Ciao!!!
Ok, I have to apologize for a few things right off the bat. First of all, I am sorry it has taken me so long to write on my bog. It was finals week this week and as much as I tried to procrastinate (and succeeded in some cases) I just never got enough time to sit and write a good blog post!
I also must apologize because I have been promising to tell you all about Lake Guarda, Venice and Verona and I am afraid I won't be able to. Why? Well, I don’t exactly know, except that every time I sit down to and start writing about it I get annoyed and stop. The trip was great, don't get me wrong, and to be honest I have no idea why writing about it is so impossible but I guess, since it is, I'll just have to tell you about it in person when I get back! So be sure to ask about it if you’re interested! They were all three beautiful places, and Venice is probably one of my favorite cities so far. I have pictures up on the new slide show so you'll get to see them and I'll write some captions here in a minute!
Ok- So about this week. Actually it was a pretty funny week despite the stress and annoying exams! I'll just go through the week and if I remember a funny story I'll write it out! Deal!? Deal!
Monday: On Monday my Art History class (did I ever tell you I was taking Art History? No? Well I am!) went to the Palazzo Vecchio which is a really old palace built in the 13th century. During the 15th century it was renovated, so to speak, by an artist named Vassari (that's his last name). Vassari created several major masterpieces for the ceiling of the Palazzo, along with tons of minor paintings and frescos all over the place. Of course we went to take a tour, however, this was no ordinary tour. Oh no...on this tour we were going to be walking and talking with Vassari HIMSELF....how can this be you ask?? Well, basically a 20 something Italian man is paid to dress up like Vassari, know everything about him and the time period he lives in and gives us "his" thoughts on all of the paintings and frescoes we see as if it was the 1500's and he was Vassari. At first I thought this was a pretty great idea, but soon after we began things just got awkward. First of all, our dear sweet sweet tour guide, Alberto....I mean, Vassari, didn't speak English very well. He got several words mixed up during the tour making for some pretty great quotes. My favorite "Vassari-ism" went something like this:
Vassari to a girl in my class: Why do you wear pants and not a dress, YOU ARE NAKED!
Girl: It's too hot to wear a dress! Why did they wear them during the summer anyway?
Vassari: Because, you see...a woman's body is full of...of...PEACH.
All of us: Peach?
Vassari: Si! Peach...peach!!
All of us: *Blank stare*
Vassari to my teacher: Come se Dice 'peccato' in inglese? *teacher answers*
Vassari: OOOO, SIN! a woman's body is full of SIN therefore she must wear the dresses!!
....Peaches...Sin...sure I can see how they sound the same. I am no longer going to feel bad for mixing up my Italian words haha. I loved Alberto- he was a great sport!
Tuesday: Ok....I admit it. I crumbled, I gave in to my cravings and I caved and I ....I went to McDonalds! I KNOW! I KNOW! I am in ITLAY, HOOWWW could I possibly have gone to MCDONALDS! Here's how. First of all, the McD's in Italy smell better than the ones in the US. I think it's because they use sunflower seed oil instead of what the US uses. Second of all, all of my roomies and I decided latish Wednesday night that we were craving some chocolate cake, so we headed out in search for some! unfortunately its not possible in Italy to eat just dessert at a restaurant so no one would let us sit down and order cake. We didn't feel like gelato though, and the only American bakery in Florence closed three hours before we set out. So we just started walking, hoping we would happen upon a sweet little trattoria that would let us have some cake. And then we saw the golden arches. We all looked at each other and said....Meh...Why not! They all got Mcflurries but as soon as I stepped inside the craving for their fries I had been fighting for the last 5 weeks came rushing back and I had to order some. They were delicious. I do not regret it haha.
Wednesday: Wednesday was spent cramming for the exam I had in Art History on Thursday
Thursday: I took an exam, it was fine! It was one of my roommate's (Olivia) last night in Florence so all my roomies and I took her out to dinner at a really cute place called Trattatoria Nerone. In case you are wondering a Trattatoria is a little family owned restaurant, they are pretty much the norm here and you are guaranteed a wonderful meal and a friendly smile. Emma came along (it was her last night too) and we had dinner, went to Grome, our favorite gelato place and finally ended up in Piazza Della Signoria were we listened to a guy play some Simon and Garfunkel on his guitar for about an hour. It was amazing!!!
