We had to take a taxi to this itty bitty airport about an hour away because the shuttle services are 90% of the time a scam and never show up after taking your money. The taxi ride was very long and very expensive and we were so tired after a long trip. But we finally got to the airport and it took two seconds to check in and get through security. Then we waited in line at our gate (they made us get in a line) for about an hour and fifteen minutes with no one telling us what was wrong. We were supposed to board more than an hour before and we were just standing in line with no employees of the airline anywhere to be seen. Finally a few came out and they told us something about needing us to board quickly - no apologies, no explanations. After another few minutes, they actually began to board finally. We got on and got fantastic seats near the front, with an empty seat in between us to set stuff down on. And then we waited an hour without anything happening on the plane. Finally, the captain comes on and says that the Venice airports have closed completely because of fog and so our flight has been cancelled. This is two hours after we were supposed to have taken off.
They inform us that there are two lines inside we can use: one to change our flight and another for a refund. Of course, I have classes in the morning (it's like 8:00 at night) and so we have to get back to Venice. My mom has already paid for her hotel room as well. We run (leaving our checked bags in baggage claim) to the change your flight line and end up about third in line. After a long wait to get the people ahead of us settled, some confusion about someone trying to cut in front of me, and a small breakdown on my part, we finally get up to the counter. Wiping my tears, we explain that we want to take the flight that leaves in about an hour to Milan. Just getting into Italy would be so much better. So they book us on that flight, we run to get our bags and recheck them and then we head through security and get in line again. We only waited a few minutes in line this time and got on the plane, actually finding seats together (thank God). Then we wait (a frightening wait) until the plane finally takes off. A little while later we got to Milan and most things seem closed in the airport. Of course, the discount airline we are flying only goes to smaller airports, so we are outside the city and have to take a bus in to get to the train station so we can get to Venice. But, with a stroke of intelligence, we decide to call someone back in Venice to let them know what's going on and to have them check train schedules for us. Apparently no trains to Venice run until early the next morning, so we have to find a hotel near the airport. We ask someone inside and then go down a long and dark pathway with very little signage that takes us under the busy highway to the other side where there is a huge hotel. We check in (expensive) use their internet (expensive) to book our train. Finally, we head up to our gorgeous room. I so wish it hadn't been midnight and we could really enjoy this room. It was beautiful and the bed was ridiculously comfy. They had the best pillow I've ever slept on... I was very happy.
Anyway... we sleep about three hours and then have to get up and go downstairs. It's raining, so we have to take another cab to get back across the highway and take the bus to the Milan train station. We finally get to the train station, a 45 minute bus ride, and then we have to go to the ticket office and pick up our tickets (which thankfully went off without a hitch). We wait next to the trains for our track number to appear and get water and (terrible) croissants. We get on the train, the correct car, and in the correct seats but we are sitting separately. So we find other places to sit that are together and settle in in hopes that no one will come along with tickets for the seats we're sitting in. A couple hours later, we get to Venice!
We catch the vaporetto back to our stop and check my mom into her hotel. Then I go back to my house and take the thirty minutes I have left to take a quick nap and then go to my next class (I missed Italian in the morning). After class, I picked up my mom and we just roamed around the shops near San Marco. We actually purchased some rather expensive things, mostly as gifts. It was lovely. We ate a nice quiet meal at a good restaurant and then watched the finale of Project Runway before packing and taking my mom back to her hotel.
This morning I woke up way early and helped her get to the boat that (hopefully) took her to the airport this morning. She is flying first class (because of some real luck!) so she should be taken care of since she got to the airport. I hope to hear from her tomorrow that she has arrived safely at home.
And now I have caught you up (vaguely) on my life here in Venice. There will be more to come in about two weeks when I return from my second mandatory ten-day break. I'll keep you updated, however late.
11.04.2008
Parisian (Good) Crumbs
We left for Paris on Friday extremely early in the morning. I had to wake up at 4:45 am. A long walk, a bus ride, a plane flight, and a taxi ride later we arrived at our hotel in Paris. The Marriott (my mom used some sort of points to get us the room for free!) was perpendicular to the Tuilleries and just down the street from the Louvre, across the Seine from the Musee d'Orsay. In other words, a perfect location. We only had to walk a couple minutes to get into the Marais district, which we love.
We spent Friday napping (we had to to function) and just roaming the streets of Paris looking at shops. Saturday we did some of the same, but it was rainy. We found a place to get our hair cut despite it being All Saints Day (many things were closed). This tiny salon was run by a man of about fifty who spoke only French. I don't remember any French really. So I was only able to tell him how short was too short. And I vaguely let him know that anything else was fine. He cut my hair first, surprising me by giving me bangs. It looked great though! And then he cut my mom's hair, probably way too short and kind of big on top. She doesn't hate it. I think it looks pretty good except for the top, which someone back home can probably fix for her.
Sunday we went to the Musee d'Orsay which was just amazing. My mom got to see Monet paintings in person for the first time since she was a child and first fell in love with the artist. She cried a little. It was sweet. Nowhere near enough croissants and chocolate later, we had to leave.
We spent Friday napping (we had to to function) and just roaming the streets of Paris looking at shops. Saturday we did some of the same, but it was rainy. We found a place to get our hair cut despite it being All Saints Day (many things were closed). This tiny salon was run by a man of about fifty who spoke only French. I don't remember any French really. So I was only able to tell him how short was too short. And I vaguely let him know that anything else was fine. He cut my hair first, surprising me by giving me bangs. It looked great though! And then he cut my mom's hair, probably way too short and kind of big on top. She doesn't hate it. I think it looks pretty good except for the top, which someone back home can probably fix for her.
Sunday we went to the Musee d'Orsay which was just amazing. My mom got to see Monet paintings in person for the first time since she was a child and first fell in love with the artist. She cried a little. It was sweet. Nowhere near enough croissants and chocolate later, we had to leave.
Visitors Bring Crumbs
My mom came to visit! Her arrival was amazing. Early in the morning last Friday, I went all the way to the airport and picked her up. Our first two days were spent wandering around Dorsoduro (my neighborhood), seeing the quaint residential areas and some small shops. I also took her to some more touristy places (like The Rialto Bridge and the Piazza di San Marco). We visited my favorite gelateria (Il Doge in Campo Santa Margherita) and we experienced grocery shopping (at Billa) in Italy. All very exciting stuff of course. My mom brought DVDs she recorded of the latest Project Runway season, which we of course watched during her visit.
On Wednesday, my friend Kate came! I sent Kate off to explore while I went to class. After my classes, I took my mom to my dance studio to watch my classes (she said she wanted to, I swear!). And afterward we explored some and got some delicious pizza with cheese all melty from some hole in the wall place on the way back from the studio. Anyway, we met up with Kate for a while and just enjoyed time together.
On Thursday I was able to take Kate and my mom along with me to our gallery visit for our art history course. We went to the Chiesa dei Frari and the Scuola di San Rocco. After all my classes that day, we took a tour (my mom and Kate included!) of La Fenice (a major, possibly the major, theater in Venice which we have been reading about in our literature class). I left the two to explore the city while I went home to do some homework and take a much needed nap. On Thursday night, Kate and I stayed up for a while playing cards and catching up. Then we parted until January. Kate stayed in Venice over the weekend but my mom and I went to Paris.
On Wednesday, my friend Kate came! I sent Kate off to explore while I went to class. After my classes, I took my mom to my dance studio to watch my classes (she said she wanted to, I swear!). And afterward we explored some and got some delicious pizza with cheese all melty from some hole in the wall place on the way back from the studio. Anyway, we met up with Kate for a while and just enjoyed time together.
On Thursday I was able to take Kate and my mom along with me to our gallery visit for our art history course. We went to the Chiesa dei Frari and the Scuola di San Rocco. After all my classes that day, we took a tour (my mom and Kate included!) of La Fenice (a major, possibly the major, theater in Venice which we have been reading about in our literature class). I left the two to explore the city while I went home to do some homework and take a much needed nap. On Thursday night, Kate and I stayed up for a while playing cards and catching up. Then we parted until January. Kate stayed in Venice over the weekend but my mom and I went to Paris.
10.17.2008
Gondola Crumbs
My third post of the day... sigh.
We had a gondola ride!! The house paid for all the students, our professor, our student assistant, all our house staff and any members of their family they want to bring to go on a gondola ride on Wednesday night following our weekly house dinner. It was lovely. I ended up in the second boat (of four) with Eugene, Chris, Elizabeth, Kayla, Jenny, and our gondolier. We rode down the typical tourist route toward the S Marco area, but it was still lovely. Very beautiful. It was dark out and the air was still and cool. One of the boats had an accordian and a singer. Luckily, they didn't play the entire ride. I find them slightly annoying. We got to spend about 45 minutes on the water. I didn't want the ride to end, but we saw Casa Artom's facade in the distance and knew the ride was over. I think if we got everyone who has stayed at Casa Artom in the past 10 years to donate 5 or 10 dollars, we could get a house gondola. That would be pretty sweet...
