Oh yeah, I should also let you all know something that is going on back home. So, a year ago I interviewed this Professor for Casey's NMU about being an author and my teacher wanted me to submit it to the literary journal at UWGB called The Sheepshead Review. Well, my interview is going to be published in the Spring issue. Pretty sweet enough I didn't do anything but ask questions, but it will be cool to put that on my resume and to have my name published. Casey is talking me into submitting a short prose I wrote to some literary journals, but I have to revise it quite a bit before that happens and basically I don't have time. But, I thought I would share that with all of you, because I'm pretty excited about it.
Pace,
Marissa
Monday, March 30, 2009
Update: A Week of Rest
So just a quick update. Katie got home alright, it was daylight savings day for us on Sunday and she was running through the airport like Home Alone but she made it. Now, I'm just settiling back into the school week. It will be so nice to have time to get work done, now I just need to find the motivation. I'm still working on uploading pictures, but everything I'm on the internet I'm either writing a bunch of emails or talking to people and uploading takes too long and slows the internet. But, I have some great pictures you all need to see. I'll let you know. Take care back home. I'll keep you posted if anything exciting happens.
Ciao,
Marissa
Ciao,
Marissa
Sunday, March 29, 2009
The Week of Schmatie Schmucha!
A week ago, Saturday, Katie arrived. I was very excited waiting to pick her up at the train station. When we saw each other we ran towards each other like in the movies, it was kind of funny! We had that long walk from the train station to my place, where she kept all of her luggage. We checked her into her hostel and then went out to eat with Tina, Tom, Hilary, and her sisters at the nice restaurant we went to for Tina’s bday. After the great meal (Tom ordered steak, but didn’t feel well so I got to eat most of it!), I showed Katie, none other, than Friend’s Pub. We had a glass of wine with Hilary and her sisters, but left shortly because we were both wiped out, I’m sure her more than me!
Sunday, super early, we decided to catch a train to Venice, we wanted to get it out of the way, per se, because we wanted to maybe go somewhere else at the end of the week. It was a warmer day than I had with my parents. We pretty much just walked around for a bit, went shopping, stopped at Devil’s Forest Pub (for the best Bloody Mary’s ever!), and got some Gelato, of course! You know we got Chinese there, too. At the end of the day, however, because I’ve been to Venice so many times, I though I was pro and didn’t need to look at my map. Hah, Katie kept saying I should, but I really thought we were on track even though it was a main street I’ve never been on before. Well, before you know it, we are walking towards the sea with no one around us. Hah, finally we turned back and only a few blocks before did we miss the turn so it wasn’t so bad. We survived it with humor.
The class week started off pretty well. I had an early morning Italian class and then I met Katie and she came along to my other class, with Paolo, where we were touring the Boboli Gardens. What a trip. It was a beautiful day and everyone was feeling it. Hilary had her sisters along too, so we were all a little chatty, but I don’t think Paolo minded too much because he’s a goofball, too. At the end of the tour, Paolo shook Katie’s hand and said nice to meet you. She said, “I learned a lot, but I probably don’t know as much as these guys.” Paolo goes, “Well, they learned it all in class, but they don’t remember anything anyways” and laughed. What a jokester. After class, the Bargello Museum (Donatello exhibit) wasn’t open so we grabbed lunch at that great Fettuccine Alfredo place. Yum! I showed Katie the Duomo and we went in Santa Croce church after that. It was then about time for my next class, which happened to be another tour. So Katie was able to come along. This was to the Salvatore Feragamo shoe museum. Katie right away knew she’d like it, but I’m not too fond of shoes. Well, turns out this Feragamo guy was super famous and made shoes for people like Aubrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe. There were wooden castes of their feet, pictures of them, receipts from them, and even famous shoes of him that they wore. It was highly impressive. After that we went to diner at Friend’s pub and got some yummy burgers and checked our emails.
The nice days couldn’t last and one Tuesday it was crummy out. I had two classes and I made lunch (soup) for Katie in between them. After my second class, Katie did some studying and I read a bunch of gossip magazines. It was a nice relaxing day, but it sucked that we couldn’t go out and explore. That night, I took Katie to Dante’s which is a really great restaurant a couple blocks away from home. We ordered pizza, French fries, and fettuccine Alfredo with a glass of wine. The girl brought out a liter instead. As we were finishing up, the owner, who I’ve seen before, brought us out a free liter of wine (like we need it). So, as a nice gesture, we ordered some Tiramisu. He then said when we were done drinking that, he’d bring over a nice bottle of wine and drink it with us. At this point, we were a little tipsy so we said sure. All of my roommates have gone there and received free wine, but he seemed to be really nice to us. The end of the night came and we were there for like 5 hours. He ended up giving us our meal free and telling us to come back tomorrow to eat with him. We said yes, but that was probably the 2 liters & a bottle talking. That’s all I really have to say about Tuesday! :)
Wednesday comes around, and Katie and I are feeling like crap. We finally leave the apartment around noon. Surprisingly, probably because it was a nice day, we get our sea legs back quickly. We head to the Bargello where I showed her all of Donatello’s (my lover) great works. He is by far the best artist/sculpture ever. Michelangelo is nothing compared to him. The only thing that could maybe top the Bargello is a waffle. We got one and Katie loved it. We then headed to San Lorenzo market where Katie proceeded to buy 20some scarves. I ended up buying a few more things, but I decided I’m done shopping for the rest of the time here. We spent like 2-3 hours shopping in the market. After, we were really undecided whether we should go to Dante’s. I figured that since I plan on going there a couple other times before I leave, I better go in order to not insult the owner (since he works everyday). He was so happy to see us and immediately sat us down, which was reassuring that we made the right decision. He told us to order anything and wanted us to get fish, but instead we shared a steak and shrimp. We had a nice meal, but definitely were not interested in drinking a lot plus we were tired from the day. We waited until the time was right and then told him we had to go. He was so nice and told us to come back every night, but we told him Katie would be leaving and I would be out of town for the weekend. I might go for lunch sometime this week, but I’m pretty busy so we’ll see.
