I went skiing in the SWISS ALPS!!!! Coolest thing I have ever experienced. We got up at the crack of dawn after an 8 hour drive to Interlaken to go skiing. We rented gear, got on a bus, transferred to a train and then to another train to get up the mountain. All we could basically say was WOW! We were completely surrounded by white mountains and blue sky. I will post pictures on my fb but honestly no pictures or words can describe it. We had an amazing day of skiing. We feel like we barely touched the mountain it was so big,. and I was so tempted to go back on Saturday. We found some amazing powder and it even seemed like we had most of the mountain to ourselves. I doubt I will have another opportuinity like this ever again.
That night we came back for night sledding and fondue with the school. When I say night sledding I mean sledding in the pitch black dark with only white snow and shadows to guide your way...basically avoid dark patches they are cliffs. It was a blast, we all had green glow sticks on our backs so basically we just followed the green mobs in front and tried not to crash into each other but it happened all the time. And if you are picturing a bunny slope this was not the case. We sledded down a long trail down the mountain for about an hour...longest sled ride ever. Then we came back for a traditional Swiss meal with Fondue!!!
On Saturday we got up to take the bus to Bern, the capital of Switzerland. We had a bit of a tour to learn about some of the cool buildings, churches and neighborshoods and then we were off on our own to explore. Of course we had to venture into the Starbucks...Switzerland is the most expensive place evern 7 Franks for a coffee=about 7 dollars. We also went through a market and a bunch of people bought Swiss army knives and of course we had to get Swiss chocolate.
So now I am back after 8 hours again of driving. It was a blast but I am tired. There is the update for now...time for class!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
I Love Nutella
So I have determined that I have officially adapted to living in Italy andhow do I know....I officially love Nutella! They eat it here on everything and I am now to the point where so do I. I have even resorted to adapting my favorite snack apples and peanutbutter to now apples and nutella. ok that was my side note as I sit here eating a spoonful of the stuff.
Today was a fantastic day. I started out early with a tour of the Uffici by the infamous Professor Cararra who everyone raves about if they have ever been to GIF. Professor Cararra came here to Florence herself to study abroad and fell in love with her homestay's nephew (I think). who actually is a Count and she basically never went home, got married, still works for GIF and lives in some mansion. Pretty Cool but definetly my mom's worst nightmere right now. Anyways the Uffici was really cool becuase we learned about all of the pictures and history we have learned about in class. And Botecelli's Birth of Venus and Primavera are amazing to see in person.
Then tonight I had YOGA in Florence. We moved all of the desks out of a classroom and had this crazy Italian yoga teacher come teach us dynamic yoga (basically crazy yoga stuff at a faster pace...as if I dont have enough trouble balancing already). I am excited though becuase we are going to have it every wednesday night which is a great release.
Tomorrow I leave for Interlocken, Switzerland. At first I wanted to go skydiving (too much money), theyn cliff jumping, then paragliding, and now I have finally settled on skiing becuase it lasts the longest.I would much rather pay for a full day of fun then 15 seconds or 15 minutes. Then the next day I may venture to the Capital but who knows really where I will end up. Ill keep you posted!
Today was a fantastic day. I started out early with a tour of the Uffici by the infamous Professor Cararra who everyone raves about if they have ever been to GIF. Professor Cararra came here to Florence herself to study abroad and fell in love with her homestay's nephew (I think). who actually is a Count and she basically never went home, got married, still works for GIF and lives in some mansion. Pretty Cool but definetly my mom's worst nightmere right now. Anyways the Uffici was really cool becuase we learned about all of the pictures and history we have learned about in class. And Botecelli's Birth of Venus and Primavera are amazing to see in person.
Then tonight I had YOGA in Florence. We moved all of the desks out of a classroom and had this crazy Italian yoga teacher come teach us dynamic yoga (basically crazy yoga stuff at a faster pace...as if I dont have enough trouble balancing already). I am excited though becuase we are going to have it every wednesday night which is a great release.