We had a gondola ride!! The house paid for all the students, our professor, our student assistant, all our house staff and any members of their family they want to bring to go on a gondola ride on Wednesday night following our weekly house dinner. It was lovely. I ended up in the second boat (of four) with Eugene, Chris, Elizabeth, Kayla, Jenny, and our gondolier. We rode down the typical tourist route toward the S Marco area, but it was still lovely. Very beautiful. It was dark out and the air was still and cool. One of the boats had an accordian and a singer. Luckily, they didn't play the entire ride. I find them slightly annoying. We got to spend about 45 minutes on the water. I didn't want the ride to end, but we saw Casa Artom's facade in the distance and knew the ride was over. I think if we got everyone who has stayed at Casa Artom in the past 10 years to donate 5 or 10 dollars, we could get a house gondola. That would be pretty sweet...
More Opera Crumbs
So we went to see a Cavalli opera the other night. This one is called (in Italian) The Virtue and Strength of Cupid's Arrows. We were running late and had to practically sprint to the opera, a decent 30 minute walk away. We got there and got our tickets and they made no sense. There were two different letters and a seat number. But we just showed our tickets to the usher and he found our seats for us. We were on the very side and could only see half the stage. But I followed along with the summary we were given as best I could. We moved seats a bunch during intermissions, trying to get a better view. But by the end we just gave up and tried our best to watch the half of the stage we could see. Everytime we switched seats, though, this one usher would flirt with us... "Buena sera, signora." "Ti piace l'opera?" It was funny... and kind of creepy.
Now I have to write a paper on the opera for my music class. It should be interesting...
Now I have to write a paper on the opera for my music class. It should be interesting...
Finnish Crumbs (or Swedish ones?)
So it's been a while. Things got busy with midterms (still going on) and my second break. But now it's time to update you all on my life abroad. We get two ten-day breaks while we're here, one in October and one in November. The first one was just a week ago. This time last week, I was stuck in an airport. But that will come later.
For my first break, I decided to go to Finland to visit one of my best friends, Robert. I got there at like 11pm and it was dark and the tiny airport in Turku, Finland was practically deserted. When everyone who had arrived on my flight left, it was me and a cab driver waiting for his client. It felt very strange. But after only about five minutes of waiting, Robert walked through the doors. I gave him a hug, to which he awkwardly responded by not hugging back and sort of muttering "hey". He's shy. It was kinda cute. We walked outside with my luggage and apparently Robert hadn't thought this far in advance. I said, "Do you know where we're going?" And he sort of muttered that he didn't have a clue. And he explained that it had taken a ridiculous amount of time to walk to the airport from my hotel, so we got a cab. I got into my hotel alright and Robert and I talked for a while before we parted ways for the night. I tried desperately to get internet so I could tell my parents I was safe, but the mobile broadband I spent a fortune on in England apparently won't work now. Anywhere. (I'm having a fit.) And the hotel didn't have wireless. So I just took a shower and went to bed.
In the morning, I got my stuff and checked out of my room. And then Robert picked me up in the lobby. It was freezing outside as we walked to his apartment. The walk took like 45 minutes, but it was nice. Finland is very pretty in the fall, if you can ignore the weather. There are a lot of trees in Turku and a river and such. But the city is sort of industrial. Definitely not what I'm used to from back home and from the Wake campus and from Venice. Attention to beauty doesn't seem to be a concern in Turku. But the natural landscape is still stunning. After settling in at Robert's place, we went to the grocery store and computer classroom so I could message my parents. I sent my mom a quick email to say I'm fine. But somehow, later that day or maybe the next day, my parents called Robert's cell phone, needing me to confirm that it was me who sent the email and that I wasn't under duress. Robert kept laughing at me. I can imagine why. My parents made me say some ridiculous phrase to let them know I wasn't being forced into responding to them or something.
Anyway... I spent the week in the rain and freezing cold, venturing out only for groceries (alright, mostly chocolate) and access to the internet. I had such a great time though! Robert is so much fun even when we're just sitting around his apartment. I had a really great time and when I had to leave on Friday morning, I really didn't want to go.
I should have listened to my instinct because when I got from Turku to Helsinki, the connection was too short and I missed my flight. So I had to run around the airport from counter to counter asking people where I needed to go to get a new flight. When I finally found a desk that could help me, she took like fifteen minutes after finding the only flight I could take to actually get me a ticket. And the flight was at 7 pm that night. It was early that morning. I spent nine hours in the Helsinki airport. Thank God I found free internet with the purchase of a water bottle and a croissant. I was able to talk to my best friend, Missy, who is in Australia for study. So that helped me calm down after I had spent twenty minutes in a bathroom stall crying. I was alone and stressed and everything was falling apart in a foreign country. But I felt better once I relaxed at my computer and checked email and stuff. And then I took my flight to Prague and had to wait 11 hours in the Prague airport, overnight, for my next flight. I wasn't able to check my bag in until two hours before departure, so I stayed up the whole night on the internet, for fear that my bags would be stolen and because I was worried I wouldn't wake for my flight. I made it through though, with the help of friends staying online with me. And when I finally arrived in Venice, I grinned uncontrollably at the thought of getting home. I took the vaporetto so I didn't have to hull my luggage over the bridges. Though I still had to take it up all the steps to my room. That's got to be some forty steps.... that was rough. But then I collapsed on my bed, sent an email to my parents that I was safe at home, and slept for like six hours before getting hungry enough to wake up and make food.
And that was my Finland trip.
For my first break, I decided to go to Finland to visit one of my best friends, Robert. I got there at like 11pm and it was dark and the tiny airport in Turku, Finland was practically deserted. When everyone who had arrived on my flight left, it was me and a cab driver waiting for his client. It felt very strange. But after only about five minutes of waiting, Robert walked through the doors. I gave him a hug, to which he awkwardly responded by not hugging back and sort of muttering "hey". He's shy. It was kinda cute. We walked outside with my luggage and apparently Robert hadn't thought this far in advance. I said, "Do you know where we're going?" And he sort of muttered that he didn't have a clue. And he explained that it had taken a ridiculous amount of time to walk to the airport from my hotel, so we got a cab. I got into my hotel alright and Robert and I talked for a while before we parted ways for the night. I tried desperately to get internet so I could tell my parents I was safe, but the mobile broadband I spent a fortune on in England apparently won't work now. Anywhere. (I'm having a fit.) And the hotel didn't have wireless. So I just took a shower and went to bed.
In the morning, I got my stuff and checked out of my room. And then Robert picked me up in the lobby. It was freezing outside as we walked to his apartment. The walk took like 45 minutes, but it was nice. Finland is very pretty in the fall, if you can ignore the weather. There are a lot of trees in Turku and a river and such. But the city is sort of industrial. Definitely not what I'm used to from back home and from the Wake campus and from Venice. Attention to beauty doesn't seem to be a concern in Turku. But the natural landscape is still stunning. After settling in at Robert's place, we went to the grocery store and computer classroom so I could message my parents. I sent my mom a quick email to say I'm fine. But somehow, later that day or maybe the next day, my parents called Robert's cell phone, needing me to confirm that it was me who sent the email and that I wasn't under duress. Robert kept laughing at me. I can imagine why. My parents made me say some ridiculous phrase to let them know I wasn't being forced into responding to them or something.
Anyway... I spent the week in the rain and freezing cold, venturing out only for groceries (alright, mostly chocolate) and access to the internet. I had such a great time though! Robert is so much fun even when we're just sitting around his apartment. I had a really great time and when I had to leave on Friday morning, I really didn't want to go.
I should have listened to my instinct because when I got from Turku to Helsinki, the connection was too short and I missed my flight. So I had to run around the airport from counter to counter asking people where I needed to go to get a new flight. When I finally found a desk that could help me, she took like fifteen minutes after finding the only flight I could take to actually get me a ticket. And the flight was at 7 pm that night. It was early that morning. I spent nine hours in the Helsinki airport. Thank God I found free internet with the purchase of a water bottle and a croissant. I was able to talk to my best friend, Missy, who is in Australia for study. So that helped me calm down after I had spent twenty minutes in a bathroom stall crying. I was alone and stressed and everything was falling apart in a foreign country. But I felt better once I relaxed at my computer and checked email and stuff. And then I took my flight to Prague and had to wait 11 hours in the Prague airport, overnight, for my next flight. I wasn't able to check my bag in until two hours before departure, so I stayed up the whole night on the internet, for fear that my bags would be stolen and because I was worried I wouldn't wake for my flight. I made it through though, with the help of friends staying online with me. And when I finally arrived in Venice, I grinned uncontrollably at the thought of getting home. I took the vaporetto so I didn't have to hull my luggage over the bridges. Though I still had to take it up all the steps to my room. That's got to be some forty steps.... that was rough. But then I collapsed on my bed, sent an email to my parents that I was safe at home, and slept for like six hours before getting hungry enough to wake up and make food.
