After getting the terrible news of what's going on just Northeast of Rome, I got a sweet suprise. Although I'm still a little sad about the earthquake that occurred this morning, especially since, who knows, it could of been me, thank God it didn't happen in Florence, but I feel sad for the people in Rome. Anyway, I was walking into school, past the reception desk where our mail is kept. One of my friends was before me so she was checking it. I saw and package there and natrually didn't think it was for me so kept walking. All of sudden, my friend was like it's for you. I was like shut up, no it's not and she was like yeah, for real. Annnnd, it was! :) It was from my sister Ashley. Such a pleasant suprise. It was the first package I've received since I've been here (you all should be ashamed!).. hahaha.. There was a really nice card inside and a bunch of candy and popcorn. Such a nice little care package that I wasn't expecting at all. It was very thoughtful and considerate of her and I've very grateful! So I just wanted to post about how cool she is that she would send me something and also that you all keep the people in Rome and their family in your prayers, because it very well could have been us. Who knew there were two main fault lines running throughout Italy, they don't tell you that in the guidebooks. Well, everyone is safe here and we didn't feel any affects. Take care back home. That only makes me want to see everyone ten times more!
Love,
Marissa
Monday, April 6, 2009
Roberto Cavalli, No Big Deal.
This weekend. was. amazing. On Saturday night, I met Fabio at Friends pub and then we walked to a nice restaurant. I got this really good pasta and then we shared bisteca fiorentina (steak). It was such a good meal, yum, I could eat it everyday. After that, we went to La Dolce Vita. Since the dinner took so long, we missed the fashion show. But, we just hung out and had a drink. It was another beautiful spring night, so it was nice to be out and about. So, then he was like, I want to take you to this nice club, called the Cavalli club. I was like okay.
Yeah, we are walking up and there are like bouncers outside and Im like this looks really nice. We walk in and its this like ritzy upscale New York type of bar. Im like, what the heck! Ahh. So glad I decided to wear the high heels Dad bought me here (which I love, but still kill my feet). We get drinks and then sit down on this leather love seat and just hang out. Meanwhile the club is playing the most upbeat type jazz music (it was seriously right out of a movie). We were sitting right in front of the dance floor and behind us there was this projection screen that was showing Roberto Cavalli's runway shows. At the end of the show, he'd come out for a bow. So, that's really the only reason I knew what he looked like. After sitting for a bit, I noticed this guy really dressed up, like in a tux. All of sudden the DJ comes on and says something in Italian, bam there comes out 2 professional dancers, like Dancing with the Stars, and they dance to 3 songs. RIGHT in front of us. I guess the girl dancer is a really famous Italian ballroom dancer. She had the most gorgeous dress on, hah, probably Roberto Cavalli's! After they danced, the DJ was like, everyone get up and dance. Pretty cool. So people are dancing and all of the sudden one of the waiters came up to us and said that the table we were at is reserved now. Fabio asks him, if he buys some Champange, can we stay here, they were like yes. Fabio only lives a block away and he had to go home and get more money so I was just chilling there, trying to look shiek, or however you spell it. Like 10 seconds after Fabio left, I look over to my left and BAM, there is fricken ROBERTO CAVALLI.. hahhaha I was like, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, trying not to freak out. Within minutes, Fabio was back and I was like, oh my gosh, look who's over there. He was like, ask him for a picture. I was like no! I'm too scared, and he just kept telling me to ask him. Meanwhile, I'm sure Roberto could hear this, because he is literally like 3 feet away from me. Finally, I just go ask him and he said of course. After that, I just went back by my table and that's when the waiter brought out the champagne. It had a sparkler attached to it, so everyone was looking, and then it came with a plate full of fresh cut up fruit, I later found out from Fabio that it was.... cover your ears.... 300 Euros. Oh my lord. Whatever, it was such a great night, so then we just danced the rest of the night and I went home.
Sunday I woke up at noon. Not feeling too hungover and just layed on my terrace all day. Got some much needed sun and then got some homework done, which was amazing too. Then, at 8, I went out to dinner with Fabio again, at that really nice restaurant that I went to with Dad, Cindy, and Grandma. It was only a few blocks away. Santo Spirto (if you remember Dad). I had some good pasta and then we shared fish for the second plate. It was actually really good. Then I just came home because I have, oh-so-much homework to get done this week.
