SPRING BREAK!!!

Ok so I know I am really behind on this, but humor me.

For spring break, I went to Paris for two nights, then to Berlin for a week with my scholars class. I really didn't do much in Paris, because Tiff, Jake, Anne-Louise, Jason, Roanne, Alex, AND Evan were all there. I spent my time eating bread and cheese, and drinking wine. I, according to Alex, am the worst francophile to ever exist. But can you really blame me for seeing my friends that I haven't seen all semester?! I think not. But it is bad that I am not in one picture from Paris. Tant pis! At least I got to speak French.

But then I went to Berlin, which I will undoubtedly return to, for it is now my favorite place in the world. It was so strange. You would expect that with such a tumultuous history, the people would seem somewhat bitter. Not at all! They were the nicest people I've encountered abroad. They were downright giggly!

We are now all infatuated with our professor Thomas Ertman. And luckily he took a liking to me. God knows why, but he did. I'm so glad he was there, because otherwise, I probably wouldn't have done everything that I did. Of course I saw the Brandedburg Gate, the wall, and the Holocaust memorial.

Shenanigans at the Brandeburg Gate.

No Smiling at the Berlin wall!

The Holocaust Memorial was so interesting. It was designed so that the blocks recall tombstones. It was so powerful.

We also went to the Jewish museum, which was one of the most amazing works of architecture that I've ever seen. Then we went to Wansee, and saw the house where the Nazis made the official decision to kill the Jews. And we went to Potsdam, this weird little town right outside of Berlin, where the tree powers met to figure out how to deal with Germany at the end of WWII. In Potsdam we got lunch in this great restaurant (here comes the inevitable rant about food. I swear I am eating my way through Europe). I got eisbein, which is essentially the leg of a pig. I couldn't finish my whole leg, but my friend Sam did, much to my chagrin.

And I finally got KOREAN FOOD!!! It was soooooo good. Fresh kimchi and great bibimbop.

The restaurant was on this great street called something like Altë Schoen Straße. There was a great store on this street where I got the coolest ring ever.

I'm never taking it off. I looooove it. It says "EAST BERLIN" on it. I'm so hard!

The nightlife was crazy. We never went to Berghein, the infamous club of Berlin. But we went to Luzia and Roses (creepiest place ever) in Kreuzberg. We went to Cookies, and Watergate. You are going to have to ask me those stories later. They aren't all appropriate for a public forum.

Sorry this is so long. I had so much fun in Berlin! I miss you guys!

I'm off to Milan this weekend to see this huge Egon Schiele exhibit and pretend that I'm super chic!

Alex came to Florence!!

I know I have been a little behind on my blog but I've been really busy traveling. But two weeks ago, Alex came to visit me in Florence. I had so much fun with her (as usual) and it gave me a chance to further explore Florence. We stayed in an adorable hotel near the Palazzo Pitti, called Hotel Analena (I would highly recommend it). The staff were so nice and the hotel was quaint and adorable.

But we went to Santa Croce and tried to find Dante's grave, but alas, it evaded us. Still worth going though. Around Santa Croce are some of the most fun places to go out. You can get aperitivo at Moyo, a swanky lounge with attractive people, protect your friends from getting groped by creepy old men at Twice, or go to YAG, a gay club in Florence which is one of the only places where they play American Top 40 music (Alex and I were very deprived). There's also a really cool club nearby called Babylon. There's a room upstairs filled with nothing but porchswings where a lot of Italians (and American, simply not myself) engage in less than wholesome activities.

We also went to the Serial Killer Museum!!! It was so cool. Alex and I both have a passion for scary movies, but neither of us knew about half the stuff that's gone down in the real world. The earliest serial killers, in my opinion, were the most interesting, because their motives lied in mysticism and magic. If you're interested, just Wikipedia Erzsebet Bathory. She is ridiculous.

We also climbed the hill on the South side of the Arno to Piazza Michelangelo, which has, undoubtedly, the most breathtaking view of Florence. It's kind of a trek up the hill...

