I am here in Palermo, Sicily with Monique. We got here Wednesday alone but Kaitlin, Hannah & Jessica are coming to meet us Thursday night. I have been to Sicily before but I went to Taormina which is on the other side of Sicily. I loved it there and had a great time. So far Palermo hasn't been what I expected. There aren't any beaches here, only the marina which is filled with boats. Our bed and breakfast is nice though. It's very clean and located close to the marina. Monique and I are the only ones staying there for far. A little weird but nice since we have the whole place to ourselves. The guy who checked us in is an idiot and didn't help us at all, didn't even have a map for us!
We got in around 7pm, changed into cuter clothes then went exploring.
We really wanted to find a restaurant by the water that had some good seafood but nothing stuck out. There was this one place that had outdoor seating and twinkle lights on. Inside we got a bottle of Sicilian white wine and a plate of fried calamari. The calamari was fresh..fishy fresh. That was all we ordered there because we were determined to find a better place.
Well our plan didn't work out..when we started heading to the main square we realized nothing was opened. There wasn't even restaurants around. Until we stumbled upon this strip of kebab places. There had to have been 12-15 different places that all had the same kebab food. A lot of people were at these places so we ate at one of the kebab restaurants that looked most appetizing. A soccer game was going on so every restaurant had a big screen tv playing it. We each got a big beer and inhaled our kebabs.
We had planned that on Thursday we were going to go to the little town of Porticello to visit where Monique's family comes from. After dinner we just headed back to the hostel and went to bed.
Thursday, we were up at 8:55am because the idiot guy was coming to get our money at 9. After that ordeal, we got ready and walked towards the train station to figure out how to get to Porticello. We didn't do as much research as we should have done before we left...
We found the information desk at 10:30..then walked around the piazza 4 or 5 times trying to find where to 1. Buy the tickets 2. Where to stand 3. Time schedule but then we met this really nice lady who was headed in the same direction as us and helped us figure out what we needed to do. We first bought tickets to catch a bus (grant it, Porticello is only 9miles away from Palermo. It's suppose to be a quick trip) well then we were waiting for the bus maybe 35min until the lady said we should just take the train instead. So we returned the bus tickets and bought train tickets. Now we are on the train, it's 11:45 and finally heading to Porticello. We got a late start but I hope it's all worth it!
Porticello reminds me of the little town my dad comes from, Verbicaro. Everyone knows each other, the boys ride around on their vespas, clothes hanging from the balconies and everyone knows Monique and I are not from there. The boys are loving us though. Honking their horns and hollering out, it's some form of flattery. One guy actually got out of his car and asked to take a picture with us! He was pretty hot too.
As we were walking around taking pictures and soaking up the Porticello scenery we stumbled upon this really cute restaurant. The owners were amazingly nice! The owner (who looked like Santa) took away our menu and told us he would prepare us a good lunch. First he brought out two appetizers, 1 with sword fish and another was octopus. Both I was hesitant with but ended up being excellent. Then he brought out two more; 1 were these shrimp & rice fried balls and the other were these meat balls in red sauce but instead of meat it was fish. All were delicious and I probably wouldn't have tried any unless he hadn't brought them out to us. Then for our main dish, we got spaghetti with fish. The fish was this little red fish (he showed us since I didn't know the Italian word). We were both really fished out. The owners were so nice we took pictures with them and they told us to email them the photo!
After our great lunch, we went down towards the water to take pictures. It was so gorgeous out! It wasn't raining and just perfect temperature. Monique and I explored down by the rocks and took a ton of pictures! All of the stores were closed and when I say "all" I really mean the 4 stores that are in Porticello. So we got a bottle of white wine and went to sit on an bench near the water. In Torino stores are usually closed 12:30-3:30 but in Porticello, they were closed until 4:30. The city was a real ghost town until 4:15 when everyone ended up coming outside. Got crowded within 15 minutes!
After Monique got a cute souvenir for her dad, we caught the train back to Palermo. Where we ran into Jessica who had just gotten off the train from the airport. One our way to the hostel, we stopped at the grocery store to pick up some snacks and breakfast items. We waited at the hostel until Kaitlin & Hannah showed up. They unpacked and got comfortable then we went to dinner. We didn't venture out too far, just a cute restaurant by our hostel. I was still pretty full from lunch so I got the muscle soup which was really just a bunch of muscles in this delicious red sauce. Monique got the same, Kaitlin got some swordfish then clams with spaghetti which Hannah & Jessica got as well. Over all it was a decent dinner. I'm loving all of this fish, which is weird because I never eat fish at home! I guess if I am going to eat it somewhere, might as well be in Sicily!
The girls were tired from traveling all day so we came back to the hostel and watched a movie. Tomorrow we are going to go downtown Palermo to do some shopping then ask how to get to the real beach and maybe even rent some vespas!!
Friday, in the morning, was horrible! It was raining cats & dogs. When we first left the hostel it wasn't raining and we thought it wasn't going to all day. But we were wrong! There was a huge open air market that we all wanted to go check out. As we were walking there it started to sprinkle. Hannah, Jessica & Kaitlin had to buy umbrellas since they didn't think it was going to rain. Once we got to the market, it really started to pour. I was wearing my Tom's and they now are ruined. Still soaking wet.
To get out of the rain, we stopped at a restaurant to get lunch. Then we asked the waiter where to get a good cannoli. He directed us to this cafe down the street. We were in heaven! There was so many sweets to choose from. I ended up getting a mini cannoli & a cream puff that had cannoli filling inside. Both were really delicious. After we picked out our sweets, we headed back to the apartment to change our clothes and relax a little. The rain was too much to go back out in.
After a few hours, it finally stopped raining so Hannah, Jessica and I went out towards the main downtown square to go shopping. There was a lot of people out shopping. They must of had the same idea since there wasn't a lot of people out earlier. I found this cute ceramic bowl that says Sicilia on it which I want to use for my rings.
We headed back to the hostel to meet up with Kaitlin & Monique. We got changed for dinner and went to another cute restaurant near the hostel. I ended up getting the muscle soup again, Hannah & Jessica got pasta with clams, Monique got pasta with scampi and Kaitlin ordered these balls of swordfish with shrimp. Everyone was satisfied with what they ordered. We asked the waiter where to go for a few drinks, which just happened to be down the street from us. We bar hopped a little and met some girls who are studying in Florence. It ended up being a good night :)
Saturday, well since we had such a good night, we didn't wake up until 12:30. We had planned to go to Mondello, the beach area right next to Palermo. Because of our slow start, we didn't make it to the beach until 3pm. We went to the grocery store and bought stuff for lunch. It was a struggle to find the bus which took us to Mondello, but after asking people on the street every 3min we found our way!
I'm laying on the beach now as I write this. It's a perfect day and a lot of Italians are out here. The water is so clear but freezing. I instantly got cold when the water touched my toes. I don't know if I'm getting tan because there is a strong breeze but still so nice here. I love being here at the beach. We already said we're coming back here tomorrow but going to get here a lot earlier.
We went to dinner at a restaurant near by our hostel. Kaitlin and I shared muscle soup (again, my 3rd time getting it) and I got this delicious spaghetti clam, shrimp and lobster pasta. It was so good that I stuffed myself sick. I am all fished out now!
