Daily frustrations

Tomorrow I am leaving for Bosnia and Croatia and will not be back until later Sunday evening. If you guys want to reach me, you can always call my international phone, otherwise I am assuming I will not have any internet access.

Today has been pretty frustrating because when I went to check my mail today I noticed that the package that was supposed to have my replacement battery for my International phone was stolen. I am so pissed! Attached to the empty package was a note in Italian saying that the package was empty and they did not give any instructions with what to do otherwise. Federica (a GIF member) called the post office and talked to some staff member in Italian who she claimed was an absolute idiot because she said there was no one to blame and that the post office is not at fault. Federica then asked what the procedure was to report stolen items and the lady did not even know. So anyways... I am going in a bit to talk to Federica again and she is going to help me figure out what to do with the package and perhaps get another replacement battery. I don't mind waiting for right now, but for Russia (my Christmas trip) I will definitely need an international phone. The phones they sell here only work for Italy. BUMMER

Well that's about all that going on right now. I am going to go shopping for some warm things for winter with Cierra. She is going to get a winter jacket and perhaps I can find some heavy snowy weather socks for Russia. It is going to be so cold!

CIAO!

What's going on in my life

On Wednesday at 1:40, the Gonzaga group and I are going to go to Bosnia and Croatia for the weekend. I am very excited- and I have no idea what to expect!

Right now I am on a small break during my World Economics Class. I am a bit worried for our final because he is just going to give us a couple key words and we are supposed to just write about 3-5 pages in class about the topics. It is very general and not specific at all, which drives me nuts. I want to be able to prepare, and he is not narrowing down the topics or keywords at all. OH well. I guess I will just ramble about world issues and hopefully get a good grade.

I can't believe that the semester is almost over! It has definitely flown by so quickly. It has been a very dramatic semester with lots of tribulations and trials, but I think the positives outweigh the negatives. It has been hard adjusting thus far, but I am finally finding my place here in Florence. I am glad that I decided to stay for the rest of the year.

Today, Chelsea, Lillian (the current roomie), and Emma planned out our flight to London which we are going to take the weekend before finals. Sounds like a crazy thing to do, but I think I have a handle on exactly what I need to study. Luckily one of my finals (for Phil) is just a paper that I will turn in so I will not have an actual test to study for. My friend Chelsea has a friend studying abroad in London so we are going to visit her while we are there as well. We are still figuring out the hostel situation- but I am stoked for our trip! We will be leaving on the 11th of December and getting back on the 14th during the evening. Yay! :-D

In today's edition of the "Ciao" we received a link to a newspaper article that a current Gonzaga student published. Her name is Kaitlyn Warter and she actually contacted me on facebook and asked me to give my opinion on a few matters regarding the study abroad program. Here is the link for the article: (make sure to see my quote!).

OK, so another random thing going on in my life; our room smells like rotten brocolli. I wish I was joking- but it seriously reaks. Apparently because our toliet gets rid of most of the water every time we flush, it is directly connected to the basement sewage where food particles are commonly found. This creates an unbearble, pungent smell of either mushrooms or brocolli. All I know is whenever I smell it, I want to puke.

So another thing you might not know is that Lillian and I have volunteered to help out with the annual GIF Christmas party. We are going to be in charge with the decorations and the music. I can't wait! The party is going to be held on December 9th in the evening and it includes a nice meal with an apertivo and a four-course meal located in a beautiful, Christmas-y Villa. It will be a "last hurah" for many of the semester-only students and I love Christmas so I am sure that it will be a very fun and festive occasion as well :). The tickets are generally 40 euro, but Gonzaga is going to pay half of the ticket for us students, so we only have to pay 20 euro. The proceeds of the event are going to a charity called Soup Kitchen and Casa Famiglia; and a lot of the money that is raised comes from raffle ticket prizes that are donated by parents. A few gifts that have been donated are gift baskets, money towards a weekend trip, or museum tour visits.

Well that's about all that's new going on in my life. I am so happy Chris and I are back together. Hopefully he will still be able to visit in February. That would be amazing!

Ciao!

Only in Roma...

This past weekend I went to Roma. It was fabulous!