Friday: Today....today I accomplished one of my goals! I got my haircut in Italy! It was so scary!!! I printed off a picture or two of what I wanted and I took to the hair salon a friend of mine had recommended. The girl who cut my hair didn't speak English or understand my weak Italian- eek!- but her friend did so he made sure she knew what I was looking for. And then she had me stand up...and took an electric razor...and chopped off three inches in one foul swoop. I nearly cried but then I remembered it was just hair! She took about two hours to shape and style it, the whole time using an electric and then an old school blade barbars use on men’s beards. I was pretty freaked out by the end of it. I walked out convinced I looked like a boy until I got home and all of my roommates freaked out with a round of "OOO MY GOSH IT LOOKS GREATTTT!!!!!"...I love them. I have played with it some and I really love it. Its EXTREMELY thinned out and short so its a lot easier to deal with, I think I’m going to really love it as soon as it gets really hot here. I put a picture up there so you can kind of get a feel for it, but I have it half up in the picture so it looks a little different than normal.
Well, I have to run because a train's leaving for Rome in 30 minutes and I've got to be on it! My mom and Grandparents made it safely to Rome and have been touring around for the day. I will meet up with them around 6 pm and then it's on to a super fun week in Napoli, Pompeii, Capri and Sicily and back to Florence! I will be posting about it the week after next and I'll be sure to put up some fun pictures!
I hope everyone has a fantastic week, I love you all!!
Mary K.
June 20, 2008
June 10, 2008
There are no Squirrels in Florence
It's true. And coming from College Station, where squirrels practically outnumber the students, I am surprised it took me this long to notice!
How's everybody doing?! I am great; today was a monumental day for me. Actually the last two days have been good, but I'll get to yesterday in a minute. Today two significant things happened. The first was getting on a first name basis with Marbola, the sweetest little barista in the News Café, where I get my cappuccino and croissant every morning. Every day for the last few weeks we have smiled animatedly, said ciao to each other, asked how the other was (in Italian of course) and exchanged coffee and cash. And that was great, but I really wanted to talk to her and get to know her, she seemed so sweet. So last week I began attempting to chat with her. Unfortunately I would get so intimidated that my Italian failed me and I couldn't say more than three words before I resorted to a pathetic "uuhh...*Smile and shrug*". She was really sweet and helped me say what I was trying to say but it was emotionally exhausting for me and our conversations were never more than two sentences long. But today I decided to try again- perseverance!- and I asked her name. That kicked off a good little chat about my name, our ages and why I was here. So it was a lot better, and I think I made a good friend. I'll keep you updated, hopefully my Italian will get better and we can talk more!
The second monumental occurrence of the day actually happened about five minutes after my conversation with Marbola. Today I felt my first surge of pride for my little neighborhood. While I was enjoying my cappuccino, a group of tourists walked by, heading towards the leather market. While they were passing my table I heard their leader say rather loudly, "Now watch your purses and your pockets! Do you have locks on that backpack!? Keep everything close now!". This made me angry! How dare he accuse my sweet little neighborhood with my sweet little Italian neighbors of being thieves. If they were walking past the Duomo sure, but in my neighborhood?!?! No way. Ok sure, there are some creepers in the leather market, but the worst one is the guy who calls out terrible pickup lines every time you pass by. My personal favorite is the " Wait Bella, you've dropped something... (I keep walking)...Bella, Bella, you've dropped my heart!" But I have even come to find that guy endearing. So please Mr. Guide, if you're going to accuse a part of town of being sketchy, I suggest you look elsewhere!