Sunday, we got up and headed to the beach but we still didn't make it there until 1pm. Instead of heading straight to the beach, we went to get lunch. Since I had so much fish, I got a sausage and mushroom pizza. It was a nice change of pace. After we ate, we finally went to lay out. Except while we were eating lunch, it was sunny and gorgeous out. Then we get to the beach, and the sun disappears! It was freezing. So we sadly only got to lay out for 35min until we were icicles and left. Hopped on the bus and headed back to Palermo.
It was only 5pm so we got a few bottles of champagne and hopped on a random bus to "tour" the city. We got on a bus that this old man was already on. He was trying to talk to us but his Italian was hard to understand and then he just started crying! We got pretty creeped out so we move up to the front of the bus to get away from him. Once we got back to where we got on the bus, we got off and walked back to the hostel.
I took a quick 25min power nap then we went down by the marina to watch the sunset...we pretty much missed the whole thing. We went to dinner where Hannah & I shared these ricotta cheese balls and I got a lamb chop. Monique & Kaitlin got muscle soup again, Monique got ravioli with salmon and Kaitlin got a fish. We didn't do anything at night since we were waking up at 6am to head to the airport.
Being here in Sicily, Wednesday to Monday has been a long trip but a good one. Tried lots of food that I probably wouldn't have and got to see some pretty things. I liked being in one city for a long weekend because I actually got to know the city. Knew where to go and how to get around which was a nice change of pace. Overall, good trip!
Monday, April 23, 2012
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
London, England 3/15-3/18
Thursday night, Anthony and I finally made it to London. Our plane took off at 7:55pm, we got to our hostel around 1:15am. The plane ride was fine but getting to our hostel is what took the most time. We had to take a train to the tube and then take the tube to our hostel. Well...the train got delayed 25min because of some drunk idiots who were wandering around the tracks. They're lucky they got caught or we probably would have killed them. But after that stupid fiasco, an hour later we made it to the tube. Which only took us 10min. Then of course we got lost walking around trying to find our hostel which was right under our nose.
Our hostel doesn't seem to be in a good location but online it said it is so I am hoping in the morning we truly are close to everything. It's a cool hostel and I got a private room with Blake, Max & David. I'm excited to be here in London even though it was hard leaving Barcelona. I love the British accent :)
Friday, Anthony and I were suppose to wake up early but when our alarm went off we turned it off and slept 2 hours extra. Oops! Not a big deal because instead of catching the 11am free tour, there was one at 1pm. The tour lasted about 2.5 hours then they took us to a restaurant. It was this cute pub and I got sausage & mash which is one of their specials, Anthony got a hamburger. Then we headed over to Her Majesty's Theatre where we picked up our tickets for Phantom of the Opera!! We rushed back to the hostel to get a little more fancy then headed to the opera. The seats were in the nose bleeds..so high that a guy next to us actually ended up getting a nose bleed!! But I was still able to see the stage and hear everything fine. The opera was amazing and I loved every minute of it. I wanted to go see another play or opera Saturday night but many were already sold out.
London is kind of like New York where at night Piccadilly Circus is happening still at 3am with lights & music, there are plays & operas and the shopping is great!! But I did feel like I was home which was great for the weekend but I don't think I could have studied there for a whole semester. Probably would have gotten bored quickly ha ha
Saturday morning, we went to see the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace but since it had started to rain, the guards beloved bear fur hats were getting ruined SO they cancelled the change. Which is a joke because doesn't it rain in London 24/7? Anyways, that was a bust so Anthony and I headed to Westminster Abby to see the inside. We saw yesterday that it is only opened until 1:30pm on Saturdays so we wanted to make it there before it closed. Of course the line was wrapped around the street but it went quickly. Sadly no photos were allowed to be taken in the church which sucks because it was breath taking! A little different then it was portrayed on TV for Kate's wedding but still amazing. It was a little creepy because a lot of people are buried inside of the church. All wrapped around the church there were tombs. None the less, it was awesome to go inside and I felt like I was at the royal wedding! Ha ha
After the church, Anthony and I headed over to Big Ben. We didn't go to the top or get too close to it, just took pictures by it and walked across the bridge. It had stopped raining which made it easier to walk around. We were both getting hungry but wanted to go see the Tower of London so we decided to go get something to eat over there.
The Tower of London was beautiful!! It's a lot smaller than I thought it was buy still pretty. Also, it has this shade of blue on it, not a dark or light blue, kind of like a turquoise! (On our way, I got a Starbucks!) We walked along that and was looking over to the water which was disgusting! The coloring was not a pretty site. After the bridge, we got something quick to eat then headed back to the hostel to meet up with everyone. Our hostel served food so we all got a pizza then headed up the room to change.
We went out to this super cool bar! It was an old horse stable so each room where the horses would have been kept was a mini private dancing area. Then there were two big dance floors. To spice things up, some lovely "dancers" were on stage showing some skin and dancing around. That was a fun night!
Sunday morning, our last night of spring break..I was ready to head home! I had a great week but I missed Torino. Check out was at 10am so we all had to wake up early and pack. Our flight wasn't until 7 so we had time to kill before hand. We went over to the Sherlock Holmes Museum to check that out then went back to Piccadilly Circus to do some souvenir shopping.
All of us headed to the airport around 4pm and flew to Milan. We weren't thinking when we bought our tickets because we flew into Milan at 9, then had to take an hour bus to the train station then it was a two hour train. I got to my apartment around 2:30am.
Over all I had an amazing spring break and made so many new memories!!
Our hostel doesn't seem to be in a good location but online it said it is so I am hoping in the morning we truly are close to everything. It's a cool hostel and I got a private room with Blake, Max & David. I'm excited to be here in London even though it was hard leaving Barcelona. I love the British accent :)
Friday, Anthony and I were suppose to wake up early but when our alarm went off we turned it off and slept 2 hours extra. Oops! Not a big deal because instead of catching the 11am free tour, there was one at 1pm. The tour lasted about 2.5 hours then they took us to a restaurant. It was this cute pub and I got sausage & mash which is one of their specials, Anthony got a hamburger. Then we headed over to Her Majesty's Theatre where we picked up our tickets for Phantom of the Opera!! We rushed back to the hostel to get a little more fancy then headed to the opera. The seats were in the nose bleeds..so high that a guy next to us actually ended up getting a nose bleed!! But I was still able to see the stage and hear everything fine. The opera was amazing and I loved every minute of it. I wanted to go see another play or opera Saturday night but many were already sold out.
London is kind of like New York where at night Piccadilly Circus is happening still at 3am with lights & music, there are plays & operas and the shopping is great!! But I did feel like I was home which was great for the weekend but I don't think I could have studied there for a whole semester. Probably would have gotten bored quickly ha ha
Saturday morning, we went to see the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace but since it had started to rain, the guards beloved bear fur hats were getting ruined SO they cancelled the change. Which is a joke because doesn't it rain in London 24/7? Anyways, that was a bust so Anthony and I headed to Westminster Abby to see the inside. We saw yesterday that it is only opened until 1:30pm on Saturdays so we wanted to make it there before it closed. Of course the line was wrapped around the street but it went quickly. Sadly no photos were allowed to be taken in the church which sucks because it was breath taking! A little different then it was portrayed on TV for Kate's wedding but still amazing. It was a little creepy because a lot of people are buried inside of the church. All wrapped around the church there were tombs. None the less, it was awesome to go inside and I felt like I was at the royal wedding! Ha ha
After the church, Anthony and I headed over to Big Ben. We didn't go to the top or get too close to it, just took pictures by it and walked across the bridge. It had stopped raining which made it easier to walk around. We were both getting hungry but wanted to go see the Tower of London so we decided to go get something to eat over there.
