind just won't let me go though, and this can get very frustrating at times, especially when four-year-olds are whizzing by me. It took me about an hour to get down that entire hill, and once I go to the bottom, the lifts were beginning to close, as it was after 4:00 p.m. My energy was completely drained, and I still had to work my way to the bottom using the buses, trains, and cable cars. Everyone was heading down at the same time, so, once again, things were completely packed.

As I headed back to the hostel, I couldn't help but wish that I had more time here. I know I will come back someday. This may sound like something I just say but will never do, but I really mean it. I don't care what it takes, I am going to ski in the Swiss Alps again. Honestly, this weekend has been like a dream come true!

Off to Switzerland

Today I will get on a bus at 6:30 p.m. and head to Switzerland for the weekend. As I mentioned before, most of the SMU group is going, but they will be skydiving while I will be skiing. I'm very excited, and I'm sure I will have many stories to tell when I get back. You probably won't hear from me until Monday.

Ash Wednesday

Today is Ash Wednesday, so most of our group from Saint Mary's went to mass at the Fiesole cathedral. Once again, this was an experience unlike any I've ever had in the U.S. The service began at a small church just down the hill from the cathedral. The church was completely packed with nuns, priests, seminarians, and old people, so most of our group had to stand in the back of the church. Here began the music, which was some of the most beautiful I've ever heard. The choir was only composed of a handful of men and women, and they sang everything acapella. Their voices were so pure, and the acoustics of the church allowed to sound to resound so that the effect was just angelic. The bishop of Fiesole said a few words at this church, then we all processed out and formed two lines in the street and walked toward the cathedral. As we processed, we sang a prayer asking for the intercession of saints. There was a seminarian carrying a cross leading the procession, and there was another seminarian carrying loudspeakers on a pole so that we could hear the voices of the choir. The procession went right through the middle of the street, stopping traffic. Once we were in the church, the service continued similar to other Ash Wednesday services I've been to. There was just a lot more singing, and instead of putting the ashes on your forehead they sprinkle them in your hair. Overall this was a very neat experience, and I'm very glad that most of the group decided to go. Aside from small children, we were still definitely the youngest people at the mass even though the whole cathedral was filled. The majority of young people in Europe are just not very religious despite the culture of Catholicism that pervades. I was sort of surprised by this in the beginning of my time in Italy, although I had heard this before I came here. You'd think that when they have so much opportunity to practice their faith in their country they would do so. Even though it sometimes seems that American young adults are not very faithful, most do make a showing for major Church days like Ash Wednesday. I am proud of Americans for keeping these traditions alive in the younger generation, and hopefully we will not follow Europe's path.

The best party ever!

Yesterday was Fat Tuesday, or Marti Gras if you're French and Martedi Grasso if you're Italian. But the words do not matter because,no matter where you are in the world or what language you speak, it is an excuse to party before the 40 days of Lent. And let me tell you, Italians know how to throw a party. Their Fat Tuesday celebration is called Carnivale, and it takes place in cities across Italy. The Carnivale I chose to go to with Ashley, Allyson, Ania, and Eldon was in Viareggio, a town on the Mediterranean coast. This Carnivale is known as the best in Italy, and it runs every Sunday for about a month before Lent. Yesterday was the last day, and we all got done with class at noon, so we decided to get on a train and go.

Aside from a bit of confusion about which train to ride, we got to Viareggio just fine, and then Ashley and Allyson bought beautiful Carnivale masks. We proceeded to search for the festival. At first we were a bit skeptical because it didn't seem like there was much going on, aside from a few families dressed in matching furry costumes roaming the streets. Finally we found the festival, which had kids' rides and lots of food booths. We had to pay 15 euros to get in, so we were all thinking, "This better be good." Once we got in we weren't sure what to do or where to go. We didn't know if we had to pay more to go on the rides and such, so we just wandered for a bit. Finally the good part came. We were just standing in the street, surrounded by kids and parents dressed in costume when we realized that the parade was coming, and we were directly in its route. And this wasn't just any parade, this was a parade unlike any I've ever seen before. Huge floats that fill up the entire street and are as tall as the multi-story hotels that rise up on one side are constructed from a sort of paper mache. The floats are all pulled by tractors, and they blast loud dancing music. They are all just packed with costumed dancing people, again little kids, parents, old people, teenagers, everyone participates. Unlike parades in the U.S., people do not just sit and watch the parade go by; they get up and dance in the street to the music, and lots of the parade marchers who are not on the float invited us to dance with them.