And that was my Finland trip.
9.25.2008
9.23.2008
Vicenza Crumbs
So we decided we needed to go shopping somewhere less expensive than Venice. We took the train to Vicenza (maybe an hour from Venice). There was a gigantic street of store after store... a lot of them were really expensive, but we found a couple decent ones. And in one of them, I found... A COAT!!! It had gotten really cold one day (jumped from 90 degrees to 55 basically overnight), and it's stayed cold since then. I forgot my coat back home. I don't have a clue why... maybe I just didn't think of it. But anyway, I was really cold and needed a coat, and I just sort of saw this purple one and tried it on. It is beautiful. It's a little bright, but the purple is deep and the cut is sophisticated. I was very excited.... Anyway, I also found a scarf and some cute underwear.
And I got out of Venice and spent some time with Rhianna and McKinley. Good stuff. The rest of the weekend (and the previous week) sorta sucked. But there's no reason to go into that. I'm in Venice! La via bella!
I'm still working on getting my pictures to a place where everyone can see them. For now, they're on Facebook. If you don't have facebook, I'll get them somewhere public soon. I'm working on it. Don't forget you can subscribe to the blog over there on the right side of the screen so you don't have to keep checking for updates or remembering to look at it. And comment down at the bottom of any post. I like comments... let's me remember you exist! haha. Just joking.
And I got out of Venice and spent some time with Rhianna and McKinley. Good stuff. The rest of the weekend (and the previous week) sorta sucked. But there's no reason to go into that. I'm in Venice! La via bella!
I'm still working on getting my pictures to a place where everyone can see them. For now, they're on Facebook. If you don't have facebook, I'll get them somewhere public soon. I'm working on it. Don't forget you can subscribe to the blog over there on the right side of the screen so you don't have to keep checking for updates or remembering to look at it. And comment down at the bottom of any post. I like comments... let's me remember you exist! haha. Just joking.
9.16.2008
Casino Crumbs
Tonight, I decided it was finally time to be social. I like being my hermit-like self, but I think it's important to go out with everyone now and again. And most people in the house wanted to go to the casino tonight. So we all got dolled up (I wore my favorite strapless black dress with red heels for those who care) and took the vaporetto over to the casino.
On the vaporetto, one of the guys who runs the boat (as in goes over and ties it to the dock while people get on and then unties it when we're ready to go) starts making eyes at McKinley. This got good. He started saying nice things to her about how pretty she was. And then he asked her to come over to his seat and talk to him a little. And, of course, McKinley went over because she's so friendly and knows she can get out of the situation if necessary. And they flirted and talked. He spoke some English and speaks a tiny bit of Italian. Between the two of them they were able to talk pretty well. When we were almost to our stop, he asked for her number, so she gave it to him! Apparently he is going to call her next week so they can go out for coffee or something. How cute! We're totally going to go sit at the cafe next door and make sure she's safe, but still. At least she gets to go.
Anyway, so we got to the casino and paid the ten euro to get in and receive a ten euro chip to play with. We went a crap ton of stairs and then there were tables of roulette in front of us. The place was gorgeous. Well, not really gorgeous since it was a little tacky with the color choices and such. But it was done to appear stunningly expensive. haha. We walked around for a little bit, looking to see if the rest of our friends were there yet. They only had a few games available. Roulette (with a ton of tables available), Poker, Black Jack, and the slot machines. I don't know how to play poker, black jack makes you think too much and I don't really know strategies, and the chip they gave us was for the tables and not the slot machines. So I decided to play roulette. I waited as I learned to play from watching others and asking my friends. A few people from the group played a round of black jack. Everyone lost. haha. Then some people played roulette. I played and lost. Everyone lost. haha. Only two people put down any more money though. And they lost it all. So we waited a while for the rest of the group to come, having been at dinner before. When they didn't come after a long while, we got bored and left. A long walk home, and we were able to stop for gelato. (Yes, more gelato!)
Funny thing I hadn't mentioned: casino means two things in Venice. Casino the way we say it means a strip club or brothel, pretty much. I'm not entirely sure exactly which. But it's not good. haha. So you can't tell a Venetian you're going to the casino. You have to say you're going to the Casin-O, emphasis on the "o". The casino' is an actual casino where you bet and gamble. In fact, McKinley told her "new friend" (whose name may or may not be Johnathan) that she was going to the casino and he freaked out a little. She had to correct herself. So now, I've officially played my first game of roulette and been to a casino for the first time (well the first time I got to actually go inside the casino). Crazy.
On the vaporetto, one of the guys who runs the boat (as in goes over and ties it to the dock while people get on and then unties it when we're ready to go) starts making eyes at McKinley. This got good. He started saying nice things to her about how pretty she was. And then he asked her to come over to his seat and talk to him a little. And, of course, McKinley went over because she's so friendly and knows she can get out of the situation if necessary. And they flirted and talked. He spoke some English and speaks a tiny bit of Italian. Between the two of them they were able to talk pretty well. When we were almost to our stop, he asked for her number, so she gave it to him! Apparently he is going to call her next week so they can go out for coffee or something. How cute! We're totally going to go sit at the cafe next door and make sure she's safe, but still. At least she gets to go.
Anyway, so we got to the casino and paid the ten euro to get in and receive a ten euro chip to play with. We went a crap ton of stairs and then there were tables of roulette in front of us. The place was gorgeous. Well, not really gorgeous since it was a little tacky with the color choices and such. But it was done to appear stunningly expensive. haha. We walked around for a little bit, looking to see if the rest of our friends were there yet. They only had a few games available. Roulette (with a ton of tables available), Poker, Black Jack, and the slot machines. I don't know how to play poker, black jack makes you think too much and I don't really know strategies, and the chip they gave us was for the tables and not the slot machines. So I decided to play roulette. I waited as I learned to play from watching others and asking my friends. A few people from the group played a round of black jack. Everyone lost. haha. Then some people played roulette. I played and lost. Everyone lost. haha. Only two people put down any more money though. And they lost it all. So we waited a while for the rest of the group to come, having been at dinner before. When they didn't come after a long while, we got bored and left. A long walk home, and we were able to stop for gelato. (Yes, more gelato!)
Funny thing I hadn't mentioned: casino means two things in Venice. Casino the way we say it means a strip club or brothel, pretty much. I'm not entirely sure exactly which. But it's not good. haha. So you can't tell a Venetian you're going to the casino. You have to say you're going to the Casin-O, emphasis on the "o". The casino' is an actual casino where you bet and gamble. In fact, McKinley told her "new friend" (whose name may or may not be Johnathan) that she was going to the casino and he freaked out a little. She had to correct herself. So now, I've officially played my first game of roulette and been to a casino for the first time (well the first time I got to actually go inside the casino). Crazy.
Further British Crumbs
So I completely forgot to tell you about how the UK has issues with people entering the country without an address of where they are staying.
So I forgot to write down Lee's address and they held me at the border control desk. The guy was really nice to me, thank goodness. And luckily it was England, so I spoke the language. They tried twice to page Lee to the information desk, but for some reason he wasn't going. So they let me call him even though no phones are allowed in that area. He didn't answer. Then he called me and the phone hung up on me. Then they paged him again. Then finally I called him another time and was able to get his address written down and give it to the guy. It was rather amusing. But I was also a little freaked they weren't going to allow me in the country.
SO - if you ever go to the UK, make sure you have an address where you're staying!
Anyway... so we got to Lee's house after a short trip to the English Wal-Mart. He has a cute little townhouse. The guest room was small, but cozy. The bed was amazing when compared to the rock hard bed at Casa Artom. I had a TV! The shower had water pressure... it was wonderful!
The first night, we got home around midnight, so I didn't get to meet his parents or anything. I just talked to him for a bit and then went to sleep.
In the morning, Lee slept way late since he had been sick. Luckily, this gave me time to get some emails and things finished. I had a lot of stuff I had left to back up... So if you got an email or something from me over the weekend, you now know that I had pretty much ignored you for a while. Oops.