The trip started early on Friday morning. I got up around 6:00 AM to pack (yes I tend to leave things to the last minute :-p ) and then me and some friends had a quick Breakfast at the pensione and soon we were on our way to the train stations with our big backpacks. We met up with the small Gonzaga group around 7:15 and grabbed some Mcdonalds (I was craving an egg Mcmuffin!) and then the train left around 7:55. We took a fast train, which got us to Rome in a short 2 hours. Everyone was really exhausted from getting up so early so almost everyone slept the entire way, including myself. We walked over to our respective pensiones (there were three different ones) and luckily it was pretty close to the terminal train station. We unpacked for about 15 minutes and then met the group down in the lower lobby where all three of the pensiones let out, and then we were on our way for our planned 3 hour walking tour.

During the walking tour our Italian local led us around the Colosseum, and with our Roma pass we were able to get in there for "free" as well as go on the metro and subway for "free". Its the sweetest deal- for only 20 euro (its a discounted rate for students) you can get a Roma pass that lets you in to most of the museums (except the Vatican because that is considered a different "state") for free. Anyways, we first walked around the Colosseum and then ventured inside. It was incredible! We then were led to the forum and then the "wedding cake" which is a huge white building that overlooks the city of Rome. The picture to your left was taken at the forum.

After the walking tour everyone was starving! Jen, Cierra and I found a quaint little Italian restaurant and had some pasta and pizza. Yummy stuff! After lunch we went on an optional walking tour led by one of the Gonzaga in Florence staff, Peter. We actually met up with a Gonzaga Jesuit Professor who was currently living in Rome. His name is Father Bryan, and he took us to the church where St. Gonzaga was actually buried! (My college is named after him). After, we went up to the top floor of his apartment building and had a great view of the city! I definitely took lots of pictures from up there. It was rainy the whole day, but we didn't let that bring us down! Once we left his apartment complex, we went to the Trevi fountain and then to Peter's favorite gelato place. It was so good! I had his recommendation- ginger and cinnamon gelato and I also got half strachitella (sp) it is chocolate chip kind. Then our last stop was the Spanish steps. Because it was rainy and dark, me and Jen and Cierra decided to go back to the fountain and the steps the next day. That night was pretty chill- we were all really exhausted from walking for hours on end, so Cierra, Jen and I went to dinner with Frederica (who is a really cool GIF staff member) at a Sushi restaurant. I don't like Sushi- but I had some great teriyaki chicken. The rest of the evening I just relaxed, talked to Chris (oh by the way we got back together! :) ) and then hit the hay. It was very low key, but much needed.

The next day we went to the Vatican Museum where we saw the Sistine Chapel and other famous pieces. One part I really liked was the Carriage section of the museum. Also, there were lots of great places to take pictures on some terraces outside the museum. I couldn't believe the Sistine Chapel- it was everything I thought it would be and more! It is huge! :) I also loved the long hallway of maps. At first I thought that was the Sistine chapel... oops! hehe

After the museum, Cierra, Jen and I wanted to do our own thing so we went inside the Vatican center and went inside St. Peter's Basilica as well as the underground tombs. This was the most beautiful church I had ever seen! I think it is like the 2nd largest church in the world other than Russia (which I will be hopefully seeing in St. Petersburg during the Christmas tour!). I was very impressed by all the detailed artwork and sculptures inside the church. After we looked around the church and underground area, we were pretty hungry so we had lunch at a local restaurant near the Vatican. I split a pizza with Jen and got my own pasta. (This is what me and Jen like to do-- we find it is always the perfect amount of food!) The portions here in Italy are much smaller than America, so its easy to split a couple dishes and be satisfied. The pizza ended up being kinda gross-- the cheese was funky but my penne arrabiata (spicy tomato sauce pasta was delicious!)

Once lunch was over and we gained some energy, we went back to the fountain and Spanish steps as I said earlier. It was nice to get some daylight pictures. We actually walked up to the top of the Spanish steps and found lots of venders selling their hand painted pictures of sights of Italy. I ended up buying two small ones- one of the Colosseum and one of the Trevi fountain. I plan on framing these when I get home. They are gorgeous! Jen and Cierra each got one too--. The watercolors were so pretty on these pictures :). We were pretty tired after our filled day again... so we came back to our pensiones, rested up and took a nap and met up for a late night dinner. It ended up being an adventure- Jen and Cierra were craving burgers which is uncommon in Italy, and we noticed from the day before that there was a place called "trinity college pub" which looked pretty good. We heard from some other peers that they had good burgers, so they were sold. I am not particularly fond of burgers (unless of course they are Dicks burgers or my dads :) ) but I was down for some chicken haha. It took forever to get there because we went a really funky way but hey we made it! It was fun. We were thinking of meeting up with some of Jen's friends who are studying in Rome for the semester, but we were just too exhausted. They wanted to go clubbing at midnight, which meant that we would probably not be back until 4 am. No thanks! Haha. It was nice to be able to get a full eight hours of sleep :)

