tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62626668004804631632024-02-07T18:10:14.929-08:00The Traveling Teachermllespearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07926065973965567334noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6262666800480463163.post-68885394257045964642013-05-21T13:22:00.002-07:002013-05-21T13:29:39.951-07:00I miss you Italy, but I don't miss your toilets.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm stealing the title of my blog entry from a friend's facebook post after she came to visit me last spring. As I am getting ready to leave I feel like it sums up my love/hate relationship with Italy. I've decided to make a top 10 list (5 things I'll miss, 5 things I won't) to sum up life here the past 2 years. I've had a running list of the pros and cons since last summer, but have narrowed it down and am surprised that it was actually hard to come up with 5 of each. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are the things I will most miss:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Wine, vino, vin. I love Italian wine. I love the reds, the whites, the stills, the sparklings. I love them all! I didn't even know there were so many choices until I moved here. Italy is close to France, Spain, and Germany so you can still find excellent imports but the local wines from vinotecas are just as tasty. I love taking my bottles to the wine shop and having them fill it up with a bubbly chardonnay. (Did you even know there was such a thing?!) Bubbly, chilled reds are amazing. And my new go-to is Muscato. Perfect, chilled, sweet summer wine. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Cappuccino. Yes, it has finally happened. I. Drink. Coffee. I know it isn't straight up or espresso or anything, but it is still coffee and I am drinking it. Enjoying it even! So, I will seriously miss sitting outside in various towns and in the cafe below my apartment enjoying leisurely mornings with coffee and book in hand. I'll even miss the 35-cent vending machine cappuccino I willingly get many mornings at work. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Pizza or gelato. I haven't decided which I'll miss more. Probably gelato because it is sweet and light and refreshing and I could probably eat it every day in the summer. Or maybe pizza. From Napoli. It's so simple and tasty and you can get it without cheese (marinara) or with cheese and vegetables (Ortolana/Vegetariana). No, I'll just miss them both a lot.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. The kids in my classes. I try not to write about work often, but I really love the kids at my school. They are so innocent and adorable and say things like "Mama Mia!" They make my job worth it every day. I love these kids and will be so sad to leave them! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5. Finally, the travel. I came over here because I have the travel bug. I haven't completely worked it out of my system but it has been placated for a while. I will miss taking weekend trips to Switzerland, Germany, France, Austria and the like or week-long trips to places like Morocco, Amsterdam and Paris, or London and Budapest. I'll miss traveling around Italy even more, if that's even possible. I loved the beaches, the history, the art. Florence, Rome, Bergamo, Verona, Vicenza, the list goes on. There are so many places that are amazing to see in Italy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That kind of brings me to my things I won't miss list however. Even though I didn't put it on the list, the town where I live probably should be on there. Neither Milan nor Opera have the charm of other Italian towns and cities but there are things I dislike here even more than my (literal) stinkhole of a town. Here they are:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Mufferless motorcycles/bikes! This was the thing that immediately popped into my mind while making this list. I'm not sure why it is cooler for Italians to have motorcycles without mufflers, but it boils my blood. In general, Italians are loud and I just assume this is part of the loud culture but living on a busy street I would love to hurl rocks at the jerks who drive up and down as loud as they can (especially at 11pm or midnight or 2 am). I hate this.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Public napkins. I know this is a strange one, but it was almost number 1. Probably it would have been if I had written this in the winter when my windows are closed and I can't hear motorcycles as well. I cannot stand the napkins you get places here. If it isn't someone's house or a sit-down restaurant, you get a piece of wax paper that just spreads the mess around and does nothing to clean up. Gelaterias are the worst! You have a sticky glob running down your arm or face and the wax paper just smears it across your skin, making everything sticky including the napkins which leaks onto your other hand or dress or skirt or... You get the picture. Next time you go to a doughnut shop and use a wax paper to get the doughnut be glad you also get a napkin for wiping your mouth.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Healthcare. This is a tricky one because there are some things I really like about the healthcare here. Medicine is amazingly cheap. Doctors have walk-in hours. ER visits are really cheap. I also can't tell if I would dislike it less if I spoke more Italian. However, there is an amazing amount of bureaucracy in healthcare here. The number of doctors you have to go to for bloodwork and the number of stops at various locations (doctor, doctor, lab, lab, doctor) you have to make are pretty impressive. Going to the hospital was a scary experience. I had to have an MRI but despite having an appointment I also had to take a number at every single counter along the way (3 I think!) to make it to the actual MRI. Another time I walked in on my orthopedist with another patient. Whoops! The ER doctor didn't believe I was having a kidney stone despite my rather painful history and thought I had pulled a back muscle. I'm pretty sure he was (luckily not literally) dead wrong. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. Buying things. Again, this one is tricky because I actually do like buying things. It is just so hard to do here. It's like they try to make it as difficult as possible every chance they have. The cell phone was a nightmare. I never did buy a TV. I have skipped medicine because the pharmacies close from 12:30-3 everyday. You can now shop on Sundays, but that has changed just since I moved here. The street markets in bigger cities and towns are fun but in towns like where I live, they are generally pretty lousy and sell things that have probably been stolen or are illegal in some way. Despite it all, I have made a pretty good effort to buy as much as I can while I've been here. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5. Public transportation. It is so crazy here in Milan. Tourists are not allowed. (Not really, but you might as well just assume it.) Buying tickets is so confusing. What zone? Where do you buy them? (At any tabacchi.) Where are you going? The metro has a map in the cars, but on many of the trams and buses they do not have any kind of map and do not announce (or announce loudly enough) where you stopping. It is kind of a crapshoot and insanely frustrating when trying to get around an unknown part of town. The main trains (Trenitalia) go along with that. Buying tickets is really hard. You need an Italian credit card and you can't buy tickets to another country from your computer. Italo trains are great but don't go many places so you are stuck with the tricky one. Argh! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Overall, it has been an incredible two years. The things that bug me are primarily quality of life irritations, not life or death problems. I can't believe I made it and I can't believe I am leaving either. I certainly won't miss the public toilets but Italy, I will miss you. </span><br />
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mllespearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07926065973965567334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6262666800480463163.post-73188810941444007072013-05-15T12:25:00.002-07:002013-05-15T12:25:19.451-07:00Cramming It In!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With just a few months left here, I have been trying to cram in as much as possible. Since the first week of April I have been to three other countries and 2 different areas of Italy. Here are the highlights: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>London</b>. I am happy to report that London is as amazing as ever. This spring marks my 10th year since I spent my semester abroad there. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was study abroad that made me want to live abroad again. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> It was fantastic to return. London has barely changed. London is so different from Milan and it served as a friendly reminder of why travel can be so fun. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">JL met me there. We spent 4 days wandering around the city. My favorite parts were: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. National Portrait Gallery. Still the best museum I have ever been too!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Cadbury Creme Egg McFlurry. Need I say more?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Seeing a play. We saw Wicked. It was overhyped but not bad.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. Soup at Wagamama's. Excellent choice because I had a terrible bug that made my throat feel raw and soup felt great. Not to mention, it is just plain-old-yummy. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5. National Library. There was an exhibit about mysteries and their authors. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A bit disappointing, but first editions of Shakespeare made up for it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6. East London, street market. It was a long walk but fun due in part to the sudden snow flurries. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">7. We also went to the British Museum. It was supercrowded but I got to see the Bog Man again so it was totally worth it! </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bog Man</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Budapest</b>. While JL headed west back home, I headed east to Hungary. I was still sick and it was cold and rainy in Budapest so I might not have had the best attitude but I tried to take advantage of what the city had to offer. I went on a free walking tour which offered some good historical background. I had a Hungarian lesson which was kind of a flop but fun anyway. I saw Europe's largest Synagoge, walked around both Buda and Pest, tried to relax in the thermal baths, and had a langos (fried pastry dough) at the enormous central city market. Overall, an enjoyable city, but one of my best memories is eating McDonald's in my (very nice) hotel room and watching Up In The Air, just relaxing.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Memorial to Jews killed in WWII</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hungarian Goulash </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Berlin</b>. My new favorite city! It was the perfect mix of history, art, and food. Not to mention the fact that it was affordable and clean. Two free walking tours, excellent Asian food, Berlin Wall memorials, World War II memorials, royal palaces, and Europe's largest department store. It was a busy 3 days! </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Berlin Wall now</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Memorial to all of the people who died trying to cross the wall</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLYh7TW3GFhvKh90vHQLALiPXhKf8cmpckbrmlEh6Uk5zcFE1zh8965Bzu61vY752V1M6qmtoc0RF8x0-AtuFSYbwgQL5AssqmT3T57szB9cZu37btAcue9XbaUUL0gOTh-aqYgjAFtUvS/s1600/DSC04089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLYh7TW3GFhvKh90vHQLALiPXhKf8cmpckbrmlEh6Uk5zcFE1zh8965Bzu61vY752V1M6qmtoc0RF8x0-AtuFSYbwgQL5AssqmT3T57szB9cZu37btAcue9XbaUUL0gOTh-aqYgjAFtUvS/s320/DSC04089.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My favorite section today</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Back in Italy I've been trying to pack it in too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Ravenna</b>. Ravenna was fun. It, like Berlin, was a great mix of art, history, and food. Siri and I went for one night and were charmed by the adorable B&B we found. The town itself is full of history. It was once the capital of the Roman Empire in the 5th century and many beautiful, colorful glass mosaics and churches that were built then are still intact and pleasing 1500 years later. We also had excellent Italian food at a little restaurant suggested by our B&B. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ravenna religious mosaic</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA8J6OTTDVS2g-55woXFayPS6iNCdz0NhK_oEVrfe6l3ADjrrz7z4lge8dCWufA8AH-Zt0NV0MqkF59Blh2M5M1NDfv-SSdxSASQNtdHrKwe39kVClaDao2iCgcLtsABG03voUPO8etOu2/s1600/DSC03881.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA8J6OTTDVS2g-55woXFayPS6iNCdz0NhK_oEVrfe6l3ADjrrz7z4lge8dCWufA8AH-Zt0NV0MqkF59Blh2M5M1NDfv-SSdxSASQNtdHrKwe39kVClaDao2iCgcLtsABG03voUPO8etOu2/s320/DSC03881.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">geometric mosaics</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Murano/Burano</b>. These two islands are just next to Venice. While I harbor no desire to revisit Venice, I was excited about the possibility of returning to Murano. Seeing all the glass objects reminded me of taking glassblowing in college. I bought a plate and some earrings as a memento of living in Italy and my time in college. Burano is a colorful, bright island famous for its handmade lace. The bright colors of the buildings were the real attraction for me. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6XFlGO9xu0idwYh6RJLfhzFtAGFvVqR9lEjrUByUuKBGBxnRLXBqknH_6B6DVCnject1vNLnCWRAwikZTLiJufwD79NKnDt55F2OfoNtxI3rT3u86PBbQ6fRVekG7gRnXx8XN4K4ggQsY/s1600/DSC04163.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6XFlGO9xu0idwYh6RJLfhzFtAGFvVqR9lEjrUByUuKBGBxnRLXBqknH_6B6DVCnject1vNLnCWRAwikZTLiJufwD79NKnDt55F2OfoNtxI3rT3u86PBbQ6fRVekG7gRnXx8XN4K4ggQsY/s320/DSC04163.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Colorful buildings in Burano</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoQoUydaP0PBe_OMpDqvjKlPU50to4_506DHg5Y0DF8V_aRahNIr2eH57Bqqe-hslUnuex-R1WNbpvOZ8M2xBcLTvAiV0phRgfNQVEJqhOWC7lv6vihviQOfXPMDerU4N8M34nK0DTsw1J/s1600/DSC04177.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoQoUydaP0PBe_OMpDqvjKlPU50to4_506DHg5Y0DF8V_aRahNIr2eH57Bqqe-hslUnuex-R1WNbpvOZ8M2xBcLTvAiV0phRgfNQVEJqhOWC7lv6vihviQOfXPMDerU4N8M34nK0DTsw1J/s320/DSC04177.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In Milan I have been trying to get in as much as the city offers. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I went to an AC Milan game last month. It was fun to see a live game and watch the outrageous Napoli fan tactics. I went to concerts at both La Scala (symphony) and Blue Note (NOLA jazz musician). Both were unique and exciting experiences. I'll be going to an all male production of Shakespeare this weekend and then next weekend I'm off to Lake Guarda. From here on out it's cram, cram, cram. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqG59EJVZmOkXpPCl5c6_4VfwlyZ2tqySvRrv-CC3BgMmh6k5r8eZ32YSW5rPF1GdCCM5MrJ6n-3vYDl4Nt6Rof1_1JMQhqoGX4CyzNc2UvKVFnGWN9GOvM4xh0nxRDjUM0h424MWY_13A/s1600/DSC03796.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqG59EJVZmOkXpPCl5c6_4VfwlyZ2tqySvRrv-CC3BgMmh6k5r8eZ32YSW5rPF1GdCCM5MrJ6n-3vYDl4Nt6Rof1_1JMQhqoGX4CyzNc2UvKVFnGWN9GOvM4xh0nxRDjUM0h424MWY_13A/s320/DSC03796.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">San Siro Stadium</span></td></tr>
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mllespearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07926065973965567334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6262666800480463163.post-74555450141648373722013-03-10T13:27:00.001-07:002013-03-10T15:14:50.912-07:00Kicking off 2013 with a Bang!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: small;">Once again I have slacked off
writing. Luckily, I have been busy
living and have plenty to report. Since
coming back from the US over Christmas break, I have been taking many trips.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">January</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">In January I went to <b>Vicenza</b>,
a little town near Verona. I dragged
Carrie along to an art exhibit called <i>From
Rafael to Picasso.</i> It had few works
by either artist but was a splendid look at how portraiture has changed since
the Middle Ages. The exhibition hall is
a renovated basilica which made it feel both old and contemporary at the same
time. I also had one of the two best
meals I’ve had since I moved here. We
had lunch in a little café across from the basilica. I had a baked pasta, veggie dish. It was hard to describe why it was so perfect
but the veggies and the angel hair pasta (unusual over here) were the perfect
combination. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucerne</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top of Mt. Pilatus</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The following weekend I went
to <b>Lucerne</b> with a colleague and friend, Siri.
I really wanted to make it to Switzerland before leaving Europe this
time. Lucerne was the perfect choice. Saturday morning we took an enormous
funicular to the top of Mt. Pilatus, a snow-covered beautiful mountain
peak. When we arrived back in town we
were a bit bummed to discover that every store closes at 4pm on Saturdays. It turned out ok since we headed over to
Starbucks for a treat since we can’t do that in Italy. We left Sunday morning and were delighted to
find the view on the train during the day was breathtakingly spectacular. One more highlight for me was seeing men with
alpine horns and men in feathered hats and suspendered shorts. I felt like I had stepped into Heidi and was
happy to see where the Swiss stereotypes come from. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">February</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">White week once again rolled
around without plans for me to go skiing.
Instead I wanted to find the warmest place I could. That ended up being <b>Morocco</b>. Carrie and I flew to Marrakech early Sunday
morning and spent our first day there flustered and baffled by the streets of
the Medina. The sights, sounds, smells,
and amount of people in close proximity was very overwhelming. Donkeys, motorbikes, and taxis were all
equally usual forms of transportation. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Our second day in Marrakech
was a bit more successful. We both made
purchases at the souks and got henna tattoos.
(I was sure we would get skin poisoning after reading about it in guide
books!) We also managed to find
entrances to the elusive palaces and tombs we had vainly searched for the day
before.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The rest of our time there we
spent with a local tour guide named Mohamed.
He lived in Canada for 6 years and spoke beautiful English. He was the most hospitable man whose
conversations were only exceeded by his generosity, amiability, and
kindness. Truly remarkable. Our first day he took us to Casablanca. It was a beautiful ride there but once there
we got stuck in traffic for quite a while. When we finally got out of traffic we ate local fish. I had my
first sardine which was much milder than I expected. We also saw the Hassan II Mosque, third
largest in the world and awe inspiring enough to make you believe in God if you
didn’t already. </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0y4pv1ylKtY2uG3QO9tF3ezao0RbLI3r4ZueM9ZC7NVAxZ0JIr2SltSxGyy47eiCpxbKXBXwgbvzRooHH_U6uq5XHnmslGuUO3uYWupL1I_OX2aEyQ6ZKDFWn-V64yc934egztHsoiuU/s1600/DSC03070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0y4pv1ylKtY2uG3QO9tF3ezao0RbLI3r4ZueM9ZC7NVAxZ0JIr2SltSxGyy47eiCpxbKXBXwgbvzRooHH_U6uq5XHnmslGuUO3uYWupL1I_OX2aEyQ6ZKDFWn-V64yc934egztHsoiuU/s320/DSC03070.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hassan II Mosque</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The next day we went to the
Ouzoud Waterfalls. They are in a
Geological park several hours away from Marrakech. The drive there was beautiful with red clay
patches among green rolling hills backed by the high snow-capped Atlas
Mountains and watercolor grey clouds floating above in bright blue skies. Before leaving the city we stopped by the
Majorelle Gardens in the new city. They are brightly decorated and house many
plants, especially cacti. On our way to
the waterfall we saw fossilized dinosaur footprints and a naturally formed
giant bridge over a little stream. The
waterfalls themselves were stunning. After a short hike we
had a little lunch overlooking the falls and ate with unwelcome thieving monkeys. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Our last day in Morocco was
spent at the beach in a town called Essaouira. It was made famous when hippies
discovered it in the 60s and 70s. It was
very relaxing and warm. Some of the fun
of this trip was on the way there. We
stopped by an Argon/Moroccan oil co-op and saw how Moroccan oil is made then we
saw goats in trees eating the nuts that the oil is made from. The oil is very tasty and can be eaten by
humans too. I was sad to leave both the beach and Morocco. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKPchlYYjRFB-Lr6o-dabFW-rDoNeRDoOs7qhKkXLW5WaENg_RTRqOP2CROB2_Oc0DKzDFSz4a940MYWGye5O9G1qJrhSPwh6F5dqjh-B6ABpni9bRvkYxC6KBy7EtvoHYXByI5EQIEkZu/s1600/DSC03213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKPchlYYjRFB-Lr6o-dabFW-rDoNeRDoOs7qhKkXLW5WaENg_RTRqOP2CROB2_Oc0DKzDFSz4a940MYWGye5O9G1qJrhSPwh6F5dqjh-B6ABpni9bRvkYxC6KBy7EtvoHYXByI5EQIEkZu/s320/DSC03213.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Ch9T3JAsVTZbtFTvQRG0SvBg4sHhsCy1wrF0QV0t9nv01zN1k8MNauUTuZQ_Z40zS1_xkyd63taE8rru5SMKl6hyphenhyphenhlFNvOIUUChbBP33sufedzWfFnE8T0Ch88w40uFjNdu6Rgiii2om/s1600/DSC03267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Ch9T3JAsVTZbtFTvQRG0SvBg4sHhsCy1wrF0QV0t9nv01zN1k8MNauUTuZQ_Z40zS1_xkyd63taE8rru5SMKl6hyphenhyphenhlFNvOIUUChbBP33sufedzWfFnE8T0Ch88w40uFjNdu6Rgiii2om/s320/DSC03267.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goats in Trees</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">March</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">It is only the second week of
March right now, but I am sitting on a train heading back to Milan from <b>Zurich</b>. Carrie and I went for the weekend to see a
concert by the Avett Brothers. They were
fantastic and we ended up in the second row.
Seth jumped off the stage right in front of me. They opened with “Live and Die” and ended
with “I and love and you.” The venue was
small and intimate, standing room only.
I was impressed by how punctual they were too. Grace Potter with one member of her band the
Nocturnals opened. It was a fun surprise
to have such a good opening act. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu3gdvAX3CNRlbM0PFExE_1rNbrKyzehV1Z22h9dLg9JkYg9OG8CsfdlXomSSqBm7vjdsWObJkEuuCjmyu2M1i0j4dQMdEmGBc9GHT1XC-86qwv5yAU7CGNGXR5XO-QHDlNh3lxUjrqco3/s1600/DSC03496.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu3gdvAX3CNRlbM0PFExE_1rNbrKyzehV1Z22h9dLg9JkYg9OG8CsfdlXomSSqBm7vjdsWObJkEuuCjmyu2M1i0j4dQMdEmGBc9GHT1XC-86qwv5yAU7CGNGXR5XO-QHDlNh3lxUjrqco3/s320/DSC03496.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seth from the Avett Brothers (and Scott is back there too)! 2nd row baby!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Zurich was beautiful, clean,
and sunny. There was church called Grossmunster that had agate
rock as the stained glass. We also saw
the Chagall stained glass windows at another church. Though completely different, both sets of
windows were beautiful and unique.
Clocks are big in Switzerland.
(Duh, I know.) Zurich claims to
be the home of the biggest clock face in Europe. It was big.