On Friday, Lee and I went to the Lake District... It was lovely. The water sparkled in the sun, we walked around and looked at the shops, got coffee (hot chocolate for me!), walked through a park down by the water... It started to rain and so we headed back to the car. Then we went to Bolton Abbey, down the road a bit. Walked around the abbey and then down by the water and stuff. Just nice and relaxing. Gave us some time to talk and whatnot.
We got dinner at some restaurant/pub place. We ate in the restaurant section, so it was really pretty and nice. We had a waiter and everything. I had salmon. (!!) Sooo good. And I took some sips of Lee's wine (be proud, everyone). That night, we watched a movie (Downfall, about Hitler) and talked and stuff. His parents were incredibly sweet to me. They just opened up their home freely.
On Saturday, we got up a little earlier so we would have time to get to a nearby castle. Skipton Castle. The area also has shops and such around it. We walked through a street market with mostly junk. And then we went to the castle. It was pretty cool. Lots of nooks and crannies. Might be creepy to have lived there though. The view was stunning. We ate dinner at another pub. The service sucked, but the food was good. The meal took several hours because the service was so terrible. It was dark when we left.
We watched another movie (Eurotrip) and chilled out. He helped me install the mobile broadband I bought earlier that day! Now I can get internet anywhere I need it while I'm over here... I hope it works in Finland, but I doubt it does. haha.
The weekend was just lovely and I was very sad when I had to leave. I hadn't realized just how much I had missed Lee until I got to see him again. And hopefully he'll come visit me here in Venice in a few weeks. :)
So I forgot to write down Lee's address and they held me at the border control desk. The guy was really nice to me, thank goodness. And luckily it was England, so I spoke the language. They tried twice to page Lee to the information desk, but for some reason he wasn't going. So they let me call him even though no phones are allowed in that area. He didn't answer. Then he called me and the phone hung up on me. Then they paged him again. Then finally I called him another time and was able to get his address written down and give it to the guy. It was rather amusing. But I was also a little freaked they weren't going to allow me in the country.
SO - if you ever go to the UK, make sure you have an address where you're staying!
Anyway... so we got to Lee's house after a short trip to the English Wal-Mart. He has a cute little townhouse. The guest room was small, but cozy. The bed was amazing when compared to the rock hard bed at Casa Artom. I had a TV! The shower had water pressure... it was wonderful!
The first night, we got home around midnight, so I didn't get to meet his parents or anything. I just talked to him for a bit and then went to sleep.
In the morning, Lee slept way late since he had been sick. Luckily, this gave me time to get some emails and things finished. I had a lot of stuff I had left to back up... So if you got an email or something from me over the weekend, you now know that I had pretty much ignored you for a while. Oops.
On Friday, Lee and I went to the Lake District... It was lovely. The water sparkled in the sun, we walked around and looked at the shops, got coffee (hot chocolate for me!), walked through a park down by the water... It started to rain and so we headed back to the car. Then we went to Bolton Abbey, down the road a bit. Walked around the abbey and then down by the water and stuff. Just nice and relaxing. Gave us some time to talk and whatnot.
We got dinner at some restaurant/pub place. We ate in the restaurant section, so it was really pretty and nice. We had a waiter and everything. I had salmon. (!!) Sooo good. And I took some sips of Lee's wine (be proud, everyone). That night, we watched a movie (Downfall, about Hitler) and talked and stuff. His parents were incredibly sweet to me. They just opened up their home freely.
On Saturday, we got up a little earlier so we would have time to get to a nearby castle. Skipton Castle. The area also has shops and such around it. We walked through a street market with mostly junk. And then we went to the castle. It was pretty cool. Lots of nooks and crannies. Might be creepy to have lived there though. The view was stunning. We ate dinner at another pub. The service sucked, but the food was good. The meal took several hours because the service was so terrible. It was dark when we left.
We watched another movie (Eurotrip) and chilled out. He helped me install the mobile broadband I bought earlier that day! Now I can get internet anywhere I need it while I'm over here... I hope it works in Finland, but I doubt it does. haha.
The weekend was just lovely and I was very sad when I had to leave. I hadn't realized just how much I had missed Lee until I got to see him again. And hopefully he'll come visit me here in Venice in a few weeks. :)
9.14.2008
British Crumbs
I'm so going to get yelled at for using "British" instead of "English". I've been informed that the UK is not very united right now. haha.
So some of the things I did this weekend, in no particular order:
1. Bought a bottle of water that was about the equivalent of 8 dollars.
2. Spent three nights at my ex-boyfriend's house in the middle of England.
3. Tried to use Italian with people who speak English.
4. Spent two hours trying to locate the correct bus and the correct ticket to get to the airport.
5. Met a Chinese girl and proceeded to do a blind-leading-the-blind style search for a bus to the airport.
6. Walked about six inches from a swan.
7. Drank several sips of red wine each day.
I think those are the highlights, though as I talk it might become apparent that there are more or that some of those things weren't all that exciting.
So let's see... Thursday, I had art history. But it was a church visit day. We were going to San Marco. We were supposed to meet the professor there. So everyone begins to gather downstairs. And Elizabeth and I are all impatient.. we should have been leaving right then. And so we thought we'd just walk out the door and some people might follow us. But no one did. So we just walked on our own. Somewhere in there, we got talking pretty quickly, and just went on autopilot. We ended up in Campo Santa Margherita, our typical nighttime hangout. And then we realized suddenly that we were supposed to have crossed the Accademia bridge, about a ten minute walk back. It was about ten minutes before we were supposed to be at San Marco, so we definitely didn't have time to get to the bridge and do the ten minute walk from the bridge to San Marco. But we had no choice. So Elizabeth and I took off running. We ran the Accademia stairs (really awkwardly placed and difficult) and ran practically the entire way to San Marco. We got there and everyone was waiting. I ended up dripping in sweat (ew!) as we walked around the church, marveling at the fact that practically the whole ceiling is done in mosaic.
An hour and a half later, I had finally cooled off and it was time to go our own way. I went home as fast as I could because I was starving. And I had to finish packing for my trip to England.
I left ten minutes after the rest of the house (with the exception of David, our professor, and Kelly, my roommate) left for the train station to go to Cinque Terre. I caught the vaporetto (a big boat used for public transportation) to Piazza le Roma (the bus station area where the post office is and whatnot).
When I got to Ple Roma, I looked around and found the bus I thought I was supposed to take. It wasn't there yet, so I waited. When it arrived, I asked the bus driver where I could get a ticket (in really horrible Italian... sigh). He pointed and this Chinese girl and I walked across the gigantic square to the ticket booth. The Chinese girl (I never did get her name) had been trying (and failing) to ask the guy where to get a ticket as well. I helped. Sort of. We waited in line at the ticket booth and when we thought it was our turn, someone butted in front of us and handed the man a ticket. Confused, we tried to go up to the window again. The man inside shooed us away! He vaguely gestured off to the side and we looked and saw some strange machine. It had a few options for what type of ticket you were looking for (public transportation, tickets for events, etc) so we, reluctantly, pressed the public transport button and out popped a ticket. We then saw that it had a big bold number on it... I felt a little dumb. Clearly it's one of those take a number style lines. So we waited and when our numbers were called we went up and asked for "uno biglietto per Marco Polo Aereoporto." And we payed an oddly cheap amount and left, slightly perplexed. Looking at the ticket, it was the size of a business card and looked... like a business card a bit. It was advertising the IMOB (a pass that lets you put money on a card and take public transport all over the city). But it was apparently, somehow, our ticket. We had no idea which bus to take except, of course, the one we had been at originally.
So we walked back to the bus, trying to talk to each other about anything we could think of. Her English was awful. I speak no Chinese. Both of us sucked at Italian. So we tried in English. The bus driver took half a look at our tickets and said in perfect English "this isn't the bus you want. You want the number 5." And turned back to the passenger he was helping.
At this point, it may be appropriate to attempt to describe the vastness of Ple Roma... But I'm not sure that I can. I'd say it's like a circle. And there are really crappy touristy kiosks selling junky stuff all around the one side. On the opposite side there's crappy food and junky-ness in general. On a third side is water and where the vaporetto comes in. And the fourth side is the road really.. That's roughly the layout. Inside the circle, there is a large ticket booth and about fifty or sixty different buses. It's very complex because there are tall poles with numbers on them for a group of buses... something like B52 (hehe). But you have no idea what B52 means. Nowhere does it tell you what buses are at B52 or why. So you just have to look around at the fronts of all the buses to see where they are headed. We search desperately for the section of buses with numbers on their fronts (the orange ones, I now know) and then look feverishly to find the number five. Sadly, they aren't in order at all. 12, 4, 9, 2, 1.... sigh.