The Tower of London was beautiful!! It's a lot smaller than I thought it was buy still pretty. Also, it has this shade of blue on it, not a dark or light blue, kind of like a turquoise! (On our way, I got a Starbucks!) We walked along that and was looking over to the water which was disgusting! The coloring was not a pretty site. After the bridge, we got something quick to eat then headed back to the hostel to meet up with everyone. Our hostel served food so we all got a pizza then headed up the room to change.
We went out to this super cool bar! It was an old horse stable so each room where the horses would have been kept was a mini private dancing area. Then there were two big dance floors. To spice things up, some lovely "dancers" were on stage showing some skin and dancing around. That was a fun night!
Sunday morning, our last night of spring break..I was ready to head home! I had a great week but I missed Torino. Check out was at 10am so we all had to wake up early and pack. Our flight wasn't until 7 so we had time to kill before hand. We went over to the Sherlock Holmes Museum to check that out then went back to Piccadilly Circus to do some souvenir shopping.
All of us headed to the airport around 4pm and flew to Milan. We weren't thinking when we bought our tickets because we flew into Milan at 9, then had to take an hour bus to the train station then it was a two hour train. I got to my apartment around 2:30am.
Over all I had an amazing spring break and made so many new memories!!
Barcelona, Spain 3/13-3/15
Barcelona was one of my favorite places I have been to so far. It had everything I wanted in a city. Shopping, the beach and great food! We arrived Tuesday morning and since we had been up since 5am, we all headed down to the beach! But before we went there, we checked into our hostel & got lunch. We went to a cafe that served the famous tapa dish! Tapas are mini plates of food for cheap. Normally you order 3-4 of them. But not all at once, you order one then when you're done eating that one you order another & so forth. The place we went to was very good. I also got a glass of Sangria which was excellent (posted a picture on Facebook). Then after we ate we went to the beach. Felt so good to be on the beach, my feet really loved being in flip flops and then putting my toes in the sand was good for them. We hung out there for awhile, drank some more Sangria and watched the sunset. The sunset didn't set over the water like I am use to. It set on the opposite side but it was still very pretty. After the beach we headed back to our hostel. Since we had been drinking, practically since we had landed, I went straight to bed. Blake went out but didn't make it far, she came back within an hour. The boys all went out though and had a good time apparently but I guess we didn't miss much.
Wednesday, I got up early and met up with Anthony around 10am. We went shopping where he got a new pair of tennis shoes since his boots where giving him blisters. Then Blake called us & came to meet us. The 3 of us went out to lunch to a restaurant called Tapa Tapa which was another great place (so good Blake & I went there twice Thursday). We all ordered our own little tapas and Blake & I shared a huge pitcher of sangria. But this was a different type, instead of them using red wine, they put champagne. So delicious! After lunch, Blake went to the beach with Joe when Anthony & I went to see a Gaudi building and La Sagrada Familia. Both were really cool to see, I took some awesome pictures. That is really all there is to see in Barcelona. There is the Magic fountain that is cool to see at night but we didn't make it.
Wednesday afternoon after Anthony & I went sightseeing, Blake & I started drinking again. Sadly we started pretty early in the evening so we didn't make it out ha ha ha. Luckily the boys said we didn't miss out again...but they didn't come home until 5am so I think they had a really good time!
Thursday, we had to check out of the hostel by 11:30am. Blake & I packed our big suitcase the night before so we didn't have much to do in the morning. Blake, Joe, Anthony & I wanted to go see Park Guell which is another art work of Gaudi so instead of going to a sit down lunch, we got subway! It felt like home :) then we hopped on the metro and went up the park. Little did we know that the park was no where near the metro and had to practically hike to it. Which is not easy in jeans. 3 hours later we had gone to the park and back to the metro. This is where we split up, once we got back to the main shopping street, Blake and I did more shopping while the boys went to see another Gaudi building.
Anthony and I had to take another plane to London because the other plane only had 1 seat left when we were buying them. So we stuck together and flew easyjet which is so much better than ryanair!! Our plane took off 2 hours before the groups which wasn't bad. Because we were able to be in Barcelona until 5pm on Thursday.
The weather was so amazing in Barcelona. It was nice leaving the hostel and not having to bring a jacket with me. Plus wearing my sunglasses & flip flops had been a rare occasion in Torino so it was a nice change. I looked up the weather for London and I see rain in my future..let's hope this doesn't come true so I have a good time!
Wednesday, I got up early and met up with Anthony around 10am. We went shopping where he got a new pair of tennis shoes since his boots where giving him blisters. Then Blake called us & came to meet us. The 3 of us went out to lunch to a restaurant called Tapa Tapa which was another great place (so good Blake & I went there twice Thursday). We all ordered our own little tapas and Blake & I shared a huge pitcher of sangria. But this was a different type, instead of them using red wine, they put champagne. So delicious! After lunch, Blake went to the beach with Joe when Anthony & I went to see a Gaudi building and La Sagrada Familia. Both were really cool to see, I took some awesome pictures. That is really all there is to see in Barcelona. There is the Magic fountain that is cool to see at night but we didn't make it.
Wednesday afternoon after Anthony & I went sightseeing, Blake & I started drinking again. Sadly we started pretty early in the evening so we didn't make it out ha ha ha. Luckily the boys said we didn't miss out again...but they didn't come home until 5am so I think they had a really good time!
Thursday, we had to check out of the hostel by 11:30am. Blake & I packed our big suitcase the night before so we didn't have much to do in the morning. Blake, Joe, Anthony & I wanted to go see Park Guell which is another art work of Gaudi so instead of going to a sit down lunch, we got subway! It felt like home :) then we hopped on the metro and went up the park. Little did we know that the park was no where near the metro and had to practically hike to it. Which is not easy in jeans. 3 hours later we had gone to the park and back to the metro. This is where we split up, once we got back to the main shopping street, Blake and I did more shopping while the boys went to see another Gaudi building.
Anthony and I had to take another plane to London because the other plane only had 1 seat left when we were buying them. So we stuck together and flew easyjet which is so much better than ryanair!! Our plane took off 2 hours before the groups which wasn't bad. Because we were able to be in Barcelona until 5pm on Thursday.
The weather was so amazing in Barcelona. It was nice leaving the hostel and not having to bring a jacket with me. Plus wearing my sunglasses & flip flops had been a rare occasion in Torino so it was a nice change. I looked up the weather for London and I see rain in my future..let's hope this doesn't come true so I have a good time!
