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Published: February 5th 2007
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I am trying to think of how to start this...somehow it seems like so much happened in a week, and yet I'm not sure what to talk about. So, I guess I'll just start writing.
Thursday afternoon I bought a red bike! It has a bell and everything...quite cute. Now I'm learning how to bike through Florence without meeting my doom. I've been getting lost trying to find all the bike paths through the city, but luckily you can't go far in Florence without running into something you know. Yesterday I was riding around and this old man pulled up next to me on the path with his funky old bike with a wicker basket and said "ooo, nuovo, eh?" and started saying how cool my bike was. And it is quite impressive looking in a cute red bike sort of way, but in reality its a giant piece of crap. Which leads me into the interesting story of how I got it...
I was given a sheet from my school that said "Happy 2 Help!" ... it was the cheapest bike option I had seen so far and they buy them back from you for about half price
Laocoon
special exhibit! when you leave. So I went to the address and it isn't a store, just a doorbell marked "H2H". So, we ring it, go in. and walk up this dark shady staircase to a lit doorway at the top marked "Embassy of Haiti". This woman comes up and we say we wanted a bike and show her the flier and she says, "we don't have them here, but you can pay, we'll give you a receipt, and you can come back at 5". so, we paid, and at 5 o'clock a very shady looking Latino boy rides up with two "New English" street bikes and sends us on our way. So, I'm not sure what they are all about...but, hey, I got a bike.
This weekend I went to Rome for the first time with my program. Quite an overwhelming experience. It's an amazing city with so much to take in. I think the greatest aspect really is the dialogue between ancient and modern that I've never seen before. In one day I saw where Caesar was burned, signs of the beginnings of Christianity, the balcony where Mussolini gave his famous speeches, and of course then all the modern
Giant Pinecone
the legend is that the gods were so angry when they made the Pantheon a christian temple, this pinecone was thrown out of the pantheon and landed here...in the Vatican. You don't believe it? I do. flare of city life. Its the first time I've ever experienced anything like it. There are Roman ruins literally just hanging out on the sides of modern streets, like...geez, watch out, there's an ancient Roman column hanging out on the sidewalk, better walk around it. Where as in the US it'd be in a glass case with a plague and ropes around it. It’s a wonderful place.
On Friday we spent the entire day in Vatican City. We walked through the Vatican Museum to see the original tapestries from the Sistine Chapel. Then we walked through all the Raphael rooms, ancient sculpture hallways...there's just a crazy amount of "stuff" and you're never quite sure where to look. The Sistine Chapel itself was packed full of people (meaning, it’s February, and I can't imagine what it must look like in June...stinky, I'd imagine). It’s absolutely amazing, but I forgot the one thing I was told to remember...binoculars. It’s very high up. Yet, it really is everything I imagined it to be. The Last Judgment is just... wow. I could go on an extremely long art history tangent right now, but I'll try to contain myself.
Friday night I met
my friend from CUA, Nikki, who is studying in Rome right now and she took us on a lovely tour of the city at night, including the Spanish steps, the Trevi fountain, and the Pantheon. The Pantheon was the most incredible thing I've ever seen in my entire life. I was prepared somehow for the great size and monumentality of St. Peters, but the Pantheon literally took my breath away. Truly incredible.
After our tour, we ate at a very popular little pizza place and met an older French man who sat down with us outside while he was waiting for a table. He talked to all of us in English, to me in Italian, to my friend Laura in Spanish, and as a man from Paris, I'm assuming you could add French to that list. He, is who I want to be.
When we finally got back to the hotel I was so tired and ready for a lovely night's sleep. So of course, when I sat down on my bed...*CRASH*. Well, that thing just broke. The wooden pieces that held the mattress up on the frame just came right out. So, I called the front desk
Oh!
there is always fun to be had imitating ancient pieces of art and told the man that my bed broke. It was about midnight and he told me someone would come in a few minutes. well, a few minutes turned into a half an hour and when no one was there after 12:30, Laura and I took the mattress off the frame, chucked the frame out into the hallway, and I ended up sleeping on a mattress on the floor (which was probably more comfortable than the frame anyway). All in all, a wonderful European 5 star hotel experience.
Sunday, after I felt better about my hotel experience by taking advantage of the tiny packages of Nutella at the continental breakfast (meaning, yes, I filled my bag), we went on to see the Borghese Gallery (which I recommend to EVERYONE) and an "Ancient Walk through Rome" to the Forum, Coliseum, and Pantheon. After another walk through the city, we took the train back to Florence.
So, as for Rome, I'm in love with the city, the vastness of it, how incredible the history is, but I'm glad I'm living in Florence. It’s a much more manageable city and way less intimidating. I feel like Florence is a city I can
take on and make my own. And now that I’ve found the food market where they sell entire cow heads next to your cut chicken, I feel like I’m really getting a fantastic handle on local life.
One request I have for you guys is, Please post your name with your Comment! I have no idea who some of you are! the nicknames do me no good. But, thanks for all of your messages, Its so nice to hear from all of you! I hope this fills your need for "Details", Katie.
Note on Pictures: Blurry pictures because I kept getting behind the group (and my dig. camera is strange).I apologize for the lack of detail.
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Betta
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Baci!
Sono contenta che ti stai divertendo! Se vengo a firenze, mi prendi per un giro sulla bici? Forse verrei solo per questo... :) Sto scherzando, tu mi manchi sempre- e' sempre bello sentire la tua voce, anche quando mi chiami in errore a 8:30 nella mattina...... ciao, cara