WHEW! So much information... today we had a small Breakfast again at the pensione and then Jen, Frederica and Cierra went to a couple churches that we missed from the day before and then we took the subway down to the Vatican center again to watch the pope make a speech! It was amazing to see him! He was so tiny from all the way up in his building. I will never forget the experience though-- there were SOO many people in the center; I couldn't believe it! Once the speech was over, we all took the metro back instead to avoid some of the crowds and had lunch at a place that Frederica suggested. It was very authentic and family run- I liked that. Jen and I split a pizza again (it was tomato, Mozzarella, and Prosciutto) and I got minestrone soup. I was very very cold today so the food definitely warmed me up. After lunch we all had some form of espresso. I got a cafe latte of course.

We walked back to the pensione to pick up our luggage and then as a group we walked over to the train station again and caught our train at 4:00. Once we arrived, we all walked back again and arrived to our pensione around 6:00. It was such a fun-filled and historical weekend. I really enjoyed it!

Onto Roma!

Hey everyone...

As you know I recently broke up with my boyfriend, but things are looking more hopeful by the day. I think we just needed a week or so off just to think over things and decide what we really want to do. This morning we talked for about half an hour and clarified somethings going on, and we thought it was best to sleep on it for a day or two and come to a final decision. If you want more details, feel free to ask me. I am just in a very happy place at this point, and I am hoping for the best.

Yesterday, the Intro to Florence group and I went to the San Marco Museum which is an old convent that was funded by Cosimo il Vecchio. He hired Fra Angelico to paint most of the frescoes inside the convent, and they are absoloutely beautiful! This was definitely one of my favorite tours. My parents liked visiting it too when they were here.

So tomorrow I am going to Roma for the weekend! I am stoked! I am going with the Gonzaga group. Unlike all the other weekend trips so far, this one is a small group of us, about 40 people I believe. I am excited to see the Colasseum as well as the Sistine Chapel. I am going to be looking out for Michelangelo's Angels in the Sistine chapel (they are so cute!). Here is a picture of them to your left.

I am very glad to be done with school this week. It wasn't a particularly hard week of school or anything, but since I am been so emotionally drained with stress, I am really looking forward to a fun filled weekend.

Well thats about all I have for now. I am going to go and eat lunch in about an hour at the pensione, and then I will probably start packing.

Arrivederci Ragazzi!

When one door closes, another opens

As cliche as my blog title sounds, it really is words to live by. I believe that everything does happen for a reason and even though I seem to be in an unbearable, painful state, I know that it will lead to something better in the end. I just have to be patient and open to whatever is in my future.

So many of my friends and family have come to my aid during this difficult time. I have a great support system, and I am so thankful for that.

A few days ago I was actually considering going home at the end of the semester. Things were getting to such a point that I didn't see myself staying here and pushing on through. After thinking about it for a few days, I realized that I am in Europe for a reason and there is a greater purpose that is meant to be discovered. Although I am not sure what that is right now, I am sure I will look back on this time in my life as a period of growth and maturity. At least that is the hope...

and for all my friends: "Friends are like four leaf clovers; hard to find and lucky to have"

Things just keep getting harder...

This weekend has been great for the most part, but it has been filled with sad emotions.

As most of your probably know by now, I broke up with the boyfriend a few days ago. It was very hard on me, and I am still very depressed about it, but deep down I know it was the best decision for both of us. If you want to know details about what happened, I would be happy to share, I just don't think it is appropriate to talk about on this setting.

With that said, I have just not been up for blogging lately. I have been so down that I have nothing really to say except how sad I have been. I had a great weekend for the most part because Martha and Tara visited and stayed in my pensione. We went shopping yesterday, and I showed them a lot of the pretty churches around Florence. We also had delicious meals together as well. My favorite new restaurant in all of Florence is called Club Paradiso, which is located on the other side of the arno about 3 bridges down. It is quite the schlep as I like to call it, but it was so worth it.

The meal consisted of 4 dishes for just a set price of 15 euro. Wine bottles were only 5 euro each as well. I had bruchetta, tortellini with spinach and ricotta, roast chicken, and roast potatoes. I was so stuffed by the end of the meal! We met some local Italians too at the restaurant. This place is extremely authentic and there were no tourists at all so we knew it was legit. I would definitely recommend it for all those who are visiting or my fellow students abroad.