Yesterday was, like I said, another great day! I skipped class with a few of my roommates because it was one of the first pretty days we have had in Florence. I don't think I have mentioned it yet in my blog but Italy is experiencing its rainiest summer in 2 CENTURIES! CENTURIES! Are you kidding me, I chose the ONE rainy summer out of 200 gorgeous ones....ha! The Italians are in an uproar about it too. It has been kind of frustrating actually because Florence isn't as pretty when the skies are gray and rainy. Not to mention I have no desire to sit and read in a garden or walk around a museum when it’s cold. So when we woke up and it was gorgeous outside we just couldn't help it! Don't worry- we get two free absences and I haven’t skipped class yet, nor do I plan on doing it again so I promise it wasn't a big deal :)! We decided to go the Boboli Gardens and enjoy the sun and warm weather. The Boboli Gardens is located on the southern side of Florence (also the more residential and less touristy part of town). It is a gorgeous and huge plot of land divided by geometrically shaped hedges, beautiful fountains, and big spacious lawns. It sits right behind the Piti Palace and use to be a private oasis for the Medici's, an incredibly wealthy royal family in Florence way back when. We brought some books to read and a blanket and just lounged and chatted. It was probably one of the best mornings yet!
So I really can't complain about this week! It has been amazing! Last week was probably my most difficult as far as homesickness goes. I suppose that makes sense. I had been here for three weeks and I was looking ahead at 6 more. A bunch of the kids I have been hanging out with on a daily basis (including Emma and Lee) are only here for the first 5 week term, so everyone was talking about what they were going to do when they got home in two weeks. It was really hard to listen to the food they were going to eat, people they were going to see and things they were going to do knowing I had another month and half before I got back to any of the things I was missing. So there were a few low points. I am convinced the rain didn't help. But this week I am better; the sun is shining and I am making some progress in my goals. The same kids are even telling me how lucky I am that I get to stay longer, and I am beginning to agree with them. Not to mention the huge bonus that Mom, Maw maw and Pawpaw will be here next week!!! We have been planning a ten-day trip for the time in-between my class sessions and it has really been helping with my homesickness! I am really looking forward to having them up, though I wish all of you could come. I am convinced this trip would be better if everyone I loved were here, though I know I wouldn't be growing so much if they all were.
This post is getting long so I am going to say Buona Sera, and leave you for now. But I will write back soon about my trip last weekend to Venice and Verona! I hope you all have a great day!!
Love,
Mary K
How's everybody doing?! I am great; today was a monumental day for me. Actually the last two days have been good, but I'll get to yesterday in a minute. Today two significant things happened. The first was getting on a first name basis with Marbola, the sweetest little barista in the News Café, where I get my cappuccino and croissant every morning. Every day for the last few weeks we have smiled animatedly, said ciao to each other, asked how the other was (in Italian of course) and exchanged coffee and cash. And that was great, but I really wanted to talk to her and get to know her, she seemed so sweet. So last week I began attempting to chat with her. Unfortunately I would get so intimidated that my Italian failed me and I couldn't say more than three words before I resorted to a pathetic "uuhh...*Smile and shrug*". She was really sweet and helped me say what I was trying to say but it was emotionally exhausting for me and our conversations were never more than two sentences long. But today I decided to try again- perseverance!- and I asked her name. That kicked off a good little chat about my name, our ages and why I was here. So it was a lot better, and I think I made a good friend. I'll keep you updated, hopefully my Italian will get better and we can talk more!
The second monumental occurrence of the day actually happened about five minutes after my conversation with Marbola. Today I felt my first surge of pride for my little neighborhood. While I was enjoying my cappuccino, a group of tourists walked by, heading towards the leather market. While they were passing my table I heard their leader say rather loudly, "Now watch your purses and your pockets! Do you have locks on that backpack!? Keep everything close now!". This made me angry! How dare he accuse my sweet little neighborhood with my sweet little Italian neighbors of being thieves. If they were walking past the Duomo sure, but in my neighborhood?!?! No way. Ok sure, there are some creepers in the leather market, but the worst one is the guy who calls out terrible pickup lines every time you pass by. My personal favorite is the " Wait Bella, you've dropped something... (I keep walking)...Bella, Bella, you've dropped my heart!" But I have even come to find that guy endearing. So please Mr. Guide, if you're going to accuse a part of town of being sketchy, I suggest you look elsewhere!