Tomorrow I leave for Interlocken, Switzerland. At first I wanted to go skydiving (too much money), theyn cliff jumping, then paragliding, and now I have finally settled on skiing becuase it lasts the longest.I would much rather pay for a full day of fun then 15 seconds or 15 minutes. Then the next day I may venture to the Capital but who knows really where I will end up. Ill keep you posted!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
A Long Time
I know it has been a long time since I last posted and I am SORRY!!!! Our internet is horrible in our pensione so now I am here attempting to write in the 10 min before class today. This past weekend we stayed in Florence to recouperate from our nonstop crazy exhausting expensive Belgium trip. On Thursday evening I went with a group of friends up to Fiesole which is a small town in the hills that overlooks Florence. The very was beautiful and since we went at dusk we were lucky enough to see the sun set over Florence. Our plan was to stay up there and hike but after about an hour we all got too cold to stay much longer (there was a chance of show showers in Florence which is very rare).
The next morning I went with another group of friends by train to another small town called Lucca. Lucca has a wall built around the entired thing and up on top of the wall you can go around the entire city. This path is full of walkers, runners and bikers. It was fun to wander the city and see some beautiful churches, but then again some of us girls could not stay warm and we all ended up ducking into shops to try and regain feeling in our fingers so we headed home. Saturday we relaxed and hit up the end of the famous January Sales. I bought a few small things but most of the fun is just wondering within the marketplace and down the small streets to see what we can find.
Of course the true excitement came when I experienced my first discoteca in Italy that night called Space which we at Gonzaga like to call ESPACE because it makes it sound so much cooler when things are not in english. This club is 3 stories and fun of old time American music which makes it fun. Of course you have to be careful of the creepy Italians that eye girls like hawks so we were lucky to have a good group of guys with us. It was definetly fun to expeience European night life.
I am sure I am missing a bunch of details that I want to let you know about. I am going to the Uffici tomorrow for a tour with my class and plan on staying much later to see the whole thing and then this weekend we are off to Interlocken. I am trying to decide whether I am going to go skiing, paragliding...who knows should be fun though.
Well I hope all is well at home and I miss everyone! ( Mom I appoligize for any typos I wrote this really quick)
The next morning I went with another group of friends by train to another small town called Lucca. Lucca has a wall built around the entired thing and up on top of the wall you can go around the entire city. This path is full of walkers, runners and bikers. It was fun to wander the city and see some beautiful churches, but then again some of us girls could not stay warm and we all ended up ducking into shops to try and regain feeling in our fingers so we headed home. Saturday we relaxed and hit up the end of the famous January Sales. I bought a few small things but most of the fun is just wondering within the marketplace and down the small streets to see what we can find.
Of course the true excitement came when I experienced my first discoteca in Italy that night called Space which we at Gonzaga like to call ESPACE because it makes it sound so much cooler when things are not in english. This club is 3 stories and fun of old time American music which makes it fun. Of course you have to be careful of the creepy Italians that eye girls like hawks so we were lucky to have a good group of guys with us. It was definetly fun to expeience European night life.
I am sure I am missing a bunch of details that I want to let you know about. I am going to the Uffici tomorrow for a tour with my class and plan on staying much later to see the whole thing and then this weekend we are off to Interlocken. I am trying to decide whether I am going to go skiing, paragliding...who knows should be fun though.
Well I hope all is well at home and I miss everyone! ( Mom I appoligize for any typos I wrote this really quick)
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Brussels and Bruge
Sorry it has taken me so long to write. I got back from Belgium and then I have just been exhausted and busy (plus our Pensione has horrible internet).
Going to Belgium I had no idea what to expect. Plus traveling with 15 other people is so hard to coordinate to keep everyone happy and together. Yet, I have to admit everything went as smooth as could be expected except for some unexpected traveling bumps (organizing taxis when the metro was closed, taking a later train when the other was full, paying for connecting buses).