And loud.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Up next on my trip agenda is half
a week in London to see JL and then half a week in Budapest on my own. Then later in April I’ll be going to Ravenna and
Berlin. Still lots to see before moving
back to the</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">US! </span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span> </span></span></div>
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mllespearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07926065973965567334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6262666800480463163.post-43297502878120885222012-11-07T13:19:00.001-08:002012-11-07T13:19:34.268-08:00Scandinavia At Last<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, I finally made it to Scandinavia. I grew up hearing my mom talk about Swedish traditions in our family. It always seemed so remote and far away, but living here I thought I should check it out since it's a bit closer. Turns out it is still expensive so I settled for Denmark. I have a Danish student this year and his family gave me some suggestions. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are some things I learned about Denmark while I was there: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. You need heat and an umbrella. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Carrie and I arrived in Copenhagen Wednesday night. Our first adventure was trying out airbnb. It is an online apartment rental service. The location of our apartment was fantastic. It was located between the city center and the airport, just a couple of metro stops from both. Here is a picture of the street:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQ6Vi0JjIKv6hYiccDfCBHMtBOrFCtRJHfcexei6S5zRl-Ih6f_ekOK3Tg8woUncFYyHsCR_VDlrOQZPI5Lfk36xeiKl3oF5N2JJbIUUN0CH-xY2r4DlyreHRMBc1F_1d_SfyxJg0YS6O/s1600/DSC02487.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQ6Vi0JjIKv6hYiccDfCBHMtBOrFCtRJHfcexei6S5zRl-Ih6f_ekOK3Tg8woUncFYyHsCR_VDlrOQZPI5Lfk36xeiKl3oF5N2JJbIUUN0CH-xY2r4DlyreHRMBc1F_1d_SfyxJg0YS6O/s320/DSC02487.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It felt like a giant college campus. Everything was clean and accessible and looked startling similar in the way nice dorms on nice campuses look similar. Once we arrived, our first hurdle was figuring out the heat. As you may already know it gets cold in Denmark. Unfortunately, the property manager didn't know how to turn on the heat so we put a portable radiator heater together and turned the one already together on. By the time Kira arrived later that night, the place was a bit toastier. Kira, being sensible, tried turning the radiators on and that worked. Problem solved. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. There is a good reason so many fairy tales are from Denmark.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hans Christian Anderson is the best-known Danish author. He wrote The Little Mermaid, The Tin Soldier, The Ugly Duckling, The Princess and The Pea, among others. We saw all of those things or at least their inspirations. There is a statue dedicated to the Little Mermaid in a park on the outskirts of town. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl7CrrdAnKuXsiMCIEQzuMTC3ruaiMuvLy2pgeD7ME00zkK334rJUqkzeU_eIDiukEvF2pOHW7EnPjqiGb4YCPLO0JPE_nUsurDYkwxxOjLpTPbYzvwRujeQvm2m48Y4IisOSvshzNnc4C/s1600/DSC02262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl7CrrdAnKuXsiMCIEQzuMTC3ruaiMuvLy2pgeD7ME00zkK334rJUqkzeU_eIDiukEvF2pOHW7EnPjqiGb4YCPLO0JPE_nUsurDYkwxxOjLpTPbYzvwRujeQvm2m48Y4IisOSvshzNnc4C/s320/DSC02262.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Little Mermaid</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Tin Soldier must have been inspired by the guards at Amalienborg. They look just like the one in the story. See for yourself:</span><div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDuCDrEFFIG18DprnbQJM7nb7tTLVu3A0txhhYWfse70njNqm2n2ISO1q8kNLPtdeZv2yg92gdSin5S0nMHb9ZQw2PIKHfAe13v_TiTGqLlsuFNfLu1NeJCLYE26b4ND2YlnUMFLWPtgCs/s1600/DSC02248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDuCDrEFFIG18DprnbQJM7nb7tTLVu3A0txhhYWfse70njNqm2n2ISO1q8kNLPtdeZv2yg92gdSin5S0nMHb9ZQw2PIKHfAe13v_TiTGqLlsuFNfLu1NeJCLYE26b4ND2YlnUMFLWPtgCs/s320/DSC02248.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looks just like the story, right?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We saw ducks in the park outside of a castle in the city. But, besides seeing ducks, there was a kind of sfumato-esque quality to the city. Weeping willows beside water, painted clouds low in the sky and dull pastels made everything feel kind of dreamy.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-_CeoZekbqIad1SecsE1uzUCNc06kXVkwBjGQDmnCmtr-7nwf2dhAQB9XiF0bqvXd-NOCTA0QEclKYG5uUFq6ul8wreP5w8aO-G7u4OeoPFtFq56oObg8FuWyXqX_nt2j75Z2VD6x-nzN/s1600/DSC02286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-_CeoZekbqIad1SecsE1uzUCNc06kXVkwBjGQDmnCmtr-7nwf2dhAQB9XiF0bqvXd-NOCTA0QEclKYG5uUFq6ul8wreP5w8aO-G7u4OeoPFtFq56oObg8FuWyXqX_nt2j75Z2VD6x-nzN/s320/DSC02286.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Castle, ducks, watercolor clouds. A real fairy tale.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And as for a princess or pea.... We didn't actually see any royalty or peas but we did see the royal jewels and crown. They are guarded by a less picturesque type of solider. These are ones in camo with automatic weapons. We also saw the castle that supposedly inspired <i>Hamlet</i>. It was pretty cool. Now it is a museum surrounded by little art galleries. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyryPjXE1pJWvRIYvs_ezsbBqviSAMsVxcFZnmpcZNp0DKGLl7IrOm9TrJS64qyaM4317uNX0u6TUt0D9QNmtjhVaIv5uyU3ndeDWGW4aZgkBisTf5u0wSzsNwVf_1Lz4pYCaUCNs93tKr/s1600/DSC02315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyryPjXE1pJWvRIYvs_ezsbBqviSAMsVxcFZnmpcZNp0DKGLl7IrOm9TrJS64qyaM4317uNX0u6TUt0D9QNmtjhVaIv5uyU3ndeDWGW4aZgkBisTf5u0wSzsNwVf_1Lz4pYCaUCNs93tKr/s320/DSC02315.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kronborg Castle has a connection to Hamlet, but none to HC Anderson.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. They have really good food. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We ate cinnamon rolls/bread for breakfast everyday we were there. It was amazing! There is a reason Danishes have been brought to America. Yum! I also had kebabs, unfortunately without a fork. Hamburgers and Thai food were consumed. Most importantly, I found excellent hummus. I was a very happy diner in general. Refreshing not to have pasta for every meal. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGr-5c8v_DC6P7aUfgPA242JSHW3HViPQgpY9yOqqJTVrgQsmbSsxhgZl4JBmwq9WvEN3mcprLcX6eN9v4eHLrZ5y-4WeGhS1PU9B2TWmdQVa3_VKPcfYe7NNQ1ZYkzD1pqUksY4CYRICR/s1600/DSC02343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGr-5c8v_DC6P7aUfgPA242JSHW3HViPQgpY9yOqqJTVrgQsmbSsxhgZl4JBmwq9WvEN3mcprLcX6eN9v4eHLrZ5y-4WeGhS1PU9B2TWmdQVa3_VKPcfYe7NNQ1ZYkzD1pqUksY4CYRICR/s320/DSC02343.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kira, sans fork. It's ok, we used our fingers, even for salad!!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. There are interesting events around every corner. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On our way to the Carlsberg brewery, we stumbled upon a street festival with incredible hip-hop/crunk dancers. It was like walking into a movie. The awesome punk dancers battling it out in the final scene. Jaw-dropping fun. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Carrie and I also enjoyed a sunny Sunday exploring a market. It was so pretty and they sold hummus and had places to sit inside. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL7WGqUVi1SdW6mQQ78q1DsV6YgHrAEgxh2luHYaXpnax9kac659c757kEG63LF_dmKaH5ZdYaz9fwyO1IqdIZ2vncpo9kJAPEZ9v0XzXUh-3097GUAFKfVjIZTwYAFa5L0PNONSqUo6-w/s1600/DSC02462.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL7WGqUVi1SdW6mQQ78q1DsV6YgHrAEgxh2luHYaXpnax9kac659c757kEG63LF_dmKaH5ZdYaz9fwyO1IqdIZ2vncpo9kJAPEZ9v0XzXUh-3097GUAFKfVjIZTwYAFa5L0PNONSqUo6-w/s320/DSC02462.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5. Finally, double check that there are no holidays on the day that you travel to a foreign country. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm filing this under "learned the hard way." We showed up in Sweden Saturday morning. (It is cheaper and easier to get to Sweden from Denmark than from Italy.) It was surprisingly closed. Turns out that it was a half holiday. Halloween of sorts. Chain stores open and tons of home decor stores too, but not much else. After spending one morning in Sweden it is completely apparent why IKEA was started there. There are an incredible number of similar, smaller shops. I loved them all. There are also many adorable art galleries. I particularly enjoyed the beaded jars and life-size illustrations at the Form Design Center. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWHyjuipe4obdGSjgpQdlRyaj0SxJHd1pCoNLZLDLdAS3AYRBig0h9rYpryapCBrlHJ3TS7JeqTgr9yIGosvFFXK7VKFQK8tlzuiqeA_cjHV3S5uwWaD7s4_CCeCNZk0Tl8gtDwBDcGMLj/s1600/DSC02358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWHyjuipe4obdGSjgpQdlRyaj0SxJHd1pCoNLZLDLdAS3AYRBig0h9rYpryapCBrlHJ3TS7JeqTgr9yIGosvFFXK7VKFQK8tlzuiqeA_cjHV3S5uwWaD7s4_CCeCNZk0Tl8gtDwBDcGMLj/s320/DSC02358.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Armed with my new knowledge, I hope I can return someday. It was completely enchanting! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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mllespearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07926065973965567334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6262666800480463163.post-53464540857839798532012-08-01T09:03:00.001-07:002012-10-19T13:10:12.917-07:00Two Weeks in Milan: Do Not Read This Unless You Plan on Visiting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Two Weeks in Milan<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Part of my summer plan was
to purposely stay in Milan for two weeks to both experience the city that I
live so close to and to take Italian classes.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The Italian classes were
overall a success. I spent three hours
every morning at <a href="http://www.scuolaleonardo.com/" target="_blank">Scuola Leonardo Da Vinci</a>.
The first week’s teacher, Simona was great: enthusiastic, energetic, and exciting. We worked on reading, writing, speaking, and
vocabulary. Plus, we were conversing
with each other so our class got to know each other a bit. The second week Irene taught our class. It was vocabulary driven and there was less
emphasis on speaking and conversation.
The class was smaller yet we did not know each other as well. I did meet one really cool other student who
has been working in Milan but needs more Italian to really secure a job
here. It was interesting to see what was
taught without words:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhptI3VZmIFa-rduyJW6S6fRlNsvFfCbqr_jI6xgez5TJt7L0-RjtPMlpWEGjzGkblH7aS9FbSRczK5WNQ2OTJWYXeWtgnD217KV4WKMzThkfUbFEtw8XtTg16OBGyekYJJo1CkKOKevCiI/s1600/DSC01686.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhptI3VZmIFa-rduyJW6S6fRlNsvFfCbqr_jI6xgez5TJt7L0-RjtPMlpWEGjzGkblH7aS9FbSRczK5WNQ2OTJWYXeWtgnD217KV4WKMzThkfUbFEtw8XtTg16OBGyekYJJo1CkKOKevCiI/s320/DSC01686.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">My afternoons were spent
exploring the city. School was on a
canal and I would walk up to the center of the city to have lunch and
sightsee. Here is a summary of what I
did. I’m not sure it will make you want
to rush off to visit Milan, but in case you do end up here, you know what you
are getting. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Museums</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">(They are free and mostly
air-conditioned during the summer months.
Great reason to go even if the subject is not your thing.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana;">1.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><b><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://www.museodelnovecento.org/" target="_blank">Museo del Novecento</a></span></u></b><span style="font-family: Verdana;">: This is an
art museum. It has modern and
contemporary Italian art. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjormQuWOuH15HBDVOqXvaWAcE_cX5gdGxVPqaYkEuM6oY0uSopXbmjSt6igDj1Bk4fN3bpBvVUXCygzpd8Il-JTg6ZtOvUR8xA8v0jIZ0oSxMNaW5IWCeUmQgBJx-nBr8GLC0wAPZ2r4k/s1600/DSC01676.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjormQuWOuH15HBDVOqXvaWAcE_cX5gdGxVPqaYkEuM6oY0uSopXbmjSt6igDj1Bk4fN3bpBvVUXCygzpd8Il-JTg6ZtOvUR8xA8v0jIZ0oSxMNaW5IWCeUmQgBJx-nBr8GLC0wAPZ2r4k/s320/DSC01676.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">View from Museo del Novecento</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO_shDOvOyQgi4LVS4t5GkNA_ISyXJ78oaAktRViI3mcqvujamHuzyK7KT-PcShL40y0ISTZzrB43cVMxo09YNElG8EY3RdGu6HSXW_XjsYtyPjuUfgbBvI1Oaa7ofU_PoEZS1PHv8gBMt/s1600/DSC01680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO_shDOvOyQgi4LVS4t5GkNA_ISyXJ78oaAktRViI3mcqvujamHuzyK7KT-PcShL40y0ISTZzrB43cVMxo09YNElG8EY3RdGu6HSXW_XjsYtyPjuUfgbBvI1Oaa7ofU_PoEZS1PHv8gBMt/s320/DSC01680.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Work by Carla Accardi</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Pros</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana;">: The
location and architecture gives this museum spectacular views of the city
center. It is as if the walls/windows
are their own constantly changing art. The contemporary art here is actually pretty
interesting. There are of course some
pieces that make no sense to me. I did
luckily discover Lucio Fontana and Carla Accardi. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Cons</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana;">: There is a
good reason most of us have not heard of the <a href="http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/421070/Novecento-movement" target="_blank">Novecento Movement</a>. Have you heard of Matisse, Cezanne, and
Picasso? Well, this is not a museum of
their work. It is work that was
influenced by these painters, but done by Italian artists. They took the interesting techniques and
subjects of their contemporaries and made them as boring as they could. There was a whole room of Cezanne-like
landscapes but in even more boring colors and uninteresting subjects. Futurism is a less exciting type of cubism/pointilism
from what I could tell. It should be
interesting too since it is less static.
I think the Novecento Movement gave way to current graffiti
artists. P.S. The audioguide is terribly boring; way too
much music and not enough information!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 38.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -20.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana;">2.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><b><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://www.brera.beniculturali.it/" target="_blank">Pincacoteca di Brera</a></span></u></b><span style="font-family: Verdana;">: This is
also an art museum. It has a wide
assortment of art.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 38.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 38.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Pros</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana;">: There is a
wide variety of art here so there will be probably be something that interests
you. There are painters you have heard
of here. Hayez’s “The Kiss” is
here. It is very, very Robin Hood. The workers here are generally friendly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 38.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Cons:</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> There were
no labels on much of the work and certainly no written English (or other
language) explanations of anything.
Parts of the 20<sup>th</sup> century room were being closed but with no
explanation. Perhaps it wasn’t a
long-term thing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 38.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -20.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana;">3.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><b><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://www.milanocastello.it/ing/storia.html" target="_blank">Museum of the Sforza Castle</a></span></u></b><span style="font-family: Verdana;">: A history
museum. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6V5PG_3ySK_cjXoxYYc4KJ6T3wX3RSm114dANd0p9CUvMSdF1B0KmJhmBg3JLb9BkaU30R38D2CO3M20Pee3jhrUdpYUkBb1DcFrSnn3KOYOANpUvBz_6K2-OmDEjj1axM4cRVxshF0dj/s1600/DSC01713.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6V5PG_3ySK_cjXoxYYc4KJ6T3wX3RSm114dANd0p9CUvMSdF1B0KmJhmBg3JLb9BkaU30R38D2CO3M20Pee3jhrUdpYUkBb1DcFrSnn3KOYOANpUvBz_6K2-OmDEjj1axM4cRVxshF0dj/s320/DSC01713.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Awesome ceilings</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 38.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br />
Pros</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana;">: Uh, you’re inside a castle, duh! Leonardo Da Vinci ceiling and other cool
painted ceilings. The room of ancient
armor and weapons. Michelangelo’s final
work (a pieta). The Egyptian
collection. The nice courtyard with a
little pond. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 38.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Cons</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana;">: Crowded
with tour groups. Skimpy bookstore. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 38.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -20.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana;">4.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1877338035">
</a></span></span><b><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://www.comune.milano.it/portale/wps/portal/CDM?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=/wps/wcm/connect/contentlibrary/Per+Saperne/Per+Saperne/Museo+Archeologico/" target="_blank">Milan Archeological Museum</a></span></u></b><span style="font-family: Verdana;">: A history
museum. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4cDJMJ696eHtqaJnh_Ac8VQB6SlXkK2qP8x_AcIFVIb22MoB0RkMaqm3Peiei2gqzgjiV8a1E856qjMV6Fa8RasSSviTpp81NQY5HbTjwW9kHBrVyRu4Mro39B4kZszor_vfXWsgurfLb/s1600/DSC01723.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4cDJMJ696eHtqaJnh_Ac8VQB6SlXkK2qP8x_AcIFVIb22MoB0RkMaqm3Peiei2gqzgjiV8a1E856qjMV6Fa8RasSSviTpp81NQY5HbTjwW9kHBrVyRu4Mro39B4kZszor_vfXWsgurfLb/s320/DSC01723.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 38.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 38.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Pros:
</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana;">A very cool replica of what the
walled city of Milan used to look like.
Parts of the ancient wall in the museum and courtyard. The Polygonal Tower that was used as a
monastery chapel. Beautiful old paintings. Wide span of ancient history. Attached to the beautiful church St.
Maurizio. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 38.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Cons</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana;">: Got very
hot as you moved upstairs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Churches</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana;">: Generally free to go in, but to see the
crypts or other parts there is generally a small fee.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcrCMQ8jTbKRvSS68Xx8LurVbMgUhsUHd1LcpoImj6MuX224Ro1iWhje7F6oFVncJ7iCcEf6KRBrWdaFGTrVVBtQdcox3NTvJV_yafnpPwup-ElAobyV5Wo7w2z6pLMfHmVQLFAk9OD4PM/s1600/DSC01670.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcrCMQ8jTbKRvSS68Xx8LurVbMgUhsUHd1LcpoImj6MuX224Ro1iWhje7F6oFVncJ7iCcEf6KRBrWdaFGTrVVBtQdcox3NTvJV_yafnpPwup-ElAobyV5Wo7w2z6pLMfHmVQLFAk9OD4PM/s320/DSC01670.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">St. Ambrose</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 38.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -20.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana;">1.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><b><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">St. Ambrose</span></u></b><span style="font-family: Verdana;">: Church named for the patron
saint of Milan. It is large and
OLD. 300s. There is a beautiful chapel
with a golden mosaic ceiling featuring St. Ambrose. Don’t miss the dead bodies under the
altar! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 38.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -20.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana;">2.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><b><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">St</span></u></b><span style="font-family: Verdana;">.<b><u>
Lorenzo</u></b>: Near the popular
Colonne. St. Lorenzo has chapel and
mosaics from the 5<sup>th</sup> century.
The crypt has a very low ceiling and is not good for
claustrophobics. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 38.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -20.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana;">3.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><b><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">St</span></u></b><span style="font-family: Verdana;">.<b><u>Eustorgio</u></b>: I couldn’t get in the church itself, but the
crypt was very simple. The museum of the
relics held there was interesting especially the crowned skulls. The Portinari Chapel was very beautiful. There was a monotone, accented,
English-speaking guide who yelled his information at you as he explained why
the Chapel is so special. There are
many, many examples of St. Peter the Martyr being chopped in the head by a
heretic and also of Peter’s miracle of the cloud. Uh, making it cloudy hardly seems to warrant
the term “miracle,” but what do I know?!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 38.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -20.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana;">4.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><b><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">St</span></u></b><span style="font-family: Verdana;">.<b><u> Simpliciano</u></b>: This is a very quiet church and very
tall! Simple yet spacious it felt very
holy to me. The old, old chapel hidden
away was beautiful but I found the statue of Jesus very disturbing. When you looked at him from a certain angle
he looked like he was a psychotic clown and it really ruined the holy feeling I
originally got. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 38.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -20.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana;">5.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><b><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">St</span></u></b><span style="font-family: Verdana;">.
<b><u>Maurizio</u></b> This is a church that has 16<sup>th</sup>
century painting on the walls. It is
very small and intimate, but behind the entrance chapel there is long hall called
the Convent hall. It is splendid. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 38.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -20.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana;">6.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><b><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">St</span></u></b><span style="font-family: Verdana;">.
<b><u>Narzaro</u></b>: This is a church built just outside the walls
of Milan in the 300s. There are a lot of
ruins there and during work hours The Touring Club of Italy is there to give
you a tour of the grounds. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj82PtS5H0UH0COV3bCXRFPO-dTPYHlOVKmLrM6eNbp3yw3qDABl1m4QuSclz0JSFSq9Spbzwn_EUpWAVZp5WqYzirQKJGoR2txqTA2oNLX9xNicpt2kDqHu_9-eMOd6P_yPP1bDpItjfUF/s1600/DSC01744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj82PtS5H0UH0COV3bCXRFPO-dTPYHlOVKmLrM6eNbp3yw3qDABl1m4QuSclz0JSFSq9Spbzwn_EUpWAVZp5WqYzirQKJGoR2txqTA2oNLX9xNicpt2kDqHu_9-eMOd6P_yPP1bDpItjfUF/s320/DSC01744.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Trompe d'oeil at St. Satiro</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 38.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -20.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana;">7.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><b><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">St. Maria Presso San Satiro</span></u></b><span style="font-family: Verdana;">: This
church is probably one of the coolest because it has a fake wall. The wall appears 3D but is really only a flat
wall. Wow!!! Genius artist. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 38.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -20.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana;">8.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><b><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Cimitero Monumentale</span></u></b><span style="font-family: Verdana;">: Ok, this
isn’t really a church, but it houses a collection of dead from various religions. The cemetery is called Monumentale because it
is huge!!! It goes on and on. There is some form of art attached to every
grave. Amazing and slightly overwhelming! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
mllespearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07926065973965567334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6262666800480463163.post-68314122830236233932012-08-01T04:35:00.001-07:002012-08-01T09:03:22.832-07:00Growing Up: Vacationing Solo<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I have always loved being on my own and
even living by myself. I've gone to movies alone, taken day trips alone,
moved to new countries alone, but I have never taken a vacation alone.