Yesterday was, like I said, another great day! I skipped class with a few of my roommates because it was one of the first pretty days we have had in Florence. I don't think I have mentioned it yet in my blog but Italy is experiencing its rainiest summer in 2 CENTURIES! CENTURIES! Are you kidding me, I chose the ONE rainy summer out of 200 gorgeous ones....ha! The Italians are in an uproar about it too. It has been kind of frustrating actually because Florence isn't as pretty when the skies are gray and rainy. Not to mention I have no desire to sit and read in a garden or walk around a museum when it’s cold. So when we woke up and it was gorgeous outside we just couldn't help it! Don't worry- we get two free absences and I haven’t skipped class yet, nor do I plan on doing it again so I promise it wasn't a big deal :)! We decided to go the Boboli Gardens and enjoy the sun and warm weather. The Boboli Gardens is located on the southern side of Florence (also the more residential and less touristy part of town). It is a gorgeous and huge plot of land divided by geometrically shaped hedges, beautiful fountains, and big spacious lawns. It sits right behind the Piti Palace and use to be a private oasis for the Medici's, an incredibly wealthy royal family in Florence way back when. We brought some books to read and a blanket and just lounged and chatted. It was probably one of the best mornings yet!
So I really can't complain about this week! It has been amazing! Last week was probably my most difficult as far as homesickness goes. I suppose that makes sense. I had been here for three weeks and I was looking ahead at 6 more. A bunch of the kids I have been hanging out with on a daily basis (including Emma and Lee) are only here for the first 5 week term, so everyone was talking about what they were going to do when they got home in two weeks. It was really hard to listen to the food they were going to eat, people they were going to see and things they were going to do knowing I had another month and half before I got back to any of the things I was missing. So there were a few low points. I am convinced the rain didn't help. But this week I am better; the sun is shining and I am making some progress in my goals. The same kids are even telling me how lucky I am that I get to stay longer, and I am beginning to agree with them. Not to mention the huge bonus that Mom, Maw maw and Pawpaw will be here next week!!! We have been planning a ten-day trip for the time in-between my class sessions and it has really been helping with my homesickness! I am really looking forward to having them up, though I wish all of you could come. I am convinced this trip would be better if everyone I loved were here, though I know I wouldn't be growing so much if they all were.
This post is getting long so I am going to say Buona Sera, and leave you for now. But I will write back soon about my trip last weekend to Venice and Verona! I hope you all have a great day!!
Love,
Mary K
June 3, 2008
Yay for Comments!
Hi All!
Several of you have been asking me how you can comment on my blog if you are not a gmail user! You are in luck my friends because I have just fixed it up so everyone can comment!! What you do iissss:
1. click on the "# comments" link at the very bottom right hand side of the post you wish to comment on
2. Write your comment in the box!
3. Click on the bubble next to "Name/URL" Type in your name, Don't worry about URL, just leave that blank
4. Click "Publish Comment"- It won't show up as a comment right away because I have requested to check every comment for the random crazys I dont know.
Va Bene?? Let me know if y'all have any problems but I am pretty sure that should work! So thanks for letting me know I needed to fix that, y'all make me smile! I will probably post next week so till then- Have a good one!!!
Love, Mary K
Several of you have been asking me how you can comment on my blog if you are not a gmail user! You are in luck my friends because I have just fixed it up so everyone can comment!! What you do iissss:
1. click on the "# comments" link at the very bottom right hand side of the post you wish to comment on
2. Write your comment in the box!
3. Click on the bubble next to "Name/URL" Type in your name, Don't worry about URL, just leave that blank
4. Click "Publish Comment"- It won't show up as a comment right away because I have requested to check every comment for the random crazys I dont know.
Va Bene?? Let me know if y'all have any problems but I am pretty sure that should work! So thanks for letting me know I needed to fix that, y'all make me smile! I will probably post next week so till then- Have a good one!!!