Well I will post later when I feel up for it. A big shout out to my friends and family who have been amazing to me the past few days. I don't know how I could survive without your love and support!

Snow boot shopping, American treats, and and an all school photo!

Hey all!

I thought it was pretty fun making a post that was kind of "themed" in a way. It helps me focus more on a current topic that is on my mind :).

Today I got the most adorable snow boots for Russia. They are black and puffy and have a rain-proof shiny shield on the tip of the toe. I am excited to wear them! They are super comfy too and have great support. The best part? They were only 59 euro at Coin, which is my new favorite department-like store in Florence.

Random fact but might I add that goldfish taste 100 times better when you have them abroad?? Everyday food snacks like Cheese its, Goldfish, Lay's potato chips and things of that nature are just non existent in Italy. They have things like freaky fries (yes I actually took a picture of the bag) and "San Carlo" potato chips. The only really American brands I see at the grocery stores are Pringles. They sure love their Pringles! (they are everywhere, its strange). Needless to say, the goldfish bag is already half gone. I wish I had more! (hint for those that want to send me packages!). My parents were so nice to bring me all this food from home. They sent me Reeses cups (miniature size from Halloween), my favorite cookies my mom makes called "monster cookies," and my dad made me his classic party mix that he only makes twice a year for Thanksgiving and Christmas. So sweet! Thanks again!

Not much else is new- tomorrow classes are scheduled, but teachers are just getting lazy and 3 out of 5 of my classes are canceled. Like I said in a previous post, my econ teacher probably just doesn't know that class is supposed to be made up tomorrow. He has another job elsewhere and travels to Florence once a week for our 3 hour class. OH well, I'm not complaining! I am getting more and more excited about Martha's visit! We are going to lunch at 1:15 right after she arrives, and from there who knows?! Some friends and I are going out to dinner at a nice restaurant, I forget the name. There is a special deal where you can get a 3 course meal all for 15 euro. My parents and I heard about some places to eat dinner where there is a set price for a 3 course meal, but we never ended up having time to go there. Now is my chance!

Today we took our group picture with the whole school on top of the view at Piazza Michelangelo. It was an adventure taking the bus there- I forgot where to pick it up and what number. Thank goodness my mom remembered the bus number! Thanks mom! :) I hope I get a copy of the picture when it is developed. The view is so gorgeous! My parents and I went there a couple weeks ago when they were visiting. Here is a picture of the view. It's almost "too perfect". Looks straight from a postcard!

Well I am going to watch another episode of gossip girl. I am getting so addicted!

Ciao!

Finally, I have reazlized I just need to keep smiling

"Never frown, because you never know who is falling in love with your smile..."

I love this quote. Always have. This is a pretty random blog post for me, but it just came to me with everything going on in my life as of late. As most of you know, the transition here to Florence has been quite difficult-- and I am STILL in the midst of trying to find my place and feel at "home" here. Having my parents here for 10 days helped- but it also made me miss home even more because they were constantly talking about people and things back home and that made me want to be there... I love Florence but I also love being in my comfort zone and knowing where everything is and not to mention pretty much everyone speaks English. Also with my grandfather being sick and trying to keep a long distance relationship strong its just been so much to handle at one time. OH well-- its all a learning experience, right?

Back to the quote, you just have to keep smiling in the midst of everything going on. I am very blessed to be able to have this experience, and I have to keep reminding myself that. Every moment should be treasured, because pretty soon it will come and go. Always smile- because it not only makes you feel better but you portray to the world that you can conquer anything with confidence. I always liked the saying that smiling takes less muscles than frowning. So true! So why not smile? :)

Not convinced yet that smiling really is a truly amazing thing? Here are some other "Reasons to Smile:"

1. Smiling makes us attractive.
We are drawn to people who smile. There is an attraction factor. We want to know a smiling person and figure out what is so good. Frowns, scowls and grimaces all push people away -- but a smile draws them in.
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2. Smiling Changes Our Mood
Next time you are feeling down, try putting on a smile. There's a good chance you mood will change for the better. Smiling can trick the body into helping you change your mood.

3. Smiling is Contagious <-- so true! :)
When someone is smiling they lighten up the room, change the moods of others, and make things happier. A smiling person brings happiness with them. Smile lots and you will draw people to you.

4. Smiling Relieves Stress
Stress can really show up in our faces. Smiling helps to prevent us from looking tired, worn down, and overwhelmed. When you are stressed, take time to put on a smile. The stress should be reduced and you'll be better able to take action.