Once we got to Brussels we were exhausted and couldnt wait to eat, get a good beer and then go to bed. This was our first experience with the famous Cherry beer and Begium French Fries both which were amazing.
The next day we were off to Bruge which is a quaint, amazing, friendly town. I want to live their for a year so bad. Its basically an adult fairy land. If you want to see it watch the movie "In Brugges." We ate our share off waffles, drank cherry beer, explored endless chocolate shops and enjoyed every minute. Our favorite part was just wandering around the city to see all of the squares, shops and canals.
Then we went back to Brussels the next day to see more of that city but is beautiful as well just not as mystical.
I am back now and completely exhausted but I have tons of great memories. This weekend I am staying in Florence and may made a day trip or two who knows. Ill let you know!
BTW I also went to the best pizza place in Florence (as said by the Italian teachers) and we definitily agree it was to die for!!!
Going to Belgium I had no idea what to expect. Plus traveling with 15 other people is so hard to coordinate to keep everyone happy and together. Yet, I have to admit everything went as smooth as could be expected except for some unexpected traveling bumps (organizing taxis when the metro was closed, taking a later train when the other was full, paying for connecting buses).
Once we got to Brussels we were exhausted and couldnt wait to eat, get a good beer and then go to bed. This was our first experience with the famous Cherry beer and Begium French Fries both which were amazing.
The next day we were off to Bruge which is a quaint, amazing, friendly town. I want to live their for a year so bad. Its basically an adult fairy land. If you want to see it watch the movie "In Brugges." We ate our share off waffles, drank cherry beer, explored endless chocolate shops and enjoyed every minute. Our favorite part was just wandering around the city to see all of the squares, shops and canals.
Then we went back to Brussels the next day to see more of that city but is beautiful as well just not as mystical.
I am back now and completely exhausted but I have tons of great memories. This weekend I am staying in Florence and may made a day trip or two who knows. Ill let you know!
BTW I also went to the best pizza place in Florence (as said by the Italian teachers) and we definitily agree it was to die for!!!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Belgium
Just want to let everyone know I am leaving for Belgium today with about 15 other people. Should be fun and crazy at the same time. We will be in brussels for 2 nights and then Brugge for one more. Here come waffles, chocolate and beer!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
2nd day of classes
So today was my 2nd day of classes which were a little rougher than yesterday not just becuase I have 4 classes but also because I woke up at 2:30 am and stayed up till 6am in order to watch the Oregon national Championship with 4 other Pensione-mates. It was a great game so I was glad I stayed up but I wish the Ducks had won...so close.
So after 2 hours of sleep I had to wake up at 8:30 to go to the post office so that I can legally be living in Italy. Classes were good. Tomorrow I get to go on a few tours of churches to work together with my Florence of the Medici class. THis class is great becuase we learn the history and about places in Florence and then go to visit them on tours. Our teacher is even getting us in on some exclusive rare tour of the Sacritsty in the Duomo. Then I had Sociology for a 3 hour night class but I just have to mention I loved the teacher right away as he described himself in wierght and height (230lbs and 6'6 --giant). He then pulled out cafeene chocolate espresson candies to say they will be our best friend during the long class and he will help keep us up. The class was sooo entertaining as we searched to find similarities between the US and Italy displaying globalization.
Well I am off tonight to Finnigans a nearby bar to meet up with most of GIF. BTW we also booked 27 Euro tickets to Spain last night so more to come!
So after 2 hours of sleep I had to wake up at 8:30 to go to the post office so that I can legally be living in Italy. Classes were good. Tomorrow I get to go on a few tours of churches to work together with my Florence of the Medici class. THis class is great becuase we learn the history and about places in Florence and then go to visit them on tours. Our teacher is even getting us in on some exclusive rare tour of the Sacritsty in the Duomo. Then I had Sociology for a 3 hour night class but I just have to mention I loved the teacher right away as he described himself in wierght and height (230lbs and 6'6 --giant). He then pulled out cafeene chocolate espresson candies to say they will be our best friend during the long class and he will help keep us up. The class was sooo entertaining as we searched to find similarities between the US and Italy displaying globalization.