Love, Mary K
June 2, 2008
Pictures!
Here are some descriptions of the pictures for the new slide show! The pictures are from "Everything is smaller in Italy..." and "Gelato in the Rain". Enjoy!!
Siena:
1.Palazzo Pubblico in the Piazza Del Campo
2.Torre del Mangia in the Piazza del Campo
3. A bird's eye view of the Piazza Del Campo- not my picture by the way!
Castello Di Volpaia:
4. a cute sign!
5. A cool ally way
6. A gorgeous door I found
7. Castello's Wine Vats
8. These were the Barrels that held the Wine!
9. This is the incredible spread they served us for the Olive Oil Tasting
10.A gorgeous veiw from the Castello
Pisa:
11. The Leaning Tower of Pisa and Me!
12.The Duomo of Pisa and the Leaning Belltower!
Milan:
13. Emma Lee and Me boarding our train to Milan!
14.Alex, Lee, Me, Emma and Alan in front of the Duomo of Milan
15.A view of the side of Milan's Duomo and the sculptures that decorate the entire outside
16.The Alter inside of the Duomo
17.The arches and nave of the Duomo from the back of the church
18. The Galleria of Milan!
19.Me Scowling at Mcdonalds for being in the middle of such a beautiful place, who do they think they are!?!?!
20. Louis Vuitton in the Galleria
21. Prada and its 6,000 Euro Purses in the Galleria
22. Me spinning three times in a bulls testicles for good luck!
23. The Castello Sforzesco in Milan
24. The Lover's Bridge
25. Emma and Me on the train to Lake Como- a suprise picture obviously haha thanks Lee!
26. Lake Como from the boat!
27. Emma, Alan, Lee, Alex, Bruno and Me eating Gelato in Cerenobbio!
28. Bruno, Alan, Lee, Emma, Me and Alex with Lake Como behind us!
29. The hills around Lake Como
30. Another view of Lake Como
Siena:
1.Palazzo Pubblico in the Piazza Del Campo
2.Torre del Mangia in the Piazza del Campo
3. A bird's eye view of the Piazza Del Campo- not my picture by the way!
Castello Di Volpaia:
4. a cute sign!
5. A cool ally way
6. A gorgeous door I found
7. Castello's Wine Vats
8. These were the Barrels that held the Wine!
9. This is the incredible spread they served us for the Olive Oil Tasting
10.A gorgeous veiw from the Castello
Pisa:
11. The Leaning Tower of Pisa and Me!
12.The Duomo of Pisa and the Leaning Belltower!
Milan:
13. Emma Lee and Me boarding our train to Milan!
14.Alex, Lee, Me, Emma and Alan in front of the Duomo of Milan
15.A view of the side of Milan's Duomo and the sculptures that decorate the entire outside
16.The Alter inside of the Duomo
17.The arches and nave of the Duomo from the back of the church
18. The Galleria of Milan!
19.Me Scowling at Mcdonalds for being in the middle of such a beautiful place, who do they think they are!?!?!
20. Louis Vuitton in the Galleria
21. Prada and its 6,000 Euro Purses in the Galleria
22. Me spinning three times in a bulls testicles for good luck!
23. The Castello Sforzesco in Milan
24. The Lover's Bridge
25. Emma and Me on the train to Lake Como- a suprise picture obviously haha thanks Lee!
26. Lake Como from the boat!
27. Emma, Alan, Lee, Alex, Bruno and Me eating Gelato in Cerenobbio!
28. Bruno, Alan, Lee, Emma, Me and Alex with Lake Como behind us!
29. The hills around Lake Como
30. Another view of Lake Como
Gelato in the Rain
I thought this title post up while walking in the rain, with my umbrella in my right hand, and a huge scoop of gelato in my left. I felt it was a beautiful phrase and incoporated everything I loved about Italy. The rain, and the gelato.
Ok, maybe that isn't ALL that I love about Italy but it is two of my favorite things.