5. Smiling Boosts Your Immune System <-- makes sense!
Smiling helps the immune system to work better. When you smile, immune function improves possibly because you are more relaxed. Prevent the flu and colds by smiling.

6. Smiling Lowers Your Blood Pressure <-- who knew?!
When you smile, there is a measurable reduction in your blood pressure. Give it a try if you have a blood pressure monitor at home. Sit for a few minutes, take a reading. Then smile for a minute and take another reading while still smiling. Do you notice a difference?

7. Smiling Releases Endorphins, Natural Pain Killers and Serotonin
Studies have shown that smiling releases endorphins, natural pain killers, and serotonin. Together these three make us feel good. Smiling is a natural drug.

8. Smiling Lifts the Face and Makes You Look Younger
The muscles we use to smile lift the face, making a person appear younger. Don't go for a face lift, just try smiling your way through the day -- you'll look younger and feel better.

9. Smiling Makes You Seem Successful
Smiling people appear more confident, are more likely to be promoted, and more likely to be approached. Put on a smile at meetings and appointments and people will react to you differently.

10. Smiling Helps You Stay Positive
Try this test: Smile. Now try to think of something negative without losing the smile. It's hard. When we smile our body is sending the rest of us a message that "Life is Good!" Stay away from depression, stress and worry by smiling.

I was putting away my laundry and listening to shuffle on my I tunes (you never know what's going to come up!) and a song called "Finally" by Fergie came on. Fergie is generally not known for her inspirational lyrics, but I found part of this song particularly fitting for what I'm going through. (even though it is centered around her troubled relationship with her man) You should download it if you can- its actually very pretty. Here is part of her chorus I am relating to in this moment:

"Finally
Now my destiny can begin
Though it will have a different set
Something strange and new is happening
Finally
Now my life doesn't seem so bad
Its the best that I've ever had"

A wrap up of my parents weekend and current news

Things have settled down into their normal rhythym again after my parents have left. The end of the semester is already coming so quickly, I can't believe it!

I thought that I might talk about a few of the things me and my parents did that I didn't have a chance to in previous posts. On Saturday night me and my parents went to the most fabulous Restaurant called "Osteria del Cinghiale Bianco". They are famous for their wild boar dishes. This restaurant was raved about by my cousin Carolyn, who visited Florence not too long ago with her boyfriend Mitch after they both graduated law school. She said to make sure to go there while I was over here, and so I thought it would be a perfect place to take my parents. We ended up getting two of the dishes she recommended; my dad got the spaghetti with tomato wild boar sauce which was absoloutely amazing. I was a bit skeptical about trying it at first (just because its boar haha) but it tasted just slightly different than ground beef. My mom got the ricotta and spinach dumplings with a butter sauce. Those were also very tasty. I ended up getting a pesto pasta which was out of this world. It had a very strong basil flavor which I love.

On Sunday morning before Lucca my parents and I went to the Bargello museum which has a lot of famous sculptures. A few of them were done by the great Michelangelo himself! Unfortunately I was not able to take pictures except inside the courtyard, so feel free to check those out on facebook.

Today I am going to be spending the day pretty much just catching up from the past week and maybe taking a nap and working out. Nothing too exciting. My friend Martha is visiting this weekend from Amsterdam with her friend she met on her studying abroad trip named Tara. I am so excited to see her! She is spending a few days in other parts of Italy before Florence, so she will take a train from Pisa this Friday and will be at my pensione around 1:15. The plan is to go to lunch and who knows what else from there. Technically I am supposed to have classes this Friday to make up for one of the days we will be gone on the Thanksgiving Bosnia and Crotia trip however a lot of teachers are just canceling class. My philosophy teacher pretty much canceled class on Friday, as well as my marketing teacher. My econ professor does not seem even aware that we are supposed to have class on Friday so I am pretty sure he will just not show up. That only leaves Italian and Intro to Florence. Doesn't sound like too bad of a make up day, huh? And that way I can spend the rest of the afternoon freely with Martha and Tara. (Let's hope I don't have to go to Econ!) :) To your left is a picture of me and Martha taken last year.

Also for those that know what is going on with my Grandfather-- he is getting very weak and sick, so my family and I could definitely use your prayers with this whole situation. He has lived a great life but its very sad to watch him go. This is hard time for all of us.

Last few days with parents

Today marks the last day of my parents' visit. It will be sad to see them go, but it has been so nice to have them hear the past ten days. We have definitely taken advantage of Florence to the extreme- we have toured almost every museum and we have visited the important landmarks and churches. I think my mom might even come over again next semester if she can. That would be awesome!