On Thursday, while I was in class, touring the San Lorenzo church, Katie was wondering around the Academia, seeing Michelangelo’s David. We met up after class and found this restaurant called ZaZa’s that one of my friends who had been to Firenze recommended. It was decent outside so we go to eat lunch in the open. We shared ravioli and the three Tuscan soup sampler. It was a pretty good meal and I’m glad I finally got around the going there. After sitting for a bit at the apartment, I took Katie up to the Pizza del’ Michelangelo; one of the best views of Florence. We took a lot of funny pictures up there and Katie fell. That’s all I have to say! Haha! She can fill you in on that one! Our plan was to go up there, then walk down to Tijuana’s for some Mexican supper. Huge bummer. Turns out, there was a fire there on Saturday and it wasn’t going to reopen till the next night. We had to settle for Chinese instead. Wasn’t as good as Venice, but still filled us up. We went to Friend’s pub after, go figure, because Katie wanted to get some shirts. Katie then said goodbye to Florence because we’d be traveling the next two days.
On Friday, we left really early for Cinque Terre. It’s a mountainous coastline area North of Florence. It has five main villages and we stayed in Monterosso which is the most touristy and with the beaches. We got there at 11am and it was absolutely gorgeous, like out of a magazine, but then it started raining right when we got off the train. We took a taxi to our hotel which only ended up being like 7 minutes away, but Katie had all of her luggage with her. We checked into the hotel and immediately changed into our suits. It stopped raining for the most part, but it was pretty cold and windy. It didn’t matter though; our goal all along was to swim in the Mediterranean. The waves were huge, even on the shore. We went down to this beach, no one else on it, and stripped into our bathing suits. Of course, right then, tourists came up to the boardwalk and were watching us. On the count of three we ran into the crashing waves. Katie only went up to her stomach, but I, of course, had to dunk or I wouldn’t be able to say I was in. It was so cold, but I was just like “AHHH” and did it. Hah, too funny. The tourists were giving us looks like “these girls are crazy.” The worse part, however, was that the sand wasn’t sand, it was like sharp mini rock-pebbles. Our feet were killing us. After drying off, we changed and ate a packed lunch on the boardwalk. We were a little chilly so we went back to the hotel and changed into our jeans and coats. Then, we decided to try the much talked about Cinque Terre hike. This is through the mountains, through small paths, up many rocks stairs, all just for the love of hiking. Apparently it takes over 5 hours to walk from the last town (Monterosso) to the first town (Riomaggiore). I think it’s probably more than that though because we hiked for 2-3 hours and didn’t even make it to the next town. We ended up traversing 3 mountains. It was pretty cool and the scenery was amazing even though at times my fear of heights kicked in. We finally turned around and had to walk the whole way back. When we got to the hotel, I showered and then we hung out for a bit. At 7pm, we tried to find somewhere to eat. Tried is the key word. The first place we went into, and actually sat down, there was nothing on the menu under 10 Euro so embarrassingly enough we got up and left. The next three places were expensive too. Finally we decided to go this American bar that served hamburgers even though I really wanted pasta. When the bartender came up to us, we asked what the happy hour specials were (that were advertised in the menu) and he said they were only for summer. I was a little mad, but we still looked over the menu, after picking out salads, I went up to order, he goes, “we don’t start serving for another hour.” I threw the menu down and walked out. At this point I was so mad that I wasn’t even hungry anymore. Finally we stopped in this family owned restaurant with decent prices, which was actually the one closest to our hotel that we walked past. Ugh. We ate and then went home to bed. What a day.
Yesterday, we woke up, check out, and caught the train from Monterosso to Milan. It was three hours long and when we arrived in Milan it was pouring. We found our hotel, maybe ten blocks from the train station. We decided we’d just have a chill last night in, maybe find a grocery store and eat and watch the television. Well, Milan was a bust. We walked around for like an hour and didn’t see more than two stores open (on a Saturday!). Finally, frustrated, we stopped in a Gelato place. It was good and I asked one of the owners where a supermercato was. He pointed just down the street. Turns out, it was a few blocks and then around the corner was our hotel. We finally caught a break. Chilled all night, watched Casper the movie and Made (MTV) in Italian. Katie studied a bit and eventually we went to sleep. She woke up at 6am to get ready to leave. I said goodbye to her, tear… and then went back to sleep. I woke up at 8:30 to catch my train that was at 9:30. I got to the train station at around 9:00 and for some reason the only trains that were posted were for 10:00 and beyond. I was so confused and then I realized the 10:00 ones were boarding now. I finally found the local time and sure enough I had already missed my train. Turns out, as I suspect but still don’t know, they had their daylight savings thingy today. Lucky for me, I just went to the ticket office and they gave me the next train that left at 10:30. The problem is, I hope Katie made it to her flight in time! I’m still confused about the whole thing.
It was quite a fun week. It was really great being able to spend so much time with one of my really good friends. Katie and I got to do a lot and I’m so glad that we went to Cinque Terre and that I went to Milan because I know never to go back there now! :) Haha! This has only made me miss home so much more. I don’t know if the culture shock is finally hitting me (they say it takes around 3 months) but I know I miss so many things from home now. I’m definitely going to enjoy the time I have left, and my next spring break which I’m traveling to Paris and Ireland with Cari, but I really can’t wait to be back home. It’s going to be a fantastic summer!
Sorry I have been so out of touch this week. I hope everyone has been enjoying the warm-up at home and the weekend went great for you guys. We are back to being 7 hours apart, just so everyone knows! :) Take care and talk to you all soon!
Lots of Love!
Marisssa
Sunday, super early, we decided to catch a train to Venice, we wanted to get it out of the way, per se, because we wanted to maybe go somewhere else at the end of the week. It was a warmer day than I had with my parents. We pretty much just walked around for a bit, went shopping, stopped at Devil’s Forest Pub (for the best Bloody Mary’s ever!), and got some Gelato, of course! You know we got Chinese there, too. At the end of the day, however, because I’ve been to Venice so many times, I though I was pro and didn’t need to look at my map. Hah, Katie kept saying I should, but I really thought we were on track even though it was a main street I’ve never been on before. Well, before you know it, we are walking towards the sea with no one around us. Hah, finally we turned back and only a few blocks before did we miss the turn so it wasn’t so bad. We survived it with humor.