Finally we found the five, but we didn't know what to do with our tickets and we weren't positive it was the right bus. The bus driver eventually gets on and we ask him "Marco Polo Aereoporto?" and he says "Si." And I kind of hold out my ticket and he just nods. So I look around, and I see some IMOB pass scanners... but my card has no scanning strip on it or anything. I don't know... but for some reason, my little Chinese friend holds her card over the IMOB scanner and it turns green for her. YAY! So we scan our tickets and sit down. And twenty scalding hot minutes later, sweaty and tired already, we hop off the bus at the airport.
I almost immediately abandon the Chinese girl (don't worry, I asked first if she needed me) because I'm tired of being responsible for someone I don't know when I don't know what I'm doing myself in the first place. The Lufthansa (my airline) counter is practically right in front of me with no one in line. I am so happy to know what I'm supposed to do that I practically skip up to the counter. I hand him my printed off confirmation email, and he looks like he's laughing at me or something. But whatever. He punches some things in the computer and takes my passport and whatnot. In about three minutes he's handing me my boarding cards and I'm on my way with an awkward wink from the guy... weird.
Security.... way too many times to count...
So I get on the flight to Frankfurt with no problem and then I get to my gate in Frankfurt (yes, I had to fly from Italy to Germany and then back the other direction to England. And yes, it was the cheapest!)... and I pass through security with no problem... and I walk toward an empty chair... and some airport guy stops me.
Sigh.
Apparently he is doing a random baggage check and wonders if he could have a look at my bag. What would he do if I say no? I said yes.
I handed him my bag and they opened it and like ran some weird piece of paper with something shiny on it on some of my things... I don't know what they were testing for... And I told them the black thing was my laptop battery and that the razor was really just my razor for shaving my legs. And they finally let me go.
Blah blah blah. Boring plane stuff and waiting in airports. I get to Manchester and Lee is right there as I walk out of the baggage claim. It was a relief to see a friend. And his car was right outside, and it was sprinkling lightly and kinda chilly. So nice. I was very happy.
And I will save the weekend for my next post, hopefully later tonight after I do my Italian homework. I know everyone is waiting with baited breath...
So some of the things I did this weekend, in no particular order:
1. Bought a bottle of water that was about the equivalent of 8 dollars.
2. Spent three nights at my ex-boyfriend's house in the middle of England.
3. Tried to use Italian with people who speak English.
4. Spent two hours trying to locate the correct bus and the correct ticket to get to the airport.
5. Met a Chinese girl and proceeded to do a blind-leading-the-blind style search for a bus to the airport.
6. Walked about six inches from a swan.
7. Drank several sips of red wine each day.
I think those are the highlights, though as I talk it might become apparent that there are more or that some of those things weren't all that exciting.
So let's see... Thursday, I had art history. But it was a church visit day. We were going to San Marco. We were supposed to meet the professor there. So everyone begins to gather downstairs. And Elizabeth and I are all impatient.. we should have been leaving right then. And so we thought we'd just walk out the door and some people might follow us. But no one did. So we just walked on our own. Somewhere in there, we got talking pretty quickly, and just went on autopilot. We ended up in Campo Santa Margherita, our typical nighttime hangout. And then we realized suddenly that we were supposed to have crossed the Accademia bridge, about a ten minute walk back. It was about ten minutes before we were supposed to be at San Marco, so we definitely didn't have time to get to the bridge and do the ten minute walk from the bridge to San Marco. But we had no choice. So Elizabeth and I took off running. We ran the Accademia stairs (really awkwardly placed and difficult) and ran practically the entire way to San Marco. We got there and everyone was waiting. I ended up dripping in sweat (ew!) as we walked around the church, marveling at the fact that practically the whole ceiling is done in mosaic.
An hour and a half later, I had finally cooled off and it was time to go our own way. I went home as fast as I could because I was starving. And I had to finish packing for my trip to England.
I left ten minutes after the rest of the house (with the exception of David, our professor, and Kelly, my roommate) left for the train station to go to Cinque Terre. I caught the vaporetto (a big boat used for public transportation) to Piazza le Roma (the bus station area where the post office is and whatnot).
When I got to Ple Roma, I looked around and found the bus I thought I was supposed to take. It wasn't there yet, so I waited. When it arrived, I asked the bus driver where I could get a ticket (in really horrible Italian... sigh). He pointed and this Chinese girl and I walked across the gigantic square to the ticket booth. The Chinese girl (I never did get her name) had been trying (and failing) to ask the guy where to get a ticket as well. I helped. Sort of. We waited in line at the ticket booth and when we thought it was our turn, someone butted in front of us and handed the man a ticket. Confused, we tried to go up to the window again. The man inside shooed us away! He vaguely gestured off to the side and we looked and saw some strange machine. It had a few options for what type of ticket you were looking for (public transportation, tickets for events, etc) so we, reluctantly, pressed the public transport button and out popped a ticket. We then saw that it had a big bold number on it... I felt a little dumb. Clearly it's one of those take a number style lines. So we waited and when our numbers were called we went up and asked for "uno biglietto per Marco Polo Aereoporto." And we payed an oddly cheap amount and left, slightly perplexed. Looking at the ticket, it was the size of a business card and looked... like a business card a bit. It was advertising the IMOB (a pass that lets you put money on a card and take public transport all over the city). But it was apparently, somehow, our ticket. We had no idea which bus to take except, of course, the one we had been at originally.
So we walked back to the bus, trying to talk to each other about anything we could think of. Her English was awful. I speak no Chinese. Both of us sucked at Italian. So we tried in English. The bus driver took half a look at our tickets and said in perfect English "this isn't the bus you want. You want the number 5." And turned back to the passenger he was helping.
At this point, it may be appropriate to attempt to describe the vastness of Ple Roma... But I'm not sure that I can. I'd say it's like a circle. And there are really crappy touristy kiosks selling junky stuff all around the one side. On the opposite side there's crappy food and junky-ness in general. On a third side is water and where the vaporetto comes in. And the fourth side is the road really.. That's roughly the layout. Inside the circle, there is a large ticket booth and about fifty or sixty different buses. It's very complex because there are tall poles with numbers on them for a group of buses... something like B52 (hehe). But you have no idea what B52 means. Nowhere does it tell you what buses are at B52 or why. So you just have to look around at the fronts of all the buses to see where they are headed. We search desperately for the section of buses with numbers on their fronts (the orange ones, I now know) and then look feverishly to find the number five. Sadly, they aren't in order at all. 12, 4, 9, 2, 1.... sigh.
Finally we found the five, but we didn't know what to do with our tickets and we weren't positive it was the right bus. The bus driver eventually gets on and we ask him "Marco Polo Aereoporto?" and he says "Si." And I kind of hold out my ticket and he just nods. So I look around, and I see some IMOB pass scanners... but my card has no scanning strip on it or anything. I don't know... but for some reason, my little Chinese friend holds her card over the IMOB scanner and it turns green for her. YAY! So we scan our tickets and sit down. And twenty scalding hot minutes later, sweaty and tired already, we hop off the bus at the airport.
I almost immediately abandon the Chinese girl (don't worry, I asked first if she needed me) because I'm tired of being responsible for someone I don't know when I don't know what I'm doing myself in the first place. The Lufthansa (my airline) counter is practically right in front of me with no one in line. I am so happy to know what I'm supposed to do that I practically skip up to the counter. I hand him my printed off confirmation email, and he looks like he's laughing at me or something. But whatever. He punches some things in the computer and takes my passport and whatnot. In about three minutes he's handing me my boarding cards and I'm on my way with an awkward wink from the guy... weird.
Security.... way too many times to count...
So I get on the flight to Frankfurt with no problem and then I get to my gate in Frankfurt (yes, I had to fly from Italy to Germany and then back the other direction to England. And yes, it was the cheapest!)... and I pass through security with no problem... and I walk toward an empty chair... and some airport guy stops me.
Sigh.
Apparently he is doing a random baggage check and wonders if he could have a look at my bag. What would he do if I say no? I said yes.
I handed him my bag and they opened it and like ran some weird piece of paper with something shiny on it on some of my things... I don't know what they were testing for... And I told them the black thing was my laptop battery and that the razor was really just my razor for shaving my legs. And they finally let me go.
Blah blah blah. Boring plane stuff and waiting in airports. I get to Manchester and Lee is right there as I walk out of the baggage claim. It was a relief to see a friend. And his car was right outside, and it was sprinkling lightly and kinda chilly. So nice. I was very happy.
And I will save the weekend for my next post, hopefully later tonight after I do my Italian homework. I know everyone is waiting with baited breath...
9.07.2008
My Very Own Crumb of Disappointment
So... Regatta Storica.