Many of the floats have a political theme. One that was specifically aimed at America was a satire of Barack Obama. He was dressed as a railroad worker in overalls and holding a hammer in his hand. In front of the float there were people dancing who had their faces painted black, and they were dressed as various occupations that represent middle class Americans. Other floats were less political, such as one based on Aladdin and another with a bunch of giant goose heads sticking out. The parade went on for probably 2-3 hours, and we were dancing almost the whole time. After the parade many young people just started dancing out in the street to the music that was still playing from the floats. It was just such a fun atmosphere and unlike anything I had ever seen in the U.S. before this. I especially enjoyed the fact that everyone, no matter their age, really got into it. I have never seen so many parents and children dressed up in furry purple cow suits before. Other costumes included a group of little girls dressed up as cheerleaders from Rydell High in Grease, a guy dressed up as the Pope who was handing out fake Eucharists, and a plenitude of young men dressed as women.

After the parade was over, I wanted to go see the ocean/sea, since I have never seen it before. So we walked toward where we thought it was, and then I saw it. I ran across the beach all the way to it, and when I got to it I kicked my shoes off and went in, panty-hose still on, as far as I could without completely soaking my mini-skirt. It was just such and exhilarating experience, even though I'm sure any Italians who saw me probably thought I was crazy.

After the ocean, we decided to try to find a place to eat. This is when we encountered two men who had been on a float in the parade. Ania and I had been blowing kisses at many of the men on the floats throughout the parade, so we think they may have been guys we were blowing kisses to. One was dressed as a clown, and the other had a cape and painted mask on his face. The clown seemed to have had a bit too much to drink, and he was asking us to come party with them. He was also shoving candy down our shirts and kissing our cheeks. He told us about a giant party that happens after the parade at the end of the street, and Ania, Allyson, and I thought it sounded like something worth trying. Ashley and Eldon weren't really feeling up to it, so they decided to head back to Florence. This was probably a good thing because it gave us an excuse to escape from the clown. Ania, Allyson, and I proceeded to find the party and, let me tell you, it was a party! There were food and alcohol vendors everywhere, and it was great food too. Since it was Fat Tuesday, I decided to splurge. Although I had already had a sandwich and gelato for dinner, I had a delicious cream filled, deep-fried pastry and a hot dog. I'm usually not much of a hot dog person, but this was a hot dog Italian style. It was on a homemade bread bun that was toasted and had fried peppers and sauerkraut on it...very tasty! Aside from the food, there were DJs set up on the street blasting loud music, and there was dancing everywhere. Although it was beginning to get late, small children and older people were still members of the party crowd. It was nothing like a street dance in America where usually people don't dance too much. Here everyone was dancing, and people you did not know would just start dancing with you. I've never had so much fun at a festival in my life! Unfortunately, the last train left Viareggio for Florence at 10:00 p.m., so we had to leave when the party was just getting started. I'm pretty sure it carries on all night, so perhaps another year I will find myself back in Viareggio for Carnivale. Until then, I will definitely remember last night as the best party I've ever been to.

This month's editorial

Once again, it's that time of the month that I write an editorial for the Saint Mary's newspaper. And, once again, my editorial is going to do double duty as my blog entry for the day. If any of you are interested in checking out the Cardinal online, the address is http://cardinal-smumn.blogspot.com/.

A lesson in Italian flirting

I have almost hit the two month mark of my time in Italy, and each day I seem to discover new aspects of Italian culture. One aspect that has proven to be especially intriguing is the culture of romance, which I never realized the full extent of before coming here.
Being a young, blonde, athletic American female in Italy has put me at the receiving end of much flirting from Italian men of all ages and appearances. The most overt and persistent flirter I’ve encountered was a 39 year old man named Dario on the ski slopes. During our first conversation Dario told me that I have beautiful eyes. This may seem like a cliché compliment, but he seemed very sincere. Shortly after he told me that I make his heart beat like thunder and lightning, and he asked me if I would like him to get me a room in his town by the sea. I must admit that at this point I began to get a bit creeped out, but this is a prime example of the flirting that is considered normal in Italy. If a man perceives even the slightest chance that a woman may be interested in him, he proceeds at full throttle.
Another story of a persistent Italian flirter comes from Saint Mary’s own Dr. Mary Fox, who is currently on sabbatical and doing some traveling and research in Italy. Recently she was in Rome with Br. Stephen Rustyn, and they were eating at a restaurant. Br. Stephen left the table to go to the restroom, and the young male waiter came up behind Dr. Fox and began kissing and caressing her head and neck. The man proceeded to tell her that he fell in love with her when he first saw her, then he began to undo his belt. He told her that he just wanted her to “take one look.” In America a waiter could get fired or arrested for doing something like that, but here it is considered acceptable.
Lastly, I would not do Italian flirting justice if I failed to mention the ways Italian men of all ages address young women on the street. A couple common phrases are “Ciao bella!” which means hello beautiful, and “Mamma mia!” However, some men opt for more original methods, such as a one who neighed at my girlfriends and me as we walked by. Sometimes I cannot help but laugh at the ridiculousness of these methods, but they do make some great stories, and I think I will miss the romance culture when I return to the States.