Cari comes on Friday which I'm super excited about. I have like 3 papers to write (not due this week) and we just found out about another essay we have to do before we leave. I personally think they gave us way too many papers, but that's just my opinion. :) Oh yeah, and apparently there was an earthquake in Rome this morning. Jesse wrote on my wall making sure it didn't affect me, which was nice. And no, we didn't feel anything here in Florence. Still a little scary though because it killed like 40 people. Well, the weather has been beautiful and I think it will be until I leave.. ahh I mean for the rest of the month, I no longer let myself talk about leaving, home, or summer.. I want this month to go slow, but I want it to speed by. Ahh, the joy of life! :)
Take care everyone, miss you so much!
Love,
Marissa
Yeah, we are walking up and there are like bouncers outside and Im like this looks really nice. We walk in and its this like ritzy upscale New York type of bar. Im like, what the heck! Ahh. So glad I decided to wear the high heels Dad bought me here (which I love, but still kill my feet). We get drinks and then sit down on this leather love seat and just hang out. Meanwhile the club is playing the most upbeat type jazz music (it was seriously right out of a movie). We were sitting right in front of the dance floor and behind us there was this projection screen that was showing Roberto Cavalli's runway shows. At the end of the show, he'd come out for a bow. So, that's really the only reason I knew what he looked like. After sitting for a bit, I noticed this guy really dressed up, like in a tux. All of sudden the DJ comes on and says something in Italian, bam there comes out 2 professional dancers, like Dancing with the Stars, and they dance to 3 songs. RIGHT in front of us. I guess the girl dancer is a really famous Italian ballroom dancer. She had the most gorgeous dress on, hah, probably Roberto Cavalli's! After they danced, the DJ was like, everyone get up and dance. Pretty cool. So people are dancing and all of the sudden one of the waiters came up to us and said that the table we were at is reserved now. Fabio asks him, if he buys some Champange, can we stay here, they were like yes. Fabio only lives a block away and he had to go home and get more money so I was just chilling there, trying to look shiek, or however you spell it. Like 10 seconds after Fabio left, I look over to my left and BAM, there is fricken ROBERTO CAVALLI.. hahhaha I was like, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, trying not to freak out. Within minutes, Fabio was back and I was like, oh my gosh, look who's over there. He was like, ask him for a picture. I was like no! I'm too scared, and he just kept telling me to ask him. Meanwhile, I'm sure Roberto could hear this, because he is literally like 3 feet away from me. Finally, I just go ask him and he said of course. After that, I just went back by my table and that's when the waiter brought out the champagne. It had a sparkler attached to it, so everyone was looking, and then it came with a plate full of fresh cut up fruit, I later found out from Fabio that it was.... cover your ears.... 300 Euros. Oh my lord. Whatever, it was such a great night, so then we just danced the rest of the night and I went home.
Sunday I woke up at noon. Not feeling too hungover and just layed on my terrace all day. Got some much needed sun and then got some homework done, which was amazing too. Then, at 8, I went out to dinner with Fabio again, at that really nice restaurant that I went to with Dad, Cindy, and Grandma. It was only a few blocks away. Santo Spirto (if you remember Dad). I had some good pasta and then we shared fish for the second plate. It was actually really good. Then I just came home because I have, oh-so-much homework to get done this week.
Cari comes on Friday which I'm super excited about. I have like 3 papers to write (not due this week) and we just found out about another essay we have to do before we leave. I personally think they gave us way too many papers, but that's just my opinion. :) Oh yeah, and apparently there was an earthquake in Rome this morning. Jesse wrote on my wall making sure it didn't affect me, which was nice. And no, we didn't feel anything here in Florence. Still a little scary though because it killed like 40 people. Well, the weather has been beautiful and I think it will be until I leave.. ahh I mean for the rest of the month, I no longer let myself talk about leaving, home, or summer.. I want this month to go slow, but I want it to speed by. Ahh, the joy of life! :)
Take care everyone, miss you so much!