...but even the walk is gorgeous. Once you get to the top, there is a bronze reproduction of Michelangelo's David. It doesn't have the same grace of proportion as the original, but it serves as a monument to the greatest artist, and the greatest sculpture, in all of Italy.

And the views are absolutely astounding. It reminded me why I love this city so much.

Alex and I also had some great food (obviously because of Italy's culinary reputation, and because of my obsession with food). The first night, we went to Dante. It's right near my apartment and they give students free wine. I got the veal, and Alex got some delicious truffle tortellini. The next night we went to Gusta Osteria. Delicious, and some of the best service I've had in Italy. I started with bruschetta with Lardo di Colonatta (basically slices of fat on bread...mmm). Then I got some sort of beef in a pepper sauce. I forget the name but it was also delicious. The last night, we went to Il Santo Bevitore. I've wanted to go here for a looooong time. It is right next to my apartment and I walk past the swanky restaurant with brick vaulted ceilings everyday. And my friend from Italy, who studied in Florence, told me it was one of his favorite restaurants in the world! Our reservation got messed up (because when I made it the man couldn't understand my name) so we got an aperitivo of Tuscan cheeses in there cafe next door. Then, once seated, I ordered the foie gras with toast and some sort of sauce. Alex got the raw tuna. It was absolutely delicious. It was what my aunt calls "pile food," where they give you a tiny amount of food neatly arranged in a little pile on a huge plate, but it was delicious and very reasonably priced. Sorry for the food rant.

But I had the best time with Alex and I can't wait to see her again!

And updates on Paris and Berlin for spring break are coming soon I promise!!!

Il cibo meraviglioso a Siena

Sorry for waiting so long to post. I've been busy. Pictures of Alex's visit are coming soon, and I have been studying (believe it or not) for midterms.

But two weekends ago, Emma, some of her friends from home, and I went to Siena. We rented a car and drove through the Tuscan countryside. The drive was so beautiful. The hills were so green and studded with tiny villages made of yellow stucco. The olive and cypress trees also were quite a site.

But once we got to Siena we parked out wonderful little Fiat and went in search of a restaurant near the Campo. We ate at this place called La Torre. The food was absolutely amazing:

To start, we had tagliatelle di cinghiale (sheet pasta with wild boar). It is a Tuscan specialty and it was delicious. The pasta was so light and fluffy and the boar was succulent and amazingly seasoned.

After that we moved on to meat. I got the lamb, which was delicious. It was prepared rather simply but perfectly cooked. Emma and Sara got bistecca fiorentina, which is another Tuscan specialty, and Julia got the sole.

Then, we moved onto desert. Tiramisu is, by far, my favorite desert, and the tiramisu at La Torre was one of the best I've had. And after we washed it down with a cappuccino and the rest of our bottle of Chianti. It was the best lunch I've had in Italy.

After that, we walked around and checked out the shopping. I bought a new wallet, which I have been wildly searching for. It's bright green and multicolored on the inside. I finally got some of the world renowned Tuscan leather that I'd been searching for.

That's enough for now. As soon as Alex puts her pictures up I will steal them for my blog.

Ciao!

Venice!!!

Last Friday, I went to Venice with my Renaissance art class. It was one of the most magical places I've seen. Though it was raining and flooded, it was still so breathtaking. I want to move there! Bellissima!

St. Mark's Basilica was littered with golden mosaics, ranging from Byzantine to high Renaissance. There was a bronze equestrian group looted from the hippodrome in Constantinople during the crusades. Meraviglioso! Unfortunately, later looters scraped the gilding off of the torsos of the horses. Still amazing though.

We were also lucky enough to see the Pala D'Oro. It's a huge altarpiece, composed of different panels made at different times. It's rarely on view, but I'm eternally greatful that I got to see it! No picture will do it justice though. It is HUGE and covered in gold, cloisonée enamel, rubies, and sapphires.

We had some hot sangria (who thought that'd be good?) and it was delizioso. We walked around the city and looked at masterpieces by Titian, Donatello, and my new favorite Tintoretto. The Scuola Grande di San Rocco was so beautiful. The whole grand hall was covered in dark painting, typical of the Tintoretto style. It was so ominous but at the same time luxurious.