We were not able to go to the restaurant we originally wanted to go to called La Toscana, but we ended up finding a nice little trattoria in the San Lorenzo area. I had a dish called "Quattro Formaggio Gnocchi" and my dad had an Italian Sausage dish with kidney beans. It was really good! My mom just had a classic Italian salad. It was a lovely way to conclude their visit.

Overall today has been a pretty low key day; I was able to sleep in until almost eleven, and then my parents met me at my pensione and my dad showed me how to burn all my pictures onto cds. He says it is very important to back up all my pictures on cds in case my computer breaks, or whatever else that could go wrong with it. Good thinking dad ;). After my dad showed me how to do that, we all walked over to the Piazza della Repubblica and stopped at a local sandwich shop/ristorante and me and my dad each got a delicious sandwich. Mine was prosciutto cotto which is cooked ham and it had mozzerella and olive oil and basil. My dad got a proscuitto crudo (which is raw ham meat) wrap with similiar ingredients and his was warmed up. Then me and my mom went our seperate ways to go on a little shopping adventure. I ended up getting some nice perfume at Coin, which is known as the "Macy's" of Florence. I had never heard of it until today- it was definitely a huge department store! I also got a cute white wintery hat. After looking around some more, I ended up getting another 5 euro pashmina scarf (they are the best) and a few more accessories. I would say it was a successful shopping day for sure :). My mom was able to get her last minute gifts to take back home.


Yesterday my parents and I went to the famous little town of Lucca. It was a nice break from the loud and noisy Florence atmosphere. It was significantly smaller than Florence, but it had a lot of nice little restaurants and shops. After we got off the 2 hour train ride, we ran into my friend Brian and his dad who were spending the day in the city as well. I invited them to lunch, and we embarked on a cute little Italian restaurant and had some authentic food. My mom and I split a thin crust pizza with tomato sauce and mozzerella and salami. Amongst the five of us we split some vino rosso (which is red wine). It was pretty tasty!

In addition to Lucca's good shopping tastes, and I was told from a few friends to make sure to rent some bikes and take them up to the path that lines the walls of the city. Lucca is surrounded by walls on all sides of the city; the trail is about 2.5 km around and it kind of reminded me of Seattle's 'Green-lake' for all those who have been there. My parents and I ended up renting a few bikes for an hour and we had a great time just exploring the city and going around the trail. Lucca has a lot more trees than Florence, so the changing of the leaves was absoloutely gorgeous.

Well I am in the midst of preparing for my minimum wage presentation... fun fun! I'll post later :)

Buonasera!

A tour to Piazza della Signoria, Davanzati Palace, Orsanmichele, and Dante's area

Today me and the Intro to Florence group went to the Piazza Della Signoria, which is located near the fake statue of David, and the Uffizi Museum. We learned a little background of the Piazza while we stood in the center of it. We learned that all Ghibelline tower houses were destroyed after their defeat in 1267. It was created by Arnolfo di Cambio, and it was originally built to house the Signoria or government of Priors (Priori). We are currently learning about all these people and the history of the government in class. Next we ventured to the Signoria's Loggia. This project was traditionally attributed to Andrea Orcagna.

We then walked over to the Palazzo Davanzati, which was currently under restoration, so the entrance view was waived. It smelled like rubber cement in the whole building because they are cleaning the wood to depose of termites. Yuck! I thought the mini tour of this Palace was very interesting though. The palace contained all its original furniture and artwork. The second story consisted of a main room with holes in the floor to watch the customers entering the shop downstairs. It also housed a portable safe with a very elaborate lock (see picture). We learned about how to tell which era the furniture came in based on the wood structure and colors. Pretty cool :) Like for example, the bed in the picture above is in the Baroque period because you can see the transition to using gold which means it was done in the 16th century.


Next we ventured onto Orsanmichele which initially had a small church in this area built during the Lombard period (c. 700). The interior of this church was gorgeous- one can tell that this was not born a church since there is no central nave like the other churches in Florence. (see picture). The exterior was awesome too; during the first twenty years of the 15th century the 7 major guilds and 7 of the 14 minor guilds decorated the exterior niches of Orsanmichele with statues of their patron saints. Here is a picture of a sculpture I took outside the church.

