Gesch
Rachel Geschwind Joined: July 3rd 2008
Logged in: August 19th 2008
Logged in: August 19th 2008
Travel Blog Posts
Mountain road
Domenica (Sunday) 17 Agosto When I awoke on Sunday morning, I went to the kitchen, rested and refreshed, to find only Nonna- no aunt or uncle (Tonietta and Franco). She spent some talking with me, or at me, rather, as I could not understand one out of fifty words she spoke. Despite the fact that she punctuated her paragraph long sentences with "Capisce?", I learned quickly that it didn't matter, and she was just happy to have someone new to speak with. She told me stories, we laughed, she cried, I mirrored her expressions and let her talk her heart out. She was a sweet woman. After awhile, I excused myself to go to the beach, as it was a beautiful day, and I had no idea when the boys would be returning. The beach was ... read more
Umbrellas
Saturday (Sabato) Agosto 16 After a relatively painless two short flights (Venice to Rome, Rome to Catania), I arrived in Catania on a warm sunny day, although my clothes were still a little damp from Venice. I was becoming more nervous as I grew closer to my destination, as I had not been able to get a hold of my friends in Sicily, and the dialect in Sicily was strong, and the amount of people who spoke English was slim indeed.I managed to get out of the airport, get onto a bus, get the train station, and get on a train for Gioiosa Marea. In my exhaustion, it was quite the feat, particularly with that 50lb luggage in tow. Even though I was hungry, tired, and dirty, the beauty of the train ride did not ... read more
Raining in San Marco's
(Venerdi) 15 Agosto- Ferragosto There comes a time in everyone’s trip where one regrets ever stepping foot on foreign ground. It’s only somewhat irrational, but natural, as something will always go wrong with at least one aspect of your trip. This weekend I had wanted to go home, immediately. Murphy’s Law was getting the best of me. Friday was my last day in Venice, and I had wanted to go to the beach on the nearby island of Lido. I was disappointed that Cheryl was too busy to join me, but I persevered, knowing that the next day would be a long day of traveling to Sicily, and I wanted a day to relax. In the three weeks I had been in Venice, it had rained only once. Until Friday; I was out shopping when ... read more
Venice after dark
Mercoledi (Wednesday), 13 Agosto 2008 I walked home from class this evening under a full moon, a cool breeze, and some distant rumblings of thunder. The sky was magnificent - a full moon- and I was thinking of the days to come, my upcoming flight to Sicily, and leaving Venice. After the sun sets, most would say that Venice is dead. The majority of tourists have packed it in and the walkways are breathable again. A few adoring couples walk slowly, mano a mano, and the canal echoes the quiet rumblings of local speedboats, some playing thumping techno beats. I stand on the large wooden bridge over the Grand Canal next to the Accademia, entranced by the swelling winds and watching the red, white, and green lights from the boats dance across the ripples of the ... read more
Hearts all over the world tonight
Lunedi (Monday) 11 August 2008 The trip to Venice has, admittedly, been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. One minute I’m flying high, sitting in front of Titian painting that has been in situ (in its original designated AKA holy site) since its creation, marveling over this work of beauty I had seen so many times in books. The next, I feeling lonely, overwhelmed, and truly worried that my poor grasp of Italian would eliminate my ability to do any real dissertation research. One of the nicest personal self-affirming things I have done in Italy, which seems silly, has been to read for pleasure. As I began tearing through my fourth novel in two weeks (!!!), I found myself laughing out loud in bed (my landlady must have though I was pazza!) to a chapter ... read more
Like you didn't already look like a tourist
Il fine settimana (Sabato e domenica) Saturday and Sunday, August 9th and 10th After the long day in Padua, I was ready for a rest this weekend. After a little sleeping in on Saturday, I made a short trip to the supermarket and had a quick chat with some German tourists over lunch. We were sitting next to each other in an outside café when a group of African vendors, spying trouble around San Vidal church where they were camped out, grabbed their goods and ran like on fire. They were screaming in their native language, and they were in such a mad hurry, one of the men left behind three handbags. About ten seconds later, three plainsclothes Italian policemen (and one policewoman) came tearing around the corner, dashing after the Africans. The German couple and ... read more
This machine kills Fascists
(Venerdi) Friday, August 8 Today Cheryl and I took the train to Padua to see the Scrovegni Chapel- a basic in Art History 102 or any Renaissance course. The ride to Padua was too short- only about 30 minutes- and I thought it odd that after only two weeks in Venice, the sight of cars seemed foreign to me. Our reservations for the chapel weren’t until 7:20 pm, so we paid 5 Euros to enter the Civic Museum, the “Eremitani” which was the “regular” art museum. The museum was a complete and unexpected delight, although the guards herded us like border collies from one room to the next, like fussy French chefs, insistent that one dish should be enjoyed before the next. In spite of the Brown Shirts, however, we were mesmerized by the extent and ... read more
Poor kitty
Thursday, August 7th I managed to wake up before noon today! and set out for Giudecca to see two of the women's institutions (i.e. convents) about which I am writing in my dissertation. The Convertite (the Converted), which was originally created to house "fallen women"- i.e. ex-prostitutes and concubines who left their sinful lives and instead devoted their lives to God. In a not-so-ironic twist, after all religious institutions were suppressed under Napoleon’s rule, the convent was “converted” into a women’s prison. As I approached the institute, a prison boat was arriving (which was simply a speedboat with fancy blue writing “Polizia Penitentiara”), and a female “penitent” (pun intended), was escorted inside. I heard the voices of people aside, which didn’t sound very threatening or scary, and instead echoed the sleepy and peaceful feeling of the ... read more
By the banks of the Grand Canal
Monday (lunedi) I had a nice lunch with Julie, my fellow American, and we chatted about raggazzi (guys) and enjoyed some overpriced pizza because it was next to the Accademia and right on the banks of the Grand Canal. Afterwards, I went to classes, where I was relieved to find out that I was now in a group more, um, suited to my abilities. I had some homework to do (allora!) and I had a late stroll, where I saw Matteo, and chatted with him while he closed down the restaurant. He told me his favorite band was Nirvana, he was 28 ( I guessed correctly), and asked who my favorite Italian singer was. Um, how do you answer that? Thankfully, I had just written down the name of one- so I cleverly responded, "Domenico Modugno!" ... read more
Bruschetta
Il fine settimana…the weekend! So, as the title implies- my weekend was saved by two lovely men- Matteo and then Jeremy. (And in the same place, and at the same time…but I get ahead of myself- let me begin again.) (Venerdi)Friday, August 1: When I walk around Venice now, I have my iPod on, which gives me a bit of relief and a taste of home to hear top 40 hip hop or enjoy the cooling sunset as I listen to George Michael’s “Father Figure” (thanks Maryam)- or a bounce in my step when Abba comes on. After a short private lesson today, I went to the Accademia (finalemente!) and I have to say, for all its glorious artwork, I have never been in a hot museum before. “Fa caldo!” (It’s hot!) are the words always ... read more