The class week started off pretty well. I had an early morning Italian class and then I met Katie and she came along to my other class, with Paolo, where we were touring the Boboli Gardens. What a trip. It was a beautiful day and everyone was feeling it. Hilary had her sisters along too, so we were all a little chatty, but I don’t think Paolo minded too much because he’s a goofball, too. At the end of the tour, Paolo shook Katie’s hand and said nice to meet you. She said, “I learned a lot, but I probably don’t know as much as these guys.” Paolo goes, “Well, they learned it all in class, but they don’t remember anything anyways” and laughed. What a jokester. After class, the Bargello Museum (Donatello exhibit) wasn’t open so we grabbed lunch at that great Fettuccine Alfredo place. Yum! I showed Katie the Duomo and we went in Santa Croce church after that. It was then about time for my next class, which happened to be another tour. So Katie was able to come along. This was to the Salvatore Feragamo shoe museum. Katie right away knew she’d like it, but I’m not too fond of shoes. Well, turns out this Feragamo guy was super famous and made shoes for people like Aubrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe. There were wooden castes of their feet, pictures of them, receipts from them, and even famous shoes of him that they wore. It was highly impressive. After that we went to diner at Friend’s pub and got some yummy burgers and checked our emails.
The nice days couldn’t last and one Tuesday it was crummy out. I had two classes and I made lunch (soup) for Katie in between them. After my second class, Katie did some studying and I read a bunch of gossip magazines. It was a nice relaxing day, but it sucked that we couldn’t go out and explore. That night, I took Katie to Dante’s which is a really great restaurant a couple blocks away from home. We ordered pizza, French fries, and fettuccine Alfredo with a glass of wine. The girl brought out a liter instead. As we were finishing up, the owner, who I’ve seen before, brought us out a free liter of wine (like we need it). So, as a nice gesture, we ordered some Tiramisu. He then said when we were done drinking that, he’d bring over a nice bottle of wine and drink it with us. At this point, we were a little tipsy so we said sure. All of my roommates have gone there and received free wine, but he seemed to be really nice to us. The end of the night came and we were there for like 5 hours. He ended up giving us our meal free and telling us to come back tomorrow to eat with him. We said yes, but that was probably the 2 liters & a bottle talking. That’s all I really have to say about Tuesday! :)
Wednesday comes around, and Katie and I are feeling like crap. We finally leave the apartment around noon. Surprisingly, probably because it was a nice day, we get our sea legs back quickly. We head to the Bargello where I showed her all of Donatello’s (my lover) great works. He is by far the best artist/sculpture ever. Michelangelo is nothing compared to him. The only thing that could maybe top the Bargello is a waffle. We got one and Katie loved it. We then headed to San Lorenzo market where Katie proceeded to buy 20some scarves. I ended up buying a few more things, but I decided I’m done shopping for the rest of the time here. We spent like 2-3 hours shopping in the market. After, we were really undecided whether we should go to Dante’s. I figured that since I plan on going there a couple other times before I leave, I better go in order to not insult the owner (since he works everyday). He was so happy to see us and immediately sat us down, which was reassuring that we made the right decision. He told us to order anything and wanted us to get fish, but instead we shared a steak and shrimp. We had a nice meal, but definitely were not interested in drinking a lot plus we were tired from the day. We waited until the time was right and then told him we had to go. He was so nice and told us to come back every night, but we told him Katie would be leaving and I would be out of town for the weekend. I might go for lunch sometime this week, but I’m pretty busy so we’ll see.
On Thursday, while I was in class, touring the San Lorenzo church, Katie was wondering around the Academia, seeing Michelangelo’s David. We met up after class and found this restaurant called ZaZa’s that one of my friends who had been to Firenze recommended. It was decent outside so we go to eat lunch in the open. We shared ravioli and the three Tuscan soup sampler. It was a pretty good meal and I’m glad I finally got around the going there. After sitting for a bit at the apartment, I took Katie up to the Pizza del’ Michelangelo; one of the best views of Florence. We took a lot of funny pictures up there and Katie fell. That’s all I have to say! Haha! She can fill you in on that one! Our plan was to go up there, then walk down to Tijuana’s for some Mexican supper. Huge bummer. Turns out, there was a fire there on Saturday and it wasn’t going to reopen till the next night. We had to settle for Chinese instead. Wasn’t as good as Venice, but still filled us up. We went to Friend’s pub after, go figure, because Katie wanted to get some shirts. Katie then said goodbye to Florence because we’d be traveling the next two days.
On Friday, we left really early for Cinque Terre. It’s a mountainous coastline area North of Florence. It has five main villages and we stayed in Monterosso which is the most touristy and with the beaches. We got there at 11am and it was absolutely gorgeous, like out of a magazine, but then it started raining right when we got off the train. We took a taxi to our hotel which only ended up being like 7 minutes away, but Katie had all of her luggage with her. We checked into the hotel and immediately changed into our suits. It stopped raining for the most part, but it was pretty cold and windy. It didn’t matter though; our goal all along was to swim in the Mediterranean. The waves were huge, even on the shore. We went down to this beach, no one else on it, and stripped into our bathing suits. Of course, right then, tourists came up to the boardwalk and were watching us. On the count of three we ran into the crashing waves. Katie only went up to her stomach, but I, of course, had to dunk or I wouldn’t be able to say I was in. It was so cold, but I was just like “AHHH” and did it. Hah, too funny. The tourists were giving us looks like “these girls are crazy.” The worse part, however, was that the sand wasn’t sand, it was like sharp mini rock-pebbles. Our feet were killing us. After drying off, we changed and ate a packed lunch on the boardwalk. We were a little chilly so we went back to the hotel and changed into our jeans and coats. Then, we decided to try the much talked about Cinque Terre hike. This is through the mountains, through small paths, up many rocks stairs, all just for the love of hiking. Apparently it takes over 5 hours to walk from the last town (Monterosso) to the first town (Riomaggiore). I think it’s probably more than that though because we hiked for 2-3 hours and didn’t even make it to the next town. We ended up traversing 3 mountains. It was pretty cool and the scenery was amazing even though at times my fear of heights kicked in. We finally turned around and had to walk the whole way back. When we got to the hotel, I showered and then we hung out for a bit. At 7pm, we tried to find somewhere to eat. Tried is the key word. The first place we went into, and actually sat down, there was nothing on the menu under 10 Euro so embarrassingly enough we got up and left. The next three places were expensive too. Finally we decided to go this American bar that served hamburgers even though I really wanted pasta. When the bartender came up to us, we asked what the happy hour specials were (that were advertised in the menu) and he said they were only for summer. I was a little mad, but we still looked over the menu, after picking out salads, I went up to order, he goes, “we don’t start serving for another hour.” I threw the menu down and walked out. At this point I was so mad that I wasn’t even hungry anymore. Finally we stopped in this family owned restaurant with decent prices, which was actually the one closest to our hotel that we walked past. Ugh. We ate and then went home to bed. What a day.