The big boat race on the grand canal in Venice. This is a huge deal. There are four different divisions to compete in. The races start with a procession of all the boats plus bunches of non-competing boats. These are all gondolas or really really long versions of gondolas.
We decided to have a party in honor of this big event. We invited our professors and their families, a few close Venetian friends of ours, etc etc. We made a nice spread of food (the most delicious cheesecake from Karen, and oh do I love Asiago cheese on a little round piece of toast... spinach and artichoke dip made with six thousand substitutes... mmm). And people began to show up for the festivities. We watched out the windows facing the canal, and on the tiny strip of patio we had. In fact, we even climbed onto the roof of the Guggenheim's courtyard next door so we could have more room to watch from. It worked rather well and they didn't get upset with us at all.
Anyway, so all of a sudden, I'm eating a little something and looking out the window... (This is before the race starts) I look down, and Ana is on one of the really long gondolas. The rowers (rowers?!) are holding out their hands to walk her along the boat. There was a rather attractive Venetian boy who held her hand for an extra moment. Too cute. And someone took her picture. This proceeded to be a huge event as several of the girls felt it necessary to have the same experience of getting on this competing boat and walking around. haha. So I'm sure it was slightly annoying for the (24 I think) rowers, but whatever.
So there was that bit of excitement. Then we all get settled on the roof and patio and whatnot, looking out the windows, whatever. And the procession starts. That was pretty cool. The boats were decked out in all sorts of finery. The bows of them had ornate lions, mermaids, horses, etc etc. Gold and silver and all manner of beautiful (or tacky, if you're me) things. Each boat had a color theme. It was all very coordinated and important looking. (I took pictures, which I will put up online somewhere and link to them here.)
Anyway. Thirty minutes after the procession (an incredibly boring thirty minutes) the first race started and we saw about two minutes of it as it passed our house. Then we waited another thirty minutes or so until the second race started. And so on and so forth. It was rather boring and uneventful and we didn't even know who won.
Sigh. I lost interest after the second race and went to my room to buzz around randomly. Then I caught the third race from my window before going to the kitchen to help clean up. I missed the final race because I was falling asleep on my bed. And I proceeded to take a nap quickly thereafter. A 2 and a half hour nap. hehe. At six in the evening. And now I'm tired again. So I guess it didn't hurt.
I got gelato again tonight. I think it's becoming an every night deal with me. That's not the best habit to get into, especially when Roberta (our house assistant) has yet to find me dance classes in Venice and not in Mestre. Until next time, in boco di lupo! (Good luck, literally in the mouth of the wolf)
The big boat race on the grand canal in Venice. This is a huge deal. There are four different divisions to compete in. The races start with a procession of all the boats plus bunches of non-competing boats. These are all gondolas or really really long versions of gondolas.
We decided to have a party in honor of this big event. We invited our professors and their families, a few close Venetian friends of ours, etc etc. We made a nice spread of food (the most delicious cheesecake from Karen, and oh do I love Asiago cheese on a little round piece of toast... spinach and artichoke dip made with six thousand substitutes... mmm). And people began to show up for the festivities. We watched out the windows facing the canal, and on the tiny strip of patio we had. In fact, we even climbed onto the roof of the Guggenheim's courtyard next door so we could have more room to watch from. It worked rather well and they didn't get upset with us at all.
Anyway, so all of a sudden, I'm eating a little something and looking out the window... (This is before the race starts) I look down, and Ana is on one of the really long gondolas. The rowers (rowers?!) are holding out their hands to walk her along the boat. There was a rather attractive Venetian boy who held her hand for an extra moment. Too cute. And someone took her picture. This proceeded to be a huge event as several of the girls felt it necessary to have the same experience of getting on this competing boat and walking around. haha. So I'm sure it was slightly annoying for the (24 I think) rowers, but whatever.
So there was that bit of excitement. Then we all get settled on the roof and patio and whatnot, looking out the windows, whatever. And the procession starts. That was pretty cool. The boats were decked out in all sorts of finery. The bows of them had ornate lions, mermaids, horses, etc etc. Gold and silver and all manner of beautiful (or tacky, if you're me) things. Each boat had a color theme. It was all very coordinated and important looking. (I took pictures, which I will put up online somewhere and link to them here.)
Anyway. Thirty minutes after the procession (an incredibly boring thirty minutes) the first race started and we saw about two minutes of it as it passed our house. Then we waited another thirty minutes or so until the second race started. And so on and so forth. It was rather boring and uneventful and we didn't even know who won.
Sigh. I lost interest after the second race and went to my room to buzz around randomly. Then I caught the third race from my window before going to the kitchen to help clean up. I missed the final race because I was falling asleep on my bed. And I proceeded to take a nap quickly thereafter. A 2 and a half hour nap. hehe. At six in the evening. And now I'm tired again. So I guess it didn't hurt.
I got gelato again tonight. I think it's becoming an every night deal with me. That's not the best habit to get into, especially when Roberta (our house assistant) has yet to find me dance classes in Venice and not in Mestre. Until next time, in boco di lupo! (Good luck, literally in the mouth of the wolf)
Lost Crumbs
Getting lost in Venezia is a given. Even the locals will find themselves lost when they go to a more unfamiliar sestieri (basically a borough). This past Friday (I think it was Friday, but my days get confused here), everyone awoke at a decent hour except for me and maybe one other person. So everyone left the house, taking off for Lido (the long and thin island in Venice with the beautiful beaches) or Murano (glass making) and Burano (oddly-colored houses). I was still in bed. When I finally got up, the house was eerily silent. Finding only one person here, who was studying for some unknown reason, I decided to take the day to go out on my own. I crossed the Accademia and headed off in the general direction of the Rialto and St. Mark's Basilica. Of course, I made it to the outskirts of the Rialto, where there are many expensive and touristy shops... but then I just couldn't find my way onto the bridge! I guess I kept getting distracted by interesting-looking side streets.
So I went down a few of those side streets and got myself ridiculously lost. In thirty minutes of following any groups of people I found, I came upon St. Mark's! I had found my way. So, brave traveler that I am, I decided to make my way home without pulling out the map. I would have lunch (my kind of lunch, as in 4 pm lunch) in a cafe, maybe get a gelato... but first, I would figure out how to get home. So I walked to the water (the grand canal) figuring that Casa Artom is on the grand canal, so it shouldn't be difficult to get there. Except, unknowingly, I turned the wrong way. I just assumed I hadn't circled St. Mark's at any point because I hadn't seen it, so I went in the direction I had come from. I was, of course, wrong.
I walked along the canal for as long as I could stand in the intense midday heat. I was sweating (ew) and getting blisters from my tennis shoes. So I ducked down a calle (street in Venice, though no other Italian city uses this word) to cool off in the shade. As I walked, I realized more and more that I had no idea where I was.
Everything was unfamiliar and oddly quiet. I saw very few people, and those I did see were walking alone for the most part. With intense regret, I opened my purse and pulled out my map. Sigh. I had somehow gotten miles from home. I was about a mile and a half from St. Mark's (if one could possibly go straight in Venice...) and another half a mile to Accademia, which is about a half a mile from home. So I was maybe about three miles from home. Frustrated, I found the street I was on in my map and tried to memorize a couple names of the other calles I would need to take to get to a bigger street.
Clearly, this did not work. I should have known I wouldn't be able to remember those names. I got myself more lost. I was on a street referring to Greeks (I believe "Calle dei Greci"??) and I was NOT prepared to ask for directions. I was going to do this one on my own. My first day out of our area alone, I was going to find my own way. So I walked along the street to see what was there if I kept going... I glanced at a small calle on my left as I passed. Oh wow!
It wasn't a calle at all, but a courtyard. It was narrow and looked just like any calle would, but it ended into a door. And there was another door on either side of the courtyard. It was a little nook of calm in the middle of a labyrinth of confusion. I smiled to myself and even whispered aloud, "This is so cool." Then I pulled out my camera. Hey! I'm a tourist... I can act like it sometimes.
The moment I flipped that baby on, I heard "Ciao!" from somewhere above. I looked around, and up in the window right in front of me, an elderly woman was speaking to me in rapid (but friendly) Italian. I couldn't understand anything she was saying. Between the Venetian dialect, her speed, and the distance between us... sigh. I was completely lost (hehe, in two ways!). "Ciao! Scusa, ma non parlo Italiano," I said slowly. [Those of you who have no clue, that's just 'hi, excuse me, but I don't speak Italian.'] I'm pretty sure it was grammatically incorrect too. However, she expressed understanding "ahh..." and proceeded to speak in (slightly) slower Italian, which I still didn't understand. Somehow I caught a question about what I was doing here (I think she meant in Venice and not intruding on her property... she was being really friendly). So I said "Oh! Studio in Venezia per quattro mesi.... in Dorsoduro." And I pointed in, what I hoped, was the direction of my sestieri. She nodded in understanding and quickly wished me well. She clearly understood that we were going to have a frustrating and confusing conversation if we kept going. So she said, "Ciao!" before I could even tell we were finished talking. I repeated the farewell and left, despite my lack of pictures.