Paris, France 3/9-3/13
We arrived in France on Friday, March 9th. The plane ride was very short from Italy, only 1 hour and 25min. Then we had to take a bus to Paris which was another hour and 15min. After that journey, we had to find the metro which was impossible! Their metro system here is not very visible from the street like it is in Torino. We were walking around for probably 30min until we finally found it! Their metro system is crazy big as well. There are metros 1-15 and then A-D. All of them take you some where else and have so many stops! I never thought we were going to see day light since our hostel was 3 metros away with each having 9 stops. It was a long journey to say the least.
The hostel we stayed at is called St. Christopher's. It has been rated #1 hostel in Paris and I see how that is. Only bad thing is that it's kind of in the "cuts" of Paris. So we had to take the metro to the main attractions such as the Eiffel Tower.
Friday night we went on a walking tour at 6pm which was 10€. It lasted 3 hours and we got to see a lot of cool things, like Van Gogh's apartment he lived in while he was in Paris for two years. After the tour, we went on the company's sponsored pub crawl. That was a lot of fun!! We met so many new people.
Saturday morning, everyone was moving pretty slow. But we pushed through and got out. We wanted to do the free walking tour at 11am but since the metro is so confusing we missed it. Luckily there was another one at 1pm so while we waited, we went and saw Notre Dame. Notre Dame is a breath taking church! The details on the actual building and the stain glass windows on the inside were unbelievable. When we walked through, mass was going on. Paris was actually going to tear down the Notre Dame until a man made the movie, Hunchback of Notre Dame which made Notre Dame super famous.
The free walking tour was more knowledgeable than the one Friday night because we went to the Louve and Eiffel Tower. Do you know why the Mona Lisa is even famous? I do! The janitor that worked at the Louve stole it. Paris police were searching people and trying to find it but they never suspected the janitor who never came back to work. Well the janitor went down to Italy and had the Mona Lisa but since it was a stolen piece of art work, he couldn't do much with it. Until the weight on his shoulders weighed him down so much, he tried to bring it to a museum. They there arrested him and returned the Mona Lisa to Paris. So that's really how the Mona Lisa is so famous. Because everyone had heard about the stolen painting!
Sadly the tour lasted until 5:15pm so we didn't get to see anything else Saturday because Napolean's tomb closed at 5pm and when we went back to the Louve, it was closed! We headed back to the hostel, got changed and went to dinner at this true French restaurant that our tour guide suggested to Joe. Only Blake, Anthony, Joe and I went to dinner. When we got off the metro, there was not one tourist. We knew we were where all the true French people hang out. Only bad thing about this, the menu was in complete French! Culture shock hit us all. Anthony has been learning some French but he doesn't know food. The waiter spoke some English and gave us the one English menu they had. Reading what was on the menu was not the best idea. They serve pig's feet, pork liver, snails, duck and all other types of weird meat. There was ravioli and lasagna but who wants that when you're in France? We all first got the french onion soup. That was delicious! Then boys got duck, I got pork sausage and Blake got the salmon. Well my pork sausage was not what I thought and Blake's salmon was raw!! With the sausage there was French fries, I only ate those. Blake didn't even eat her salmon. The boys duck was really good! Since Blake and I were hungry, we got Creme Brûlée. Joe got it as well and it was excellent. That made up for the weird pork sausage. I'm pretty sure we are not going to a "true" French restaurant tonight.
Sunday, we went to Versailles!! I thought my backyard was big until I saw Versailles. It is a beautiful place but sadly we went during the winter so none of the trees had leaves and there was no flowers. So I wasn't really impressed. Luckily to go to the gardens it's free and to get into the palace it was free for me since I have a student visa. The palace was gorgeous but it was your average king's palace with huge rooms with a ton of paintings. Over all the palace and gardens were really great to see just for their size. The size of both was just stupid big.
By Monday we really hadn't seen a lot. So Joe, Blake, Anthony and I woke up at 7:30am and were out of the hostel by 8:30. Stupidly we didn't check what time things opened at, we went to Saint Chapel first but it didn't open until 9:30am. Since we didn't get breakfast at the hostel, we got it at a near by cafe. Then we headed to Saint Chapel which was beautiful but very small.
Then we headed back to the LouveLouve entrance. Which was sweet because there were no lines and I got in for free again because of my student visa! We walked straight up to the Mona Lisa. There wasn't as big of a mob of people in front if it like I expected which was nice. It is a bigger painting that I expected which was nice. I took a few pictures of it. Then we walked around but the Louve is huge!! You could probably take a whole day walking through it. Anthony split off from us 3 and went to see some painters that he enjoys. We went down to Starbucks..ha
After the Louve we went to Napolean's tomb. His tomb is under this large gold dome. Our tour guide from Saturday said that you have to "bow" down to Napolean since his tomb is under ground. A joke is that when Hitler came to see his tomb, he brought a mirror so he wouldn't have to bow to Napolean but when he was there, his hat fell off, leaving Hitler to bow down to get it so even Hitler had to bow down to him. BUT you don't even have to bow. His tomb is HUGE! You walk up the edge and see it right away. Plus there is a second level that allows you to see it at eye level. So I didn't have to bow down to Napolean!
Blake and I had been itching to go shopping ever since the plane landed. That was the first priority of ours. So after Napolean's tomb, we headed to the main shopping street, Champs Elyees. On this street there is the flagship store for Louis Vuiton, 5 story Abercrombie & Fitch and the famous Paris macaroon store called Ladurèe. Plus another street called George V, had more big shopping stores such as Armani, Bvlgari. And down another street (can't recall the name) had Gucci, Dior, Chanel and Dolce & Gabbana. I was in heaven! You could tell only the rich French people were down in that area, with their 5in heals, fur vests & designer bags. We of course went into every store! Sadly did not buy anything but it was nice to see all of the new spring collections that were out.
After walking around and seeing all of the shops, we went to the Eiffel Tower. I'm kind of bummed because I did not get to see it in the day light, only a night. But before I was on top of the Arc, this time we went up it. The line took an hour and half so we didn't get to the top until 9:30pm. I got so scared going up in the elevator. I was holding onto Joe & Blake with my eyes closed. It was a freaky elevator and was making odd noises. Then we got to the top and I couldn't look over the edge! I stayed along the inside edge while they were all taking pictures of the view. I don't know why but I was terrified and really didn't enjoy the experience until we went down the terrace. I got some awesome pictures of the tower from the ground though.
Anthony and I had gone back to the hostel while Joe & Blake went to dinner. I was so exhausted and my feet were throbbing. Overall I had a good time in Paris but if I don't come back, I don't care! There are better places ha ha
The hostel we stayed at is called St. Christopher's. It has been rated #1 hostel in Paris and I see how that is. Only bad thing is that it's kind of in the "cuts" of Paris. So we had to take the metro to the main attractions such as the Eiffel Tower.
Friday night we went on a walking tour at 6pm which was 10€. It lasted 3 hours and we got to see a lot of cool things, like Van Gogh's apartment he lived in while he was in Paris for two years. After the tour, we went on the company's sponsored pub crawl. That was a lot of fun!! We met so many new people.
Saturday morning, everyone was moving pretty slow. But we pushed through and got out. We wanted to do the free walking tour at 11am but since the metro is so confusing we missed it. Luckily there was another one at 1pm so while we waited, we went and saw Notre Dame. Notre Dame is a breath taking church! The details on the actual building and the stain glass windows on the inside were unbelievable. When we walked through, mass was going on. Paris was actually going to tear down the Notre Dame until a man made the movie, Hunchback of Notre Dame which made Notre Dame super famous.