Since I turn 30 in under a month and will probably be married in a year, I
thought it would be a good time to push myself to try vacationing
alone. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9sAw2Sl6eMDWq5egPhZBBmGkAndSpXpXk9RwxRJLEdDlkzZqHUrP47B4S2_K7ujve-BGxJP38igvudyqI5fBMLa-g2gqQyCrP2dif2UQlU6lDEewRJRPIwlI0_nls3SeySugsQw7ByvbZ/s1600/DSC01764.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9sAw2Sl6eMDWq5egPhZBBmGkAndSpXpXk9RwxRJLEdDlkzZqHUrP47B4S2_K7ujve-BGxJP38igvudyqI5fBMLa-g2gqQyCrP2dif2UQlU6lDEewRJRPIwlI0_nls3SeySugsQw7ByvbZ/s320/DSC01764.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Taking my own picture</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCdBf_X7veb65aWN-TNxYeBHnZT3BXNHqSlHF-y3oRSd7_PSf96GaBoWIegO-ALGVqroax5kPXIJNzDDSErkmLEtyvawfrgOa9XZ7fbaGSHzS0IOLVvGpNvxDRCRRmLjrehCh30Bw_uwXZ/s1600/DSC01849.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCdBf_X7veb65aWN-TNxYeBHnZT3BXNHqSlHF-y3oRSd7_PSf96GaBoWIegO-ALGVqroax5kPXIJNzDDSErkmLEtyvawfrgOa9XZ7fbaGSHzS0IOLVvGpNvxDRCRRmLjrehCh30Bw_uwXZ/s320/DSC01849.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Cinque Terre from Monterosso</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I chose Cinque Terre as the spot.
It's a place I've heard many people talk about and recommend. Since it's
a beach spot, I really wanted to go in nice weather. So here I am and here’s what I’ve done all by
myself.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9O9JCY0dd_lAgJRxqCpUGQZlUD3MJ-yiqu70Kcb_2zNLadS-UDDAfNDXk2UTKZtcd15KOlWRCXUlxWzpVCKhJsTIJwd5xU8d-qnnnuCD-CEjuOR5n4JGfuHsvJxReiEH6RhPcAx-caWit/s1600/DSC01844.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9O9JCY0dd_lAgJRxqCpUGQZlUD3MJ-yiqu70Kcb_2zNLadS-UDDAfNDXk2UTKZtcd15KOlWRCXUlxWzpVCKhJsTIJwd5xU8d-qnnnuCD-CEjuOR5n4JGfuHsvJxReiEH6RhPcAx-caWit/s320/DSC01844.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> My room in Albergo Carugio</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I found a hotel in Rick Steves’ Italy
guide. It is called Albergo
Carugio. It is in the town of Monterosso
al Mare. The hotel is very simple and
charming; clean and comfortable, but not fancy.
I love that it is in a very quiet area and that the owner is so
amazingly friendly and helpful. His
English is great but wanted to help me learn Italian though so spoke that most
of the time with me. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTCuhdYSkeeHEoRyY4z-DlMBe7-tjPYZHJoG9eNNOsPNY4UfMR5zUJa-dKCu_0J04Vbob3vvH41Dun6Zqv0XRuBvCAOLjtE2lizYY_yQzwpk6YbGA_P7R4aeGI4kqWvvc0focbNTjZbNak/s1600/DSC01760.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTCuhdYSkeeHEoRyY4z-DlMBe7-tjPYZHJoG9eNNOsPNY4UfMR5zUJa-dKCu_0J04Vbob3vvH41Dun6Zqv0XRuBvCAOLjtE2lizYY_yQzwpk6YbGA_P7R4aeGI4kqWvvc0focbNTjZbNak/s320/DSC01760.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Monterosso</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The town of Monterosso was one that was
hit hard last fall in the floods that ravaged this area. Most things have just recently reopened this
spring/summer. It is a charming little
town with many restaurants and touristy stores.
I did however find one store that has local delicacies such as pesto,
lemoncello, candies, and various other sauces.
The owner claims that they are all made in 5 Terre and after many
samples of the sauces, alcohol, and candies, I was enticed to buy some for
wedding gifts. They are very tasty. The
special white pesto was my favorite but the tapenade was also very
delicious. I also discovered a mixed
berry alcohol that I really enjoyed and have never seen anywhere else. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAvn2FMc72U5Fq-IkRNK6Pb7ZoNSsVQECA5PLMgjhtTt6g47D_JI0Ow4Lmfk30hf9_omg0vOociQIm4fIkuWrxc3vRXY4fGK6RXP9zbhalc7nzneYZV5lLGrUKAZkT9ie1oS6eJ7ktxcTt/s1600/DSC01850.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="70" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAvn2FMc72U5Fq-IkRNK6Pb7ZoNSsVQECA5PLMgjhtTt6g47D_JI0Ow4Lmfk30hf9_omg0vOociQIm4fIkuWrxc3vRXY4fGK6RXP9zbhalc7nzneYZV5lLGrUKAZkT9ie1oS6eJ7ktxcTt/s320/DSC01850.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Beach in Monterosso</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The main attraction in Monterosso is the
beach. There are sandy beaches
here. I spent a wonderful day lounging
in the sun, reading, people watching, and playing in the water. Here however is one of the difficulties of
going to the beach alone. No one is
there to watch your stuff. Since most
beaches in Europe seem to be private and charge a fee to be used, the small
slices of free beach are always crowed—kind of like sardines (or rather
anchovies here—possibly the official fish of 5 Terre) in a can. The water was warm and a bit rough. Good waves for jumping. Hesitant to leave my things alone for too
long, I did not stay in the water very long.
Getting lunch was also a bit tricky but I managed to bring a piece of
pizza back to my towel. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This brings me to eating alone. I was a little worried about eating every
meal alone. It was much easier than I
expected however. My favorite was eating
breakfast by myself. I’m not a morning
person so it was nice to wake up gradually at some little café. One place called Laura’s was fantastic. They made some delicious doughnut-y thing and
had great cappuccinos. I never thought I
would be a coffee drinker but it seems like the thing to do here and somehow
cappuccino with chocolate looses that bitter coffee bite. Eating breakfast outside in the shade with
beautiful scenery makes me suddenly understand why Americans fall in love with
Italy. Here, what’s not to love? <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Also I discovered reading while
eating. It is nice because it slows me
down. Eating as a teacher has trained me
to eat everything at once and as quickly as possible. Here I have taken my time. The meals have not been outstanding (pizza
with veggies soaked in vinager-ick!; pancakey type noodles that made me think
of something eaten when there are wartime rations, and crème brulee cold in the
middle and with way too much lemon flavor!) but I did have one good meal at
Cantina di Miky: Yummy frizzy house
wine, tasty bread, excellent spaghetti di mare, but curiously served at the
same time as my salad which I could not finish and was disappointed by the
abundance of fennel and cabbage. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkJ8PXACedPsdoqEm2_slovsnWC3fiIaSmsEoQ6v51y1Ra8lM-nlD2Gp-8M0zUGiS2Duq1S9vcK40MWUae_rerMMlt3YbhnjjPsHLEJj4Xjv13824WO9h0TcQDWYmem2YljICX6NSD9xzn/s1600/DSC01798.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkJ8PXACedPsdoqEm2_slovsnWC3fiIaSmsEoQ6v51y1Ra8lM-nlD2Gp-8M0zUGiS2Duq1S9vcK40MWUae_rerMMlt3YbhnjjPsHLEJj4Xjv13824WO9h0TcQDWYmem2YljICX6NSD9xzn/s320/DSC01798.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Via dell'Amour</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNI2bVzM14CqEfxdjPHl99fRVPZbQELLFZ0oSk3-7rAiHs4uAq9QwCM4H4huKVYALinHpe7wGa1IdzL-mDlITHvGg65p0mUmlrTtmJJuGal3zOPXawkAqda00-fEJR8vTKUd55K2uPkAgD/s320/DSC01799.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">View on the walk to Manorola</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNI2bVzM14CqEfxdjPHl99fRVPZbQELLFZ0oSk3-7rAiHs4uAq9QwCM4H4huKVYALinHpe7wGa1IdzL-mDlITHvGg65p0mUmlrTtmJJuGal3zOPXawkAqda00-fEJR8vTKUd55K2uPkAgD/s1600/DSC01799.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I did not come here to eat only though. I came for the beach of course but also
because I heard that the hiking was beautiful and fun. My first afternoon here I took a boat to the
farthest town away—Riomaggiore. It was a
beautiful ride. I met some nice recent
college grads who were backpacking through Europe as their last hurrah. It was fun to speak to other Americans. Walking briefly though Riomaggiore I decided
to walk over to Manarola a 1km stroll called Via dell’Amore. It was a beautiful walk. Manarola was a cute little village where I
bought blackberry gelato. It was really
good and I’m glad I tried it. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXyyp_j2TtRZy-itpDE_WmvGQ_9bEUGPNRcRpcCHkQqbzyxVZH3Xxuj_mAy7XmM6H2cF290JtUeN2jPiRAEzIfclP-ajgG7fgP15qFMKxRlo51UtWCLWbgqH1BtTw4qxzlcDRxh7XtdkWH/s1600/DSC01782.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXyyp_j2TtRZy-itpDE_WmvGQ_9bEUGPNRcRpcCHkQqbzyxVZH3Xxuj_mAy7XmM6H2cF290JtUeN2jPiRAEzIfclP-ajgG7fgP15qFMKxRlo51UtWCLWbgqH1BtTw4qxzlcDRxh7XtdkWH/s320/DSC01782.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The hard to reach Corniglia</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj4Jtz8BG-LnsMWlltxhMKiGLg5JjLEpkEHWjZcim3CoKsl-HSSFQXZ34Uo4KujAUVFmcEibj1MueF0YVf7dECwroudIqDSxdSNqPe52Ck9zDVDm24DaCLEdnpixFFBjYV7xX-KDOwDxax/s1600/DSC01786.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj4Jtz8BG-LnsMWlltxhMKiGLg5JjLEpkEHWjZcim3CoKsl-HSSFQXZ34Uo4KujAUVFmcEibj1MueF0YVf7dECwroudIqDSxdSNqPe52Ck9zDVDm24DaCLEdnpixFFBjYV7xX-KDOwDxax/s320/DSC01786.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Flood damaged trails made me try another trail</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">On the advice of some friends, I decided
to hike to the next village over, Corniglia.
It is too elevated to be reached by boat so it is accessible only by
train and foot. The hike along the
waterfront is closed because of the fall’s flooding. However there is another trail
available—trail 6. Starting up it, I
hiked for a good 20 minutes until I realized that I was not on trail 6. My friends had said you hike through
vineyards. Indeed I did but it turns out
it was only vineyards and a dead end.
Scenic, but not exactly the cute town I saw from the boat. So I tried again. This time I found trail 6 but it was a bit
overgrown and since I wasn’t exactly sure where I was going and had not seen
any other hikers for a while, I decided not to continue on my own. I went back to Manarola and took the train to
Corniglia. Rick Steves has about 3 pages
on this little town and since it was at least a 15 minute hike from the station
to the town and the next trains were either in 10 minutes or 1hour 45 minutes,
I decided to hop back on the train and get off in Vernazza. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfirTSk7Pu9HlLfLtsR9eHOLYGEXbj_8bX-gww4fE0rpOOqpbEkXEaSseAOvlH38bkDaF5tZbQMBdE_XSeQHdcSA8LY581sMu1VQlXD-lbaLSFXpWwzV01CX2XcpOfWjNnKzSoHv_WJ-Vx/s1600/DSC01822.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfirTSk7Pu9HlLfLtsR9eHOLYGEXbj_8bX-gww4fE0rpOOqpbEkXEaSseAOvlH38bkDaF5tZbQMBdE_XSeQHdcSA8LY581sMu1VQlXD-lbaLSFXpWwzV01CX2XcpOfWjNnKzSoHv_WJ-Vx/s320/DSC01822.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Vernazza</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirCy9vjvppwq8z6pwqTY_qLBYNssj8RMuELZxWpxJ5Wd6pXiZ1guqhD9J3AK7zA5AlJ3Z5YhlKYD7sk1h-0Ll5bqBRbDSRz8DIQ1mPjThXYv19nON3rg4k96WyfFFxKWq_NWcMEJ_YySfo/s1600/DSC01832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirCy9vjvppwq8z6pwqTY_qLBYNssj8RMuELZxWpxJ5Wd6pXiZ1guqhD9J3AK7zA5AlJ3Z5YhlKYD7sk1h-0Ll5bqBRbDSRz8DIQ1mPjThXYv19nON3rg4k96WyfFFxKWq_NWcMEJ_YySfo/s320/DSC01832.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Vernazza</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Steves calls Vernazza, “the jewel of
Cinque Terre.” And indeed it is. It was a charming town with more like 10
pages in Steves’ guide. I strolled
around and enjoyed the stunning evening light views. There is a beautiful piazza on the water with
a church and breakwater. There are
simply stunning views from different places around town. The castle was closed as was a higher area
due to storm damage. Having 30 minutes
to kill I had a glass of wine at a little restaurant close to the piazza. Luckily for me a funky jazz trio started
playing. I always love Cole Porter
covers and this one did a lot of them.
Adorable families spontaneously started dancing and locals sat in their
doorways to listen. It was quite
charming. Finally I headed home, back to
Monterosso. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLuMPU0mAcrSxR3gSI28DoTP83db7H3_t-h94jkWU8dPPUOCButXkzPb93ozWVj04jYiTDba6JIGzaXaeuqs-9vvCIKkFH8jEwo5EynmjdJPy_KYTQZme2gHdR9vxLsHYPpjbchmURUfFE/s1600/DSC01817.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLuMPU0mAcrSxR3gSI28DoTP83db7H3_t-h94jkWU8dPPUOCButXkzPb93ozWVj04jYiTDba6JIGzaXaeuqs-9vvCIKkFH8jEwo5EynmjdJPy_KYTQZme2gHdR9vxLsHYPpjbchmURUfFE/s320/DSC01817.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Colorful life in Vernazza</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggiiZmpvHQExJPgkYwlU7W2ZwPY_3rCl2mLH8iH8KF5BhI90PjcW7weIj3AamFWpa57ZWSuykmFuH4dYySsMVYgluT-ZgeZ2-gQAmGUfpATijpw_RmHFcZUJ6E3nvKO9BskHHr8Cjw6xCY/s1600/DSC01833.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggiiZmpvHQExJPgkYwlU7W2ZwPY_3rCl2mLH8iH8KF5BhI90PjcW7weIj3AamFWpa57ZWSuykmFuH4dYySsMVYgluT-ZgeZ2-gQAmGUfpATijpw_RmHFcZUJ6E3nvKO9BskHHr8Cjw6xCY/s320/DSC01833.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Door in Vernazza</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Overall, this has been a wonderful
trip. While going solo slightly impeded
my water time and hiking, it was totally worth it. I would have enjoyed company, but the freedom
and the heightened attention to details around me made it an unforgettable
trip. Here’s to 30 and lifetime
partnership, but here’s to independence too! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>mllespearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07926065973965567334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6262666800480463163.post-31782311365610243182012-07-20T13:49:00.001-07:002012-07-21T06:03:33.850-07:00Summer in the Cities<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This is my first summer off as a teacher. I've heard some teachers complain about boredom over the summers, but I have never been among them. Even this year without working I have found plenty of ways to spend my time: day trips and Italian lessons.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Here are the highlights of the cities I have visited: </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIU4_tEARqHKqpoPW0MvPX3rP9M3Tneh0DT78UsyfigPiULb1v3ZwmeFFs8IvlhzQ2l865E0yPQHlh3xOtrXwoLqYzvwDAyWGx5Mgpvx99rPfiJFlvihqxJ3aCViXOrziJfRN_oZsUO5js/s1600/DSC01363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIU4_tEARqHKqpoPW0MvPX3rP9M3Tneh0DT78UsyfigPiULb1v3ZwmeFFs8IvlhzQ2l865E0yPQHlh3xOtrXwoLqYzvwDAyWGx5Mgpvx99rPfiJFlvihqxJ3aCViXOrziJfRN_oZsUO5js/s320/DSC01363.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">at <span class="hasCaption">Scialapopolo</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1) <b>Capri </b> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Wow! I want to try to go back next summer. Carrie and I spent 5 days there right after school got out. It was a fabulous time. We spent our mornings exploring different parts of the island (and Sorrento and Napoli). Then our afternoons were spent sunning at the splendid pool or rocky beach. Evenings we went into the town to eat. The best meal we had was at a restaurant called </span><span class="hasCaption" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Scialapopolo. I had absolutely amazing gnocchi and Carrie had tender, delicious beef and a baked veggie-noodle dish. Yum! We also ate pizza in Naples. It was quite tasty, but my taste has not yet developed enough to tell real differences between pizze (that's <i>pizzas</i> for all you English-speakers). I get the big picture but not the subtleties. </span><br />
<span class="hasCaption" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1S1T-jngt1ZrDYPjF00MfaEIf_UyZFnnB89P5_qKSJg-Dg-IvnMjSo2SMhbP4pAox-19wbILoKF4nUeHnm1cA-s0XTIRSsRxvEhfqt_dEeLajGSYXahy91WWXUFmu32sjVz-XfEj2i_AI/s1600/DSC01399.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1S1T-jngt1ZrDYPjF00MfaEIf_UyZFnnB89P5_qKSJg-Dg-IvnMjSo2SMhbP4pAox-19wbILoKF4nUeHnm1cA-s0XTIRSsRxvEhfqt_dEeLajGSYXahy91WWXUFmu32sjVz-XfEj2i_AI/s320/DSC01399.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue Grotto</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">2) <b>Verona</b></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3XG6bw1zwAzfxqyD_CXDmfBsvr2QyDwD4AttdUxZRquSDUd7vMfhS0nDETjxkVqc3zT9RcTe-1GHzpt8jtr-wWCTRTL4upTQin6RqiFGdqvC_PEx6cA4ITwxl88qFiCgKuyanc1H8DT4t/s1600/DSC01570.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3XG6bw1zwAzfxqyD_CXDmfBsvr2QyDwD4AttdUxZRquSDUd7vMfhS0nDETjxkVqc3zT9RcTe-1GHzpt8jtr-wWCTRTL4upTQin6RqiFGdqvC_PEx6cA4ITwxl88qFiCgKuyanc1H8DT4t/s320/DSC01570.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">props outside the arena</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Verona was my first summer day trip. I showed up at the train station not 100% sure where I actually was going. I'd heard about Verona and what a cool city it is. Someone said they liked it because it was like Rome, but on a smaller scale. I found that to be true. For example, there is an ancient Roman arena. Now concerts and operas are performed there. Seeing the props for the summer Opera festival just sitting outside the arena was pretty cool. I went on a Rick Steves guided walk to hit some of the highlights. I was disappointed that I ran out of time to see the interior of the Duomo. Instead I went into St. Anastasia and was given a toasty black cloak to cover my shoulders. I was too hot to enjoy the experience of the church. I was sorry I couldn't eat dinner there because there is a piazza of cool looking restaurants. I hope to go back and see an art exhibit there and eat on the piazza. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHWILjhqSQprFhGJ7RlVXnLuUNLj97UHMDVLZFGJCEOKRuzcOQgw0CiR20gZ4jS7pLNmiX5QCh_nuu3auXqk5p1JdTKlh3CVfIauVqYoln3zijhXtFa_pvjAGlcuDdswdEyegiH7cXCi4b/s1600/DSC01589.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHWILjhqSQprFhGJ7RlVXnLuUNLj97UHMDVLZFGJCEOKRuzcOQgw0CiR20gZ4jS7pLNmiX5QCh_nuu3auXqk5p1JdTKlh3CVfIauVqYoln3zijhXtFa_pvjAGlcuDdswdEyegiH7cXCi4b/s320/DSC01589.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Juliet's Balcony (hard to imagine Romeo serenading there with all the tourists)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">3) <b>Turin/Torino</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2IBVi_MIfuEO_kTV1D2uk81waySlJ1uZfT3AQQngnhlUP7wPn9JFDPOAMd_oyiEZZ4f8gzViKtwVm7zPFpmOv6QWTEw0mMhDFcc8bKP7T_bANMiGDlgY78-Z6PZwDtfUw0pheNIjtFazl/s1600/DSC01617.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2IBVi_MIfuEO_kTV1D2uk81waySlJ1uZfT3AQQngnhlUP7wPn9JFDPOAMd_oyiEZZ4f8gzViKtwVm7zPFpmOv6QWTEw0mMhDFcc8bKP7T_bANMiGDlgY78-Z6PZwDtfUw0pheNIjtFazl/s320/DSC01617.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rooftops of Turin</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For some reason I can never remember which is the English name. In any case, Turin/Torino was a bit of a messy trip. I went to the wrong departure station (thanks to the Trenitalia website) and ended up missing a train by 2 minutes. I had to wait an entire hour for the next train so my trip was a bit shorter than planned. The tourist bureau must be on strike because there were NO MAPS for sale, the tourist information was closed, and none of my trusty guidebooks suggests Torino so I had no map. With my new phone (more on that later) I found the movie museum. It is also called the </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Mole Antonelliana, a museum and lookout point that used to be the tallest brick building in the world. Now it has a cool lookout tower. Turin has beautiful rooftops! The movie museum was pretty cool, but not being big on Italian cinema, I missed out on some of the enjoyment that a true Italian film fanatic would get. Cool interior and exhibits. It was charmingly not overwhelming. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIiESsqE0uodSffqwG218uq8OQujaR1ViQjVZO1MXLGDsRXq7WaQentkALKLe7ZPvml1c_sg1w3baxrYFx3rLK55KfNg9EwGB7l8eiDKf_skfCDGopO-5Qn6J5nZL6y79853j9vwPAAUzV/s1600/DSC01615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIiESsqE0uodSffqwG218uq8OQujaR1ViQjVZO1MXLGDsRXq7WaQentkALKLe7ZPvml1c_sg1w3baxrYFx3rLK55KfNg9EwGB7l8eiDKf_skfCDGopO-5Qn6J5nZL6y79853j9vwPAAUzV/s320/DSC01615.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mole Antonelliana</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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<span class="hasCaption" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">4) <b>Como</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPH7-mkJLkQGp9y3yO1k2yuDEhhyphenhyphenrnpLt6Aqa1qTjKmwv1l8Qz67xlYVeYiDZ9GPhgR6Cq_gGGoR6ka_iiw4bR5Ig9dHm6QL6TUS3MB3ym5wIN4kKCt345GqoVI5dlNn2taMKKUQDjCou9/s1600/DSC01633.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPH7-mkJLkQGp9y3yO1k2yuDEhhyphenhyphenrnpLt6Aqa1qTjKmwv1l8Qz67xlYVeYiDZ9GPhgR6Cq_gGGoR6ka_iiw4bR5Ig9dHm6QL6TUS3MB3ym5wIN4kKCt345GqoVI5dlNn2taMKKUQDjCou9/s320/DSC01633.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="hasCaption" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I have been to the lake before but not the city. Another 1st grade teacher and I went for the day. We laid out on a grassy park next to the lake. The thing is though that you can't get in the water. We saw tourists getting yelled at by the police for swimming in the water. </span><br />
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<span class="hasCaption" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">5) <b>Bologna</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg37DG4fQ0KjmVsbC4LCaXbSpN5AV54PmB9eL9BDcZHpeDVY2Z24Qi3BivquJI4i9tVN1xbvsSYrMRqFDbutd3YqZB2n4PYvQLwRU6iV6B-MPQrvVEeNcaDY8Em3sBCyAlakzwvHaCLsMWE/s1600/DSC01193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg37DG4fQ0KjmVsbC4LCaXbSpN5AV54PmB9eL9BDcZHpeDVY2Z24Qi3BivquJI4i9tVN1xbvsSYrMRqFDbutd3YqZB2n4PYvQLwRU6iV6B-MPQrvVEeNcaDY8Em3sBCyAlakzwvHaCLsMWE/s320/DSC01193.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Typical Bolognese architecture</td></tr>
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<span class="hasCaption" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I have now been to Bologna twice. When my dad visited in the spring we went. That was the weekend before the earthquake hit. With dad the highlights were a market with awesome jewelry, the archeology museum, and St. Stephen's Church. St. Stephen's courtyard reminded me of the Cloisters in NYC. The church interior was deceptively large. It kept going and going and going. Plus, going to places like history museums and old churches with my dad is super nerdy fun because he knows so much and helps me appreciate what is inside. Thanks Dad. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn3bHdl35xXOxzLGtQ2MLsIUB0RfpqNH5ZESbABptX1CCms4pJEpb7FmLMTJ8r5hRXQourSLXOud4Xx6x05wLJAHm1bxh9XqOKAbMDlPfkXRBAiVobmWAqeCycqib8rzM2NHgRR2WF2_Hc/s1600/DSC01213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn3bHdl35xXOxzLGtQ2MLsIUB0RfpqNH5ZESbABptX1CCms4pJEpb7FmLMTJ8r5hRXQourSLXOud4Xx6x05wLJAHm1bxh9XqOKAbMDlPfkXRBAiVobmWAqeCycqib8rzM2NHgRR2WF2_Hc/s320/DSC01213.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sights with dad</td></tr>
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<span class="hasCaption" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I went back to Bologna last weekend with Sarah, a teacher from our school. I wanted to get back to the markets. We did a walking tour of the city. It was our own made up tour. In the middle we spent a good 2 hours eating lunch. Bologna is in an area of the country that is known for its tasty food. I had no such luck. I tried both pasta Bolognese (with dad) and a fresh veggie pasta (with Sarah) but neither were outstanding. They were just average good. Not the knock-my-socks-off experience I was hoping for. <b> </b> </span><br />
