Blogs from Europe - page 14118

Last semester we enjoyed the vivacious teaching of Grazia, and 4 months later we have ended up on different paths, in different classes even. It was time to get together, and I organized with Grazia a dinner under the stars. She graciously hosted, to the brim with energy and a wide, sincere smile as usual. Our crew of Japanese, Chinese (Bonnie) and American (me) was added with a Spaniard and Swede. Massimo, the owner of a long-time Florentine resturant, accompanied Bonnie, Akio our Japanese opera singer accompanied Ayako, and Klajd accompanied me. Grazia's two children graced our presence, and Yuka's pet rabbit named Pippo became the star of the evening. In her gardens, a cool breeze and candles burning away the mosquitoes, we talked and finally gathered around the food, trays of the usual-sushi, raw salmon ... read more

don't move at all when you've been left behind! Buongiorno! I am studying away here in Asolo as midterms arrive tomorrow! About a dozen of us went to an entrepreneurship seminar last night. They bused us ... and we were stranded at the end! There were some serious communication problems going on (MBA's have nothing on us Commies!). Anyway, half of our group got on the bus and the other half remained. I was stuck with a bunch of guys at the bus stop. Luckily, there was a fresh fruit stand right there. So the guys had a cherry seed-spitting contest and I documented it with my camera. We were rescued about 30 minutes later. Phew. Tomorrow it's off to Venice the minute my tests are over. I can't wait! I will update you all upon ... read more

Hello all I have had a busy couple of days but very enjoyable. On the first day in Bude I hopped on the bus to Boscastle and hiked to Tintangle castle and the scenery was absolutley breathtaking. The path cuts along the coast, which consists of many large hills. It was a beautiful day and a easy hike, only taking 3 hours to compete, but with much of that time taken up just staring at the numerous waterfalls and the coast. It was very relaxing to do the hike becasue the entire time you hear the surf crashing against the rocks on the coast below. Walking along this path I really felt the age of the land. Seening cathedrals that have existed for a thousand year is impressive, but it pales in comparison when you consider ... read more

Wow, this should be interesting.... So I left Madrid on the 30th of May and my destination was to be Florence. It took me four full days to get there, and I saw a lot in that time. The first train I took got me from Madrid to Barcelona, this took about 5 hours. I had 2 hours to kill until my train to Montpellier in France, and since Nou Camp was nearby, I ran there to see the Barcelona FC museum, and check out the Stadium. Cool museum, you could see old footballs shirts, footballs, boots, and all the cups Barcelona has won over the years, this is a lot of big trophies, this team obviously wins a lot! After a 3 hour trainride (I think) I was in Montpellier. I arrived around 2200, so ... read more

Wow! I feel like so much has happened in the last day! I moved into my new place last night. It is my friend Lucia's place and it is adorable, albeit really really small. Its like a studio, one room for the bed/futon, kitchen and small kitchen table. But its perfect for one person and I love it. It also has a bathroom (good thing!). So I took a taxi full of all my stuff over there yesterday and Lucia helped me move it upstairs (except for the really big and heavy bag, that we left for her boyfriend :)) She showed me the palce and how everything worked, inluding the antenna for the t.v. that hangs out the window in some crooked fashion....I think I will not be watching much t.v. :) Then when her ... read more