More Photos!

Aside from the few pictures I have uploaded into my blog, I really haven't shared any pictures, so I decided to share the links to all of my facebook albums. Take a look when you have the time...there are a lot of them!

Italia Due:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2024377&id=173301949&l=9ec79
Italia Tre:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2024647&id=173301949&l=ade09
Italia Quattro:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2024703&id=173301949&l=0f5e6
Italia Cinque:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2024863&id=173301949&l=bcf61
Italia Sei:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2025132&id=173301949&l=2722d

Breaking Away

Last night I was trying to decide what to do today, and I just decided that I wanted to rent a bike and explore the countryside. So that is how I ended up renting a Bianchi racing bike and riding 20 miles to the small town of Greve in Chianti (pronounced Gray-vay). I rented my bike at a place called Florence by Bike, and they helped me figure out a route. They even gave me maps and highlighted the roads that I should take. The route to Greve was absolutely beautiful! There were olive orchards and vineyards as far as the eye could see. I was really amazed by the expansiveness of the vineyards. Never before did I realize how big the wine industry actually is here. Today it finally hit me that this is how many people in Italy make their living. Many of the farms double as villas for guests, something the Italians call agritourism. It seems like a nice way for farmers to bring in a little extra income. When I reached Greve I explored the town a little and found a nice little bar to have lunch at. I was able to get a panine sandwich and a glass of Chianti wine for only four euros! After lunch I decided to do a little side trip up to a little village at the top of a big hill. It was about one extra kilometer, but it was extremely steep! I asked some guys on the sidewalk how to get there, and when they saw that I was biking they just started laughing because they didn't think I could make it. But I did make it, and I must say the view was well worth it. After spending a little time at the top of the mountain I began to make the 20 mile trek back to Florence. On my way back I saw some road signs that pointed to Florence, and I decided to follow them rather than retrace my same route. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but it turned out to be not so good. I ended up on a busy highway, and although it had a roomy shoulder, unlike the country roads, I still felt a little bit vulnerable when I was biking on it. But I did make it back to Florence in one piece and returned my bike. If you would like to see the route that I biked today, you can check it out on the Google map in the blog entry below. You will have to zoom out to view the entire route. Now I am extremely sore, and I have a feeling it will probably be worse in the morning, but it was definitely worth it.

View Larger Map

Picnic European Style!

Today we went to San Gimignano on our last group bus tour, which is a small medieval city situated atop a hill that overlooks countryside full of small farms and vineyards. It was an absolutely fabulous day! To begin with, the weather was perfect; at around 55 degrees and sunny it was probably some of the best weather we've had since arriving in Italy. At San Gimignano we first went on a tour with Bob which highlighted two of the main churches in town: Duomo di Santa Maria Assunta and Chiesa di San Agostino. The entire interior of Santa Maria was covered in frescoes. One wall was devoted to Old Testament stories, the other was devoted to Christ's Passion, and there was another wall depicting Hell and Heaven. St. Fina's tomb is in the church, and there are frescoes detailing her life. She was only 15 years old when she died, and she spent her life in San Gimignano. She was diagnosed with a terminal illness when she was only about 13, and she decided to lay on a wood plank on the floor rather than a bed in order to suffer more and to offer her suffering to God so that she could grow closer to Him. As she got sicker she grew very weak, and mice began to feed on her flesh. Finally she died, and all that was left was rotting, mouse chewn flesh. Not a very good image, right? Well God didn't think so either, so He turned her flesh into a pile of fresh flowers, and it is this miracle that made her a saint. I thought this was a beautiful story, and the frescoes about her life were very detailed and showed a lot of emotion in the faces of the people, many of which are small children. They are not happy paintings to look at, but the human emotion that they capture make them very captivating.