This weekend we went to Milan!! We being Emma, Lee, Alan, and Alex. We were five Aggies setting out to explore an unknown land!! Luckily we had a guide, or we would have failed miserably, how about I just start with Friday and let the story unfold on its own!!
OK! So Friday (May 30th) all five of us met at the train station in Florence about 45 minutes before our train was supposed to leave. We had not bought our tickets yet but we had been assured we wouldn't have any problems. Lies. The next three trains were completely full, but luckily there was a train leaving about an hour and half later than we were planning and it would only put us about an hour behind schedule. We got our tickets and decided to chill in the Caffe at the station until our train was here. We had a great time talking, we had not traveled with these guys before so it was a lot of fun getting to know them. Both Alex and Alan were Juniors at A&M and are members of a Christian fraternity BCA (Brotherhood of Christian Aggies) so we all knew the same people (Like Cabby) and had a ton to talk about! Finally it was time to find our platform and get on the train! We found our compartment and met a nice Italian guy who was going to share our compartment with us. He slept most of the way and had terrible B.O. but he was very nice, and told us where to go to get the best gelato in Milan. Anyone who can point my in the direction of the best Gelato is a friend in my book.
The train ride was 3.5 hours and filled with Alan singing along with his Ipod, Alex drifting in and out of sleep and the three of us girls switching between magazines, catching up on journaling and videotaping Alan singing off tune. Over all it was a great ride and we laughed a lot. We finally arrived in Milan at 10:30pm and as soon as we stepped off the train and looked around (Milan has a beautiful trainstation) we were met by Bruno. Everytime I said his name I thought about Uncle Mike Fod! Bruno is a native Texan who actually, come to find out, lives off of Cambell Road in Houston, so about three minutes away from all of my family in Houston. He graduated from A&M, got his masters, and then moved to Milan about three years ago and knows the city like the back of his hand. Alex knew him from BCA so they were already good friends. The guys took us to find our Hotel and we got our first glimpse of Milan. Basically I would have to say Milan is a pretty city in the same way New York is a pretty city. Expensive stores line the streets, and window shopping is incredible. Its really just a huge City, completely different from Florence or Rome. The only efficient means of transportation is by subway (again like New York) and without Bruno I know we would have gotten lost instantly, their subway system is HUGE.
The next day, Saturday the 31st, the guys picked us up at our hotel at 9:30 and Bruno had the whole day planned for us. He took us straight to the Duomo of Milan, which was one of the most beautiful and freakiest Duomo's I have ever seen. I say freaky because the whole outside of the church is "decorated" with statues of martyed saints in the exact position they were martyred in. Actually, that is why this is the only Duomo that will never be finished. They will continue to add on saints and Popes forever. Not exactly a cheerful look, but definetly one that makes you stand in awe for a few minutes. We went inside of the church which was also incredible and I have a few pictures of it up there on the slide show! To get in you have to pass a few police men checking bags, but I didnt realize this and just walked on through. They stopped Emma and Lee but they never bothered me. When I asked Bruno if it was a problem he said no, they didn't stop me because I looked like an Italian woman and they typically only stop Americans. This ofcourse made my day (it was one of my goals to be mistaken for a native Italian woman by a local and I had just fooled 4!!) SO I can go home happy now. hahaha.
After the Duomo we did a little more sightseeing, went to a really cool castel: Castello Sforesco. We also walked through a gorgeous park that was huge and soooo green. There were people holding hands and cuddeling and kissng everywhere in that park. We crossed a little bridge that had a ton of locks on it, we asked Bruno about them and he said that every time a couple decided to get married they would bring a lock with their names etched on it, lock it on the bridge and throw the key into the river under the bridge. We girls were just oodeling over this idea, pledging one day we would come back, Alan and Alex said it made the bridge look dumpy...boys...no appreciation for the beautiful things in life!