The free walking tour was more knowledgeable than the one Friday night because we went to the Louve and Eiffel Tower. Do you know why the Mona Lisa is even famous? I do! The janitor that worked at the Louve stole it. Paris police were searching people and trying to find it but they never suspected the janitor who never came back to work. Well the janitor went down to Italy and had the Mona Lisa but since it was a stolen piece of art work, he couldn't do much with it. Until the weight on his shoulders weighed him down so much, he tried to bring it to a museum. They there arrested him and returned the Mona Lisa to Paris. So that's really how the Mona Lisa is so famous. Because everyone had heard about the stolen painting!
Sadly the tour lasted until 5:15pm so we didn't get to see anything else Saturday because Napolean's tomb closed at 5pm and when we went back to the Louve, it was closed! We headed back to the hostel, got changed and went to dinner at this true French restaurant that our tour guide suggested to Joe. Only Blake, Anthony, Joe and I went to dinner. When we got off the metro, there was not one tourist. We knew we were where all the true French people hang out. Only bad thing about this, the menu was in complete French! Culture shock hit us all. Anthony has been learning some French but he doesn't know food. The waiter spoke some English and gave us the one English menu they had. Reading what was on the menu was not the best idea. They serve pig's feet, pork liver, snails, duck and all other types of weird meat. There was ravioli and lasagna but who wants that when you're in France? We all first got the french onion soup. That was delicious! Then boys got duck, I got pork sausage and Blake got the salmon. Well my pork sausage was not what I thought and Blake's salmon was raw!! With the sausage there was French fries, I only ate those. Blake didn't even eat her salmon. The boys duck was really good! Since Blake and I were hungry, we got Creme Brûlée. Joe got it as well and it was excellent. That made up for the weird pork sausage. I'm pretty sure we are not going to a "true" French restaurant tonight.
Sunday, we went to Versailles!! I thought my backyard was big until I saw Versailles. It is a beautiful place but sadly we went during the winter so none of the trees had leaves and there was no flowers. So I wasn't really impressed. Luckily to go to the gardens it's free and to get into the palace it was free for me since I have a student visa. The palace was gorgeous but it was your average king's palace with huge rooms with a ton of paintings. Over all the palace and gardens were really great to see just for their size. The size of both was just stupid big.
By Monday we really hadn't seen a lot. So Joe, Blake, Anthony and I woke up at 7:30am and were out of the hostel by 8:30. Stupidly we didn't check what time things opened at, we went to Saint Chapel first but it didn't open until 9:30am. Since we didn't get breakfast at the hostel, we got it at a near by cafe. Then we headed to Saint Chapel which was beautiful but very small.
Then we headed back to the LouveLouve entrance. Which was sweet because there were no lines and I got in for free again because of my student visa! We walked straight up to the Mona Lisa. There wasn't as big of a mob of people in front if it like I expected which was nice. It is a bigger painting that I expected which was nice. I took a few pictures of it. Then we walked around but the Louve is huge!! You could probably take a whole day walking through it. Anthony split off from us 3 and went to see some painters that he enjoys. We went down to Starbucks..ha
After the Louve we went to Napolean's tomb. His tomb is under this large gold dome. Our tour guide from Saturday said that you have to "bow" down to Napolean since his tomb is under ground. A joke is that when Hitler came to see his tomb, he brought a mirror so he wouldn't have to bow to Napolean but when he was there, his hat fell off, leaving Hitler to bow down to get it so even Hitler had to bow down to him. BUT you don't even have to bow. His tomb is HUGE! You walk up the edge and see it right away. Plus there is a second level that allows you to see it at eye level. So I didn't have to bow down to Napolean!
Blake and I had been itching to go shopping ever since the plane landed. That was the first priority of ours. So after Napolean's tomb, we headed to the main shopping street, Champs Elyees. On this street there is the flagship store for Louis Vuiton, 5 story Abercrombie & Fitch and the famous Paris macaroon store called Ladurèe. Plus another street called George V, had more big shopping stores such as Armani, Bvlgari. And down another street (can't recall the name) had Gucci, Dior, Chanel and Dolce & Gabbana. I was in heaven! You could tell only the rich French people were down in that area, with their 5in heals, fur vests & designer bags. We of course went into every store! Sadly did not buy anything but it was nice to see all of the new spring collections that were out.
After walking around and seeing all of the shops, we went to the Eiffel Tower. I'm kind of bummed because I did not get to see it in the day light, only a night. But before I was on top of the Arc, this time we went up it. The line took an hour and half so we didn't get to the top until 9:30pm. I got so scared going up in the elevator. I was holding onto Joe & Blake with my eyes closed. It was a freaky elevator and was making odd noises. Then we got to the top and I couldn't look over the edge! I stayed along the inside edge while they were all taking pictures of the view. I don't know why but I was terrified and really didn't enjoy the experience until we went down the terrace. I got some awesome pictures of the tower from the ground though.
Anthony and I had gone back to the hostel while Joe & Blake went to dinner. I was so exhausted and my feet were throbbing. Overall I had a good time in Paris but if I don't come back, I don't care! There are better places ha ha
Monday, March 5, 2012
Locarno, Switzerland 3/2-3/4
This weekend I went to Locarno, Switzerland! We took the first train to Milan then changed in Bellinzona and last switch towards Locarno.
We found our hostel very easily. It was maybe a 5min walk from the train station. The hostel is apart of this 3-star hotel. So we got wifi and all of the amenities that comes with a 3-star hotel but for hostel price! Such as a pool & spa which we want to go to tomorrow night before we head out.
Friday, we went to dinner and got cheese fondue! It was delicious but not very filling so Hannah and I went to get gelato. Which of course was not good haha it was practically ice cream. I am getting so spoiled from all of the delicious gelato in Italy!!
Then we headed to this bar right next to our hotel. There was a lot of people there but most of them were men (not complaining). The drinks were pretty expensive too. One shot was 5 francs, a long drink was 10 and a Smirnoff ice was 7. Between Hannah and I, we spent 29 francs! We were only out for 2 hours. I don't know how we managed to spend so much. But it was a fun night so that's all that matters!
Saturday, we woke up at 8:30 and went to get breakfast that the hotel was serving. Best breakfast I've had here from a hostel! Endless croissants, cheese & meats, cereal and orange juice. We all were in heaven! Then we headed back to the room and got ready to head out.
Locarno is known for hikes and being a beautiful city. We decided to go on a hike! Yes a hike..I went hiking for fun! It was beautiful out and the weather was perfect. I was in my short sleeve Chico state shirt with black yoga pants.
We first took the tram 1/4 up the mountain. Then we hopped onto a trolley which took us 1/2 way up the mountain and then we took a gondola up the mountain. There was another set of gondolas we could take but that was when all the hiking trails started. So instead we hiked.
The signs said it was a 30min hike but with 5 girls, took us almost two hours. We stopped and took a lot of pictures plus none of us have really worked out since being here so it was a tough hike. But the views were breath taking! I wish my eyes took pictures every time I blinked because I don't think my camera does enough justice.
Switzerland is a beautiful place and I really see myself coming back here.