Of course, once around the corner, I took a picture of the street sign and the general area in hopes of finding my way back again. Then I pulled out my map and kept it on me until I got back to St. Mark's (about twenty minutes later) and found a sign for Rialto, which quickly got me to a sign for Accademia. And I eventually made it home, about three hours after I had left.
I guess everyone has to get lost once in Venice.
So I went down a few of those side streets and got myself ridiculously lost. In thirty minutes of following any groups of people I found, I came upon St. Mark's! I had found my way. So, brave traveler that I am, I decided to make my way home without pulling out the map. I would have lunch (my kind of lunch, as in 4 pm lunch) in a cafe, maybe get a gelato... but first, I would figure out how to get home. So I walked to the water (the grand canal) figuring that Casa Artom is on the grand canal, so it shouldn't be difficult to get there. Except, unknowingly, I turned the wrong way. I just assumed I hadn't circled St. Mark's at any point because I hadn't seen it, so I went in the direction I had come from. I was, of course, wrong.
I walked along the canal for as long as I could stand in the intense midday heat. I was sweating (ew) and getting blisters from my tennis shoes. So I ducked down a calle (street in Venice, though no other Italian city uses this word) to cool off in the shade. As I walked, I realized more and more that I had no idea where I was.
Everything was unfamiliar and oddly quiet. I saw very few people, and those I did see were walking alone for the most part. With intense regret, I opened my purse and pulled out my map. Sigh. I had somehow gotten miles from home. I was about a mile and a half from St. Mark's (if one could possibly go straight in Venice...) and another half a mile to Accademia, which is about a half a mile from home. So I was maybe about three miles from home. Frustrated, I found the street I was on in my map and tried to memorize a couple names of the other calles I would need to take to get to a bigger street.
Clearly, this did not work. I should have known I wouldn't be able to remember those names. I got myself more lost. I was on a street referring to Greeks (I believe "Calle dei Greci"??) and I was NOT prepared to ask for directions. I was going to do this one on my own. My first day out of our area alone, I was going to find my own way. So I walked along the street to see what was there if I kept going... I glanced at a small calle on my left as I passed. Oh wow!
It wasn't a calle at all, but a courtyard. It was narrow and looked just like any calle would, but it ended into a door. And there was another door on either side of the courtyard. It was a little nook of calm in the middle of a labyrinth of confusion. I smiled to myself and even whispered aloud, "This is so cool." Then I pulled out my camera. Hey! I'm a tourist... I can act like it sometimes.
The moment I flipped that baby on, I heard "Ciao!" from somewhere above. I looked around, and up in the window right in front of me, an elderly woman was speaking to me in rapid (but friendly) Italian. I couldn't understand anything she was saying. Between the Venetian dialect, her speed, and the distance between us... sigh. I was completely lost (hehe, in two ways!). "Ciao! Scusa, ma non parlo Italiano," I said slowly. [Those of you who have no clue, that's just 'hi, excuse me, but I don't speak Italian.'] I'm pretty sure it was grammatically incorrect too. However, she expressed understanding "ahh..." and proceeded to speak in (slightly) slower Italian, which I still didn't understand. Somehow I caught a question about what I was doing here (I think she meant in Venice and not intruding on her property... she was being really friendly). So I said "Oh! Studio in Venezia per quattro mesi.... in Dorsoduro." And I pointed in, what I hoped, was the direction of my sestieri. She nodded in understanding and quickly wished me well. She clearly understood that we were going to have a frustrating and confusing conversation if we kept going. So she said, "Ciao!" before I could even tell we were finished talking. I repeated the farewell and left, despite my lack of pictures.
Of course, once around the corner, I took a picture of the street sign and the general area in hopes of finding my way back again. Then I pulled out my map and kept it on me until I got back to St. Mark's (about twenty minutes later) and found a sign for Rialto, which quickly got me to a sign for Accademia. And I eventually made it home, about three hours after I had left.
I guess everyone has to get lost once in Venice.
9.06.2008
Opera Crumbs (a trip to Verona)
So the professor that's here with us is the orchestra director. We are taking art, music, and Italian classes (as well as a literature class on english-language pieces that are about or set in Venice...). And our music professor decided to take us to the opera. For many of us, this was our first. To get to the opera, we had to go to Verona, which I assumed would be a charming, homey, city. However, it was dirty and industrial (well industrial for Europe). There were too many tourists (more noticeable than in Venice, though there are probably more in Venice) and there wasn't a whole lot there but a bunch of over-priced shops.Anyway... I digress yet again. That's a habit with me.
So we took the train to Verona (the train station actually went quite smoothly even with twenty people) in our fancy clothes (well fancy as you might dress for church or maybe to give a more formal concert). Once there, we roamed the city for a few hours (boring) and found Juliette's balcony (touristy) with the statue of her and her right breast rubbed down... sigh. As an "artist" or whatnot, I really have a problem with people manhandling that statue, or any statue really. I don't think most of them are meant to be climbed on or rubbed incessantly... We went through the little tunnel to get to the balcony, which had six trillion love notes scrawled on it or on pieces of paper taped to it with gum or bandaids... I admit to scrawling a short note on a small piece of paper and dropping it in the tunnel (having no way of getting it on the wall and not wanting my friends to see that I had submitted to such a horrible touristy thing). I figured I might get scolded by a certain someone if I didn't write anything at all.
Then we had dinner in the most lovely restaurant. The waiter was wonderfully helpful, though he couldn't accomodate a certain person's request for mushrooms that ended up being exceedingly complex and none of us could figure out why. I tried to share a plate with a friend, assuming it would be large as the plates often are when you get pasta. But it was super-tiny and we both ate meagerly.
Finally the opera. La Rigoletta. I was so exhausted at this point (having stayed up most of the previous night to fight with that same certain someone from the love note) that for the first act I was falling asleep the whole time. I felt horrid about it. This is my first opera! I wanted to really experience it... So during intermission I got up and walked around. I moved seats to further back so that I could sit more comfortably rather than crammed in between friends. And when the second act started, I had perked up a little. The rest of the show was lovely. Costumes were well-done, which I always look for. The performers were talented, both with singing and with acting. The musicians seemed to do no wrong. And the sets were stunning. I was very happy.
The opera let out after midnight. There are no trains from Verona to Venice at that hour... in fact, there aren't any until 5:30 am. So we had to spend the night in Verona, on the streets. There were cafes open until 2, so we sat down at one and had after-opera snacks (ice cream, pizza, coffee, etc). I had the richest hot chocolate ever. I'm beginning to remember that Italian hot chocolate is like a melted chocolate bar, while the rest of Europe has normal hot chocolate with whipped cream on top even. I drank about two sips, downed my entire bottle of water (acqua minerale naturale), and handed my cup to the person next to me to be tried by the rest of the table. Should've gotten a pizza that night. I was starving.
When the cafe closed, we went into the park across the street, sat in a circle, and played a rousing game of Mafia. By the end of the game, half of us were bored out of our minds. (For the record, the mafia won after a couple hours.) We talked for a bit, tried some Never Have I Ever. We even changed NHIE to a PG-13 version because our professor was playing. We found that very different people won and lost when you took out the sexual components. I got second place, though! Yay!Eventually it was time to head to the train station. We slept on the train and returned, exhausted, to Venice. Those who were tired took the vaporetto (large boat used as public transportation. with the passes we have, it costs one euro to get on the boat and go anywhere), and another group walked all the way home (probably two miles or so) and I believe some others got breakfast at a cafe. When we opened the door to our house, we ran up the stairs for food and then crashed on our beds. I slept for hours and hours that day. I had gotten five hours of sleep in two days. This from the girl who likes to sleep for twelve hours every night.
For those (Mom) who were curious, I wore my black velvet dress (tasteful velvet) that ties in bows in the back. I've worn it for a few choir concerts as well. I looked classy. :)
Abito in Venezia (I live in Venice)
Ah the first real post... well Inkblot must admit that all her parents and friends are going to be reading this. So she is abandoning the moniker for now. In addition she will now be talking in first person. haha! The fun!
Alright, so life in Venezia has been interesting thus far. I remember the first day I arrived (August 24th) we had to take a water taxi (a boat with a partial cover over it) from the airport to actually get to Venice. And one of my first thoughts as we sped through the ocean was how it smelled like home. Now I'll grant you (those of you who don't know or don't remember) that I do live on an island; however, the thought was still comforting to my terrified mind.