Yesterday, we woke up, check out, and caught the train from Monterosso to Milan. It was three hours long and when we arrived in Milan it was pouring. We found our hotel, maybe ten blocks from the train station. We decided we’d just have a chill last night in, maybe find a grocery store and eat and watch the television. Well, Milan was a bust. We walked around for like an hour and didn’t see more than two stores open (on a Saturday!). Finally, frustrated, we stopped in a Gelato place. It was good and I asked one of the owners where a supermercato was. He pointed just down the street. Turns out, it was a few blocks and then around the corner was our hotel. We finally caught a break. Chilled all night, watched Casper the movie and Made (MTV) in Italian. Katie studied a bit and eventually we went to sleep. She woke up at 6am to get ready to leave. I said goodbye to her, tear… and then went back to sleep. I woke up at 8:30 to catch my train that was at 9:30. I got to the train station at around 9:00 and for some reason the only trains that were posted were for 10:00 and beyond. I was so confused and then I realized the 10:00 ones were boarding now. I finally found the local time and sure enough I had already missed my train. Turns out, as I suspect but still don’t know, they had their daylight savings thingy today. Lucky for me, I just went to the ticket office and they gave me the next train that left at 10:30. The problem is, I hope Katie made it to her flight in time! I’m still confused about the whole thing.
It was quite a fun week. It was really great being able to spend so much time with one of my really good friends. Katie and I got to do a lot and I’m so glad that we went to Cinque Terre and that I went to Milan because I know never to go back there now! :) Haha! This has only made me miss home so much more. I don’t know if the culture shock is finally hitting me (they say it takes around 3 months) but I know I miss so many things from home now. I’m definitely going to enjoy the time I have left, and my next spring break which I’m traveling to Paris and Ireland with Cari, but I really can’t wait to be back home. It’s going to be a fantastic summer!
Sorry I have been so out of touch this week. I hope everyone has been enjoying the warm-up at home and the weekend went great for you guys. We are back to being 7 hours apart, just so everyone knows! :) Take care and talk to you all soon!
Lots of Love!
Marisssa
Thursday, March 19, 2009
I'm Glad I'm Typing this Instead of Talking!
So, I thought I’d start this blog out by saying some school related news, and no, it’s not that I dropped out! I rocked both of my presentations this week, it felt so good to get them done and I think I did really well. I got two of my exams back. A and B. So the grades are strong right now, except I still have to get my paper grades back. Also, the exam I had this week I felt really confident about afterwards, but it was an essay exam so it’s up to the professor now. I thought the family would be proud to hear so news about school, that’s why I’m here after all right?! Hah.
Caitlin and her friend, Lauren, were here this week and it was a lot of fun. I was still a little burnt out from the week with the family so I actually didn’t really show them around at all. I was busy with school and they had each other to explore with. But, it was nice because we had St. Patrick’s day and then last night we went to a Cassidy concert.
On St. Patty’s day, Caitlin, Lauren, and all my roomies went to Tijuana Mexican Restaurant, an Irish pub, and then Friend’s Pub. It ended up being a really good time and a good bonding experience for us roomies. I think we all needed a little break from each other and spring break helped a lot. Now, we all have visitors too so we aren’t at each other’s throats so much. It’s been a very pleasant week. I think we all realize our time left is short. We all got a lot of free stuff that night and some people even had green beer.
Last night, Caitlin, Lauren, Hilary, and I went to the Cassidy concert. He’s a semi-popular rapper. It was cool because it was actually at a club I’ve never been at before. We had a really good spot and the club was definitely hopping. The only bad thing is that he didn’t come on stage until 1:30am. We didn’t get home until 3am, but it was a lot of fun and worth it. It was also nice hanging out more with Hilary (who is the girl I knew before the trip and I talked into coming with me).
I had already been nursing a sickness and then we had Patty’s day and the concert so needless to say this morning at 9am Italian class, I wasn’t feeling the greatest, but it ended up being a pretty fun class. My Italian is really coming along I think. I might not be able to put a lot of sentences together yet, but I’m understanding the concepts and that’s all that’s important. So right now, I have absolutely no voice. Normally, at home, this is very usual for me, almost every weekend, but this is the first time here that I’ve lost my voice. I hope I get it back soon!
The only other fun side notes to mention is food I guess. Haha.. today I had this amazing Chicken Fettacini Alfredo. Usually I just get pizza, but ever since Cindy yelled at me to try new things, I’ve taken it to heart. Lately, I’m also just craving pasta. It doesn’t even matter what you get, it always turns out to be good. Or maybe it’s just because I’m so open with trying new things and loving them. Also, tonight Tom, Libbi, and I had a really nice dinner. Libbi made a salad and Tom made spaghetti carbinara (had spaghetti, onions, eggs, bacon, crème). It was very good. I, of course, did the dishes and provided the wine. Hahaha..
Tomorrow, all I plan on doing is sleeping and doing a little cleaning because, of course, Miss Katie Prucha comes Saturday. I’m so super excited. I think I was able to rest up enough this week and I’m ready to show Katie a really good time. She wants to go to Venice and I’m thinking maybe we could go to Amsterdam next weekend before she leaves because Libbi and Julie are going and I really, really want to go, but that’s going to be up to her. Either way, we are going to have an absolute blast and I’m excited to get a good week of bonding in with her. I think we’ll be together every minute I’m not in class or sleeping.