During our tour with Bob we also went up to an old hilltop fortress from the 1300s. It had a tower that was still in good enough condition to climb, and the view from the top was magnificent. You could see farmland and little towns and houses speckling the landscape for miles and miles all the way to the Apennines. Bob gave us the brilliant idea of returning to the fortress for a picnic, so that's what Ashley, Ania, Allyson, and I did. After our tour was over we went to an old church that had been converted into a wine shop. Here we sampled some of the white wine called Vernaccia, which is the San Gimignano region is famous for. I bough a bottle, and I am going to try to save it long enough to bring it home. I usually prefer red wine, but this is definitely the best white wine I've ever tasted. It is a sweeter and wetter wine than many, but it is great for a before dinner drink to whet the pallet. After purchasing our wine, we made our way to the coop where we bought fresh bread, Brie cheese, pesto, peach juice, and Pringles (the one American addition to our meal). On our way up to the fortress we stopped in one of the local sausage shops and bought some wild boar sausage. San Gimignano is famous for this type of sausage, and it was very good, I must say. We had a very enjoyable picnic with all of this food and a bottle of wine, and after our picnic we decided to just lay in the grass and take a nap. It just felt so good to lay in the sun and be warm, and I just kept thinking of how it would be if we were in Minnesota this time of year. Sorry to make some of you jealous, but just know that I do think of you occasionally while I'm laying in the sun. If I could bottle up the sun and send some to you, I would. But since I can't, I'll just enjoy it for myself.

Exciting plans

I received two exciting emails in the past couple days, both of which have led to some very exciting plans for the next few months. The most recent email confirmed that there are rooms for 14 people available at Manuel's Guesthouse in Cinque Terre for my birthday weekend. I've been looking at pictures online with Ania ever since I received the email, and I can't wait to go. I think this is going to be the best birthday ever! You can see some pictures at the website www.manuelsguesthouse.com. The guesthouse overlooks the sea, and there is a bar that serves beer and wine on the terrace! Who could possibly ask for a better place to celebrate a 21st birthday? I'm literally counting down the days even though I have a while to wait and there are lots of other exciting things happening in between. I really hope the weather is nice and that everyone has a good time, or at least pretends to, for my birthday's sake.

The other piece of exciting news really has nothing to do with Italy, but it's exciting nonetheless. Two days ago I received an email from the head naturalist at Whitewater State Park, where my office was based for my internship last summer. He offered me an internship at the park for this coming summer which would combine the job I did last summer (teaching fishing clinics in SE MN) with doing naturalist work at Whitewater State Park. They combined the positions due to budget constraints in the DNR, but it sounds like the ideal position for me. I am already familiar with the fishing clinic part of the job, and the naturalist part of the job will allow me more flexibility to pursue my own interests in the field. I was very flattered that I was offered this job, and I am looking forward to getting to know everyone at Whitewater better this summer. The bad part of this good news is that I might have to cut my travels around Europe after my school program a little short because of intern training. I'm still waiting to find out if that is the case, but if it is, I will have to switch my flight. So that will be sort of a hassle, but I'm willing to do what I need to do to get this job.

Unbelievable Riches

Today for history class we toured the Medici Palace (Palazzo Vecchio), where the famous Medici family lived during their reign in Florence. The Medicis were extremely wealthy, probably more wealthy than anyone ever has ever been in America. They made their fortune by trading wool and being the first pharmacists. At one point the family employed 700 servants! By the sheer power of their money they were able to secure leadership in Florence, and during their reign they funded much of the famous art that still exists in the city today. The palace really was a sight to see. Every room's walls and ceilings were completely covered with paintings, ornate carving, and gold. It is honestly unlike anything I've ever seen before in my life. The architecture itself is also amazing, as there are many arches and high ceilings. There is one room about the size of a soccer field that has an extremely high ceiling that is flat and entirely covered in framed paintings. Thanks to our teacher, Luciana, we were able to go on a tour of the "secret rooms" of the palace. We had an Italian tour guide, so it was a bit difficult to understand some things, but it was a really interesting tour. During this tour we were able to go up above the ceiling of the room I was just describing, and we found out that it is a self supported ceiling (no columns), and the paintings are all hung on beams. It is sort of hard to describe, but it was really pretty neat to see. The paintings that form the ceiling can be raised and lowered for cleaning purposes. The most interesting part of the secret room tour was when we were able to see a couple rooms that could only be reached by narrow secret passageways in between the walls. One such room was made to be like the interior of a jewelry box--the ceiling was arched, and it was the shape of a narrow rectangle. The walls were completely covered with paintings, and the ceiling was too. Some of the wall paintings opened up into secret storage areas where "treasure" was kept. Other paintings opened up to more secret passageways. There was one painting that looked like it had a completely black background, but then when a light was shined on it things appeared in the background. This painting opened up to a passageway that led to a tiny little library, only you could not tell that it was a library when you first walked in because all the books were hid behind pictures that opened up into bookshelves. It is just unbelievable that one family could be so rich that they could afford all of this. I don't even know what I would do if I had a house as big as theirs, but I guess that would probably be the least of my worries.