Well I am off tonight to Finnigans a nearby bar to meet up with most of GIF. BTW we also booked 27 Euro tickets to Spain last night so more to come!
Sunday, January 9, 2011
"Rome"ing in Rome
So my internest gave out with shows how bad it is in our pensione and I lost my hour long post I created. Im not to happy. so now unfortunetly this is going to be shorter because I am hungry.
Ok ya I know I am really corny with my title but I love it. So I just got back to Florence from Rome and the one thing I can say right now is that my feet HURT! I think I probably walked 10 miles a day.
Right when we arrived we walked to get gelato right away at a place by the Pantheon which had 100 flavors.(Like Baskin and Robbins but way better). It was soooo hectic this day because it was the Equinox celebration. We explored the square and some other areas and then had a night walking tour and then went to a fancy dinner as a group and out to a bar after.
The next day we went to the Collosseum in a big group and then walked 45 minutes to lunch in a much smaller groups becuase we decided we wanted to see more of the city rather than taking the underground. After that we went to the Villa Borghese museum and walked 45 min back to the hotel on the other side of Rome.
Day 3 was the Vatican. We got a guided tour through the Vatican museum, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peters. I had forgotten how massive St. Peters is! The Statue of Liberty could fit in the dome and the letters near the ceiling are 4 feet tall...people loved to joke that I could fit in the O. After this we got pizza at a local place the Romans love that our tour guide told us about which was delicious. Then it was time for some shopping at the half price January sales, but we got lost and sended up at the Spanish Steps and wandered some more around Rome before another meal of about 4 courses and constant food added to our plates and stomachs.
The last day(today) we got up early and went to St. Peters square to see the POPE! and he blasses us so we left feeling very holy. We wandered some more after and then loaded the buses to come home to Florence.
Tomorrow school starts and then next weekend is Belgium!
Ok ya I know I am really corny with my title but I love it. So I just got back to Florence from Rome and the one thing I can say right now is that my feet HURT! I think I probably walked 10 miles a day.
Right when we arrived we walked to get gelato right away at a place by the Pantheon which had 100 flavors.(Like Baskin and Robbins but way better). It was soooo hectic this day because it was the Equinox celebration. We explored the square and some other areas and then had a night walking tour and then went to a fancy dinner as a group and out to a bar after.
The next day we went to the Collosseum in a big group and then walked 45 minutes to lunch in a much smaller groups becuase we decided we wanted to see more of the city rather than taking the underground. After that we went to the Villa Borghese museum and walked 45 min back to the hotel on the other side of Rome.
Day 3 was the Vatican. We got a guided tour through the Vatican museum, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peters. I had forgotten how massive St. Peters is! The Statue of Liberty could fit in the dome and the letters near the ceiling are 4 feet tall...people loved to joke that I could fit in the O. After this we got pizza at a local place the Romans love that our tour guide told us about which was delicious. Then it was time for some shopping at the half price January sales, but we got lost and sended up at the Spanish Steps and wandered some more around Rome before another meal of about 4 courses and constant food added to our plates and stomachs.
The last day(today) we got up early and went to St. Peters square to see the POPE! and he blasses us so we left feeling very holy. We wandered some more after and then loaded the buses to come home to Florence.
Tomorrow school starts and then next weekend is Belgium!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
The Secret Bakery!!
OK quick update becasue I want to go to bed an it is almost 2:30 am here on my second night. So I am officially going to get fat here but it is SOOOO worth it. The meals by the pensione just keep bringing great food (except for the breaded mystery meat today at lunch) and then I had my first amazing gelato in Florence and then we went to the Secret Bakery after going out.
Now the secret bakery is definetly secret. There is no sign and you have tot walk into a closed door into the bland hall and up to a doorway. There you are greeted by an old friendly Italian man who cooks your pizzas and fills your fresh croissants there on the spot with chocolate or cream filling for 1 Euro. What can I say it was the most amazing delsious part of my night and I am sure I will eat many more in the future.