The first few days were spent filling out forms, exploring the house, going out to eat and the grocery store, and doing "orientation" walks around the city. These orientation walks, in my personal opinion, were of little use and took forever!! We got tired and hot and most of us had no clue where we were. They would be much more useful about a week after we arrive so we have some clue of where we are in the city.
Life in Venice is wonderful. My image of it was that one had to take a gondola everywhere! That everyone owned gondolas and there were no streets, just gondolas. I don't know why I thought that. My mind was changed at the end of my senior year of high school when I spent a day in Venice, but still, I had lingering ideas of water covered streets. Though, I must say there will be water covered streets when acqua alta hits in the rainy season. Rain boots anyone?
I think the funniest thing for me about Venice is how far one must walk (and with so many specific turns) to get where you want to go. The closest grocery store is about a 7 minute walk with a good half of it in direct sunlight. It's incredibly hot and you are sweaty by the time you get to the store. It's tiny and incredibly crowded. I'd say it's about the size of two single-car garages put side by side. Maybe slightly larger if you include the cash registers. And it crams in about thirty people at any given moment, sometimes more at peak hours. The selection is small and the prices high (though it's the cheapest grocery around). The cashiers are apathetic and no one roams the floors to help customers in need. It's very much a "get in get out" mindset. You are expected to know what you need and to know where it is. They have no frozen meals, which is rough for me since I hate cooking. They have about eighteen different types of potato chips. I need to count that. And Italy doesn't have peanut butter.
BUT. I went to another grocery store a few days ago and found peanut butter in a corner next to the honey. This incited another five or six people running to Punto for peanut butter within a two or three day span.
Well, I think I will break up my posts into more manageable segments. So the next one should come later today, perhaps soon. And I will keep posting until I have caught us up to the present as best I can muster.
Alright, so life in Venezia has been interesting thus far. I remember the first day I arrived (August 24th) we had to take a water taxi (a boat with a partial cover over it) from the airport to actually get to Venice. And one of my first thoughts as we sped through the ocean was how it smelled like home. Now I'll grant you (those of you who don't know or don't remember) that I do live on an island; however, the thought was still comforting to my terrified mind.
The first few days were spent filling out forms, exploring the house, going out to eat and the grocery store, and doing "orientation" walks around the city. These orientation walks, in my personal opinion, were of little use and took forever!! We got tired and hot and most of us had no clue where we were. They would be much more useful about a week after we arrive so we have some clue of where we are in the city.
Life in Venice is wonderful. My image of it was that one had to take a gondola everywhere! That everyone owned gondolas and there were no streets, just gondolas. I don't know why I thought that. My mind was changed at the end of my senior year of high school when I spent a day in Venice, but still, I had lingering ideas of water covered streets. Though, I must say there will be water covered streets when acqua alta hits in the rainy season. Rain boots anyone?
I think the funniest thing for me about Venice is how far one must walk (and with so many specific turns) to get where you want to go. The closest grocery store is about a 7 minute walk with a good half of it in direct sunlight. It's incredibly hot and you are sweaty by the time you get to the store. It's tiny and incredibly crowded. I'd say it's about the size of two single-car garages put side by side. Maybe slightly larger if you include the cash registers. And it crams in about thirty people at any given moment, sometimes more at peak hours. The selection is small and the prices high (though it's the cheapest grocery around). The cashiers are apathetic and no one roams the floors to help customers in need. It's very much a "get in get out" mindset. You are expected to know what you need and to know where it is. They have no frozen meals, which is rough for me since I hate cooking. They have about eighteen different types of potato chips. I need to count that. And Italy doesn't have peanut butter.
BUT. I went to another grocery store a few days ago and found peanut butter in a corner next to the honey. This incited another five or six people running to Punto for peanut butter within a two or three day span.
Well, I think I will break up my posts into more manageable segments. So the next one should come later today, perhaps soon. And I will keep posting until I have caught us up to the present as best I can muster.
8.26.2008
La Bella Venezia (Venetian Crumbs)
Well, it's been over a year since Inkblot last posted. To be honest, she forgot she had a blog. But then her guy (Frag the Nation - linked on the right column) found the blog somehow. And he surprised her by saying how much he liked it, which Inkblot thinks might be a bit of truth-stretching. And then he made his own blog because he was "inspired". So Inkblot felt it necessary to come back and revive Cookie Crumbs.
Anyway... Inkblot is spending the first half of her junior year in Italy!! She is studying in beautiful Venice, right on the Grand Canal. Venice is amazing, though Inkblot has only been there for three days. Inkblot plans to tell you all the little things she finds in Venice, IF she remembers to keep up with Cookie Crumbs this time.
The first little delight of Venice will be coming today or tomorrow when Inkblot puts the pictures from her camera on her laptop. For now:
Ciao tutti!
Anyway... Inkblot is spending the first half of her junior year in Italy!! She is studying in beautiful Venice, right on the Grand Canal. Venice is amazing, though Inkblot has only been there for three days. Inkblot plans to tell you all the little things she finds in Venice, IF she remembers to keep up with Cookie Crumbs this time.
The first little delight of Venice will be coming today or tomorrow when Inkblot puts the pictures from her camera on her laptop. For now:
Ciao tutti!
8.13.2007
Apologetic Crumbs
Inkblot must apologize for two things:
1. She is sorry she has been so unattentive to the blog as of late. She knows it drives you crazy when you pop up the blog for a quick look and there is NOTHING NEW! That's no fun. She is hoping that once she gets back up to school (around the 24th or so) she will be able to post every day again like she used to.
2. She is also sorry in advance for today's post. She knows she has done 5,000 So You Think You Can Dance posts in the past few weeks, but she can hardly resist letting you know her opinions about the dancers.
Anyway, tonight Inkblot is torn. Completely and horribly torn. Half of her is simply ecstatic over Pasha's leaving the show. Though he did extremely well for a ballroom dancer, he couldn't really compare to the others on the show. The other half of Inkblot is just devestated that Lauren has left. Inkblot wanted Lauren to win. She was the best of the girls, clearly. It's just so sad to see someone so talented not be given a reward for it. Of course, the connections and publicity she has gotten through her time on the show are surely plenty of reward. But it is always nice to be acknowledged as the best when you are. Although, choosing between she and Neil would be a pretty tough decision. It could go either way. Maybe Neil will get it. He deserves the reward as well. And Inkblot really thinks Danny deserves it too. She just thinks Neil moves a little smoother than Danny and his solos are a heck of a lot better, which means he is a better choreographer.
Inkblot just doesn't want Sabra or Lacey to win. Neither is good enough and they are both worse than Danny and Neil. Actually, combine the talent of Sabra with the talent of Lacey and you will still not have as much talent as Neil or Danny has alone. They are excellent dancers, but they don't have the extra something that makes them practically perfect in every way.
Well, Inkblot is going to get this post up and worry about all the links, pictures, details later. Happy Monday!
1. She is sorry she has been so unattentive to the blog as of late. She knows it drives you crazy when you pop up the blog for a quick look and there is NOTHING NEW! That's no fun. She is hoping that once she gets back up to school (around the 24th or so) she will be able to post every day again like she used to.
2. She is also sorry in advance for today's post. She knows she has done 5,000 So You Think You Can Dance posts in the past few weeks, but she can hardly resist letting you know her opinions about the dancers.
Anyway, tonight Inkblot is torn. Completely and horribly torn. Half of her is simply ecstatic over Pasha's leaving the show. Though he did extremely well for a ballroom dancer, he couldn't really compare to the others on the show. The other half of Inkblot is just devestated that Lauren has left. Inkblot wanted Lauren to win. She was the best of the girls, clearly. It's just so sad to see someone so talented not be given a reward for it. Of course, the connections and publicity she has gotten through her time on the show are surely plenty of reward. But it is always nice to be acknowledged as the best when you are. Although, choosing between she and Neil would be a pretty tough decision. It could go either way. Maybe Neil will get it. He deserves the reward as well. And Inkblot really thinks Danny deserves it too. She just thinks Neil moves a little smoother than Danny and his solos are a heck of a lot better, which means he is a better choreographer.
Inkblot just doesn't want Sabra or Lacey to win. Neither is good enough and they are both worse than Danny and Neil. Actually, combine the talent of Sabra with the talent of Lacey and you will still not have as much talent as Neil or Danny has alone. They are excellent dancers, but they don't have the extra something that makes them practically perfect in every way.
Well, Inkblot is going to get this post up and worry about all the links, pictures, details later. Happy Monday!
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