After all of the sighseeing Bruno took us to the train station and we bought tickets to go to Lake Como!! We took a 50 minute train ride there, got off and bought a ticket to get on a boat that would take us to a couple little towns off of the lake so we could get off and explore. Of course the lake was beautiful but it was a little gray out so the pictures above probably do it no justice. We got off at a little town called Cerenobbio. It was a cute little town right off the Lake. We got some gelato and headed up the hill (or mountain it felt like!) to get a better picture of the lake below and then walked down it. We got back on the boat after about an hour of hiking and snapping pictures and headed back to the mainland. Once we got there we hopped back on the train to Milan. We were pretty hungry by the time we got back to Milan so Bruno took us to a very chic restuarant for "Happy Hour". Happy Hour in Milan is a lot different than in the States. In Milan at about 8 o'clock pm Happy Hour begins, and at this particular restuarant you pay 8 Euro and you get a drink (I chose a Mojito) and you get to munch on an extravagant all you can eat bar. The variety of food was incredible and it tatsted so good. We aren't talking a CiCi's pizza buffet here, we are talking high class food, it was amazing. We sat and talked for a really long time and left around 10pm. We were stuffed but Bruno swore he knew where the best gelato was so we went and tatsted it...two gelatos in one day...forget the freshman 15, I'm reachin for the Italian 30! It was great but I was so over stuffed that by the time we reached our hotel it was all I could do to stay awake long enough to get into bed!
We wanted to catch a 7 am train the next morning to go to Cinque Terre so the guys picked us up at 6:30am. We made it late to the train station and didn't make our train, and as frustrating as that was it turns out it was a huge blessing. At 7:15am there was a train station strike somewhere in the region and all of the trains that go into that region (which would have been ours) stopped running for the day. So while we would have made it to Cinque Terre, there was little chance we would have made it back to Florence that night like we were planning. We decided to call it a weekend and head back to Florence on an 8:30am train. We caught it and went home and we just lounged around Florence for the rest of yesturday and today. It was a fantastic weekend, but we were exhausted.
So that was my weekend in Milan! I hope you are all doing well! I think about each of you often and miss you tons! Thanks for keepin up with me, it means a lot to me! Have a great week! I will talk to you soon!
Love, MK
Ok, maybe that isn't ALL that I love about Italy but it is two of my favorite things.
This weekend we went to Milan!! We being Emma, Lee, Alan, and Alex. We were five Aggies setting out to explore an unknown land!! Luckily we had a guide, or we would have failed miserably, how about I just start with Friday and let the story unfold on its own!!
OK! So Friday (May 30th) all five of us met at the train station in Florence about 45 minutes before our train was supposed to leave. We had not bought our tickets yet but we had been assured we wouldn't have any problems. Lies. The next three trains were completely full, but luckily there was a train leaving about an hour and half later than we were planning and it would only put us about an hour behind schedule. We got our tickets and decided to chill in the Caffe at the station until our train was here. We had a great time talking, we had not traveled with these guys before so it was a lot of fun getting to know them. Both Alex and Alan were Juniors at A&M and are members of a Christian fraternity BCA (Brotherhood of Christian Aggies) so we all knew the same people (Like Cabby) and had a ton to talk about! Finally it was time to find our platform and get on the train! We found our compartment and met a nice Italian guy who was going to share our compartment with us. He slept most of the way and had terrible B.O. but he was very nice, and told us where to go to get the best gelato in Milan. Anyone who can point my in the direction of the best Gelato is a friend in my book.
The train ride was 3.5 hours and filled with Alan singing along with his Ipod, Alex drifting in and out of sleep and the three of us girls switching between magazines, catching up on journaling and videotaping Alan singing off tune. Over all it was a great ride and we laughed a lot. We finally arrived in Milan at 10:30pm and as soon as we stepped off the train and looked around (Milan has a beautiful trainstation) we were met by Bruno. Everytime I said his name I thought about Uncle Mike Fod! Bruno is a native Texan who actually, come to find out, lives off of Cambell Road in Houston, so about three minutes away from all of my family in Houston. He graduated from A&M, got his masters, and then moved to Milan about three years ago and knows the city like the back of his hand. Alex knew him from BCA so they were already good friends. The guys took us to find our Hotel and we got our first glimpse of Milan. Basically I would have to say Milan is a pretty city in the same way New York is a pretty city. Expensive stores line the streets, and window shopping is incredible. Its really just a huge City, completely different from Florence or Rome. The only efficient means of transportation is by subway (again like New York) and without Bruno I know we would have gotten lost instantly, their subway system is HUGE.