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<span class="hasCaption" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">6)<b> Milan</b></span><br />
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<span class="hasCaption" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">With language classes and 5 days of being a tourist, Milan needs its own post so stay tuned...<b> </b></span></div>mllespearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07926065973965567334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6262666800480463163.post-18893596720349767872012-07-08T14:31:00.001-07:002012-08-01T09:04:04.983-07:00Life-Changing Greek Trip<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wow! The school year is over and it flew by. It was quite an eventful (and good!) year. Between broken limbs, penis kissing, and coke floats this class kept me on my toes but was an incredibly wonderful group of kids. I already miss them. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finishing the year was a feat; visitors, school events, weddings, illness, and travel consumed all of my time. I've really slacked writing, but one of my summer goals is to write about some of the cool things that I was doing instead of writing. I'm gonna work backwards since my Greece trip is the freshest in my mind.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivS3xRV2zF1S9KLOSORBXXi0521szNRtg-9Hb0XDmsJf-75iQPzmmQfEHss76GEU7zz2C2BCEibEGJ_WJt6aFvxPpmLlp2HY9ZjHpNtGGDHIv5TiPIY4PUGsZePYD0di1zER5kfuiWMhv9/s1600/DSC01482.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivS3xRV2zF1S9KLOSORBXXi0521szNRtg-9Hb0XDmsJf-75iQPzmmQfEHss76GEU7zz2C2BCEibEGJ_WJt6aFvxPpmLlp2HY9ZjHpNtGGDHIv5TiPIY4PUGsZePYD0di1zER5kfuiWMhv9/s320/DSC01482.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Church in Limenaria on Thassos</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I flew into Thessaloniki and ran into JL at the baggage claim. We both landed around noon. Our journey was just starting. We needed to get to the island of <b>Thassos</b>. We took a taxi to a bus station, a bus to the port, a ferry to the island, and then a rental car to the village. We had to wait 30 minutes for the bus and 2 hours for the ferry. After a stop for lunch and dinner, we ended up at the house around 10:30 that night. It was a long day. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next day we were delighted to wake up and see the view. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk84IsYTcO8LwZwJKD32D7dqY4Hfv189JJhyphenhyphensPff0WYGzVS8ZSvqxZ0baISFlw4hjX4jIoDOYXE6ct1EYs8eujDWPAdesE_QfDTkJ-3HkRMflUEt7SugDi03Yd4NffbaZpMI0nJ8XECXb2/s1600/DSC01501.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk84IsYTcO8LwZwJKD32D7dqY4Hfv189JJhyphenhyphensPff0WYGzVS8ZSvqxZ0baISFlw4hjX4jIoDOYXE6ct1EYs8eujDWPAdesE_QfDTkJ-3HkRMflUEt7SugDi03Yd4NffbaZpMI0nJ8XECXb2/s320/DSC01501.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">View from the terrace</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We stayed at a house that my parents' friends own. It is in a little town called <b>Theologos</b>. Theologos is seriously small. It has about 5 restaurants, 2 tourist shops, a bakery, and a few small grocery stores. It is a real Greek village. On an evening walk, I was definitely the stranger in town. Men sitting outside at tavernas and women taking care of children all watched as the foreigner walked down their streets. I did help stimulate their economy by purchasing a new pair of sandals from the cobbler and tub of olives from the tourist shop. There are many sheep, goats, and charmingly abandoned buildings. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMmViSLZagLA6988rVXsEBypxKCGtVFLC0_DnWJVkDk-l9cBHslD9AH_5v_Q5yvGrQtREhE-8m43ejb2VCtgj0i9048GKVG9Cn15VpCOxIMXsEZhOxtVPmelqgTgOVFLXrBGSndeVzKLpE/s1600/IMG_0654.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMmViSLZagLA6988rVXsEBypxKCGtVFLC0_DnWJVkDk-l9cBHslD9AH_5v_Q5yvGrQtREhE-8m43ejb2VCtgj0i9048GKVG9Cn15VpCOxIMXsEZhOxtVPmelqgTgOVFLXrBGSndeVzKLpE/s320/IMG_0654.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Abandoned Building</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Theologos is a village in the center of the island which meant that we drove the 10 km to various beaches everyday. We spent most of our days at the beach. Typical day went like this: sleep in, eat breakfast, go to the beach, head home, shower, read, eat dinner, go to bed. It was rough but we survived. The beaches were beautiful. We tried several different ones and preferred quieter ones like Notos South Beach, but found them all agreeable. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVnSw0UzVA4EtRLNViPtyClZQkmnTphbYFuDo76NbCTIyAC-xPPZpF6pPefvvfPyUX5YnOZrAmGyIhomzGDF_M-kX22-ivsblhLKFstCNAGyYHH8m8_3X7tbPp_v5cw8quzMu9H6SfQgPF/s1600/DSC01465.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVnSw0UzVA4EtRLNViPtyClZQkmnTphbYFuDo76NbCTIyAC-xPPZpF6pPefvvfPyUX5YnOZrAmGyIhomzGDF_M-kX22-ivsblhLKFstCNAGyYHH8m8_3X7tbPp_v5cw8quzMu9H6SfQgPF/s320/DSC01465.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thassos's South Beach</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We watched the world cup at an Australian bar. If possible, my drink was more interesting than the game. It included fruit decor, colored sugar, a sparkler, and an umbrella of course. We ate at home a lot. My olives, feta, and tomatoes were hard to beat. The baklava varieties were amazing and I could happily eat one every day for the rest of the year. Greeks are geniuses with honey! Speaking of genius, the inventor of Fanta lemonade is one. It is the most refreshing drink I could ever imagine. If you ever see it, don't pass up the chance to try it!!! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The most memorable meal we had was however, the one were <b>JL proposed</b>. After a dinner of roast chicken, fresh beans, potatoes, and ice cream (try the caramel Magnum bar if you ever get the chance!) JL and I were standing on the terrace admiring the full moon and the sound of the sheep bells. The next thing I knew I had a beautiful ring on my finger. It was all very quick and spontaneous and kind of a blur. The ring ended up being too big so at the moment I am ring free. The rest of our time in Thassos was very restful and relaxing. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We headed back to <b>Thessaloniki</b> Friday so that we could spend a day there exploring a Greek city and make it to the airport on time Sunday morning. Thessaloniki turned out to be a huge hit. It is on the water and full of history. While I haven't been to Athens I hear it is quite dirty. Thessaloniki is not. It is also extremely cheap, especially when compared to Milan. The best part of Thessaloniki though is the Byzantine history everywhere you go. We went to The White Tower, the Museum of Byzantine Culture, and the church of St. Demetrius. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">White Tower</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Briefly, the <b>White Tower</b> was built during the Ottoman rule so it is not Byzantine and is relatively newer than the rest of the city landmarks. It is right on the water and not white. I thought it would have been a lighthouse but it was actually a prison and eventually whitewashed by a prisoner in exchange for his freedom. Today it is a museum explaining the general history of the city. It is well done and when you get to the top, there is a 360 degree view of the city and shore. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3M__C-dmu7WNiU1kFrOYt3nlmCm-ZiUrLYc_KloheXF20CiheUQiGBhJeEK9HIpg9PO-FGzTpvPQP7Rum7ZkTVX6MvGcSAdgAgREDKS77ymg_JgzTjjzQ-g-d9t5la79ftFSfcWLFP2Rq/s1600/DSC01542.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3M__C-dmu7WNiU1kFrOYt3nlmCm-ZiUrLYc_KloheXF20CiheUQiGBhJeEK9HIpg9PO-FGzTpvPQP7Rum7ZkTVX6MvGcSAdgAgREDKS77ymg_JgzTjjzQ-g-d9t5la79ftFSfcWLFP2Rq/s320/DSC01542.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Clay pots- so thin I can't believe that they were hand built</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The <b>Byzantine Museum</b> was my favorite sight. The outside is ugly, but inside wow! Plus, the cafe is great! The artifacts in the museum are generally from the 4th-7th centuries. They trace the various elements of life such as churches, burials and cemeteries, home life, art, and coins. What struck me about much of the everyday artifacts was that the jewelry and dishes are still appealing. Human taste in art doesn't really change. I like the same things that people in the 4th century did. That is amazing to me. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7eV2mubdRVNwp5WbtxjLzLPFz07j6tbdbaWVCoJfcB50yyLlVGKdhmCPusHLouUWXcP5QlGhdrBL5_f6i0wVrfnz_5GccHe9hOUXuCR3j71CblQtCPKERP0RXz_15a-CSzkQ3CCp1WLxY/s1600/DSC01553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7eV2mubdRVNwp5WbtxjLzLPFz07j6tbdbaWVCoJfcB50yyLlVGKdhmCPusHLouUWXcP5QlGhdrBL5_f6i0wVrfnz_5GccHe9hOUXuCR3j71CblQtCPKERP0RXz_15a-CSzkQ3CCp1WLxY/s320/DSC01553.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">St. Demetrius at the Museum</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>St. Demetrius's Church</b> was very cool because it was rebuilt in the 20th century after a fire in 1917. Some of the foundations are still there. The crypt was unfortunately closed, but the mosaics that have been installed are beautiful!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCJK3aKJU5AqZcfLNSsJ7RiIkcekcMT2mJ-tH305fQ8vr51VE90_s3B_4gCP5VOyk4QQADbY3KS7BqYQs9HaN8s_FecVh-8BtCje13YdxKs4nFstzkiTI2QCXpYM-bd454kZMSYpaXEzki/s1600/DSC01510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCJK3aKJU5AqZcfLNSsJ7RiIkcekcMT2mJ-tH305fQ8vr51VE90_s3B_4gCP5VOyk4QQADbY3KS7BqYQs9HaN8s_FecVh-8BtCje13YdxKs4nFstzkiTI2QCXpYM-bd454kZMSYpaXEzki/s320/DSC01510.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Overall, a hugely romantic, exciting, and relaxing trip. Greece was hospitable, easy to get around, and inexpensive for the Eurozone. Worth a trip if you ever have the chance!</span></div>
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</div>mllespearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07926065973965567334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6262666800480463163.post-54341683217531019922012-05-01T10:48:00.000-07:002012-05-03T10:32:23.072-07:00How (NOT) To Run a Marathon<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I expected to write about my training and running my first marathon this week. However this is not that story. This is exactly the opposite: How Not to Run a Marathon.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Danielle, Kyle, Me</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1) First and foremost, get injured! I did this in week 12. I had a sore IT band after a long run. I heard a pop during a run but didn't feel too much pain so ran home since I was a good 6 or 7 miles away. I figured I would still have time to heal in any case. WRONG! I couldn't run for over a month. The longest runs I could do without pain were 3-4 miles. Some weeks I would get 3 miles in every day, but most weeks that wasn't possible. Finally, the week before the marathon I did get up to 12.7 without pain, but that isn't enough realistically, having only gone 17 miles as my farthest run over 2 months ago. Mentally and physically I just wasn't there. Worrying about injuries, worrying about suffcient distances... None of that mattered in the end. There were bigger plans in store.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">2) Close your eyes and picture the worst possible running weather. Heavy rains? Yep. 40 mph wind gusts? Got it. Sleet? Right in the face! Freezing cold? Check. Those kinds of conditions certainly help you not run. You might spend the day before psyching yourself up mentally for a "<a href="http://www.shakespearemarathon.org.uk/" target="_blank">Run at your own risk</a>" warning and then passing an entire afternoon stocking up on gloves, hats, scarves, and rain jackets. You might be thinking this is a sign from God to not run the full and you'd be right. In the end, the marathon was cancelled. Everyone ended up running the half. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New purchases for "run at your own risk" warning...</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Buying a rain jacket, scarf, and gloves were the best things I did! I didn't take a single thing off the entire time. I was completely soaked through to the bone and muddy up to my knees. The puddles, gigantic mud pits, and strong winds that made you run in place for several seconds, as well as the sharp pin pricks hitting me in the ears and face made me feel like I was running a <a href="http://warriordash.com/" target="_blank">Warrior Dash: Extreme Version </a></span>. <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I've never run one before, but I really don't feel the need to after my Shakespeare Warrior Half. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv5CHKnjzCuEEJuFTQY-Fbo9fsb223QxiOHNjTkyA4iuazsyD8oH-7WIVgqh5cvzvU5Baxhd4NB6r6n2l_YVMcP2nSI7Tt1Wydz1bvyNUc1wo3LxZmy7pdi8KMe86tcWmz4O1pNPw2rznB/s1600/576445_10150735231273477_592668476_9470815_1165722541_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv5CHKnjzCuEEJuFTQY-Fbo9fsb223QxiOHNjTkyA4iuazsyD8oH-7WIVgqh5cvzvU5Baxhd4NB6r6n2l_YVMcP2nSI7Tt1Wydz1bvyNUc1wo3LxZmy7pdi8KMe86tcWmz4O1pNPw2rznB/s320/576445_10150735231273477_592668476_9470815_1165722541_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freezing cold after the race!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga266XwvH6zLdjSqTzy7cxeHU6dwy1Yj864O6LUA_UoNsBNm-pXL88mVqLP7ftuoN-36QCQwGlEBuUf_HMnjLL38ezkg80MM_FLo8topaEG4WNnmUZPycCwgjqZQS7dhox6QgmgCUM3ijy/s1600/DSC01154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga266XwvH6zLdjSqTzy7cxeHU6dwy1Yj864O6LUA_UoNsBNm-pXL88mVqLP7ftuoN-36QCQwGlEBuUf_HMnjLL38ezkg80MM_FLo8topaEG4WNnmUZPycCwgjqZQS7dhox6QgmgCUM3ijy/s320/DSC01154.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">muddy shoes!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">3) Don't go to the race on your own. I wasn't technically on my own, but I was with 2 other couples. The two other women, Kyle and Danielle, ran too. We trained together and that was great experience! I certainly ran my PB distancewise. I also got to see new areas of surrounding Milan that I would never have seen otherwise. And, I got to know these two awesome women I wouldn't have really known as well otherwise. I could never have even thought about doing this without them. However, even with very inclusive couples, you can't help but feel more on your own than you probably really are. I think if you are planning to run a marathon (especially your first) it is important to have someone there for you and only you.</span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">You may be wondering if the experience was a total bust... Definitely not!!! I learned a ton of stuff about running and myself. I also realized that living in Milan is great when traveling because whenever you go north, you always fly over the Alps and the view is amazingly stunning anytime of the year. It makes traveling feel magical and enjoyable. I also very much appreciated Milan and it's warmth. Even rainy Milan is at least warm at the end of April. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I could not warm up in Stratford. We stayed in a cottage. It was great but very drafty and had hot water issues that are difficult for Americans used to one faucet. I tried to take a bath at one point but that was a huge failure! And I think every time I brushed my teeth I spit on my hand trying to reach the cold water faucet, then proceeded to burn my hand in the hot water rinsing it off. Ahh the joys of country life. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cottage, the morning after the race</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How do you use this thing?!!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">But back to the good parts. We saw Shakespeare's birthplace. It was awesome and made me wish I had my high school English teachers along with me. The museum is really well done. A relatively short experience, but very engaging. There was cider on tap everywhere. Hooray! (It suddenly clicked for me why the English drink so much beer and tea. Nasty weather!) We also went to a grocery store where I bought bagels, cheddar cheese, and hummus and even got them home with me where I will enjoy all of them this week. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3YvuU-WKwp8pzHjVcl-bI8x7Bhg98RsHw1uzsRhpHe-HKCwySOJCRE8DqrU1ZeCStKP5xG0cbBak9KC3nV4WDIbn3sK9Q05JZbCyfD6WwWZGv5T7ldVetlb7MQT01f10MIrTBBhJ63sLe/s1600/DSC01177.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3YvuU-WKwp8pzHjVcl-bI8x7Bhg98RsHw1uzsRhpHe-HKCwySOJCRE8DqrU1ZeCStKP5xG0cbBak9KC3nV4WDIbn3sK9Q05JZbCyfD6WwWZGv5T7ldVetlb7MQT01f10MIrTBBhJ63sLe/s320/DSC01177.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View outside the Shakespeare House</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The best part was that I officially took 8 minutes off my time from the one I ran 2 years ago. I also ran the entire thing, never stopped or walked once (well, I did stop to tie my shoe, but I don't think anyone wanted to stop or walk in that weather). I think I did much better pacing this one. I'm still planning on running a marathon eventually. When I do, I'll let you know how it goes. </span><br />
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<br />mllespearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07926065973965567334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6262666800480463163.post-11254524411742671542012-04-22T10:51:00.000-07:002012-04-22T12:57:30.232-07:00Warming Up<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Ok, so Italy is growing on me I am happy to say. Here are some reasons why:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiv-TJruKTP3JOlyzaYINngXrRvXUQGLPL8V_ePgptGY7eJMO8mK01MKebn0oSVUtAzHJHmyrGOfgHST6pQ1MD7459iA7e_15NabhPB3Y0cqmWVSHDhLLqmbYn4DkI0HE798G-7Dggy7iG/s1600/DSC00950.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiv-TJruKTP3JOlyzaYINngXrRvXUQGLPL8V_ePgptGY7eJMO8mK01MKebn0oSVUtAzHJHmyrGOfgHST6pQ1MD7459iA7e_15NabhPB3Y0cqmWVSHDhLLqmbYn4DkI0HE798G-7Dggy7iG/s320/DSC00950.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1. The days are lighter longer and the oppressive winter fog is gone. I have been able to ride my bike to school almost every day for 2 months now! The days I can't I can still see the bus coming down the street. Fog can really dampen your mood. It's been rainy here this month too, and I learned an important lesson about biking in the rain: sand is muddy too, so don't ride through puddles too quickly! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">2. The grocery store is open on Sundays. It seems so silly, but this gives me more free time than I had before. Sundays can be lazy, productive days and Saturdays are free to be more fun. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">3. April is full of travel and holidays here. I just went to Rome over spring break. If you remember from before, I am in amor with Roma. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">JL arrived over Easter weekend. His luggage came the day after he did, but it did make it so we were able to head to Bergamo for a day. This was the first time I was disappointed in my sister city. We went the day after Easter and it was unusually crowded. Part of the charm before was that it was not super touristy, but this time it felt much more so. The view was still spectacular. I actually climbed the clock tower and got a great new panorama. There are hills all around and it just looks so stereotypical Italian. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ9viqv_BRbgTvOn45yRaAoRQnx8TfHk48HyEcAkGmWygLFklqKzTy_gF3dcvDeQMyjUsR1g3RmxkuigyMIRD-ooQ0RXHA7mfPprKVd6focsi1PuEGYB3cD5m8qN9PFkpQ8GjioFCwAP9T/s1600/DSC00904.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ9viqv_BRbgTvOn45yRaAoRQnx8TfHk48HyEcAkGmWygLFklqKzTy_gF3dcvDeQMyjUsR1g3RmxkuigyMIRD-ooQ0RXHA7mfPprKVd6focsi1PuEGYB3cD5m8qN9PFkpQ8GjioFCwAP9T/s320/DSC00904.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Bergamo from the tower</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFjUSQpiHGP4nUpE_9jmTucSRgDyuFLffnR6Ao4CXtOT6nKmFdkadmnXmp0cyAw_Bu0gtRny0dZa0U63A1m3AsldGoP_1_M4MH5apw-d6nWBsJbm2HaZWv82IwpadAjv97J5EWpxVWNNkO/s1600/DSC00910.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFjUSQpiHGP4nUpE_9jmTucSRgDyuFLffnR6Ao4CXtOT6nKmFdkadmnXmp0cyAw_Bu0gtRny0dZa0U63A1m3AsldGoP_1_M4MH5apw-d6nWBsJbm2HaZWv82IwpadAjv97J5EWpxVWNNkO/s320/DSC00910.JPG" width="320" /> </a></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bells in the bell tower. </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We also found a cozy, delicious little place for lunch in the upper city. It was part enoteca so the wine was really yummy. I had what is the Italian equivalent to a tortilla. I'm glad I tried it, but am not sure I'll be trying it again... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">On to <b>Rome</b>. JL and I took the train down. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We took the speedy train so it was a pleasant trip. We made it in 3 hours, but still went through Tuscany, a beautiful ride. In Rome, we met up with my old roommates from DC, Allison and Patricia. Allison came with her sister Lauren. Patricia came with her boyfriend Robert. 3 of us were Rome virgins and 3 were not, but were willing to see the important sights again. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">First sight to be seen was new to me-- the <b>Pantheon</b>. It is so enormous. I have a hard time imagining the materials being shipped all the way from Egypt, but there you have it. There is an open hole in the dome to let sunlight in, but also has the effect of letting rain in too so the floors are slightly sloped. You only notice this when going to the edge to look at a tomb (both Michelangelo and Vittorio Emanuele, the 1st King of a united, modern Italy in the 1800s, are buried here). </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5x3aWz-mU2vC8R2IC45leF3fbM2VOdVlaUwCWLvpfKT6xqaL0_klHCkjSNinkzeV5O1scv-Rc7nYRuR2O8ZN39467GWsISDsoLrX_z_df3G7lO9H8oDSLaBPFKSPc3S_Bgjhgn5_Chqy7/s1600/DSC00915.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5x3aWz-mU2vC8R2IC45leF3fbM2VOdVlaUwCWLvpfKT6xqaL0_klHCkjSNinkzeV5O1scv-Rc7nYRuR2O8ZN39467GWsISDsoLrX_z_df3G7lO9H8oDSLaBPFKSPc3S_Bgjhgn5_Chqy7/s320/DSC00915.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">hole in the dome</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZjkNoU3WE2YK5502gDslWXi9MBHAPbtrypKLdhjhWQORuTEnzNP3PS9DIuhCibwAyfTH3CAh1JfwfsW-IQc2GjhZopAXZ7uER-OH1yLz0zSt2Jd-mqr2boPCHEmu2QwsCvoVzWz_iIyK5/s1600/DSC00919.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="70" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZjkNoU3WE2YK5502gDslWXi9MBHAPbtrypKLdhjhWQORuTEnzNP3PS9DIuhCibwAyfTH3CAh1JfwfsW-IQc2GjhZopAXZ7uER-OH1yLz0zSt2Jd-mqr2boPCHEmu2QwsCvoVzWz_iIyK5/s320/DSC00919.