Well, I better get to bed early tonight. I hope everything is going great back home. The weather here has been gorgeous and today we had the LOUDest thunderstorm I’ve ever heard, but it was sunny the whole time. It poured rain for like a half hour and then stopped. Very interesting weather. I hear there is still snow on the ground, but it’s warming up. Enjoy it! Take care!
Loving life in Firenze,
Marissa
Caitlin and her friend, Lauren, were here this week and it was a lot of fun. I was still a little burnt out from the week with the family so I actually didn’t really show them around at all. I was busy with school and they had each other to explore with. But, it was nice because we had St. Patrick’s day and then last night we went to a Cassidy concert.
On St. Patty’s day, Caitlin, Lauren, and all my roomies went to Tijuana Mexican Restaurant, an Irish pub, and then Friend’s Pub. It ended up being a really good time and a good bonding experience for us roomies. I think we all needed a little break from each other and spring break helped a lot. Now, we all have visitors too so we aren’t at each other’s throats so much. It’s been a very pleasant week. I think we all realize our time left is short. We all got a lot of free stuff that night and some people even had green beer.
Last night, Caitlin, Lauren, Hilary, and I went to the Cassidy concert. He’s a semi-popular rapper. It was cool because it was actually at a club I’ve never been at before. We had a really good spot and the club was definitely hopping. The only bad thing is that he didn’t come on stage until 1:30am. We didn’t get home until 3am, but it was a lot of fun and worth it. It was also nice hanging out more with Hilary (who is the girl I knew before the trip and I talked into coming with me).
I had already been nursing a sickness and then we had Patty’s day and the concert so needless to say this morning at 9am Italian class, I wasn’t feeling the greatest, but it ended up being a pretty fun class. My Italian is really coming along I think. I might not be able to put a lot of sentences together yet, but I’m understanding the concepts and that’s all that’s important. So right now, I have absolutely no voice. Normally, at home, this is very usual for me, almost every weekend, but this is the first time here that I’ve lost my voice. I hope I get it back soon!
The only other fun side notes to mention is food I guess. Haha.. today I had this amazing Chicken Fettacini Alfredo. Usually I just get pizza, but ever since Cindy yelled at me to try new things, I’ve taken it to heart. Lately, I’m also just craving pasta. It doesn’t even matter what you get, it always turns out to be good. Or maybe it’s just because I’m so open with trying new things and loving them. Also, tonight Tom, Libbi, and I had a really nice dinner. Libbi made a salad and Tom made spaghetti carbinara (had spaghetti, onions, eggs, bacon, crème). It was very good. I, of course, did the dishes and provided the wine. Hahaha..
Tomorrow, all I plan on doing is sleeping and doing a little cleaning because, of course, Miss Katie Prucha comes Saturday. I’m so super excited. I think I was able to rest up enough this week and I’m ready to show Katie a really good time. She wants to go to Venice and I’m thinking maybe we could go to Amsterdam next weekend before she leaves because Libbi and Julie are going and I really, really want to go, but that’s going to be up to her. Either way, we are going to have an absolute blast and I’m excited to get a good week of bonding in with her. I think we’ll be together every minute I’m not in class or sleeping.
Well, I better get to bed early tonight. I hope everything is going great back home. The weather here has been gorgeous and today we had the LOUDest thunderstorm I’ve ever heard, but it was sunny the whole time. It poured rain for like a half hour and then stopped. Very interesting weather. I hear there is still snow on the ground, but it’s warming up. Enjoy it! Take care!
Loving life in Firenze,
Marissa
Monday, March 16, 2009
The End of a Great Week..
Last week with the parents and grandma was amazing. I’m so lucky that they decided to visit. It was so great to see their faces and spend a whole week with them.
On Monday and Tuesday we went to Rome, which was fun because it was all of our first times. The first day, we pretty much just explored Vatican City. We went into the Vatican museum and saw the Sistine Chapel (I even snuck a picture). We walked around the museum for around 3 hours and then headed to St. Peter’s square. By the time we got there, my feet were absolutely killing me. I decided to wear boots and it was probably the worse decision ever. St. Peter’s square was nice and we had another beautiful day. After sitting for a while, we went into St. Peter’s Basilica. It was the absolute most beautiful church I’ve ever seen. It was so huge and there were these awesome sun rays beaming through it. After that, we got some pretty amazing gelato and a drink. We decided to just chill in the hotel room that night which was perfect because everyone was a little tired. I even got to teach Dad Sudoku.
On Tuesday morning I was dreading putting my boots back on, but I layered up my socks and for the most part of the day I was fine. We pretty much walked and saw a huge chunk of Rome; not all though, because Rome is vast. We went to the Spanish steps, Fontana di Trevi (my favorite), the Pantheon, Campo de’ Fiori, Piazza Navona, and then finally the Ruins (Roman Forum), the Colosseum, and the Arch of Constantine. In between that we did a lot, a lot of shopping. It was such a fun little side trip, but it was nice to finally be back in Firenze that night.
Wednesday we spent bumming around Firenze. I get my days a little mixed up at this point, but Wednesday and Friday were spent shopping at San Lorenzo market, seeing Michelangelo’s David, eating waffles, trying gelato, and going to two good restaurants. On Wednesday, we went to this place that Dad found in a guide, it ended up being right down the street and a place we tried the other night but didn’t have a reservation. Turns out, we got lucky and there was a cancellation. It was a beautiful meal and conversation and the restaurant and the waiter were both very nice. On Friday, we went to Tijuana’s, the Mexican restaurant. Although the service sucked, the food was really good and I enjoyed my two pina colodas a little too much!
Thursday we spent exploring Venice. We had another beautiful day. We did a lot of walking, but we eventually found San Marco. We didn’t have too long of a time in Venice and we spent the majority of our time shopping (go figure) hahaha :).. buttttt, I did convince the family that we should revisit that Chinese place for dinner. It was as good as usual. We had an early train back because it was the last and after we walked home from the train station in Firenze, everyone was a little beat.