The next day, Saturday the 31st, the guys picked us up at our hotel at 9:30 and Bruno had the whole day planned for us. He took us straight to the Duomo of Milan, which was one of the most beautiful and freakiest Duomo's I have ever seen. I say freaky because the whole outside of the church is "decorated" with statues of martyed saints in the exact position they were martyred in. Actually, that is why this is the only Duomo that will never be finished. They will continue to add on saints and Popes forever. Not exactly a cheerful look, but definetly one that makes you stand in awe for a few minutes. We went inside of the church which was also incredible and I have a few pictures of it up there on the slide show! To get in you have to pass a few police men checking bags, but I didnt realize this and just walked on through. They stopped Emma and Lee but they never bothered me. When I asked Bruno if it was a problem he said no, they didn't stop me because I looked like an Italian woman and they typically only stop Americans. This ofcourse made my day (it was one of my goals to be mistaken for a native Italian woman by a local and I had just fooled 4!!) SO I can go home happy now. hahaha.
After the Duomo we did a little more sightseeing, went to a really cool castel: Castello Sforesco. We also walked through a gorgeous park that was huge and soooo green. There were people holding hands and cuddeling and kissng everywhere in that park. We crossed a little bridge that had a ton of locks on it, we asked Bruno about them and he said that every time a couple decided to get married they would bring a lock with their names etched on it, lock it on the bridge and throw the key into the river under the bridge. We girls were just oodeling over this idea, pledging one day we would come back, Alan and Alex said it made the bridge look dumpy...boys...no appreciation for the beautiful things in life!
After all of the sighseeing Bruno took us to the train station and we bought tickets to go to Lake Como!! We took a 50 minute train ride there, got off and bought a ticket to get on a boat that would take us to a couple little towns off of the lake so we could get off and explore. Of course the lake was beautiful but it was a little gray out so the pictures above probably do it no justice. We got off at a little town called Cerenobbio. It was a cute little town right off the Lake. We got some gelato and headed up the hill (or mountain it felt like!) to get a better picture of the lake below and then walked down it. We got back on the boat after about an hour of hiking and snapping pictures and headed back to the mainland. Once we got there we hopped back on the train to Milan. We were pretty hungry by the time we got back to Milan so Bruno took us to a very chic restuarant for "Happy Hour". Happy Hour in Milan is a lot different than in the States. In Milan at about 8 o'clock pm Happy Hour begins, and at this particular restuarant you pay 8 Euro and you get a drink (I chose a Mojito) and you get to munch on an extravagant all you can eat bar. The variety of food was incredible and it tatsted so good. We aren't talking a CiCi's pizza buffet here, we are talking high class food, it was amazing. We sat and talked for a really long time and left around 10pm. We were stuffed but Bruno swore he knew where the best gelato was so we went and tatsted it...two gelatos in one day...forget the freshman 15, I'm reachin for the Italian 30! It was great but I was so over stuffed that by the time we reached our hotel it was all I could do to stay awake long enough to get into bed!
We wanted to catch a 7 am train the next morning to go to Cinque Terre so the guys picked us up at 6:30am. We made it late to the train station and didn't make our train, and as frustrating as that was it turns out it was a huge blessing. At 7:15am there was a train station strike somewhere in the region and all of the trains that go into that region (which would have been ours) stopped running for the day. So while we would have made it to Cinque Terre, there was little chance we would have made it back to Florence that night like we were planning. We decided to call it a weekend and head back to Florence on an 8:30am train. We caught it and went home and we just lounged around Florence for the rest of yesturday and today. It was a fantastic weekend, but we were exhausted.
So that was my weekend in Milan! I hope you are all doing well! I think about each of you often and miss you tons! Thanks for keepin up with me, it means a lot to me! Have a great week! I will talk to you soon!
Love, MK
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