Once we got to the top of the mountain (and mind you, we hiked the Swiss Alps. Like we walked up an Alp..I'm pretty proud of myself!) but anyways, once we got to the top, we stopped to get food. We were all hungry and once again the view from the top was amazing.
The whole time we were walking, we saw all of these people para-gliding. Plus Karen had seen in a brochure that we could para-glide. So when we got to the top, we were asking people how we could do it but you have to make a reservation. All of the people we saw, were doing it for fun! They had their own parachutes and necessities to para-glide. It was so cool because there was a lot of people doing it! So that was a bust.
After lunch, we took the 3 means of transportation down the mountain. All of us were pretty tired and ready for the spa so that's right where we headed!
Along the water, there is this gym/pool place where you can go to swim and work out. It was 17 francs to use everything, even the water slide! There were two pools inside and one outside. The one outside was heated, like a huge hot tub! We stayed out there most of the time. But we did ride down the water slides as well, there was four of those. In the heated pool there were jets and these bars where you could go lay down on and the jets would hit you. So relaxing, especially after our hike! We were at the spa for about two hours. It was exactly what we needed!
We headed back the hostel, all took showers and went to dinner. We didn't go out. Locarno is a very quiet city and we didn't want to go to the same bar and end up spending a lot of money again. But dinner was nice!
Sunday, we woke up and got breakfast then packed up our suitcases. Check out wasn't until 12 but we were ready to go by 11.
It was a nice and relaxing weekend! The hike was just what I needed. I wish I got to see more of Switzerland, maybe a more known city. But I had a nice time so I see myself coming back here.
We found our hostel very easily. It was maybe a 5min walk from the train station. The hostel is apart of this 3-star hotel. So we got wifi and all of the amenities that comes with a 3-star hotel but for hostel price! Such as a pool & spa which we want to go to tomorrow night before we head out.
Friday, we went to dinner and got cheese fondue! It was delicious but not very filling so Hannah and I went to get gelato. Which of course was not good haha it was practically ice cream. I am getting so spoiled from all of the delicious gelato in Italy!!
Then we headed to this bar right next to our hotel. There was a lot of people there but most of them were men (not complaining). The drinks were pretty expensive too. One shot was 5 francs, a long drink was 10 and a Smirnoff ice was 7. Between Hannah and I, we spent 29 francs! We were only out for 2 hours. I don't know how we managed to spend so much. But it was a fun night so that's all that matters!
Saturday, we woke up at 8:30 and went to get breakfast that the hotel was serving. Best breakfast I've had here from a hostel! Endless croissants, cheese & meats, cereal and orange juice. We all were in heaven! Then we headed back to the room and got ready to head out.
Locarno is known for hikes and being a beautiful city. We decided to go on a hike! Yes a hike..I went hiking for fun! It was beautiful out and the weather was perfect. I was in my short sleeve Chico state shirt with black yoga pants.
We first took the tram 1/4 up the mountain. Then we hopped onto a trolley which took us 1/2 way up the mountain and then we took a gondola up the mountain. There was another set of gondolas we could take but that was when all the hiking trails started. So instead we hiked.
The signs said it was a 30min hike but with 5 girls, took us almost two hours. We stopped and took a lot of pictures plus none of us have really worked out since being here so it was a tough hike. But the views were breath taking! I wish my eyes took pictures every time I blinked because I don't think my camera does enough justice.
Switzerland is a beautiful place and I really see myself coming back here.
Once we got to the top of the mountain (and mind you, we hiked the Swiss Alps. Like we walked up an Alp..I'm pretty proud of myself!) but anyways, once we got to the top, we stopped to get food. We were all hungry and once again the view from the top was amazing.
The whole time we were walking, we saw all of these people para-gliding. Plus Karen had seen in a brochure that we could para-glide. So when we got to the top, we were asking people how we could do it but you have to make a reservation. All of the people we saw, were doing it for fun! They had their own parachutes and necessities to para-glide. It was so cool because there was a lot of people doing it! So that was a bust.
After lunch, we took the 3 means of transportation down the mountain. All of us were pretty tired and ready for the spa so that's right where we headed!
Along the water, there is this gym/pool place where you can go to swim and work out. It was 17 francs to use everything, even the water slide! There were two pools inside and one outside. The one outside was heated, like a huge hot tub! We stayed out there most of the time. But we did ride down the water slides as well, there was four of those. In the heated pool there were jets and these bars where you could go lay down on and the jets would hit you. So relaxing, especially after our hike! We were at the spa for about two hours. It was exactly what we needed!
We headed back the hostel, all took showers and went to dinner. We didn't go out. Locarno is a very quiet city and we didn't want to go to the same bar and end up spending a lot of money again. But dinner was nice!
Sunday, we woke up and got breakfast then packed up our suitcases. Check out wasn't until 12 but we were ready to go by 11.
It was a nice and relaxing weekend! The hike was just what I needed. I wish I got to see more of Switzerland, maybe a more known city. But I had a nice time so I see myself coming back here.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Rome 2/23-2/26
As I am writing the beginning of this blog, I am sitting in a park near the colosseum drinking a bottle champagne with the girls!
I love Rome; it's beautiful today. I've been walking around in jeans and a sheer top. I brought my light pea coat with me but I've been holding it.
Days like today makes me so happy to be studying abroad in Italy. I'm in love and am so fortunate to be here.
Jessica, Hannah and I got here last night (thursday) around 7pm. We had to take the train here, took 4.5 hours. Our flight was out of Milan and was at 3pm. We didn't get out of class until 11am and then would have taken the train to Milan, which takes almost two hours. Then with our smart brains, picked the airport that is an hour away from the train station. So we wouldn't have gotten to the airport in time for our flight. But we made it to Rome which is all that matters!!
Our hostel is pretty nice as well. We have a private room with 4 twin beds, desk & closet. The heater is on constantly and we have a window with a nice view. The bathroom is shared with the other 4 private rooms. It's actually not that bad!
Hannah's friend, Elaine, is studying abroad in Barcelona right now and came to Rome with us. She came with her friend Laura. They are both super nice and easy going. We are having a great time together (luckily)!
Thursday night, we went out to dinner where we got 25% off our meal. The dinner was pretty good and was right down the street. Then we came back to the hostel and waited for the 2 girls to arrived. Then we all passed out.
Friday morning, we were up at 8am. Got ready and went to get breakfast that came with our hostel. Breakfast was at this cafe around the corner. It was pretty good! We were able to get real coffee (like cappuccinos) and a brioche (croissant). Then we headed out to explore Rome!
Before it even hit 12, we had already seen: the Trevi fountain, the Pantheon and the Colosseum. We've been really productive which makes me happy. Then we got lunch and are now sitting in the park!
We left the park 2 hours ago and are now back in the room. The sun + champagne really made me sleepy. Everyone is going to try to nap now.
Wow it's been two hours! That was such an excellent nap. Clearly I needed it. I'm refreshed now and am getting ready to go out!! It's 7pm and we met this guy, John Carlo today who was promoting a pub crawl for tonight. He said to meet at the coliseum metro stop at 9pm and that he will take us to the party.