Love,
Marissa
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Bittersweet Feelings
At the beginning of last week, all I wanted was to be home. Knowing that it was April made it really hard because I only have a month left, but I still have a month left. By the end of this week, I was regretting feelings of wanting to go home. I'm now in a constant battle with myself about how I feel, hahaha. I miss home so much, but now I realize that I'm going to miss here so much and I may never be back. So I'll tell you a little about my week and you'll see why I'm constantly flip-flopping my feelings.
The week started off slow, just going to class, trying to get some little things done. During the day on Wednesday, we were doing a walking tour of San Lorenzo and afterward, Paolo took us to his favorite Gelato place and paid for it. It was so sweet of him. He's like the nicest and funniest professor ever. On Wednesday night, Libbi, Julie, Tom, and I went out to Dante's to eat. It was a really good time and there is a lot of bonding going on in the house right now because we all have the same mixed feelings. Thursday, Hilary, Kristina, and I had Toga Taco Thursday on the Terrace (it rained so Table) during a Thunderstorm. They were the most amazing tacos and we had a lot of fun dressing up in Togas. Then, yesterday it was the most gorgeous day, we layed out on the terrace all day. I was a little burnt, but by today it is already a tan. The best part of the day was that I had a date!
This guy has been trying to talk to me since last week everytime I'm in Friend's Pub. I wasn't really giving him the time of day and just kept brushing him off. Finally, on Thursday I was skyping Tia and he came up to me. I finally decided to talk to him and he was really sweet. He bought me a glass of wine and we chatted for a bit. By the way, Tia was on skype and heard the whole conversation, which I still think is hilarious! He wanted me to go to another bar with him, but I didn't think that would be wise decision since I didn't know him. So I told him I would meet him at Friend's pub on Friday at 8 and we exchanged numbers. Well, so after a great day of laying out in the sun, I got ready for my date and met up with him. It was the most beautiful night out and the sun doesn't set until like 9 here now. So I met him at Friend's and we had a drink and then he wanted to take me to La Dolce Vita, the bar he was talking about the other night. He said that at 9 we were going to his friend's house for a dinner party and I met his friend's before we left Friend's Pub. So went we to Dolce Vita and had a glass of wine outside on these couches. It was so awesome just talking to him while the sun was setting. He is such a sweet guy. His name is...... Fabio, insert joke now. I know, haha. He's only 26 which is a step down for me! Yay! I saw his place, it's a really cute single flat, and it's only a few blocks from my place. At nine, we went over to his friend's house, which is also very close to mine. When we got there, there was just the guy's girlfriend cooking. She is bilingual so I was speaking both a little Italian and a lot of English to her. She was very nice. Fabio knew I liked white wine and they didn't have any so he insisted on going out and getting some for me. Very sweet. So we were all just sitting around talking (there were 3 girls including me, and 4 guys). Most of them were older, like 30's but it was really fun. She brought out the supper which was amazing and then we just ate and chatted it up. She told me all about Paris and where I need to go. After dinner, we went to a small bar just down the road from me and then after that I went home.
Tonight, Fabio is taking me out to dinner and then we are going back to La Dolce Vita, because there is this fashion show there tonight. I think it's so cool that we are doing different things. Filippo never took me out to dinner or did anything fun. Fabio is just a really sweet guy and I have a lot of fun with him. I'm sure this will be nothing, since I have a month left, but I mine as well live it up and have fun for the rest of the time. Don't worry, I'll be safe, but he's relatively harmless since I know where he lives and I've met his friends. The only problem is that I'm super busy during the week and on Friday Cari comes!
So, Cari comes this Friday and my second spring break starts. I'm going to pick her up in Pisa and we are going hold up the Leaning Tower. Then on Saturday we fly to Dublin. We spend 3 days there and then jet set to Paris for two days. We return to Florence on Thursday and will spend the rest of her time exploring this great city. She leaves on Monday. I'm so excited, but after that, I only have 2 weeks till I come home! I have a few papers I need to get done during this week so it's probably not going to be that exciting. I'm very sad to be leaving two of my professors, Paolo and Angela. We all love them and I think we are going to ask them out to dinner in the next couple weeks. So when that happens, I'll be sure to write about it.