On Saturday, the last day (tear, tear), we just hung out and then for supper went to Friend’s pub for their famous burgers. It was a good last meal although I was getting a little sad. Luckily, when the family went to go pack and get some sleep, my friend Caitlin and her friend were just arriving at the train station. So, I picked them up and then I had to show them a good first night in Firenze, mainly because it was Caitlin’s birthday. Ended up going to be at 2am. Needless to say, I was extremely tired when my alarm went off two hours later (4am) to get up and walk over to the hotel to say goodbye. I’m really glad I did and of course would have had it no other way. I was very sad to see them leave and Grandma made me tear up a bit when she was hugging me goodbye, but I told her not to make me cry! Haha.. she didn’t listen very well.
So now, it’s two days later and I only miss home more. I’m so glad I got to show them around and it was great spending so much time with them because as I get older I get to spend less and less time with family. Now, I especially can’t wait until summer!
Caitlin and her friend are here now and I’ve been showing them around while still trying to get school work done. It’s been a little rough, especially since I caught Cindy’s little silent sickness, but I shake off sickness pretty well and it’s already going away. :) Caitlin leaves on Thursday and then Katie comes on Saturday. Can’t wait to see one of my besties. I also just can’t wait to spend every moment, besides sleep and school, with her. I think we will have just as good of a time as the family did.
Well, this happens to be another super long blog, but it’s really hard to sum up the events of a great week (and in the right order) so I apologize. I hope the States are treating you all very well. I hear the weather is finally starting to get warm, is that just a rumor?! Haha.. take care!
Peace&Love,
Marissa
On Monday and Tuesday we went to Rome, which was fun because it was all of our first times. The first day, we pretty much just explored Vatican City. We went into the Vatican museum and saw the Sistine Chapel (I even snuck a picture). We walked around the museum for around 3 hours and then headed to St. Peter’s square. By the time we got there, my feet were absolutely killing me. I decided to wear boots and it was probably the worse decision ever. St. Peter’s square was nice and we had another beautiful day. After sitting for a while, we went into St. Peter’s Basilica. It was the absolute most beautiful church I’ve ever seen. It was so huge and there were these awesome sun rays beaming through it. After that, we got some pretty amazing gelato and a drink. We decided to just chill in the hotel room that night which was perfect because everyone was a little tired. I even got to teach Dad Sudoku.
On Tuesday morning I was dreading putting my boots back on, but I layered up my socks and for the most part of the day I was fine. We pretty much walked and saw a huge chunk of Rome; not all though, because Rome is vast. We went to the Spanish steps, Fontana di Trevi (my favorite), the Pantheon, Campo de’ Fiori, Piazza Navona, and then finally the Ruins (Roman Forum), the Colosseum, and the Arch of Constantine. In between that we did a lot, a lot of shopping. It was such a fun little side trip, but it was nice to finally be back in Firenze that night.
Wednesday we spent bumming around Firenze. I get my days a little mixed up at this point, but Wednesday and Friday were spent shopping at San Lorenzo market, seeing Michelangelo’s David, eating waffles, trying gelato, and going to two good restaurants. On Wednesday, we went to this place that Dad found in a guide, it ended up being right down the street and a place we tried the other night but didn’t have a reservation. Turns out, we got lucky and there was a cancellation. It was a beautiful meal and conversation and the restaurant and the waiter were both very nice. On Friday, we went to Tijuana’s, the Mexican restaurant. Although the service sucked, the food was really good and I enjoyed my two pina colodas a little too much!
Thursday we spent exploring Venice. We had another beautiful day. We did a lot of walking, but we eventually found San Marco. We didn’t have too long of a time in Venice and we spent the majority of our time shopping (go figure) hahaha :).. buttttt, I did convince the family that we should revisit that Chinese place for dinner. It was as good as usual. We had an early train back because it was the last and after we walked home from the train station in Firenze, everyone was a little beat.
On Saturday, the last day (tear, tear), we just hung out and then for supper went to Friend’s pub for their famous burgers. It was a good last meal although I was getting a little sad. Luckily, when the family went to go pack and get some sleep, my friend Caitlin and her friend were just arriving at the train station. So, I picked them up and then I had to show them a good first night in Firenze, mainly because it was Caitlin’s birthday. Ended up going to be at 2am. Needless to say, I was extremely tired when my alarm went off two hours later (4am) to get up and walk over to the hotel to say goodbye. I’m really glad I did and of course would have had it no other way. I was very sad to see them leave and Grandma made me tear up a bit when she was hugging me goodbye, but I told her not to make me cry! Haha.. she didn’t listen very well.
So now, it’s two days later and I only miss home more. I’m so glad I got to show them around and it was great spending so much time with them because as I get older I get to spend less and less time with family. Now, I especially can’t wait until summer!
Caitlin and her friend are here now and I’ve been showing them around while still trying to get school work done. It’s been a little rough, especially since I caught Cindy’s little silent sickness, but I shake off sickness pretty well and it’s already going away. :) Caitlin leaves on Thursday and then Katie comes on Saturday. Can’t wait to see one of my besties. I also just can’t wait to spend every moment, besides sleep and school, with her. I think we will have just as good of a time as the family did.
Well, this happens to be another super long blog, but it’s really hard to sum up the events of a great week (and in the right order) so I apologize. I hope the States are treating you all very well. I hear the weather is finally starting to get warm, is that just a rumor?! Haha.. take care!
Peace&Love,
Marissa
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Today, Our Tour Starts At....
Lots happening so far.. I'll probably forget so many fun or funny moments, but I'll tell you, some of the pictures are priceless. The fam has been great and it's so nice spending quality time with the people I love, and in ITALY!! So cool. Their plane came in around an hour late on Friday, I told them they really know how to make a girl wait. I was waiting for them to come out and already having to hold back tears of happiness. Couples and families were being reunited all around me as I was sitting there waiting and trying to hold back tears.. so funny. So then I got nervous to see them because I knew I was going to cry. Sure enough, there comes Dad first and I just start balling, which is making me laugh out loud right now because I think I was such a baby! Cindy cried because I was crying which I also think is funny, Grandma maybe had a tear or two! ;) So after that, I whisked them away in their own private taxi (hah) and off we went. Got to the hotel, unpacked a bit, bought some alcohol (go figure), showed them my place with a drink and by then it was pretty much supper time so we found a great place down the road called Dante's to eat. I was pleasantly suprised because it was always a place I wanted to go in for lunch but it was actually a superb supper place. Cindy got clams, dad got squid, I got shrimp, and Grandma got this really good pasta. After supper it was definitely time for bed and I passed out just as much as they did I'm sure. Emotional day.