I'm home now, it's 2:30am and tonight was soo much fun!! The pub crawl ended up being a lot of fun. We met John Carlo and he with some other people all took the bus to the first dance place. There we paid our €20 and got unlimited drinks. Plus pizza!! We were there for probably two hours. Then we headed to the next discoteca which was 20minutes away. Such a joke! We had to take the metro then walk forever. I lost my buzz quickly.
Finally made it to the 2nd bar which was promoting Bacardi. There was 6 ladies walking around in dresses (clearly not wearing bras) handing Barcardi things out to people. It was fun but I got kind of left out, being there is 5 of us, I was the 5th wheel. It wasn't too bad since everyone was dancing but still.
Once that got boring we all kind of hit a wall and decided to just head back. We hopped in a taxi and are now home! We also got a t-shirt for the pub crawl.
Tomorrow we plan on going to the Vatican and seeing the Spanish steps.
Saturday, we didn't get up until 9:30am and that is because I had set my alarm knowing that breakfast ended at 10am. 4/5 of us got up to get food then when we got back, I showered and got ready. By 11:30am we were out of the room.
We headed straight to the Spanish steps then we walked down the street with Gucci, Dior, Fendi and more of my favorite stores. (Dad, I only spent €3500, don't worry hahaha) Then we walked to Vatican City. It's such a beautiful area. I could stand in the middle and stare all day. Also the weather was breathe taking. I was in jeans and a top all day, not cold at all. Love love love this perfect weather!!
No one wanted to go into the Vatican but Hannah and I went to see the sisteen chapel. After that we got lunch then headed to Gioletti (famous gelato place) which was delicious! The biggest gelato I've had since being here. We went shopping to a few places but I didn't get anything special.
Now we are back at the hostel getting ready for dinner and going out. We are meeting up with 3 boys from our USAC program who also came to Rome this weekend. Then we are going out to a discoteca but probably aren't going to stay out late since we are waking up at 5:45am to catch our plane!
I'm not excited to leave Rome but I'm happy to be heading back to Torino. I love going back "home". Plus I know I'm coming back to Rome before I come back to the states. This is just too beautiful of a city!
Saturday night, we came back to the room and got ready to go out. We headed out around 8:20pm and called the boys who said they were going to meet us for dinner near the traction. We got to the train station, called them and they were in a group of 6, we had 5 so they didn't want to go find a restaurant to accommodate the 11 of us...so we just headed to this nice restaurant called Florian's. It was really good, I was very happy with it (I picked it for once). We got 3 liters of white wine and were feeling no pain. But it was 11:30 and no one wanted to go out knowing we had to wake up at 5:45. The girls wanted something for dessert so we walked around trying to find a place but nothing was open or it was too expensive.
Instead we headed back to the room, got our phones and got some wifi. Then all headed back up and were asleep within 10min of laying down. It was nice to just have gone out to dinner then come home.
Waking up wasn't bad at all either. I was already packed except for my pjs and a few toiletries. We, of course, were late to the airport. We had to go to the front desk and cut the line so we didn't miss our flight. I hate traveling like that.
But we caught our flight and are now in Milan because when we bought our tickets, there were no flights to Torino. Now on a bus to the Milan train station to catch a train to Torino. Probably won't be home until 1:30pm and it's 9:30am now...longer day than I expected!
I'll post pictures when I get home!! Miss you guys so much xoxo
I love Rome; it's beautiful today. I've been walking around in jeans and a sheer top. I brought my light pea coat with me but I've been holding it.
Days like today makes me so happy to be studying abroad in Italy. I'm in love and am so fortunate to be here.
Jessica, Hannah and I got here last night (thursday) around 7pm. We had to take the train here, took 4.5 hours. Our flight was out of Milan and was at 3pm. We didn't get out of class until 11am and then would have taken the train to Milan, which takes almost two hours. Then with our smart brains, picked the airport that is an hour away from the train station. So we wouldn't have gotten to the airport in time for our flight. But we made it to Rome which is all that matters!!
Our hostel is pretty nice as well. We have a private room with 4 twin beds, desk & closet. The heater is on constantly and we have a window with a nice view. The bathroom is shared with the other 4 private rooms. It's actually not that bad!
Hannah's friend, Elaine, is studying abroad in Barcelona right now and came to Rome with us. She came with her friend Laura. They are both super nice and easy going. We are having a great time together (luckily)!
Thursday night, we went out to dinner where we got 25% off our meal. The dinner was pretty good and was right down the street. Then we came back to the hostel and waited for the 2 girls to arrived. Then we all passed out.
Friday morning, we were up at 8am. Got ready and went to get breakfast that came with our hostel. Breakfast was at this cafe around the corner. It was pretty good! We were able to get real coffee (like cappuccinos) and a brioche (croissant). Then we headed out to explore Rome!
Before it even hit 12, we had already seen: the Trevi fountain, the Pantheon and the Colosseum. We've been really productive which makes me happy. Then we got lunch and are now sitting in the park!
We left the park 2 hours ago and are now back in the room. The sun + champagne really made me sleepy. Everyone is going to try to nap now.
Wow it's been two hours! That was such an excellent nap. Clearly I needed it. I'm refreshed now and am getting ready to go out!! It's 7pm and we met this guy, John Carlo today who was promoting a pub crawl for tonight. He said to meet at the coliseum metro stop at 9pm and that he will take us to the party.
I'm home now, it's 2:30am and tonight was soo much fun!! The pub crawl ended up being a lot of fun. We met John Carlo and he with some other people all took the bus to the first dance place. There we paid our €20 and got unlimited drinks. Plus pizza!! We were there for probably two hours. Then we headed to the next discoteca which was 20minutes away. Such a joke! We had to take the metro then walk forever. I lost my buzz quickly.
Finally made it to the 2nd bar which was promoting Bacardi. There was 6 ladies walking around in dresses (clearly not wearing bras) handing Barcardi things out to people. It was fun but I got kind of left out, being there is 5 of us, I was the 5th wheel. It wasn't too bad since everyone was dancing but still.
Once that got boring we all kind of hit a wall and decided to just head back. We hopped in a taxi and are now home! We also got a t-shirt for the pub crawl.
Tomorrow we plan on going to the Vatican and seeing the Spanish steps.
Saturday, we didn't get up until 9:30am and that is because I had set my alarm knowing that breakfast ended at 10am. 4/5 of us got up to get food then when we got back, I showered and got ready. By 11:30am we were out of the room.
We headed straight to the Spanish steps then we walked down the street with Gucci, Dior, Fendi and more of my favorite stores. (Dad, I only spent €3500, don't worry hahaha) Then we walked to Vatican City. It's such a beautiful area. I could stand in the middle and stare all day. Also the weather was breathe taking. I was in jeans and a top all day, not cold at all. Love love love this perfect weather!!
No one wanted to go into the Vatican but Hannah and I went to see the sisteen chapel. After that we got lunch then headed to Gioletti (famous gelato place) which was delicious! The biggest gelato I've had since being here. We went shopping to a few places but I didn't get anything special.
Now we are back at the hostel getting ready for dinner and going out. We are meeting up with 3 boys from our USAC program who also came to Rome this weekend. Then we are going out to a discoteca but probably aren't going to stay out late since we are waking up at 5:45am to catch our plane!