Towards the end of the tour we went to the Palazzo dell'Arte della Lana. The Lana Guilt or "Arte della Lana" was one of the wealthiest of the 7 major guilds. Lastly we went to Dante's Neighborhood. We saw the Torre della Castagna, or Chestnut Tower. It was the meeting place of Guild directors (Priors) to judge and deliberate on the most difficult problems in the guild corporations. See picture on your left :) Just down the street was the Santa Margherita dei Cerchi, which was Beatrice's Portinari's parish church. Beatrice was Dante's long lost love-- as learnt in class. He always had a spiritual kind of love for her, but back then marriages were prearranged and they both ended up marrying other people, although he always truly loved her. It made me sad to think that marriages a lot of times were not out of love. I am glad things are not the same anymore! Apparently marriages were prearranged until the early 20th century. Yeesh!

That pretty much concludes the tour for the day in a nutshell. I hope you enjoyed some of the history (thanks to my notes and handout from my Professor Carrara). The rest of the day will probably be spent catching up on homework and emails and such. I got my web cam to work, so I got to see Chris for the first time since I have left for Europe. It was very nice!

Uffizi visit with my parents

Today was a cloudy and rainy day in Florence. While I was in class, my parents walked all over town and went to Santa Maria Novella, the Santa Marco Museum, and a few other places. They definitely were on their feet all day!

My parents and I met up around 2:30 at their hotel and we walked over to the Uffizi Museum where we had reservations at 3:00. They recommended you to reserve spots to get into the Museum so that you can avoid the long lines that are formed outside the museum. It was definitely a good call! We walked right in and were on our way. My dad had his little Rick Steves book again, so he followed that throughout the large museum, and I listened to the audio version of the Rick Steves tour on my mom's ipod. She listened to it the night before so she could have a bit of the background before looking at all the artwork. I was very thankful to have the audio guide because it kept me from getting distracted (ha ha) and also it focused in on the highlights of the museum and the main pieces that are famous and have the most character.

After we walked around the museum for a good long time, we went into the bookstore and I got some postcards of my favorite pieces, as well a minature poster of my favorite painting called "Birth of Venus" by Botticelli. This piece is extremely well-known- but I was just struck by the colors and how the artist put all of them together so beautifully. I attached a picture of the piece :)

Anyways, we walked back and my parents got some overpriced, but very yummy gelato, and we took a couple pictures by the Duomo on the way back. Above is a picture of me and my mom in front of the Duomo. Even though I have been here for a couple months, I am still in awe of the church every time I am in front of it. It is absolutely beautiful!

So yesterday night me and Chris (bf) talked on the phone for quite awhile and we are starting to formulate his plans for his visit in February. I am so excited to see him! Its been way too long! He is going to leave Seattle in the early afternoon on Feb 1st (which I believe is a Sunday) and he will arrive in Florence around noon the next day (Mon). This is the same flight my parents took I believe... and then we are planning to go to Barcelona, Spain that next weekend. After my classes get out on Thursday we are going to leave, and then we will most likely get back on Sunday afternoon/early evening. I am stoked! Then he will go back home on Tuesday. It should be a nice trip.

By the way, I installed my web cam (thanks to my bro!) so for those that are interested in skyping with me and the web cam, I am down! :)

Well I am going to get ready for bed, its almost midnight here.

Buonanotte!

A lunch with my cousin Julie and her family

Today I had a great lunch with my my parents and my cousin Julie and her husband Thierry, and their 3 boys Benjamin (who is the oldest), Christopher, and Nicholas. They are just precious! Like I said earlier, this was the second time I have ever seen my cousin and this was the first time I had met her husband and their kids. We had such a great time!

I booked it over to the Duomo after class to meet my parents and the Motets, and from there we walked to this quaint little restaurant located close to the Archaeological Museum. I ended up ordering this delicious Penne pasta that had a ground beef sauce that was made of cheese and tomato. I also ordered a glass of the Chianti and a cafe latte after lunch. We were there for over an hour just chatting and making up for lost time. Julie is in the marketing field as well and so she told me all about her job and her husband works for Telecom in the financial field.

Above is a picture of all of us that was taken today. I am so glad that we were able to touch base through email. I am looking forward to my visit to Southern France next semester with my friend Cierra. She will be able to show me all around her area! :-D.

Today has been pretty rainy and cloudy... at least the weekend held up for my parents. It's finally starting to get colder, but we still have spurts of gorgeous and relatively warm weather!

Not sure what I am going to be doing tonight other than homework. I am hopefully meeting up with my parents for dinner and who knows after that.

Another great day with my parents!