Yesterday, after they finally got up (got on the road at 11), we had a small church tour led by me, I think Grandma was impressed with my tour guide skills. After a few churches, we got lunch, then walked around for a little bit more, basically saw all the sites of the outsides and insides of churches. We even went in the Baptistry, I think that was neat to show them all the Byzantine paintings on the dome. On the way home we got Gelato, which I think and I hope they do, that it was of course amazing. After a day of walking around, we went back to my place for some drinks and ended up chilling on the terrace and watching the sun set. We decided then to stop by Friends pub for a drink and head to supper but of course, because I don't go out to eat often at nice places, I didn't know we needed reservations. After being denied, we finally found a place and we got really good food. Also, Dad hackled the waiter a bit. We had a bet whether the guy was married or not and he actually asked him. I was a little embarassed, but then I realized he might have thought DAD was hitting on HIM so then I laughed. Haha, it was a pretty funny dinner all around. Ask Grandma about the difference between first and one, apparently she thought it was sooooo funny she cried, whatever, Dad's jokes aren't that good, hahaha Just kidding! So since everyone who is here is soooo old, again joking, we all went to bed after that. It's so nice getting to sleep early and I think most of the time, I'm more worn out then them! Too much for me! :)
Today, we got going a little late which was not such a good idea since it's Sunday. A lot of things only stay open for the morning, but we still had a good 50 minutes to step in the Bargello Museum, which was not enough but good news, since it was women's day, all of us girls got in free. I was able to show them the Donatello exhibt which I think is great. We then went shop, shop, shopping. Grandma got shoes and a pusrse, Cindy and Dad both got scarves which look amazing, and I got new shoes and two scarves thanks to D&C. Also, I forgot to mention, Dad got a nice new black leather jacket on Saturday, it was a little bit of sketchy situation but that's a whole nother story. He looks pretty baddass right now, such a stud. After shopping, we stopped and finally got some pizza. We then decided to head home and watch the sun set again with some drinks. Even prettier tonight, purples, pinks, oranges... all amazing, with some pretty great scenery to go along. It was then time for the grand meal cooked by Marissa (D&C helped). We had noodles w/brocalli and beans, zucchini, onions, and garlic sautaated, garlic bread, and my special spagetti sauce, and fruit for desert. I think it was good and I really hope they enjoyed it as much as they said so. Oh yeah, and I forgot we got chocolate nutella waffles on the way home, which they loved. Mmm, I wish everyone could try their amazingness!!!!
So, Rome the next two days, which I'm sure will be amazing and then a day back in florence and venice the next day. Lots of plans and I can't wait to finally see Rome, no tour guide there, we'll all be finding out own way equally, should be interesting!! Hope everything is great at home, and work and school is going good for all of you. Summer will be here before you know it!! Take care!
Peace & Love,
Marissa -- the tour guide.
By the way, it was beautiful out all three days.
Yesterday, after they finally got up (got on the road at 11), we had a small church tour led by me, I think Grandma was impressed with my tour guide skills. After a few churches, we got lunch, then walked around for a little bit more, basically saw all the sites of the outsides and insides of churches. We even went in the Baptistry, I think that was neat to show them all the Byzantine paintings on the dome. On the way home we got Gelato, which I think and I hope they do, that it was of course amazing. After a day of walking around, we went back to my place for some drinks and ended up chilling on the terrace and watching the sun set. We decided then to stop by Friends pub for a drink and head to supper but of course, because I don't go out to eat often at nice places, I didn't know we needed reservations. After being denied, we finally found a place and we got really good food. Also, Dad hackled the waiter a bit. We had a bet whether the guy was married or not and he actually asked him. I was a little embarassed, but then I realized he might have thought DAD was hitting on HIM so then I laughed. Haha, it was a pretty funny dinner all around. Ask Grandma about the difference between first and one, apparently she thought it was sooooo funny she cried, whatever, Dad's jokes aren't that good, hahaha Just kidding! So since everyone who is here is soooo old, again joking, we all went to bed after that. It's so nice getting to sleep early and I think most of the time, I'm more worn out then them! Too much for me! :)
Today, we got going a little late which was not such a good idea since it's Sunday. A lot of things only stay open for the morning, but we still had a good 50 minutes to step in the Bargello Museum, which was not enough but good news, since it was women's day, all of us girls got in free. I was able to show them the Donatello exhibt which I think is great. We then went shop, shop, shopping. Grandma got shoes and a pusrse, Cindy and Dad both got scarves which look amazing, and I got new shoes and two scarves thanks to D&C. Also, I forgot to mention, Dad got a nice new black leather jacket on Saturday, it was a little bit of sketchy situation but that's a whole nother story. He looks pretty baddass right now, such a stud. After shopping, we stopped and finally got some pizza. We then decided to head home and watch the sun set again with some drinks. Even prettier tonight, purples, pinks, oranges... all amazing, with some pretty great scenery to go along. It was then time for the grand meal cooked by Marissa (D&C helped). We had noodles w/brocalli and beans, zucchini, onions, and garlic sautaated, garlic bread, and my special spagetti sauce, and fruit for desert. I think it was good and I really hope they enjoyed it as much as they said so. Oh yeah, and I forgot we got chocolate nutella waffles on the way home, which they loved. Mmm, I wish everyone could try their amazingness!!!!
So, Rome the next two days, which I'm sure will be amazing and then a day back in florence and venice the next day. Lots of plans and I can't wait to finally see Rome, no tour guide there, we'll all be finding out own way equally, should be interesting!! Hope everything is great at home, and work and school is going good for all of you. Summer will be here before you know it!! Take care!
Peace & Love,
Marissa -- the tour guide.
By the way, it was beautiful out all three days.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
The Week of Mia Familigia!