Interview with Italian class

Monday, my Italian class met in Piazza Delle Cure to take pictures and interview real live Florentines. First we interviewed some random man who sold shoes and pants strewn across tables but he seemed disinterested, so we moved on. I, then, interviewed a fruit vendor, and he was really helpful.

I went to buy an orange, but the man gave me one for free. So juicy! The oranges here are amazing! Some of the best I've ever had.

Then Massimo took us to get gelato!

First excursion out of Firenze!

Today, I hopped on the train to Viareggio, a small beach town north of Florence, to watch their Carnevale parade. The floats were amazing and the town was really quaint. And I had one of the best kebabs I've ever had.

Carnevale is the Halloween of Italy. Everyone was wearing ridiculous costumes, and I felt out of place with only a Venetian mask (though I did feel like one of the singers in the Knife). I searched for a while for the right mask, because I thought some of them were a little tacky. I found a plain black leather one that looked pretty classic and a little creepy. I had to have it. It was a little more expensive, but I'll always have it as a souvenir. And I can use it to decorate my apartment next semester!

Kids were spraying silly string and throwing confetti everywhere. Hours later, I still have some in my hair.

Photos thanks to Jasmine, via Facebook.

Michelangelo's David

I finally ventured to the Accademia Gallery this weekend. I just took a quick walk through, mainly to see the David. It has always been one of my favorite statues, and seeing it in person only made me appreciate it more. It was absolutely breathtaking.

Il Papiro

My TA Carolyn from last semester told me about this amazing stationary store called Il Papiro. Jasmine and I stumbled by it on our walk home and decided to go in. The owner was there and showed us how to make marbled paper and told us all about the history of marbled paper. One of the king louis wanted to find a faster way to make paper and they found it in Turkey. It is one of the coolest things to watch.

I ended up buying these really great bookmarks based off of an 18th cent. model. Nine euro was a little much for some bookmarks, but I made friends with the owner and he gave me a discount card. I have no doubt that I will be buying more from this store, perhaps even gifts for other people.

They also have a store in New York! So I'll be visiting that location when I get back. I recommend to everyone that you check it out.

CARNIVALE!

So I was going to go to Venice for Carnivale, which is pretty much the New Orleans Mardi Gras of Italy, but I was too disorganized and now I don't have anywhere to stay. So it looks like I'll be staying in Firenze for the weekend. Emma and I did see some people dressed up and rocking out to some music by the Uffizi in Piazza della Signoria. One of them forced Emma to take a picture with him. Photocred to me!

I caved in

Ok I know that some of you will question my judgement in this endeavor, but I think it will be a good way to actually document my travels abroad. I've been here for about 3 weeks and it feels like it's been so much longer. So I will try to adequately summarize what I have been up to:

I live in Via Maffia 19 on the south side of the Arno. It's a 45 minute walk to class but it's worth it. My side of the river is way more charming. The apartments around the Duomo are plagued by tourists and gypsies.

Of course, the Duomo is beautiful and I can't believe that I walk by it every day.

I've been to the Uffizi twice now and was ecstatic to see the Doryphoros and the Laocoön group, two of my favorite sculptures.

And now the nightlife. So far, my favorite place has been this one lounge-type bar that is full of bookshelves. A lot of the books had Egon Schiele portraits on the front, but they were in Italian so I couldn't read them. It is a wonderful bar, but for some reason, no one knows what it's called. The name is not posted anywhere.

The food is great. I've been cooking more than I did in New York, and I'm really starting to enjoy it. Also, the other day, Emma and I were at the leather market and all these Italians were getting these sandwiches from this cart, so we figured we'd get one too. They were MERAVIGLIOSO! Best thing I've eaten in Italy yet. I thought they were pork, but when I googled it I found out that its the fourth stomach of a cow. My Italian professor was very impressed when I told him I loved my panino con lampredotto.

Anyways, those are just some highlights. I'll keep everyone updated. Ciao a tutti!