I'm not excited to leave Rome but I'm happy to be heading back to Torino. I love going back "home". Plus I know I'm coming back to Rome before I come back to the states. This is just too beautiful of a city!
Saturday night, we came back to the room and got ready to go out. We headed out around 8:20pm and called the boys who said they were going to meet us for dinner near the traction. We got to the train station, called them and they were in a group of 6, we had 5 so they didn't want to go find a restaurant to accommodate the 11 of us...so we just headed to this nice restaurant called Florian's. It was really good, I was very happy with it (I picked it for once). We got 3 liters of white wine and were feeling no pain. But it was 11:30 and no one wanted to go out knowing we had to wake up at 5:45. The girls wanted something for dessert so we walked around trying to find a place but nothing was open or it was too expensive.
Instead we headed back to the room, got our phones and got some wifi. Then all headed back up and were asleep within 10min of laying down. It was nice to just have gone out to dinner then come home.
Waking up wasn't bad at all either. I was already packed except for my pjs and a few toiletries. We, of course, were late to the airport. We had to go to the front desk and cut the line so we didn't miss our flight. I hate traveling like that.
But we caught our flight and are now in Milan because when we bought our tickets, there were no flights to Torino. Now on a bus to the Milan train station to catch a train to Torino. Probably won't be home until 1:30pm and it's 9:30am now...longer day than I expected!
I'll post pictures when I get home!! Miss you guys so much xoxo
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Ivrea Festival 2/21
Today I went with USAC to Ivrea for the famous orange battle. It was a free trip for all of the USAC students. The bus picked us up at school and dropped us off there. Ivrea is luckily only an hour away so we were there quickly.
The battle didn't start until 2pm and we got there around 12 so we had time to kill. Daniele walked us to the main piazza and on our way there we walked through all of the different territories of the teams. I took tons of pictures which I uploaded onto Facebook. In the piazzas there were stacks of crates filled with oranges. Sooo many oranges, probably 18 crates high. Unbelievable, I don't know where all of these oranges came from. Apparently, years ago they use to use apples. Good thing they changed to oranges or everyone would have black eyes and bruises.
We walked down to the street where they had trucks with food (kind of like taco trucks but they had panini and desserts, man I love Italy). I got this delicious pork sandwich and Hannah & I got some french fries to share. Constantly stuffing our face with food, nothing new there!
Around 1:30pm was when the horses and carts started to make their ways up to the various piazzas. The cart holds 10 people it looked like and had 2-4 horses pulling them. There are 9 teams that all have their own colors with special uniforms and sections through out the town. Their names: Chessmen, Arduini, Ace of Spades, Death, Tuchini, Devils, Mercenaries, Panthers and Credendari. I am not sure how they pick a winner or if there even is a winner.
Before we knew it the battle had begon! We some how ended up right in the action in one of the piazzas. Oranges were being thrown from every which direction. I had worn this sweater, which I thought was red but people were telling me it was brown/burgundy/maroon...but it didn't even matter if you were wearing a true red dress; you had to have a red hat one!! So many people were yelling at us in Italian saying we needed to leave since we didn't have a red hat on and that we were going to get hit. Hannah and Liz were throwing oranges at everyone. Then they would get upset when the boys would throw them at them haha
We left that one piazza and moved on to another one which was a bad idea..the guys there had NO mercy on us girls. They would rip open the oranges and just squeeze them into our hair. Actually, I shouldn't say "our" because when they would come to me, I would grab both of their hands and tell them I'd kick them in nuts if they did that. But Monique, Kaitlin, Hannah and Liz were getting orange juice EVERYWHERE. Down their shirts, in the hair, on their jeans..Hannah actually slipped down the stairs so her butt got covered in orange.
The battle came to pause but we first thought it was over. They had been throwing oranges for over an hour and half so we figured they were tired and it ended. Oh no, they came back 20 minutes later. At this point, we were standing in the middle of the piazza where they come walking around. The oranges on the floor are indescribable. It was really disgusting and hard to walk around in plus the horses were pooping everywhere so it was mixed with that. Pretty picture, huh? I got a few pictures of it all.
Once the battle started again, we ditched the piazza and went down the river which was in the direction of the bus. There we saw some more of the parade and was throwing confetti around. The bus left at 5:30pm and we were home at 7pm.
Overall the day was amazing and I am so glad I went. Today was a memory that I will never forget. Crazy how these littles towns can have such huge festivals that are famous! I am one lucky girl to be in Italy :]
Miss you guys so much!!
The battle didn't start until 2pm and we got there around 12 so we had time to kill. Daniele walked us to the main piazza and on our way there we walked through all of the different territories of the teams. I took tons of pictures which I uploaded onto Facebook. In the piazzas there were stacks of crates filled with oranges. Sooo many oranges, probably 18 crates high. Unbelievable, I don't know where all of these oranges came from. Apparently, years ago they use to use apples. Good thing they changed to oranges or everyone would have black eyes and bruises.
We walked down to the street where they had trucks with food (kind of like taco trucks but they had panini and desserts, man I love Italy). I got this delicious pork sandwich and Hannah & I got some french fries to share. Constantly stuffing our face with food, nothing new there!
Around 1:30pm was when the horses and carts started to make their ways up to the various piazzas. The cart holds 10 people it looked like and had 2-4 horses pulling them. There are 9 teams that all have their own colors with special uniforms and sections through out the town. Their names: Chessmen, Arduini, Ace of Spades, Death, Tuchini, Devils, Mercenaries, Panthers and Credendari. I am not sure how they pick a winner or if there even is a winner.
Before we knew it the battle had begon! We some how ended up right in the action in one of the piazzas. Oranges were being thrown from every which direction. I had worn this sweater, which I thought was red but people were telling me it was brown/burgundy/maroon...but it didn't even matter if you were wearing a true red dress; you had to have a red hat one!! So many people were yelling at us in Italian saying we needed to leave since we didn't have a red hat on and that we were going to get hit. Hannah and Liz were throwing oranges at everyone. Then they would get upset when the boys would throw them at them haha
We left that one piazza and moved on to another one which was a bad idea..the guys there had NO mercy on us girls. They would rip open the oranges and just squeeze them into our hair. Actually, I shouldn't say "our" because when they would come to me, I would grab both of their hands and tell them I'd kick them in nuts if they did that. But Monique, Kaitlin, Hannah and Liz were getting orange juice EVERYWHERE. Down their shirts, in the hair, on their jeans..Hannah actually slipped down the stairs so her butt got covered in orange.
The battle came to pause but we first thought it was over. They had been throwing oranges for over an hour and half so we figured they were tired and it ended. Oh no, they came back 20 minutes later. At this point, we were standing in the middle of the piazza where they come walking around. The oranges on the floor are indescribable. It was really disgusting and hard to walk around in plus the horses were pooping everywhere so it was mixed with that. Pretty picture, huh? I got a few pictures of it all.
Once the battle started again, we ditched the piazza and went down the river which was in the direction of the bus. There we saw some more of the parade and was throwing confetti around. The bus left at 5:30pm and we were home at 7pm.
Overall the day was amazing and I am so glad I went. Today was a memory that I will never forget. Crazy how these littles towns can have such huge festivals that are famous! I am one lucky girl to be in Italy :]
Miss you guys so much!!
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