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the Pantheon</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Second sight was probably the highlight of the whole thing, a private tour of the <b>Vatican</b>. I would love to say that we all pooled our money and paid for this "Donor's Tour", but as a poor teacher, this will probably never be the case. Robert has a friend, Anne, who gives private tours of the Vatican to donors. Anne was extremely knowledgeable, lively, and very enthusiastic. She is very clever too and she asked us to come first thing in the morning. We went through the whole museum backwards and ended up being the first people in the Sistine Chapel. Just us, the security guards, and God. It was simply amazing. However, despite the quiet and sense of awe, upon reflection later that day, I was surprised to find that I didn't find it particularly holy-feeling. I wasn't moved to pray; it felt much more like a palace than a church. In any case, it was an incredible experience and one that will stay with me for a long time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">One of my favorite rooms at the Vatican both last time and this time was the room of maps. The colors are so appealing and exciting. I was amused to discover the Milan map myself, only later to have it pointed out by Anne who claims that it has not changed much since it was made (in the 1500s?). I couldn't help but agree with her in more than one respect. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgusQIXKetF1y9cv2OUf6b1fZfIgDQyLLtN9_PKYFnSdM3AhJgl6tqGBIhWwooFvEkmIJhlRNWt9eIzZjZgb-WPedHdG10GHp24ycre-0ujrFawK8nY15A8T_0r-fpvoj-mSYCffAbiHKS/s1600/DSC00948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgusQIXKetF1y9cv2OUf6b1fZfIgDQyLLtN9_PKYFnSdM3AhJgl6tqGBIhWwooFvEkmIJhlRNWt9eIzZjZgb-WPedHdG10GHp24ycre-0ujrFawK8nY15A8T_0r-fpvoj-mSYCffAbiHKS/s320/DSC00948.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Virgin Mary Room</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiBy6gycVZCts7NtMceCRQWm37tQzJQovxsw1gSebsWxHsAzHaTIfsl7CWfx1dUZ_Cka374k9NLbKZRjeIsH3Pr5lb2LHtHgZSckfE-HJ33aF2EYunQSBGssFL1_ez0LmoDUZDDjKZtS9O/s1600/DSC00954.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiBy6gycVZCts7NtMceCRQWm37tQzJQovxsw1gSebsWxHsAzHaTIfsl7CWfx1dUZ_Cka374k9NLbKZRjeIsH3Pr5lb2LHtHgZSckfE-HJ33aF2EYunQSBGssFL1_ez0LmoDUZDDjKZtS9O/s320/DSC00954.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me in front of the Milan map</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ry4OvJx87tf2veN7eghlAJN62Qb365WAit2O0FmJ_InaaoWg7wKdD3U8xF03TTtBq4sb2inEdSnDzywZZ5pjtfOZCCOTzWXfk1zUHQzbPDvDDz7sIICuNrI0XiK7KThxZQVlCK-jtWiK/s1600/DSC00962.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ry4OvJx87tf2veN7eghlAJN62Qb365WAit2O0FmJ_InaaoWg7wKdD3U8xF03TTtBq4sb2inEdSnDzywZZ5pjtfOZCCOTzWXfk1zUHQzbPDvDDz7sIICuNrI0XiK7KThxZQVlCK-jtWiK/s320/DSC00962.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my favorite works at the Pinocoteca</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">After lunch, we headed back to The Vatican. This time to St. Peter's. I went to parts I couldn't go to last time which was cool, but the coolest part was going up the dome. I thought it would just be a spectacular view of the city, but it turned out that on the way to the outside view, you have to walk around part of the dome inside. You get a whole new perspective looking down at it. The view from the Dome was very pretty, but there were so many people that it was a little frustrating to try to enjoy it properly. Going down those 500 stairs was a whole lot easier than going up them. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnkJbEuZE7pjx-osdPm7CAgR2E06Xh7grXVnSeBZE_eU3ZH1CkBfzd65XwyN0AXLJyzUQ7kbnihQoiZhKahL6yxBgESjznC-Lo0AoY33Z0gig8UC8YXrk5D4w6O8JGUjBHUcjDvNslFNY6/s1600/DSC00971.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnkJbEuZE7pjx-osdPm7CAgR2E06Xh7grXVnSeBZE_eU3ZH1CkBfzd65XwyN0AXLJyzUQ7kbnihQoiZhKahL6yxBgESjznC-Lo0AoY33Z0gig8UC8YXrk5D4w6O8JGUjBHUcjDvNslFNY6/s320/DSC00971.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interior of the Dome</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCHmGzm_0eBXHLfXdrSzX2qmoHYMAtHbjYCy6gOCmguD6G0X7ZxSsfJpAoe6tp3eTcCNPtJQSIy8Q5W9rHIap_-MTepVU6JS_Jz1ePDLfyZFOiWsjXzr2FroErspSHU50uQalfnZCAu-RF/s1600/DSC00984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="70" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCHmGzm_0eBXHLfXdrSzX2qmoHYMAtHbjYCy6gOCmguD6G0X7ZxSsfJpAoe6tp3eTcCNPtJQSIy8Q5W9rHIap_-MTepVU6JS_Jz1ePDLfyZFOiWsjXzr2FroErspSHU50uQalfnZCAu-RF/s320/DSC00984.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the Dome</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">That night we headed back to the restaurant I went to last time that I enjoyed so much, Trattoria da Lucia. Everyone enjoyed their meal. Anne joined us so we got more history on the way over. We also had lemoncello at the end since I insisted that they must try it before leaving Italy. Yum!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The following day was ruin central. The <b>Colosseum, the Forum, Palatine Hill, and Circus Maximus</b>. I was planning on getting a run in while the rest of the group was at the Colosseum, but we didn't know of a good meeting place so I joined them on a group tour. I couldn't hear well so I wandered around a bit and then left to go see the Circus Maximus. It was the highlight of the day. It was the place where races used to be held, but is now a park. It is not very crowded and at one end there are excavations going on and it was really interesting to watch. I enjoyed walking around and imagining watching chariots racing around the path 7 times. You can see the Forum from the Circus and history just seems to be everywhere. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh78OS21JTHbdVqFyRwF1KooyWKsh0_bcqJvHbLaxJCSGGywSQf2SW0n6YLBovfLWSJoKe4GxUjxAkQ9GgaYPLD3Ye-dAejxINXX3KDdQtoPzW3VBdHr_w91gRAKU5SpPKGMuI_zXs30wXp/s1600/DSC01013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh78OS21JTHbdVqFyRwF1KooyWKsh0_bcqJvHbLaxJCSGGywSQf2SW0n6YLBovfLWSJoKe4GxUjxAkQ9GgaYPLD3Ye-dAejxINXX3KDdQtoPzW3VBdHr_w91gRAKU5SpPKGMuI_zXs30wXp/s320/DSC01013.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">excavations at the Circus Maximus</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55UWkR1VehE6lAMou30WS8b0wuyHAAnPWRm6nD8JKBTwE2xXYx39BNTO7WqijzRwklRMC5hnuCHaHD5kEd8mLJ8tUzsT4VTKDBKuK6aRnAwnIn9aZ4Qs7carV22vGnblHz96wcUyGin7I/s1600/DSC01020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55UWkR1VehE6lAMou30WS8b0wuyHAAnPWRm6nD8JKBTwE2xXYx39BNTO7WqijzRwklRMC5hnuCHaHD5kEd8mLJ8tUzsT4VTKDBKuK6aRnAwnIn9aZ4Qs7carV22vGnblHz96wcUyGin7I/s320/DSC01020.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now a park today</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgasMNefcvtUxxPaT0KhsTkv1F_sOasH8NFAy6RWsvp1UN7QRoSwEtXErGldbQKT40yofz3Sp11kskFg7ZIZYUmISR5C2lfmdaRKGuYub7BKQLwKp83CbIKLnAEA1dz8zm5lEWC3x7jDezT/s1600/DSC01027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgasMNefcvtUxxPaT0KhsTkv1F_sOasH8NFAy6RWsvp1UN7QRoSwEtXErGldbQKT40yofz3Sp11kskFg7ZIZYUmISR5C2lfmdaRKGuYub7BKQLwKp83CbIKLnAEA1dz8zm5lEWC3x7jDezT/s320/DSC01027.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Palatine Hill</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha9IakBUDTobKo2jgQAaSVvo2UPvvmvBFHZDCi-v6-RlWq2Sw3OY_oLGhyGbY4tFwiuai20cS0P1GJWSLAukn-zQjcrAfG2C_SfPe-Rk_4UFrEfH75yzGkTqj-Q6GP5pT0V915Czca9Z3M/s1600/DSC01034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha9IakBUDTobKo2jgQAaSVvo2UPvvmvBFHZDCi-v6-RlWq2Sw3OY_oLGhyGbY4tFwiuai20cS0P1GJWSLAukn-zQjcrAfG2C_SfPe-Rk_4UFrEfH75yzGkTqj-Q6GP5pT0V915Czca9Z3M/s320/DSC01034.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of the Forum ruins</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">After a late lunch at a pub, we finally found the <b>Bocca della Verita</b> at the church of St. Maria in Cosmedin. My hand was not bitten off thank goodness. This ancient lie detector was made famous in Roman Holiday. Now there is a line to see it and a guard who will let you take 1 photo per person for the cost of 1 euro per person. The inside of the church is very simple and in contrast to the Sistine Chapel had a holy feeling for me. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcKX8TcV8T5a3Kj2464wy3iwPANKF02cylWZ3-AWz0wUtgYMahrdxwAZXqdXHpMUKdIcVPB5w9Mp6mnfErIm6MOoGsrxqKdvgCgQ2p3WynbZfqWKzkzmIOR6jMjdUNHzoo82JEUgUCg73Q/s1600/Roman-Holiday-audrey-hepburn-824725_640_480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcKX8TcV8T5a3Kj2464wy3iwPANKF02cylWZ3-AWz0wUtgYMahrdxwAZXqdXHpMUKdIcVPB5w9Mp6mnfErIm6MOoGsrxqKdvgCgQ2p3WynbZfqWKzkzmIOR6jMjdUNHzoo82JEUgUCg73Q/s320/Roman-Holiday-audrey-hepburn-824725_640_480.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bocca della Verita</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Later that night was another heavy but yummy pasta dinner at a little trattoria close to our hotel. It was recommended by my mom's friends and they really knew what they were talking about! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Friday was our last full day there and Patricia's birthday too. In the morning, while Allison and Patricia went to scout out Allison's Rome office for work and see another church and Lauren and Robert went in search of good Italian coffee, JL and I went shopping. Unfortunately it started raining and then we got lost on our way back to the hotel to meet everyone. We did stumble upon a sushi restaurant where after more getting lost we eventually relocated with the group. It was quite chic, but a nice change from the heavy Italian food we had been eating. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">After lunch we went to the <b>Capuchin Crypt</b>. This is a crypt for a Capuchin order of monks. Very serious about death were they. So serious that they made all sorts of decorations for and reminders of death out of dead monks' bones. Pretty creepy. While the whole thing was very interesting in a slightly uncomfortable way, the best part was the ticket lady and guard who we overheard chatting with a kid around 10 years old. Upon his exit she told him to, "Sleep well tonight." </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0HXBfLectZcPFYJF9LAqFlquXzAm_wQoGZkakMR9KAB_LIAKwp9bOguiNQ-IWOsqfSpqo87djG_aKcoI4_oe1HDA01xXdB1NpbFFMXPSkT8A6c0e9xGccMVJkiMULmtlQ7QawzYfeqyT8/s1600/capuchin+crypt" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0HXBfLectZcPFYJF9LAqFlquXzAm_wQoGZkakMR9KAB_LIAKwp9bOguiNQ-IWOsqfSpqo87djG_aKcoI4_oe1HDA01xXdB1NpbFFMXPSkT8A6c0e9xGccMVJkiMULmtlQ7QawzYfeqyT8/s320/capuchin+crypt" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Skull Room. Nice, huh?</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We wandered around the streets a bit more before ending up at a gelato shop. Well, really restaurant. It was huge and fancy and had absolutely delicious gelato. Robert had strawberry gelato and champange gelato which I believe was dubbed the most exciting combination. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For Patricia's birthday dinner we went to a restaurant close to our hotel. The most notable thing about this place (other than the pictures of celebrities hanging on the walls) was the delicious wine. It was the best red I've had in a while. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Alas, Saturday morning it was time to leave. We had breakfast together, and then took off for the train ride home. It was an exhausting trip but so worth it. Bottom line: Go to Rome!!! Take friends!!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">4. Of course I have to include this because it was my life for so long, but running. With the nice weather comes nicer runs, or at least in theory. Unfortunately, on a long run at the end of February, I hurt my IT band and had to significantly shorten my runs. For 2 entire months my knee was in sharp pain after 4 miles. In an last act of desperation, praying for healing, I quit running anything over 3 miles for 3 entire weeks! Yesterday I got 12.8 in without any pain so I am hoping that next week I can at least do the half marathon. Keep your fingers crossed for me. Sunday is the big day. 26.2 slated, but who knows what I'll feel like on the day of... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span>mllespearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07926065973965567334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6262666800480463163.post-24587631864000008462012-03-03T04:09:00.000-08:002012-03-03T04:10:45.396-08:00Amsterdam and Paris and Running<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One of the things I love about living in Europe is ski break/white week. This is a week in February where countries take time off to go skiing. (I almost did not have enough hours when I did my student teaching because of this ample vacation time.) For us non-skiers we</span> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">have to find other ways to amuse ourselves during the cold winter sport season. Luckily, this is not hard to do. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u><b>Amsterdam </b></u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Carrie and I headed off to Amsterdam and Paris for the week. Amsterdam was our first stop. We arrived on Saturday morning before our hotel room was ready. We wandered around for a few hours and enjoyed the quiet of the city. It turns out Amsterdam is slow to start in the mornings. A city after my own heart. We stumbled upon a <a href="http://www.burger-bar.nl/" target="_blank">burger bar</a> on our way back to the hotel. You build your own burger. My suggestion is the fries! Wow! I could have eaten just those. Plus, they have a sink in the bar area so you can wash your hands before eating. (Just a warning, no public sinks/bathrooms have hot water in Amsterdam. Burrr!!!!!) In the afternoon we went to the <a href="http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/" target="_blank">Rijksmuseum</a> </span>. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It was a neat place and tells about a lot of history of the country, but by the end both Carrie and I were so tired that we had a hard time keeping our eyes open and standing up straight. The audioguide played all sorts of soothing music with long pauses, perfect for relaxing to the point of sleep when you've been up since 4 in the morning. Don't go there when you are tired. Cool paintings there included <a href="http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/formats/container_en.html" target="_blank">The Night Watch</a>, <a href="http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/melkmeisje?lang=en" target="_blank">The Milkmaid</a>, and <a href="http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/winterlandschap?lang=en" target="_blank">Winter Landscape</a>. The exterior is beautiful!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rijksmuseum</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The other two museums we saw together were the <a href="http://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/vgm/index.jsp?page=101&lang=en" target="_blank">Van Gogh Museum</a> and the <a href="http://www.rembrandthuis.nl/index.php?item=0&lang=en" target="_blank">Rembrandt House</a>. The Van Gogh Museum was too overwhelming for me. It was jam-packed! The audioguide does not do a good job of spacing out the selected pieces so everyone ends up crowded in certain areas. The audioguide is also stingy on the details of Van Gogh's personal life. They make tons of comments in passing, but never elaborate on his mental illness or the huge fight he had with Paul Gauguin that ended their friendship. But here is one cool thing I learned: Van Gogh tried to start off his life as an Evangelist. I never knew that and would never have expected it. I also never realized how much he was influenced by Japanese art. We saw more <a href="http://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/vgm/index.jsp?page=3503&collection=623&lang=en" target="_blank">Sunflowers</a> there. There was also a neat special exhibition on Van Gogh reusing his canvases. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Rembrandt House was more my speed. Entrance came with an audioguide. The whole thing could be done in an hour and was a mix of history and art. It was a visit to a historical house and gave you a glimpse into what life was like when Rembrandt was painting and living. There was a live demonstration on etching. A very enjoyable experience overall. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We spent a long time walking and wandering the streets and canals of Amsterdam. It is a lovely city for walking. The red light district was shocking, even knowing what you are going to see. Seeing people on sale is a strange thing. This was the one thing I could bare to photograph. Beautiful swans and birds foraging in the dirty canal. (By far the dirtiest part of the canals.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I never ended up going to the Anne Frank house, but did go to the <a href="http://www.corrietenboom.com/information.htm" target="_blank">Ten Boom House</a> in Haarlam. I had never heard of Corrie Ten Boom or her book, "The Hiding Place." Again, this was interesting to me because it was a slice of history. The house has been preserved. It focused less on the terrible things happening during the war and more on the joy of life in the house and Corrie's relationship with God. (It was a bit over the top for my taste. Corrie's God and mine work differently. Mine answers prayers much less directly!) </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">False wall in Corrie's bedroom. Jewish people hid behind it and were never caught. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We also saw an old-fashioned windmill. It makes sense to me now that there are so many in The Netherlands. It is WINDY! Haarlam was a very beautiful city and I hope to go back some day. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u><b>Paris </b></u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Wednesday came at last and with it Paris. I was super excited to go back since I haven't returned since doing my student teaching in 2008. I was reminded of French rules that drove me crazy. What is different about bureaucracy in France than bureaucracy in Italy is that in France if you follow the rules, silly as they may be, in the end you know the system will work. I was reminded of this when we arrived at Gare du Nord and had to walk through a very long metal barrier/corridor to get a taxi. Instead of just walking straight to the front since there were only 2 people ahead of us we had to walk through the entire corridor. At least there was order, unlike some Italian lines. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We checked into our hotel, a small, unpleasant place on a perfectly delightful street, Rue Cler. We rested and then headed out to meet one of my old friends, David, for dinner. We went to a restaurant called Pramil. It was a fun place. Felt a little formal, but was not too expensive or pretentious. I had a new food, </span><a href="http://www.google.it/imgres?imgurl=http://lh6.ggpht.com/_HyG4qYcYV1Y/ST4k-aAOt4I/AAAAAAAAeIU/A3CzNTRTcqo/kur-stu1416.jpg&imgrefurl=http://luirig.altervista.org/schedeit/fo/mesembryanthemum_crystallinum.htm&h=480&w=640&sz=53&tbnid=V_lfcabmDEujJM:&tbnh=91&tbnw=121&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dmesembryanthemum%2Bcrystallinum%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=mesembryanthemum+crystallinum&docid=7TgT5YZBdgMPnM&hl=it&sa=X&ei=CPtRT-rZFYnEsgarmdHfCw&ved=0CDMQ9QEwAg&dur=916" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ficoid glacial</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">. It is a spinach-like lettuce that looks like it is covered in ice. Interesting, but crunchier than I like my lettuce. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thursday while Carrie, a Paris virgin, went museum hopping, I spent the day shopping and went to see "The Artist." It was an interesting idea and I liked it on the big screen, but I'm not sure it was better than "The Descendants" or even "Midnight in Paris." I went to Bert's, my favorite old haunt for lunch dismayed to find out the food has gone way down. It's not just a sesame baguette with ham and cheese anymore. Everything has been Americanized with too many sauces and ingredients. Not the pure flavor of the fresh foods they used to have. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In any case, la goute made up for it. I met my old French teacher, Julie, at <a href="http://www.laduree.fr/" target="_blank">Laduree</a> for a trio of macaroons. Yum! We spent a good hour talking French and I was as surprised as anyone that my French held up that long. In fact, my whole time in Paris, no one spoke English to me. I can tell that my understanding has decreased, but was relieved to be able to communicate the whole time-- a nice change from daily life in Italy. Carrie and I had dinner in St. Germain des Pres and then went to my favorite crepe stand for dessert. Nothing beats a nutella (mais pas trop!) crepe. Yumm! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Friday I spent the day with Sherri, a friend from college, and her fiance Mike. They are living in Paris for the year as she does research on her Ph.D. We spent the whole morning at the Hotel de Ville seeing free exhibits on photos of Les Halles in the 1950-70s by <a href="http://www.robert-doisneau.com/fr/expositions/expo-doisneau-paris-halles.htm" target="_blank">Robert Doisneau</a> and the artwork of <a href="http://www.paris.fr/english/english/the-drawings-of-sempe-at-the-hotel-de-ville/rub_8118_actu_107168_port_19237" target="_blank">Sempe</a>, an artist for the New Yorker, but also the illustrator for my favorite French books, <a href="http://www.petitnicolas.com/" target="_blank">Le Petit Nicolas</a>. We had a picnic outside the Center Pompidou for lunch and then strolled over to my old quartier. A nice stroll down memory lane. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I got Carrie in the evening and we went to Mike and Sherri's place in Belleville for an aperitif. I brought a bottle of my favorite Savinguon Blanc. We all went to dinner at a local joint near Mike and Sherri's. It was fun and nice to be out of the touristy area. I remember going to tasty places near Republic and Bastille when I lived there and I think these are still the best areas to find good restaurants. Both Wednesday and Friday night dinners were there. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><u>Running</u></b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Alas, Saturday we departed and headed back to Milan which welcomed us with beautiful weather. Sunday I met up with my running buddies, Kyle and Jeff. Kyle and I ran 16 miles. This was so hard. Dehydrated from the week before and new foods in my stomach, my body rebelled. I had my first blisters from training yet. This marathon training is no joke! Running seems to be my entire life these days. Traveling and training are not the best combination. You may have noticed that I did not go to the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. This is in part because I spent my time running. I went for two runs over White week. Two 8-milers in Amsterdam. The first one was a complete disaster. I went out and found Vondel Park which has a long loop that I ran two times, very overdressed. On my last lap, the skies and wind opened up and dumped hail, large, painful hail on the park. I was no longer overdressed, but had a ton of wet clothes on and then proceeded to get lost on the way home. Freezing, wet, and in pain, it was far from a fun run.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Training in Opera on a snow day</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frozen shoes from too long a run in the cold and snow.