Well off to bed im exhausted and my stomach is happy:)
Now the secret bakery is definetly secret. There is no sign and you have tot walk into a closed door into the bland hall and up to a doorway. There you are greeted by an old friendly Italian man who cooks your pizzas and fills your fresh croissants there on the spot with chocolate or cream filling for 1 Euro. What can I say it was the most amazing delsious part of my night and I am sure I will eat many more in the future.
Well off to bed im exhausted and my stomach is happy:)
Monday, January 3, 2011
Finally here!
SO today/yesterday was the longest day of flights and complete chaos. We had our flight delayed in SanFran because of fog and as a result had to get all new flights later into Florence. Then our flight into Frankfurt from Sanfran was delayed more, leading to us missing our second connection to Florence. So finally after an extra ten hours of waiting and delays we arrived in Florence.
I am living in Hotel Colorado which is amazing and only one block from the Gonzaga campus. We had dinner right when we arrived which first consisted of a course of pesto past (which is way better than pasta in the US which is amazing so we ate up). BUT, without our knowledge as they cleared our plates we then had a second course arrive...geeze I'm going to be fat. Yet after my new roommate and our friend Matt decided to go wonder blindly around Florence. (BTW I LOVE my roommate so far). We went to the Duomo which is HUGE and amazing and to the river-PonteVecchio (excuse my spelling I'm still new) and discovered many more cool buildings. I can't wait to do this more.
Then most of the people living in my Pensione decided too go get drinks which was a blast and great for us all to get to know each other and I can tell I'm going to have some amazing friends. Mattea (my roommate) and I decided the quote for the night is "is she wearing my glasses?" when all of the sudden one of or Pensione-mates was wearing Matteas glasses like no big deal when we looked over. We went to 2 bars and had a blast so far.
Tomorrow is orientation so we will learn more, but so far Florence is already great.
I am living in Hotel Colorado which is amazing and only one block from the Gonzaga campus. We had dinner right when we arrived which first consisted of a course of pesto past (which is way better than pasta in the US which is amazing so we ate up). BUT, without our knowledge as they cleared our plates we then had a second course arrive...geeze I'm going to be fat. Yet after my new roommate and our friend Matt decided to go wonder blindly around Florence. (BTW I LOVE my roommate so far). We went to the Duomo which is HUGE and amazing and to the river-PonteVecchio (excuse my spelling I'm still new) and discovered many more cool buildings. I can't wait to do this more.
Then most of the people living in my Pensione decided too go get drinks which was a blast and great for us all to get to know each other and I can tell I'm going to have some amazing friends. Mattea (my roommate) and I decided the quote for the night is "is she wearing my glasses?" when all of the sudden one of or Pensione-mates was wearing Matteas glasses like no big deal when we looked over. We went to 2 bars and had a blast so far.
Tomorrow is orientation so we will learn more, but so far Florence is already great.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
The day before...ahhhhhh
So today is the day before I leave for FLORENCE!!!! I am not excited for the extremely long place ride but I cannot wait to get to Florence. It will be sad saying goodbye to everyone here in the states but I promise to return (even though I plan on meeting a rich and famous Duke to bring back with me).
It's 4 o'clock and people should be arriving soon for my mom and my joint party thing (her 50th and my going away). It will be great to see a lot of people to have a formal goodbye. Ill miss all of my friends and family. I will try to keep all of your informed on my travels and adventures throughout these 4 months...so lets hope I can keep updating this blog.
Ill post more when I get there. Yay!!!!!!
It's 4 o'clock and people should be arriving soon for my mom and my joint party thing (her 50th and my going away). It will be great to see a lot of people to have a formal goodbye. Ill miss all of my friends and family. I will try to keep all of your informed on my travels and adventures throughout these 4 months...so lets hope I can keep updating this blog.
Ill post more when I get there. Yay!!!!!!
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