Other than that, not much going on.. hahaha! I'm so excited to see everyone. It's coming very fast, as I knew it would. The weather has been getting beautiful here so I hope to bring home the weather, among a lot of other things! :) Take care and see you soon!
Love,
Marissa
The week started off slow, just going to class, trying to get some little things done. During the day on Wednesday, we were doing a walking tour of San Lorenzo and afterward, Paolo took us to his favorite Gelato place and paid for it. It was so sweet of him. He's like the nicest and funniest professor ever. On Wednesday night, Libbi, Julie, Tom, and I went out to Dante's to eat. It was a really good time and there is a lot of bonding going on in the house right now because we all have the same mixed feelings. Thursday, Hilary, Kristina, and I had Toga Taco Thursday on the Terrace (it rained so Table) during a Thunderstorm. They were the most amazing tacos and we had a lot of fun dressing up in Togas. Then, yesterday it was the most gorgeous day, we layed out on the terrace all day. I was a little burnt, but by today it is already a tan. The best part of the day was that I had a date!
This guy has been trying to talk to me since last week everytime I'm in Friend's Pub. I wasn't really giving him the time of day and just kept brushing him off. Finally, on Thursday I was skyping Tia and he came up to me. I finally decided to talk to him and he was really sweet. He bought me a glass of wine and we chatted for a bit. By the way, Tia was on skype and heard the whole conversation, which I still think is hilarious! He wanted me to go to another bar with him, but I didn't think that would be wise decision since I didn't know him. So I told him I would meet him at Friend's pub on Friday at 8 and we exchanged numbers. Well, so after a great day of laying out in the sun, I got ready for my date and met up with him. It was the most beautiful night out and the sun doesn't set until like 9 here now. So I met him at Friend's and we had a drink and then he wanted to take me to La Dolce Vita, the bar he was talking about the other night. He said that at 9 we were going to his friend's house for a dinner party and I met his friend's before we left Friend's Pub. So went we to Dolce Vita and had a glass of wine outside on these couches. It was so awesome just talking to him while the sun was setting. He is such a sweet guy. His name is...... Fabio, insert joke now. I know, haha. He's only 26 which is a step down for me! Yay! I saw his place, it's a really cute single flat, and it's only a few blocks from my place. At nine, we went over to his friend's house, which is also very close to mine. When we got there, there was just the guy's girlfriend cooking. She is bilingual so I was speaking both a little Italian and a lot of English to her. She was very nice. Fabio knew I liked white wine and they didn't have any so he insisted on going out and getting some for me. Very sweet. So we were all just sitting around talking (there were 3 girls including me, and 4 guys). Most of them were older, like 30's but it was really fun. She brought out the supper which was amazing and then we just ate and chatted it up. She told me all about Paris and where I need to go. After dinner, we went to a small bar just down the road from me and then after that I went home.
Tonight, Fabio is taking me out to dinner and then we are going back to La Dolce Vita, because there is this fashion show there tonight. I think it's so cool that we are doing different things. Filippo never took me out to dinner or did anything fun. Fabio is just a really sweet guy and I have a lot of fun with him. I'm sure this will be nothing, since I have a month left, but I mine as well live it up and have fun for the rest of the time. Don't worry, I'll be safe, but he's relatively harmless since I know where he lives and I've met his friends. The only problem is that I'm super busy during the week and on Friday Cari comes!
So, Cari comes this Friday and my second spring break starts. I'm going to pick her up in Pisa and we are going hold up the Leaning Tower. Then on Saturday we fly to Dublin. We spend 3 days there and then jet set to Paris for two days. We return to Florence on Thursday and will spend the rest of her time exploring this great city. She leaves on Monday. I'm so excited, but after that, I only have 2 weeks till I come home! I have a few papers I need to get done during this week so it's probably not going to be that exciting. I'm very sad to be leaving two of my professors, Paolo and Angela. We all love them and I think we are going to ask them out to dinner in the next couple weeks. So when that happens, I'll be sure to write about it.
Other than that, not much going on.. hahaha! I'm so excited to see everyone. It's coming very fast, as I knew it would. The weather has been getting beautiful here so I hope to bring home the weather, among a lot of other things! :) Take care and see you soon!
Love,
Marissa
Monday, March 30, 2009
Publishing
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
Pace,
Marissa
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
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