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I did however have a nice run another day. It was not raining and I ran only one loop in the park and then up and down the canals. A fun run to remember Amsterdam. I didn't run in Paris because it was yucky weather the day I planned to run and have plenty of good memories of running there anyway. Next up Stramilano half marathon. ("An agonistic race" according to the director. Doesn't sound too good huh?) Wish me luck! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />mllespearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07926065973965567334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6262666800480463163.post-26761450352639551002012-01-30T13:30:00.000-08:002012-01-30T13:30:43.231-08:00I love Rome<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Roma</i>- Rome, capital of Italy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Last weekend, Carrie, Kyle, Jeff, and I took a little trip to Rome. Whirlwind trip really. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Day 1- We left Friday night after school from Bergamo. I highly recommend that airport. Wow! It's clean, bright, friendly, and cheap. Our flight was slightly delayed, but we still made it to Rome just before midnight. We all agreed that we would split a cab to the hotel that night. The only problem with that was that there were no cabs. It turns out that there was a national cab strike. We called 3 different numbers with little success. Actually, one was successful, but the cab kept going to different parts of the airport and other poor, stranded souls took ours. After an hour, Carrie hooked up her computer with her portable internet key and found the hotel phone number. 30 minutes later we had a cab and were on the way to the hotel. <a href="http://www.edenroma.com/" target="_blank">This</a> is the link in case you are curious. 5 star is not a bad way to stay. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Day 2- We slept in a bit after the previous late night. But we were out the door by 10:30. After a long meander to the Vatican by way of the Spanish steps, we arrived at the Vatican Museum around 11:30. That place is overwhelming in the best possible way. I was stunned by the sheer quantity. Plus, it was surprising how much of it was not necessarily religious or Christian. But it is also clear that Christianity has very deep roots. Evidently, the mummies and ceilings impressed me the most as I look back through my pictures since I seemed to photograph ceilings exclusively. Well, almost. The School of Athens was nothing to sneeze at. I was delighted when Kyle reminded us that it was there!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixgjpZBu3QMGMc26wWWZMReGJCYF_DhxgmwwOIZiItt11ufQiCUdi6GBQ06cy_6dgUHTRSK58BNutZp3FtNrStcEKoRnSiGxsR0SH96Lx0Deal1HsVimFCnWcXUMqgGFxSDGP7KgMV4YWH/s1600/DSC00711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixgjpZBu3QMGMc26wWWZMReGJCYF_DhxgmwwOIZiItt11ufQiCUdi6GBQ06cy_6dgUHTRSK58BNutZp3FtNrStcEKoRnSiGxsR0SH96Lx0Deal1HsVimFCnWcXUMqgGFxSDGP7KgMV4YWH/s320/DSC00711.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">mini mummies</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ER88mYEyw440oH97yDBx9KuEfqLSO50sj2Eo7b9dDQkY5SsxZczop5JLYmbkDXBZAbxwaAzymMnOIIhpa8sqeMd7-YJWICph__Lgs77e0wVhm30tU2kuWnn54Gj9IsbOZcaTAI4wBAt4/s1600/DSC00715.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ER88mYEyw440oH97yDBx9KuEfqLSO50sj2Eo7b9dDQkY5SsxZczop5JLYmbkDXBZAbxwaAzymMnOIIhpa8sqeMd7-YJWICph__Lgs77e0wVhm30tU2kuWnn54Gj9IsbOZcaTAI4wBAt4/s320/DSC00715.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ceiling </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7butaAxV9y6vnL8PUTVljeOh0TbJ1x1cyAosMo9rGngNxFTgbyh-uhwFIyYm3xebil1ckAtR7NhzuKEY9EMy0mJO1_vv7Hx4L4hFsxBo7aE42v8NFk4kEun62Ef1KBEWVZAUgLcm_giIl/s1600/DSC00716.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7butaAxV9y6vnL8PUTVljeOh0TbJ1x1cyAosMo9rGngNxFTgbyh-uhwFIyYm3xebil1ckAtR7NhzuKEY9EMy0mJO1_vv7Hx4L4hFsxBo7aE42v8NFk4kEun62Ef1KBEWVZAUgLcm_giIl/s320/DSC00716.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another ceiling</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbAJ2wIOaQwtlHdMdHQgkhoVBAEZpAMmqYulRluAt9hupTKMZWcAHb7ebf7ATfit0HWpAYYLP2GjJ8vfUEH0mk4rwKPovKMLza8CwqMrr0U7MszwdApJ6OaeA-rQRFDhITJzbsnWWWTcQS/s1600/DSC00725.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbAJ2wIOaQwtlHdMdHQgkhoVBAEZpAMmqYulRluAt9hupTKMZWcAHb7ebf7ATfit0HWpAYYLP2GjJ8vfUEH0mk4rwKPovKMLza8CwqMrr0U7MszwdApJ6OaeA-rQRFDhITJzbsnWWWTcQS/s320/DSC00725.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And, yep, another</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghmDaWPoEDWOcFvgiS8epld5AE8yt2TpgH8jfVDyW9hnEW_dRxPO6p4quxfOn0UVKl9YtBzXt4sK5aeX5FSyciS1BAPBI1d0xHFr8yTiE5VLwSFAHz7oaKkIjaxa6AGuw1be33BDHPrcBi/s1600/DSC00734.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghmDaWPoEDWOcFvgiS8epld5AE8yt2TpgH8jfVDyW9hnEW_dRxPO6p4quxfOn0UVKl9YtBzXt4sK5aeX5FSyciS1BAPBI1d0xHFr8yTiE5VLwSFAHz7oaKkIjaxa6AGuw1be33BDHPrcBi/s320/DSC00734.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">School of Athens</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgldVpp5j2wI-8wENl2QeBX4RvCcJ_Mr1NL_Zj6SQWqyGMd2bh4ZKYM9xhlFwJx5dSzcTh41N6wbhtJdUgJ-dHR7fuLY4hyphenhyphenpVdi-Naee03iRR_lv4mGfGegQRSG8POIkdATvIFa26zRNXKC/s1600/DSC00736.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="70" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgldVpp5j2wI-8wENl2QeBX4RvCcJ_Mr1NL_Zj6SQWqyGMd2bh4ZKYM9xhlFwJx5dSzcTh41N6wbhtJdUgJ-dHR7fuLY4hyphenhyphenpVdi-Naee03iRR_lv4mGfGegQRSG8POIkdATvIFa26zRNXKC/s320/DSC00736.JPG" width="320" /> </a></td><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">After the excitement of one masterpiece, we ended up at another one you may have heard of: The Sistine Chapel. </span></td><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the whole room</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br 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/></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br 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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">That was pretty exciting. Rick Steves' free audio podcasts are really the best and we spent a good 45 minutes there straining our necks. I was surprised that the Oracle of Delphi made it up onto the ceiling. See what I mean about it being not just Christian? Also, just a helpful tip, the cafe right before the Chapel is cheap (for Rome) and has seating downstairs. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">After lunch, Kyle and Jeff headed back to the hotel while Carrie and I went to St. Peter's. Again, wow! It too is a bit overwhelming. Luckily, there was a mass going on so we could only go to a limited part of the Cathedral. From Peter, the 1st Pope, to Charlemagne, to Pope Benoit. It has quite the history. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh76oPj6_AgqJ4NSlPq2lk55Bb9haYX6_VqLTXwnX9ViQXCvjCbxTKzYjUMTVZt8SICqQv9TwBRPDN3RzTJUuOjcmZDZdGlxP7I3M_-AJ4bLpchQwLr835QrapaxdaGjJBN_gSJw98LyWpl/s1600/DSC00751.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh76oPj6_AgqJ4NSlPq2lk55Bb9haYX6_VqLTXwnX9ViQXCvjCbxTKzYjUMTVZt8SICqQv9TwBRPDN3RzTJUuOjcmZDZdGlxP7I3M_-AJ4bLpchQwLr835QrapaxdaGjJBN_gSJw98LyWpl/s200/DSC00751.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marble where Charlemagne was crowned</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigHWgNulNuc4rkuFuiGb5qCm6wU_ICRYLPp8mbVi3sbDO65FIiDq4969RZi3oLESpcrRjEqBNidfa3eLc3RDAQXaPtazv4hdeGxeVuD_ju3rR0THvXkhq9yyC2F1wcDeMy-VifACw7wvrt/s1600/DSC00759.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigHWgNulNuc4rkuFuiGb5qCm6wU_ICRYLPp8mbVi3sbDO65FIiDq4969RZi3oLESpcrRjEqBNidfa3eLc3RDAQXaPtazv4hdeGxeVuD_ju3rR0THvXkhq9yyC2F1wcDeMy-VifACw7wvrt/s320/DSC00759.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michelangelo's Pieta</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3uNRHxG5VTpnnzVqTxLqjSoB_f94UFn3AmmXODR87O7ILYg1WyImIrASpVeZnK8KmRmSMtP1ekud6S6ZQyqZ_ug4cDQpMplp8FxQUEn5cZTtT_b8KKwr492yHggKo72Tvi6IavEmDvl64/s1600/DSC00760.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3uNRHxG5VTpnnzVqTxLqjSoB_f94UFn3AmmXODR87O7ILYg1WyImIrASpVeZnK8KmRmSMtP1ekud6S6ZQyqZ_ug4cDQpMplp8FxQUEn5cZTtT_b8KKwr492yHggKo72Tvi6IavEmDvl64/s320/DSC00760.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Peter's Square</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">That night was the best dinner I've had since living in Italy. Cannot wait to go back this spring. Wish I knew the name of the restaurant. Passing the Trevi on the way, didn't hurt the charm of the evening. The charm was disrupted temporarily by the 4 am wake up call we didn't order and the front desk asking what to do with the cab they ordered for us. Not. My. Problem. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Day 3- After a mistake in speeds on a km/h (not mph) treadmill, I got my semi-long run in. (It turns out that training for a marathon on the road is a bit tricky.) Then off to the Colosseum. It was incredible! (Thanks in part to the free podcast.) I could not imagine the terror of fighting in front of full stadium. There is a great view of Hadrain's Arch and ruins of a temple to Venus from the upper tier. It is tricky to find the stairs though. Taxi strike over, we found one to take us back to the airport. The 7th generation Roman explained that the strike was over the new tax Monti (new head of government) imposed. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bottom line: Not a coincidence the letters of Roma can be rearranged to spell Amor! I love Rome! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span>mllespearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07926065973965567334noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6262666800480463163.post-91380262487721057802012-01-14T13:37:00.000-08:002012-01-14T13:42:35.468-08:00Italy in the News this Week<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Good... </span></b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/movies/2012/01/dvd-of-the-week-voyage-to-italy.html" target="_blank">Film to See? From The New Yorker</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A short clip from the New Yorker about a film called "Voyage to Italy." It has Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rossellini. I've never seen it, but maybe I should...</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Bad...</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <a href="http://www.npr.org/2012/01/07/144822637/italian-shopkeepers-say-no-grazie-to-more-hours" target="_blank">Keep Shopping Difficult from NPR</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This should be good news, but it just goes to show that Italy is slow on the uptake. I think I may have explained how hard it is to buy things here. Evidently economists agree with me. Consumer spending should be up. Unfortunately, only immigrants can see this. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Ugly... </span></b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/world/europe/cruise-ship-runs-aground-off-tuscan-coast.html?_r=1&ref=global-home" target="_blank">Cruise Ship Crash</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bummer. Super sad. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>mllespearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07926065973965567334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6262666800480463163.post-28963434556608643602012-01-06T14:49:00.000-08:002012-01-08T04:48:11.137-08:00Words in English<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ahhh. Home for the holidays. It was so fantastic to be back Stateside for Christmas and New Year's. I was only back for 11 days, but every single moment was perfect. Now that I'm back in Italy I thought I would make a list of all the things I did in 11 days that I haven't done in 4 months. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1. <u>Made copies of keys</u>. I still do not have a copy of my mailbox key (school cannot find a locksmith to make a copy) or a spare set for my apartment (I've tried, but they won't take my money or make the key of course). In the US, I made copies of 2 different keys. On Christmas Eve day!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2. <u>Watched a movie</u>. In a theater. In English. "The Descendents" is fantastic and a real tearjerker just in case you were curious.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3. <u>Walked to an Asian restaurant</u>. That's right. I walked. Not possible in my town for anything except pizza. I also ordered in sushi and walked to a Belgian restaurant,</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> walked to a sandwich shop for lunch, and walked to </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">McDonald's (for the record that is my third trip this fall/winter; 1st was for wifi in France; 2nd was for wifi and lunch in Germany). Guess what I didn't eat. Pizza! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">4. <u>Got my hair cut</u>. There was no negotiating or misunderstanding or drastic change. I've been afraid to get a haircut here because they are expensive and I've learned from London and Paris, don't go to a new person without being able to communicate very clearly. I can't do that here yet. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">5. <u>Bought a cell phone</u>. Yes, that's right. It turns out you really do need one everywhere these days so I went to Target and bought a pay-as-you-go phone. It worked and I even recharged it. Ahhh! The sweet smell of success. I actually thought that it might work abroad, but it doesn't. Damn US locked phones. It took me all of 10 minutes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(In any case, in an Italian phone update, I just bought a new cheapo phone for my Italian SIM card, but I still couldn't make calls. I took it down to the electronics station at the grocery store and used my best smile to charm the guy into helping me. It worked. He couldn't figure it out either. He ended up calling headquarters or something and they said I was out of credit. He recharged it for me and when the new balance came up, I wasn't actually out of credit, but, it works now, so I'm not going to question it. Plus, now I have a phone that charges regardless of what angle I put the charger in!) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">6. <u>Did a load of laundry the morning I flew back</u>. Yes, that's right I washed and dried an entire load of laundry in under 2 hours! My washer isn't even finished in two hours here. Drying is out of the question. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I did a ton of other really fun stuff and saw tons of people I really miss! Quick highlights were: my parents' holiday party, Christmas day, a road trip with a friend, a massage, homemade dinner and good wine with friends, a night in my old apartment with my old roomies, watching "The Good Wife," discovering "Damages," playing bananagrams on New Year's Eve, dinners with my cousin (at an old favorite) and a friend (at a new favorite), and a 6-mile run with old friends. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Finally, here is a reason to love Italy. They sell this contraption. Searching for shelving on amazon.it, this came up as a kitchen accessory. I prefer to think of it as some sort of contemporary art, but whatever, it had me laughing at long last. </span>mllespearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07926065973965567334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6262666800480463163.post-58826053252151395402011-12-18T09:13:00.000-08:002011-12-18T09:15:45.205-08:00Why Italy's Economy Crashed (And Why I Won't Spend a Penny More Than I Need To Here!)<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ok, full disclaimer: I am not an economist. I am a 1st grade teacher. I am living in Italy for two years, teaching at an American school. I am on month 4 here and am still without "real" internet, a cell phone plan, a TV, a landline phone, tapanade, bus tickets, and local tourist books. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I have already explained the internet/landline telephone thing in a previous post and this is still not remedied. I am still using my too-slow-for-skype internet key. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Telefonino</i>- cell phone. Our first week here the school rushed us to a Walmart type store (6 minutes by car; 56 minutes by public transportation) to buy the cheapest phones possible. I brought an old unlocked phone from the US figuring that I would be here long enough to buy a phone plan. For over the past 6 weeks I have been trying to buy a new cell phone. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Try 1- Vodafone is out of iphones, so I settle for the cheapest smart phone (hoping for skype). At the end of the paperwork, the internet at Vodafone (an internet company incidentally) crashes and our contract cannot be completed. I have to leave the phone there and return the next day. It is not easy to get to the store, but I go back and guess what! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Try 2- The internet is still crashed. No phone for me. Since I cannot return on Monday or during the week, I was forced to cancel the first part of my contract. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Try 3- I returned the following weekend. Well, it turns out that because I had to cancel, I also was charged the 100 euro fee. I told them that I understood, but if I had to pay the fee, I would not use Vodafone for my phone company. Funny how they found a way to reimburse me the fee after that. I go through the whole process of getting an iphone, only to have Vodafone tell me that my Italian credit card is not set up for monthly deductions, only one time transactions. I tell our business office at school and they straighten it out. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Try 4- However, after that I return to Vodafone one last time this weekend and they have no more iphones set up for a plan, only sim cards. This has probably taken me over 5 hours and much, much patience. Now I am without a phone, and Vodafone is without my couple thousand Euros over the next couple years. I thought about buying a wireless modem from them but the headaches and stress I imagine it would induce are not worth it to me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Biglietti</i>- tickets. It is Sunday and I am without bus tickets for the week. It is not that I did not try. First of all, the economy stops on Sundays. Normally nothing can be purchased on Sundays, especially afternoons, when even the tabacci shops close. (The tabacci are the places where one must buy tickets for the bus. Another appallingly confusing process designed to make even natives confused as far as I can tell, but that is for another bah humbug post.) However, it is the Christmas season so our local grocery coop is open. One of the stores there is a tobacco shop, but when I showed up today, he was out of tickets! This could be because there is nowhere else to buy the tickets today, but it leaves me to wonder what if you have a minor emergency and need a bus ticket to get somewhere. I have one emergency ticket that I will use tomorrow, but it is impossible to buy them on the bus and there are no automatic machines anywhere in the area of Milan. To me this seems to discourage the use of buses. Make it easier to buy tickets and people will. (i.e. spend money in your cities/towns) How many people ride without paying because they cannot pay for a ticket anywhere? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">TV- my neighbors have been trying to get TV since their shipment arrived 2 months ago. Still not a channel showing up. I'm letting them fight this battle. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Tapenade e libri</i>-- Neither of these two things are such a big deal, but I tried to buy both as Christmas presents. The tapenade was from a Harrod's food hall-type store, but instead of being allowed to just pick up the jar off the shelf and take it to the cashier and buy it, I got to the head of the line and the cashier told me that I needed a ticket to buy it, but I didn't understand where to even get a ticket. It isn't a special product and the only tickets were for lines at meat, bread, sweets, etc. counters. </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If it were an occasional experience that I had trouble, I would</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> be persistent and use this as a learning opportunity, but due to the absurdity of shopping generally in Italy I have decided I am never shopping there again. So the store only lost 8 euros this one time, but who knows how many times I would have shopped there in the future. But my boycott of Italian things continues; I don't need the stress. As for the books, I have noticed that when I go to museums here there is usually one general book translated into many different languages and all of the specific books are in Italian. I know what you are going to say, Kate, learn Italian. I'm trying, I promise, but while I am in the process I would still like to be able to appreciate the things that I am seeing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Maybe all these problems are because I am not Italian, but there are many non-Italians here and many of us have money to spend. As for me, I will be spending most of my money on things when I am in the US over Christmas or in any other country during my breaks. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My conclusion is that things in Italy are too hard to buy. If they were easier they may not have a booming economy, but consumer spending would be on the rise. I, for my part, have decided not to buy anything else non-essential (groceries, trips out of here, social life, art museums) here.</span>mllespearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07926065973965567334noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6262666800480463163.post-62519212410853618932011-11-05T14:39:00.000-07:002011-11-05T14:39:58.056-07:00Busy Month!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Ottobre</i>- October. So it has been quite a month! At the beginning of October Carrie and I went to St. Raphael, France. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was a three-day weekend so the trip was quite quick. Saturday we went on a mini-French grocery extravaganza. I bought some yummy goodies that you cannot easily find in Italy. Mostly chocolate items, but also a butter dish, not for eating of course. Sunday turned out to be a lovely day! Julie, our generous hostess, invited us to church so we went to a British service in a tiny French town. We went immediately to the train station to find out the exact time we had to leave to catch the right train on the Italian border. In true French fashion, the clerk told me that there was a strike the following day and we would have to take the super early train to make it in time. With our information we met Julie and her brother and sister-in-law (both visiting from Florida) at a restaurant for lunch. The meal was excellent. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had lamb and ratatouille. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The view was possibly even better because we looked out on the sea. The weather was perfect! We spent the rest of the afternoon reading on the boardwalk. Carrie bought a bottle of rose` that she discovered there. We went home and eventually to bed. The following morning, not being able to reach the taxi service, we hightailed it by foot to the train station to catch the first train not en greve. The train was super-crowded but every one got off in Monaco and we had a long but easy and amusing ride (but dark since our car's lights were broken and a headrest kept falling onto this older woman) back to Milan. From Genova (now under water) to St. Raphael we rode on the coast the whole way. While a good chunk is through tunnels, the parts that are not are spectacular. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We got back to Milan. My life went into a mini-tailspin where I had several emotional crashes. For example, when I found out that I will only be able to attend 50% of the Italian classes, I hit the roof. One class is scheduled for the same time that I have my girls running club. (The friendlier cheetahs, remember?) I'm glad I'm doing that though. The girls are just so fun. And, while we are talking about running, the PE teacher and I signed up to do our first marathon in April... Stay tuned for training in monsoons. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The lowest low point was when I was told by the installers after waiting for 2.5 months for internet (wi-fi) to be connected in my apartment that it could not be connected because there is a 10 meter concrete wall that is blocking the phone box to our building. However, the landlord downstairs can get it. Interesting, eh? (It has also been a point of contention that our school does not think internet at home is essential enough to have it installed before the teachers arrive.) I also found out about the cement wall the same week that our school installed a new security system and we could no longer use Skype, Facebook, or g-chat, along with a slew of other sights that I use for planning. (This has since been remedied; It was just insanely bad timing.) In tears of rage and desperation, I ran down the street to the one tech store in our town. I made it 10 minutes before it closed and bought an internet key (like a thumb drive with a sim card that connects to the internet). While it is not the most reliable and certainly not the fastest internet around, it works for things like email and reading a-z, which fulfills my short-term needs. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The highlights were a field trip to the zoo where I saw a kangaroo for the first time. We have a very nice zoo an hour or so away. The kids had fun and in contrast to the crazy logistics and 8th grade chaperones of previous zoo field trips, it was the best field trip I've had yet. Educational, fun, and easy! Our school also took teachers on a day trip wine tasting and to Alba for a truffle festival. It was so fun. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ottobre ended with a four day trip to Florence. Wow! What a city! It reminded me a lot of Paris. I could see myself living there and being completely myself. It is a city set up for walking and on a river. There is obvious history everywhere and the city does not completely shut on Sundays. Carrie and I went and stayed in a trendy hotel in a neighborhood about 20 minutes from the center of the city. Two other couples went and stayed in different places, but we met up for dinner a couple of times. We went to Academia and saw David which is truly impressive! We also went on a Rick Steve's Renaissance walk. Free podcasts are so freakin' great for travel! We went to the Uffizi, Florence's Louvre. It was equally overwhelming. I wished my dad were along to tell me more about the medieval art, but Rick Steve's and a kids' guide (Florence, Just Add Water) I picked up told us everything we needed to know. We bummed around the city the rest of the afternoon and ended up on Piazzale Michaelangelo. It has a stunning view of the city. Florence's Montmarte. We arrived at sunset and watched as the city's lights came on. The following day we went to Pisa. Although touristy, it has a university and shops. I enjoyed walking around and finding a little market where I dumbly passed up the chance to buy a wooden cutting board. Back in Florence, I went shopping at a market that I assume is mainly for tourists since everyone there speaks English. I got my second comment about me speaking very good Italian. If I really spoke good Italian I could have told her that I only can say things like "hello" and "how much is this?" well. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And, on November 1, I came back to Milan. The same night a coworker offered me a ride to IKEA in her car! I got three new lamps and an entryway shelf and a full length mirror. It's November and my apartment finally feels like my own. My next project is to buy a ladder so I can reach the bar in my closet and finally hang up my clothes. Right now I am writing this on my computer online in my apartment AND I can see what I'm doing. I have a feeling November is going to be a good month. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am attaching links to my Facebook albums at the end in case you want more pictures. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 14px;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150851314210582.745830.832380581&type=1&l=f53eca3fdf"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;">f</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">rance album</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150851308480582.745827.832380581&type=1&l=8e038515df">Florence album</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ciao, xo </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>mllespearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07926065973965567334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6262666800480463163.post-59965550669978322972011-09-29T04:54:00.000-07:002011-09-29T06:48:16.867-07:00The Movable, Unappetizing Feast of Smells and Sister Cities<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><i>Odore</i></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;">—smell. This is very important
for giving you a glimpse of my life outside of school. I think that all
of one’s senses are heightened when living in another country. I focus on
things I’m seeing and hearing that I wouldn’t normally if I was more comfortable
in my surroundings. Smell however is the sense I am aware of most often
outside of school. Basically, one of two smells wakes me up every
day. Good day, baking brioches and yummy pastries float up to my bedroom
from the restaurant on the ground level of my apartment. Bad day,
horse/cow/pig shit kicks me awake. Lots of fields and crops around my
town so the smell could come from any direction. </span><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I leave
for school and ride through a myriad of smells. Well, first I ride through
panic, my own, in which I am not aware of any smells. I concentrate on
just not getting hit by cars passing on a one-way street. Then, I ride by
an apartment that smells like a girls' dorm laundry room. That smell of
different, sweet detergents all being piped out of a window or exhaust pipe
somewhere. Then comes the shit smell for a while until my sight
overpowers the smell and I enjoy sunrise above corn fields and behind what I
think of as the “African Tree.” It just looks like it should be on a
safari and some elephants, lions, or giraffes should be walking around it,
especially with the sun behind it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">possible skunk home...</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I pass
the African Tree and am hit with skunk. I picture a family of skunks
living in a ditch somewhere spraying the road each night, but don’t really know
why it eternally smells like skunk, but you can bet your bottom dollar that I
will never be venturing out that way at night. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">After
this I try not to hit any 6-inch slugs crossing the path, so my sight takes
over again. And speaking of seeing, I have seen an unusually high
number of missing fingers. People in Italy tend to lose fingers at an
alarming rate. In one month I have seen 3 hands with multiple or partial
fingers gone! I have seen 3 people wandering around with huge casts on
their hands. Usually one finger is bandaged to the size of a small
potato and the hand is bound down to the wrist. </span><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Back to
the ride, on my way home, the smells are reversed. The scary part starts
earlier though. There is a blind crosswalk that terrifies me every
time. In the picture, on the right, there is a shrine to Madonna. I
have no proof, but I think it must be to all the people killed at that
intersection… (There is also a similar shrine in the middle of the
cornfields I run through. Perhaps a tribute to people who were run over
by tractors or died of fertilizer inhalation.) </span><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">blind intersection (little shrine on the right)<br /><br /> </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>Friendler</b>--
not Italian or English but a hybrid of two English words-- friendly,
runner. My girls running club came up with it. They named us the
friendler cheetahs. These girls are adorable and it was too cute not to
share. </span><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i>Bergamo</i></b>-a
city in Italy that is the sister city to, yes, you guessed it, Greenville,
SC. Last Saturday Carrie and I ventured over the very beautiful,
older sister. Getting there was quite a feat however. We live in a
little town outside of Milan and in an even smaller town just south of us,
there is a train station that has a train that goes to Bergamo via Milan.
We walked the 20 minutes to the station in the humid morning heat. When
we got there however, we discovered that you cannot buy tickets at this
station. There were no open ticket windows or machines that sold
tickets. The only way to buy them is to buy them online then print them
on your own computer. In hindsight, we realize that it was a silly
assumption to think that you could actually buy tickets at the train
station. I mean, why buy a ticket when you could sneak a ride for free or
take the bus, followed by the tram, then the metro to get to another station
that sells tickets? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgAVbK5Gwpn0BgrY8xhnh4JFejzf_bjjUV_bgXHdH8En_XZMOcqqk622YM51D14Kc0wEoz4TY8wWWmC_AKnQTV5FeXvtCJwHkwZQRDJQDW2v2eqQ7cNTbvY7iNd0GoEEuIwcRWqwE7QG90/s1600/DSC00295.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgAVbK5Gwpn0BgrY8xhnh4JFejzf_bjjUV_bgXHdH8En_XZMOcqqk622YM51D14Kc0wEoz4TY8wWWmC_AKnQTV5FeXvtCJwHkwZQRDJQDW2v2eqQ7cNTbvY7iNd0GoEEuIwcRWqwE7QG90/s320/DSC00295.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">View from train station</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="240" src="webkit-fake-url://D54B3F59-5746-4818-A308-70600631B9E0/application.pdf" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">citta alta</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">But in
any case, we made it. We were at lunch
at a sidewalk café by 1:30. After a
quick panino we went to the citta alta (high city, the old part). We took the funicular up to the top. The area outside the exit looks very similar
to Montmarte in Paris. Cafes, hotels,
European touristy. We wandered around the city for a couple of hours, hiking up
and down the hills. We did happen to
stumble (hard not to do) upon the Piazza Duomo which was very airy, cafes and
old buildings around a huge square. We
decided to save the museum and lookout tower for our next visit, but we did
look at the duomo, which happened to be closed except for a chapel. The chapel was quite impressive in a Czech
sort of way (over the top?). I only say
that because I felt like I was in a chapel in Prague. It was not particularly religious. Lady Justice painted on the ceiling, king on
a horse sculpture. (Maybe I missed the
Lady Justice part in the Bible.) </span><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="240" src="webkit-fake-url://5504B1B4-7466-461C-B12D-EB0320D34370/application.pdf" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Piazza Duomo</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="webkit-fake-url://3DFCC02C-34FC-45BD-A6FA-15B890787801/application.pdf" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Bell tower<br /></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="webkit-fake-url://26669A9E-BF89-44FD-B3CE-CFC7F39D74A5/application.pdf" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">part of the astrology line</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">chapel</span></td></tr>
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Window to the chapel</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">After
leaving the chapel, we wandered around and looked out over the city. From
the old city you can see the Alps in the distance. It was hazy but I bet
on a clear day you can see forever! There is a wall now partially covered
in grass, which makes me think that the high part used to be the main city and was
fortified. Again, I was reminded of Prague. After strolling around
for 2 hours and having delicious gelatto (raspberry and mango, yum!) in a
darling little square, we headed back down to the citta bassa (lower, newer
city). </span></div>
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view while eating gelatin</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">fortified wall</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">vineyard in citta alta</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">tour group of the wall</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">panoramic from the old city</span></div>
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</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">In the
new city we strolled down a street and stumbled upon a jazz concert in a
courtyard. The jazz club of Bergamo was playing. They had a six-piece
band plus a singer. She was a throaty singer who sang a version of
"Somewhere Over the Rainbow" which was fun and funny at the same
time. I thought about all of the Nouvelle Star episodes I watched in
France where the singers would sing American songs with a French accent making
it a bit difficult to decide if it was the singer or the botched lyrics that
made the performance bad. This woman was not bad, but it was clear she
was singing sounds since she left out important parts of words. I was
also struck that all sound guys look the same. This man was young, had a
long ponytail and wore a purple tee shirt and cut off jean shorts. Some
things never change. We left and ended up stumbling upon great little
shopping area so delayed our trip home by an hour to check out Zara Home and a
kitchen supply outlet. I am now the proud owner of some nice new red
potholders and a noodle grabber! (How could I have moved to Italy without
one?!) <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">We
finally got a train back to Milan. Two
hours later we were arriving at our doorstop to be greeted by a <i>notte Bianca</i> (nuit blanche)-- music,
markets, and performances around the town of Opera. They keep going until midnight. (White night in Europe means a sleepless
night.) Luckily, I had Season 1 of <u>The
Wire</u> and with my headphones in, I could only feel the bass, not hear it as
I drifted off to a contented sleep, awoken the next morning by the smell of
brioche. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 21pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span>mllespearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07926065973965567334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6262666800480463163.post-77770357428534017702011-09-13T23:08:00.000-07:002011-09-15T05:13:13.466-07:00The important things: bread, wine, bicycle<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic';">Pane</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic';">-- (rhymes with cane; see earlier entry) means
bread. This has been something that is
surprisingly hard to find around here.
Not bread in general, but good bread.
I repeat, not easy to find!! Our
school has fairly good bread, but my grocery store sells hard, tasteless
bread. Recently I did find a good small
loaf called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ciabattina</i> at the bakery
right across the street from my apartment.
It costs .30E for a loaf. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic';">My first time going to the bakery was almost
movie material. I crossed the street and
heard old, jazzy music. I looked around
to try to find it and it was from an apartment right above the bakery. There was an old man with an old radio
playing music. His clothes were hanging
up on the line, he was shouting something down at me, and I felt like I was
really in Italy. Ahhhh.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic';">Before we leave carbs, I must say that along
with good bread it is equally difficult to find good breakfast pastries. Nothing is quite as disappointing as biting
into a delicious looking pain au chocolat and getting a mouthful of lemon flavor,
followed by chocolate. For some reason,
the Italians think that lemon zest and chocolate is a good combination. I disagree whole-heartedly. I think chocolate is best kept by itself and
lemon is best in lemonade. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic';">Vino Bianco</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic';">—white wine. I live above a tiny little wine shop that
sells wine from a keg for 2.20 E/liter.
And it is tasty. And you bring
your own bottle. The owner is a sweet
woman whose mother was there with her the day I went. The mother speaks no English, but loves to
talk. I love listening because she
speaks very slowly. The daughter is a
mother herself and we were comparing schools, ASM vs. local schools. The older mother is friends with our
cafeteria head chef. Perhaps that is why
the wine is so good at our teacher meals.
I also got a frequent shopper card on my first visit and didn’t even
need a codice fiscale. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic';"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bicicletta</b>-- bicycle.
Yikes! It (along with some other 450
pounds) finally arrived this weekend. My
shipment made it. I finally got to
change my sheets and wash my towels.
Neither of which I did before in fear of them not drying by the time I
needed to use them again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSXfX0ZvT-b2_pAo3-6xPX0fgGJsFdGJI68BHOc4ozUGgNxAZbIy56glNzXk0_eRBzlC6LikFxNTU_Yp-P8Pf1sWZgMfY1Ox3WCHtqLAIIdOqYriBAownmWmaeJgJa512XniSOSC4CkOu2/s1600/003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSXfX0ZvT-b2_pAo3-6xPX0fgGJsFdGJI68BHOc4ozUGgNxAZbIy56glNzXk0_eRBzlC6LikFxNTU_Yp-P8Pf1sWZgMfY1Ox3WCHtqLAIIdOqYriBAownmWmaeJgJa512XniSOSC4CkOu2/s320/003.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3nsWcCWUXXRKyunEbYiqMQOYkB9o7R7Fn5p9n67K3XngQB8CJyE8WZ-Fd0aX7WyhUeL-gqi-md6ej26nt1oIrTDyxFv8Lxuao7085OLidElco3k8N94MQw3MDAg4ml_3_nHx2pablpOHl/s1600/DSC00181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3nsWcCWUXXRKyunEbYiqMQOYkB9o7R7Fn5p9n67K3XngQB8CJyE8WZ-Fd0aX7WyhUeL-gqi-md6ej26nt1oIrTDyxFv8Lxuao7085OLidElco3k8N94MQw3MDAg4ml_3_nHx2pablpOHl/s320/DSC00181.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1. unpacking my dishes. 2. clean sheets at last, drying</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic';">Back to the bike.
So, I now have my bike. It is a
little red cruiser that I bought from my friend, Anne, back in the States but
never had much chance to use there. I
have had it four days now and have ridden it three of those. I have not had any major mishaps yet. My biggest problem was that my bell fell off
earlier today and distracted by that I nearly ran into someone. I got some dirty looks, but I brushed those
off when minutes later an Orlando Bloom look alike waved and smiled at me
walking my bike across the street. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIoy2Q04VxN_hnbhpHOGCfJs-pFT6l_-oysk78xTJ6LoeLkNqjHU3BBzFb2M-sPXyh7TqmwAs69zqBso_wdWf62jdosjc8xNEc_J7lQ2d6zkBL11II5WR987W5734rmrl8mlBv4jQ9pcS5/s1600/DSC00206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIoy2Q04VxN_hnbhpHOGCfJs-pFT6l_-oysk78xTJ6LoeLkNqjHU3BBzFb2M-sPXyh7TqmwAs69zqBso_wdWf62jdosjc8xNEc_J7lQ2d6zkBL11II5WR987W5734rmrl8mlBv4jQ9pcS5/s320/DSC00206.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic';"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic';">I
ride the long way to work. It is about
3.5 miles each way, but there are no hills and no 90-degree turns so it takes
less time. I often think of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Wizard of Oz</i> and the wicked witch
riding on her broom. My shadow makes me
think of this (especially when I’m wearing a skirt!), as does the soundtrack my
bicycle provides. Remember that music
that plays every time she is flying? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic';">Also, do you remember where <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Wizard of Oz</i> takes place before Oz? Kansas!
Yes, I bike through what feels like the Midwestern plains of the
US. Every single day I think of driving to
Wisconsin through that boring state of corn fields called Indiana. Toto, I think were not in Milan anymore. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic';">Today
was a beautiful ride through mist and a glorious sunrise on one side of the
path and the full moon setting on the other side of me. Wow! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic';">Finally,
here are two words in English that they need in Italian:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 42.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -24.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic';">1)<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic';">muffler- as in get your *&&($## motorcycles
some %$#%^@!! mufflers. For some reason
using them is not popular here. My ears
suffer for it and I curse the motorcyclists every. Single. Day.!!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB1PSqbH531eMB-pSd2fCcaPt5DZ4ZnFoiSMk_9M0BZGgCYJ9MjEh4iWukI65XpS5vbMd4ML_0DYBjnntoHEYFvm3qRJozjWCqz0aeIDwuwF2vOiafQ9Gpqq3ovMdHh0G6iVhh7zFh-bwn/s1600/DSC00207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB1PSqbH531eMB-pSd2fCcaPt5DZ4ZnFoiSMk_9M0BZGgCYJ9MjEh4iWukI65XpS5vbMd4ML_0DYBjnntoHEYFvm3qRJozjWCqz0aeIDwuwF2vOiafQ9Gpqq3ovMdHh0G6iVhh7zFh-bwn/s320/DSC00207.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">eardrum-shattering Italian motorcycle</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic';"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic';">2)<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic';">Personal space—I feel
like I am playing bumper cars everywhere here.
On the sidewalk. On my bike. And especially in the grocery store. Carts and people bumping into each other
everywhere. No “excuse me”s; no “Oh, I’m
sorry”s. Riding in the taxi to the
questura (DMV/prefecture-esque government office) today, I realized that even
real cars are like bumper cars here. No
lanes. Speed up and see if you can slow
down before you bump into someone else.