So excited, tomorrow Dad, Cindy, and Grandma come. They fly into the Firenze airport at 1:00p tomorrow and I'm going to meet them there. I will try to stay up super late writing some papers since I know I won't be able to sleep very well. On Monday, we are going to Rome and staying over night. On Thursday we are going to Venice just for the day. The other days we are just exploring Firenze. Can't wait to show them around and be their personal tour guide. Probably won't be blogging for a while since I plan on devoting all my time to them. Hope everything is going great back home. This week Monday marked the halfway mark. It was crazy because it was exciting that I still have 2 months and yet at the same time scary that it's still another 2 months. Hahaha, don't know if you all will understand that! Take care and have a great weekend and week in the frozen tundra.. hopefully it's finally warming up to a nice, livable, temperature!
PaceAmore,
Marissa
PaceAmore,
Marissa
Sunday, March 1, 2009
A Weekend in Firenze
So, since the fam is visiting next week (YAY!). I decided to try and save some money by staying in Firenze. It ended up being a really fun weekend. I tried so hard to make this weekend all about homework, but as usual, I didn't get very much done. The main reason, however, was because it was such a nice day on Saturday. But first, Friday.
Just one thing worth mentioning about Friday. At 7:00pm Libbi and I decided to go to this Mexican place called Tijuana. Luckily, we got there right when it opened up, because I guess the place gets so packed that they take reservations. Anyway, happy hour was 7-8 so of course we hit it up early. Right away I ordered a pina coloda. So amazing. Then, they brought out the quesadillas I ordered. I kid you not, this was the best food I have eaten in Firenze, even better than CHINESE! I plan on taking every visitor there, so I hope they all like Mexican food. After the quesadillas, I got a really spicy, but yummy bloody mary (of course) and a strawberry pina coloda. Libbi and I were also craving salsa so we got some chips and salsa and that was amazing, too. Needless to say, it was a good Friday. Haha! Doesn't take much!
Saturday, we woke up and Libbi, Hilary, Kristina, and I decided to go out on the town. We got to see a bunch of sights we haven't seen yet and we went in a few churches. A lot of the museums and churches are only open in the morning and we have class so we never get to go, so this was a perfect oppourtunity. The places we saw were so beautiful and now I have new places to show visitors. After that, Libbi and I went shopping for a bit because we wanted to find spring jackets. Libbi found one, I didn't, story of my life. I will keep looking until I find the perfect jacket. After that, we got pizza at our favorite little secret place and then, since it was so nice out, we decided to make some bloody mary's and do homework on the roof. It was so nice and warm in the sun that it felt like summer, speaking of which, I cannot wait for summer!
Today, we got up real early and Libbi and I went to Siena. It was an hour and a half bus ride away from Firenze. I really nice town, but of course, we get one sunny day and the next is shitty rain. We had to go to Siena for this project for a class so we pretty much went, took pictures, and that's about it. Nothing was fricken open. We couldn't get gelato and there were no pubs open, sad story. One good thing, however, there was a soccer game going on and the stadium was at the bottom of the hill so we could see some of the game. We could only see like half the field but it was Genova playing and they are one of the best teams in Italy. Pretty cool. We then had to wait an hour for the bus ride back and what was suppose to be an hour ride turned into two because we were on a highway (didn't know Italy had them) and it was stop-and-go traffic jam. A little annoying, but we were on the top layer of a double decker bus so it still had a cool aspect to it.
So, here I am. 5 days away from seeing my family. Super excited, but hopefully I can get some school work done this week. 2 exams this week as well, it might be a little hard to concentrate! Can't wait for them to come and to post about how much fun we are going to have together! Hope everyone survived the last blizzard. Stay warm.
Love,
Marissa
Just one thing worth mentioning about Friday. At 7:00pm Libbi and I decided to go to this Mexican place called Tijuana. Luckily, we got there right when it opened up, because I guess the place gets so packed that they take reservations. Anyway, happy hour was 7-8 so of course we hit it up early. Right away I ordered a pina coloda. So amazing. Then, they brought out the quesadillas I ordered. I kid you not, this was the best food I have eaten in Firenze, even better than CHINESE! I plan on taking every visitor there, so I hope they all like Mexican food. After the quesadillas, I got a really spicy, but yummy bloody mary (of course) and a strawberry pina coloda. Libbi and I were also craving salsa so we got some chips and salsa and that was amazing, too. Needless to say, it was a good Friday. Haha! Doesn't take much!
Saturday, we woke up and Libbi, Hilary, Kristina, and I decided to go out on the town. We got to see a bunch of sights we haven't seen yet and we went in a few churches. A lot of the museums and churches are only open in the morning and we have class so we never get to go, so this was a perfect oppourtunity. The places we saw were so beautiful and now I have new places to show visitors. After that, Libbi and I went shopping for a bit because we wanted to find spring jackets. Libbi found one, I didn't, story of my life. I will keep looking until I find the perfect jacket. After that, we got pizza at our favorite little secret place and then, since it was so nice out, we decided to make some bloody mary's and do homework on the roof. It was so nice and warm in the sun that it felt like summer, speaking of which, I cannot wait for summer!
Today, we got up real early and Libbi and I went to Siena. It was an hour and a half bus ride away from Firenze. I really nice town, but of course, we get one sunny day and the next is shitty rain. We had to go to Siena for this project for a class so we pretty much went, took pictures, and that's about it. Nothing was fricken open. We couldn't get gelato and there were no pubs open, sad story. One good thing, however, there was a soccer game going on and the stadium was at the bottom of the hill so we could see some of the game. We could only see like half the field but it was Genova playing and they are one of the best teams in Italy. Pretty cool. We then had to wait an hour for the bus ride back and what was suppose to be an hour ride turned into two because we were on a highway (didn't know Italy had them) and it was stop-and-go traffic jam. A little annoying, but we were on the top layer of a double decker bus so it still had a cool aspect to it.
So, here I am. 5 days away from seeing my family. Super excited, but hopefully I can get some school work done this week. 2 exams this week as well, it might be a little hard to concentrate! Can't wait for them to come and to post about how much fun we are going to have together! Hope everyone survived the last blizzard. Stay warm.
Love,
Marissa
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