Its been so nice visiting with my parents the past few days. They are having a blast in Florence and its been great for me seeing places that I haven't been to yet!

Today started around 10 am and I met up with my parents and we first went to the Medici Palace where many of the famous Medici family line lived. Michelangelo actually learned to sculpt at the location by having an "internship" for a few years. Interesting stuff, huh? :) The picture to your left is of one of the rooms in the palace that had gorgeous frescoes painted all on the ceilings.


After we walked around the palace, we ventured towards San Lorenzo where all the open air market shopping is (see post from a few days ago), and we went to the Medici Chapel where a lot of the Medici family is burried. My favorite part of the building was the chapel that Michelangelo designed which houses many of his famous sculptures such as "Night and Day" and "Dawn and Dusk". Too bad we weren't allowed to take pictures-- otherwise I would post one of my own! My dad was so cute because he has been researching all about Michelangelo and the famous artwork here in Florence that he was giving me a little tour of all the important sites in the chapel/palace. He also brought along his "Rick Steves" book which has a lot of good touristy information about famous locations. It was helpful to read when I had no idea what I was looking at. I might take a class on the Medici Family next semester (which is a continuation of the Intro to Florence class I am in now) so I will be a pro about the Medici family if I take that! I would probably be going back to both those locations on my tours if I decide to take the class. I am debating because although I think its great history to learn, I am already up to 15 credits and I would be taking 18 if I decide to add that one to the schedule. I don't want to be too stressed with school when I am studying here and learning about the culture. We will see what I decide to do...


After the chapel we headed towards the acaddemia and we saw Michelangelo's David! I was in such awe when I saw it. The sculpture was a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be. It is 14 ft tall and it is truly amazing. Me and my mom and dad listened to their little audio guide on their ipods. It was by Rick Steves of course... haha. We looked at some of Michelangelo's other marble sculptures, and we actually saw the original plaster figure of Michelangelo's famous Pieta. The current one is housed outside the Uffizi Palace in the Piazza di Vechio. We went over to that area yesterday, and I took the most gorgeous picture of the sculpture! We also looked at a small section of historical instruments. It was all pretty cool but overwelming seeing all of those places in a short perioe of time!

Once we were done looking around, we originally set off to go to my favorite place to get sandwiches called the Oil Shop, but unfortunately it is closed on weekends (which I didn't know)... so we ended up finding a fun little Italian restaurant and I got a delicious calzone (see picture) and my dad got this really yummy focacia with pruscitto cotto (raw ham) and arugola, and fresh shaved mozzerella. My mom got this eggplant dish, but neither me or my dad like eggplant so we couldn't vouch for itk but my mom said it was fabulous. We also split a 1/2 liter of white wine. Its interesting how they do wine here-- the cheap stuff (still great tasting though!) is in 1/4, 1/2, and 1 liter.

We were all so stuffed from lunch but my mom saved some room for gelato (she says she wants to have it once a day while she is over here!) so I took her to one of my favorite places. She got a chocolate kind; I was satisfied with just one bite because it was so rich! Then we walked over towards Santa Croce and found the leather school where students learn how to make leather products and they sell a bunch of cool leather jackets, purses, wallets, you name it they have it! We didn't get anything but it was fun to look around.

We were all so tired from walking all around that we decided to take it easy for a few hours and chill out. I went back to my pensione and relaxed and uploaded pictures on facebook, etc and they just hung out back at their hotel. A couple hours later we met up again to go to this gospel concert at a chiesa (church) near Santa Croce. I heard about it from the "Ciao" which is our little newsletter we get everyday via email from the student life office on campus. The singing was so upbeat and inspirational! I know my parents loved it too-they love soulful gospel music. The group almost sounded southern-- apparently they travel all over Italy and beyond and they have their own cd and everything. They were very talented for sure.

The concert lasted about an hour and a half and after we walked across the street to Istanbul (apparently its a chain!) and got kebabs. I recomended that they try them at least once while they are over here, even though they are not your typical Italian Cusine. They loved it! My dad got a beef kebab, I got a chicken, and my mom got a falafel. My dad was joking around that its funny that we went from an American gospel choir concert to a Mediteranean restaurant... in Florence. Haha oh well-- gotta experience it all, right?

Now we are all pretty pooped. We all went back to their hotel to make plans with my cousin Julie, who is visiting with her husband and their three boys from France. They are only here for the day tomorrow, so we are going to meet up for lunch and dinner. I am so excited!

Well thats all for now.

BTW Happy 21st Birthday, Kristina! :)