Ugh! <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
mllespearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07926065973965567334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6262666800480463163.post-76624004753892350932011-08-30T23:24:00.000-07:002011-09-07T08:43:04.801-07:00More words in Italian<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>Navigli</b>—these are the canals that I wrote about last time. There are several here in Milan. I always thought of Venise as the canal city, but Milan certainly has its fair share too. The last Sunday of each month (even August, the month to vacate the city) there is a flea market on the Navigli. JL was visiting from France and we went this weekend. It was beautiful. The weather was perfect. I didn’t find much that I needed, but I did find some adorable alcoves where art g</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">alleries and a</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">rt dealers are hidden away. Lunch on the canal was less than exciting. It was good, but not great. After the market JL and I went to the Duomo. We went inside, but I really need to go with my family historian to fully appreciate the inside. The roof view was something I could appreciate on my own however. After some initial confusion as to how to get to the top, we took the stairs. It ended up not being too long of a walk to the top, very doable and cheaper to boot. The views of the city were impressive, but even better was the view of th</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">e Alps in the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">distance. After some gelato and a stroll down Monte Napoleone to see the couture shops and manhole covers described in the NYT’s 36 hours in Milan (NOT WORTH IT!) we headed home.</span></span></div>
<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646902722164385138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX10338TiN-newzGUFShA-mjR03kL1vW0v7TJz-qFRTr1LtcLzQ4eFu4PjlxPYREEjHN1pcSLJrhKXAyT4cqY6bDl4h5jBg8tAJ5jl374NnJTpr8HYs-lkdrNxaFW15reaZDQEowBeaXxt/s320/DSC00101.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646907370621871282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIeLCwanA-MsUhRjnZlPFYUz3RMEnqf8WoEFxFlQykM8_mHfvas_5Zb37hWoGJGloOnMqkplUnZYvCpJlviK7PB4ITBTbj0fLJKNq7EgwrNuzPfp3OI4OwSmBRu4LhE8UGL_HBWgc9TrZ4/s320/DSC00099.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 240px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px; width: 320px;" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0000ee; font-size: 100%;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646909634131878274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrC2Pa_ITXuHI-aNpEeIOJ6NRCBKeSG1QQQC0-WU7Pl5B2Pczs8t6nOFr3ES_DLK9GEzYwntuXxQfUSfoKt86d5DSzF0mGw1GZOrbieAZzKKEl7SB56GmfTzpoKO42S2SOmg02RGPeITrw/s320/DSC00140.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 240px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; width: 320px;" /></span><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646908641061880578" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSqHpx3-2eaQ3ae-DbiKuq6bjKiHop-Ko8CX2WRuUb6mCrvEztl60AZqPAesDwmzrS5XHc6AmXd0-WpbQaMlTMRd-tWVYtsHJpyyPyMl4YMB5rhSZAMf9xSze2WZGknrXpyHAM_n2m0hN/s320/DSC00126.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 100%;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><b>Lavatrice</b>—washing machine. I posted on FB that I may have set the world record for washing time at 4.25 hours. Turns out I beat my own record yesterday. 10 hours!!! (OK, I was asleep most of it.) As of now, it is not clear if my washing machine is broken or if I just keep using the settings that must be forwarded by hand. The landlord is going to check tomorrow. She thinks it could be that I just have to wash synthetic materials on the advance-by-hand-cycle and that cotton should keep going on its own. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 100%;"><b>Pranzo</b>—lunch. This is very important because lunch is a major meal here. Teachers here eat lunch in the cafeteria everyday because it is so worth it. It is nothing, I repeat, nothing, like pranzo in US schools. Tell me when the last time your teachers were treated to Prosecco, Carpaccio, fresh cheese, roasted veggies, stuffed squash leaves, stuffed noodles, fresh fruit, and homemade tarts, and tiramisu? And, oh yeah, I forgot to mention the real lobster (shell and all) linguine. So we don’t eat like that every day, but the food is truly remarkable. Everything is made by hand with fresh food, not from a can or frozen and reheated on site. There are pasta choices every day. Right now, it looks like I will never have to make pasta at home because I get it every single day at lunch. Salads have become my dinner because they are fast and easy and less caloric than my lunches. Teachers are warning me that they gained 10 pounds there first year. However, I have lost weight so far since I walk around 4 miles roundtrip every day. (I think I hold my breath about 5 minutes every walk because of the “fresh” fertilizer being used on the corn fields.) Perhaps when my shipment with my bike is allowed to be delivered and I bike more often, I will see those 10 pounds appear. Right now I’m thinking totally worth it!</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7PyrDsNKnYOW2qSgQWWV0oTnnRE7h7UyKvbjTBT4fITJRrMJ7EhAMatlKgxvCMsxWUqqndlQB5NJ1ueTU3Vq5MWYwvo89qhSHNT9TnllRLh7PcFVXbQQRGWUYs1Rsk_XpydigIvCEb04o/s1600/DSC00141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7PyrDsNKnYOW2qSgQWWV0oTnnRE7h7UyKvbjTBT4fITJRrMJ7EhAMatlKgxvCMsxWUqqndlQB5NJ1ueTU3Vq5MWYwvo89qhSHNT9TnllRLh7PcFVXbQQRGWUYs1Rsk_XpydigIvCEb04o/s320/DSC00141.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 100%;"><b>Stress</b>-- Another one of those words that is the same and sucks in both languages. I have been working like crazy to get my classroom ready for the first day on September 1. Ugh! What a nightmare. Some of the “disasters” so far: 1) no pencils have arrived. As of Thursday there will be no pencils in the school for our students to use. No one in the office staff has deemed it worthy enough to go to the store to buy 2 packs for every classroom. 2) Our elementary school secretary—and keeper of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">all</b> lower school information-- is sick this week and our brand new principal cannot answer any questions or lead many meetings until she is back and able to give him the info he needs. I feel terrible for the principal because he must feel even more confused than we do. 3) We have new interactive white boards. This is pretty cool since they promise to fix them if they freeze up like my board did last year. The problem is that we got training that psyched us all up, but they forgot to mention that none of them in ES were hooked up yet. The momentum is quickly draining. In fact, my computer was not even able to be set up until today. I have been scurrying around the school looking for empty computers that will meet my printing needs since I have only one poster for my classroom. On a whim, I shoved it in my suitcase before I left. What luck! Anyway, my computer was hooked up today as was my smartboard. Perhaps I will have a chance to play with it one of these days….<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;">Ciao! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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mllespearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07926065973965567334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6262666800480463163.post-5171008045749963312011-08-24T02:47:00.000-07:002011-08-24T03:06:33.069-07:00Pictures in Italian<div style="text-align: center;">My Birthday Dinner</div><div>
<br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfRSLDFYPwJO0g25vu3q-lTG8KbRAk3U6wJnXG8sJesZlpfi0dDoFeNdsNfSSLNgS_ol6x9c-h9EOXxwGx7eW0lRVuRGcIU721WF_53rRVnnEZDOON7Coo0k-zbvP_LidYia0QNLlXH9H_/s200/DSC00020.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644357361893203378" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; " /><div style="text-align: center;">CANE</div><div>
<br /><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOs2RByZDMysdvMJazrAXPUWmYRkC4j8MIDprrZzfRE5SksgasDU_-JWaudZCvP_6y_INE1HIFgpfQ8XUarvrY7-pM1c9SEnfZQDXcQGrvkfn1iBCnSKjwylMo1DZIdfc9pv-fTf0S01z/s200/DSC00055.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644357799332428946" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZsDncaKTEqI2iIXzLuw4G2iDv7ezzZBvsQOoMEvu3kkWMII14WSm4zNWu7GGnEye-IGimlEbUDMGvDg0QAy6zDsdhUlwEj36cu5eX6Hgy901xx9ZFm9LR4mj2fVXkPN5WVw1j3pRn9bN0/s200/DSC00054.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644358058359748322" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; " /><div style="text-align: center;">LAGO</div></div><div>
<br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 44px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBdirEmc_h1KgL_b5vp2q76s9F7CJzhr6YP2_nEUoMIuM1jG8DCnkGHzcHq2x5CIbIg5FEWdq5nM0ps1rMxIU89ZFV_YvrHsM35pH62XF2ZR0kLHtg7neh_U60LyfYH2YAg4memAFW7t3I/s200/DSC00037.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644360315709947778" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTsuFAN7FH_LdsuZEintwRec3UVsPyFOsSrURcxD1_54yaOBHFrXtbLth9Wf-3TqkESIj1NEkqXGBhyDSe91CugCW8B4O_OJuRvjK26Fi6_e8nOC-rQuL0EZmThyphenhyphenY7nYxsefDjHIQphlnW/s200/DSC00032.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644358552262677090" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; " /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRVfGURr8Vd_yTT8SXCx_N6dzQKkCTyyVjGFCq4OgzkiuHw4pymP0j2F-21LTmJDYIkGrioMd7Ly-tvMZ6RPNnc0KWPkCIslma9WycFnTczhOaO41WnXwZ_qEsLgygIXe-1udb8zFFuhR8/s1600/DSC00045.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRVfGURr8Vd_yTT8SXCx_N6dzQKkCTyyVjGFCq4OgzkiuHw4pymP0j2F-21LTmJDYIkGrioMd7Ly-tvMZ6RPNnc0KWPkCIslma9WycFnTczhOaO41WnXwZ_qEsLgygIXe-1udb8zFFuhR8/s200/DSC00045.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644360921126589554" /></a>
<br /><div style="text-align: center;">IKEA</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEja6n7S3lrfYxgYGRwUkhpkq7R4zs3-4JkeOdpAhnQdfWAvi50Umkcf6vI0QDySsbLrSz_sEl8J0pvKJZAuaG59SoXEY-b9Ar2k075_NbN5tOq5ybkZvCazdlDRIh8zgRl3YhzY_DvOsq/s1600/DSC00008.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEja6n7S3lrfYxgYGRwUkhpkq7R4zs3-4JkeOdpAhnQdfWAvi50Umkcf6vI0QDySsbLrSz_sEl8J0pvKJZAuaG59SoXEY-b9Ar2k075_NbN5tOq5ybkZvCazdlDRIh8zgRl3YhzY_DvOsq/s200/DSC00008.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644359910226014354" /></a>
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRqx9urfUYg_0kC2kucLjsWc_0A0ZcCwi_Gc5MC3hyphenhyphenOwtxGbBR0yUNrf5vmFfyFWimk1Z_yUr3zNq9HyYoehD4LNS94-cDX7okSNnpSdNmRK8ona1Iba1rc6XaEueu0GpNpMJaq-OzGzas/s1600/DSC00057.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRqx9urfUYg_0kC2kucLjsWc_0A0ZcCwi_Gc5MC3hyphenhyphenOwtxGbBR0yUNrf5vmFfyFWimk1Z_yUr3zNq9HyYoehD4LNS94-cDX7okSNnpSdNmRK8ona1Iba1rc6XaEueu0GpNpMJaq-OzGzas/s200/DSC00057.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644359494899445554" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">AMICI</div><div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8MXne6agFcPFTe8KSlGytEouavm5ip9bxpCb5dKkdgKxzLxB7LzxfyBIlCMTqQODDe-kzJ5UfITc0Yf4jwGWVuIPN7f-tPFbxAzpOB_1beNwggchQ0oHosVnCcykoNmGEZcggFa1gn7lg/s1600/DSC00079.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8MXne6agFcPFTe8KSlGytEouavm5ip9bxpCb5dKkdgKxzLxB7LzxfyBIlCMTqQODDe-kzJ5UfITc0Yf4jwGWVuIPN7f-tPFbxAzpOB_1beNwggchQ0oHosVnCcykoNmGEZcggFa1gn7lg/s200/DSC00079.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644358990865879842" /></a>
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<br /></div></div></div></div>mllespearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07926065973965567334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6262666800480463163.post-54422113954912135952011-08-24T02:07:00.000-07:002011-08-24T02:47:48.724-07:00Words in Italian<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; ">Here are some words that I have learned in my 1<sup>st</sup> week: </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; ">(P.S. The photos won't show up so I am going to post those separately!)</span></div> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">COMPLEANNO</span></i></b><span style="font-family:Arial;">—birthday.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I know this because I had a birthday here.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>My first full day was spent like this:<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">Let me preface it with the fact that both the morning and evening of my birthday were quite pleasant, but the afternoon was positively one of the most terrible ways to spend my first 29<sup>th</sup> year afternoon (well, any day really).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Arial;">After a delicious breakfast of chocolate brioche and meetings at school, we had lunch (amazing school cafeteria!) before leaving for the Italian Walmart equivalent, Iper.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Jetlagged, I fell asleep on the short bus ride there.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>(Wisely, the school has chartered a bus for all of our errands this first week.)<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Upon arrival the chaperones herded us straight for the cell phone stand.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Instead of checking ahead to find out how it is done or making appointments with someone who could handle such a large crowd, or even breaking us into smaller groups, we waited almost 30 minutes for a chaperon to negotiate dealings with the clerk so that each of us could have a pay-as-you-go sim card.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Then each teacher had to do about 10 minutes of paper work—some taking much, much longer because of technical glitches, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>With 10 of us there, that meant that some of us had to wait over 2 hours.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Exasperated, I took my cart to load up on electrical goodies such as fans, electric kettle, dustbuster, iron, alarm clock, etc. circling around every 10 minutes or so to check on the progress.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Finally, taking pity on me one of the chaperones ran me over to another store in the mall and let me buy just the card since I already had an unlocked phone.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Almost everyone else had to buy a phone too since American phones do not work in Europe.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Arial;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">After getting my card, I bought basic groceries.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I was delighted to find a 3E bottle of white wine and my favorite lettuce (already packaged so I didn’t get fined, hit, or arrested for touching) as well as enormous jars of Nutella and my favorite Italian Store (Arlington, VA) cookies for under 2E.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The check out was another story however.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>All of my joy from finding foods I have missed so much evaporated when I stood in line again for 30 minutes, just to check out.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The head chaperone insisted that we do self-check which turned out to be a huge mistake!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There were the world’s slowest self-checkers ever ahead of us!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The evil register monster (whoops, I mean monitor) never yelled at him.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>However 3 people later we were up and she spent most of the time scolding and yelling at us.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In an effort to speed things up I was taking things right off the end of the conveyor belt and that turned out to be a huge Italian faux pas of some sort.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">At home instead of crashing and crying which is what I wanted to do, my neighbors (two other new teachers—Carrie and Simon) and our landlord assembled our new fans on Simon’s beautiful terrace.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>After assembly I brought out my wine, bread, Carpaccio, and Caprese salad.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The three of us sat outside eating and drinking in the cool night air.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was a much nicer way to end the day.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>129</o:Words> <o:characters>736</o:Characters> <o:company>American School of Milan</o:Company> <o:lines>6</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>1</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>864</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>14.0</o:Version> 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mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--><b style="font-size: medium; "><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝";mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:";">CANE</span></i></b><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: Arial; font-family:";">--<span> </span>This means dog and is not to be confused with the word for meat, <i>carne</i>.<span> </span>We have a huge German Shepard who guards our building.<span> </span>In particular he guards the trash bins.<span> </span>We tenants cannot take any refuse out to the bins.<span> </span>The landlords have to do it.<span> </span>This is ok with me for several reasons.<span> </span>First, I am not a huge fan of scary dogs who do not understand English.<span> </span>(Well, ok, scary dogs in general!)<span> 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style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">LAGO</span></i></b><span style="font-family:Arial;">—Lake, as in Lago di Como.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We spent Saturday on Lake Como in a town called Bellagio.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was breathtaking.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’ll let the pictures speak for me.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The pictures really don’t do it justice.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>(At the end they are from the summit of the mountain.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>People practice biking up the mountain so there is a shrine to the Madonna of Bicyclists and a hilarious statue.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I personally think the bikers are nuts to ride there because the roads are so steep and twisty that our bus had to do a couple 3-point turns around the bends!)</span></p><div> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> 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mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">IKEA</span></i></b><span style="font-family:Arial;">—as in the furniture store.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This it turns out is an international word.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It sucks the same in every country.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It is open Sunday mornings however so when I got home from our 3 hours in IKEA, I spent the afternoon when everything else is closed assembling my new furniture.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">There are also some other international words that have come in handy.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The one that comes to mind immediately is Garnier.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>That is a brand we have in the US and I discovered in here as well.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I found the same face wash I used in France that feels like Altoids on your face.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Not always the best feeling, but great this week since my room is holding steady at a not-so-cool 87 degrees.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">My living room BEFORE the Ikea trip:</span></p><div> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>1</o:Words> <o:characters>9</o:Characters> <o:company>American School of Milan</o:Company> <o:lines>1</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>1</o:Paragraphs> 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style="font-family:Arial;">CIAO</span></i></b><span style="font-family:Arial;">—Ok, I may have known that one before.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Perhaps also international, but everyone says it here.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>So here I’m saying it to you, as in ciao, goodbye.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>One last picture is of Carrie and Simon so you have a picture.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We are at a school happy hour Monday night.</span></span></p><p></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;"> <!--EndFragment--></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;"></span></p><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></span></p><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></span></p><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;"> <!--EndFragment--></span></div><p></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;"> <!--EndFragment--></span></div><p></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;"> <!--EndFragment--></span></div><p></p> <!--EndFragment-->mllespearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07926065973965567334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6262666800480463163.post-78862445412349578462011-08-13T17:52:00.000-07:002011-08-14T07:13:34.026-07:00Pre-Trip Anxiety<div style="text-align: center;">Ugh! One of the lines I hear quite often is, "You are so brave!" Depending on the day I may reply back that sometimes brave is not brave, but just plain crazy. Today is one of those days.</div><div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div><div> (This is me pre DC move, feeling brave.)</div><div>
<br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE81jUVd19jH2dRAcurvaIe6ae-1yKlFoaNrYxrhu7TSkruDbwebdU2QFALSaA_VhwZs_erv5QVcaxno8lEUgAOOgryS3x8CFwUjqxKr0Qu-t-VXkfN6iRmCoZHEj8zj5leKljS6eh3i07/s320/Photo+on+2011-07-20+at+10.21.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640713044498804194" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjeDY2T8iZbg1KWhkTm4gE7kMXX57GDyFHugnEJbqxbIZ0-F-3QAejan0HirLOruMKMo8VA-CwKjv4wfDhW0gyJNXqgpJsqg5p0c0wGBtlKomqYWtwtiyoFsE78jwK8WRBddz_Ls4lCR5l/s320/Photo+on+8-3-11+at+10.48+PM+%25232.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640713040397166786" /></div><div> </div><div><div> (This is me in a pre-beach moment of anxiety.) </div><div>
<br /></div><div>I just this morning returned from a week at the beach with my family. I have not yet been home for 12 hours, but nevertheless I am a nervous wreck. The gravity of what I am doing has really hit me. I am going to a country where I speak barely 100 words and have no idea where I will be living. At dinner tonight, I quizzed my dad on the numbers and my mom on the alphabet. (Both parents have been taking Italian lessons for over a year, never having planned on having to use it to visit their daughter.) The first five minutes of dinner was me practicing counting to ten repeatedly and then making my parents count with me. The rest of dinner was spent trying to name the items on the table. Too many were unknown to us all so my mom sat with our Italian-English dictionary open through the rest of dinner helping me muddle along. After all of that effort all I can remember is insalata and my first 10 numbers-- except 5, I can't remember that one. It's not enough like French. This is not a good sign for my language skills. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>Language aside, I have taken to obsessively strolling the streets of what I think will be my neighborhood on google maps. Luckily, it looks safe, but two things that concern me are a) the distance to the school's neighborhood and b) the grocery stores. Let's start with the aerial view of google maps. My school and possible neighborhood are south of the actual city of Milan. When looking from above, it looks way too far for me to ride everyday on my bike. Perhaps it isn't too far (I can never tell distances on google maps), but I think I'll be riding on a highway. From what I hear of the Italian drivers, this could be my end. I am slow and wobbly so I can just picture swerving into a car to let the cyclists behind me pass and my body sprawled out on the side of the highway (and dying because I can't explain the pain or understand what directions are being given to me). I have 2 (due) bike helmets, just in case. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>Food is my second concern. My endless virtual strolling has turned up a soccer field, many apartment buildings, a restaurant, a church, a park, and a gym but not one single market or grocery store. I marvel at how this is possible. What if I can't find the store and can't ask or understand how to get there? What if I accidentally touch the food? Will I get arrested or just scolded? The whole Amanda Knox thing has given me little faith in the Italian judicial system. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>Next morning update: I just reread the information the school sent me and it assures me that the ride to the school from my possible neighborhood is a bike path. At least, there will be no swerving into traffic, just other bikers. Whew! I also reread that there is a big grocery store somewhere in the neighborhood. However, my food touching anxiety has doubled; you can get fined for touching food. I'm a toucher so this is not looking good for me. Time to take a break from death and jail worries to go fret over packing all my stuff! </div></div>mllespearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07926065973965567334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6262666800480463163.post-54832924690829311932011-07-06T16:29:00.001-07:002011-07-15T10:56:51.598-07:00The Unknown, a.k.a. Goodbye<div style="text-align: center;">First of all, the disclaimer that writing in the US is much harder than writing in Europe. I don't have nearly the time to think that I did in France. Maybe I have more friends here, my lifestyle is much busier, or I understand everything that is said so I have no time to daydream while people are talking to/around me. Anyway, right now I am sitting in a cafe called the Java Train in St. Paul, looking out at the rain.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8hyk_JDVKlBml_KDbUJVydtlo0C2UqDBNpDuayTuy_qy579i3grZzu4mN3RrfvhTnY3lQ4EE6chxKSdTrS_ly_-vCr4VHd3-AR7Hcr0PQvZc33PN1Khct0GlqCehB92YzkqUnIqmQLuhe/s320/IMG_0502.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629636560845285506" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> It is a block away from the retirement center where my grandmother lives. I have been planning this trip for several months--one last hurrah in the Midwest to say goodbye to family here before my move to Italy. In the time since the trip was planned (but just weeks before my trip was already scheduled), my grandfather (who used to live one block from where I am now sitting) died quite suddenly. Since he wished to be cremated, it worked out very well to have the funeral while I was already here. This has me thinking a lot about goodbyes.</div><div><br /></div><div>I did not get the chance to say good-bye to my grandfather. </div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguX93WvmiFtErl1wl5Nc3mwieBW12X_0x83r17vaikbEfjnGQxOxXr7XScp5ZKS-NABInaWzR9GWGuEW_7vbDDU5C_I46UCT1XCJ7QjBaBWHuR4XiWwkI7yU6LbR8dL6Bt4oY6e7UOBhP2/s320/grandpa.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629629021315819138" /><div>This makes me ultra-aware that I need to make this trip count even more and be very diligent in keeping in touch since it could be last time I see anyone. It is very stressful to say goodbye. I know that these next six weeks are likely to be the most stressful because with goodbyes come the unknown.</div><div><br /></div><div>Right now unknowns seem to be the main theme of my life. While the funeral is certainly a wake-up call that we have no idea the last time we will get to say goodbye to loved ones (especially when we move abroad!), it has struck me several times during this move that the hardest part is just plain not knowing. I know that people are the best-intentioned and genuinely interested when they ask questions about next year. I would definitely be one of those bombarding questions if I were on the other end, but unfortunately every time someone asks any of the following questions: Where are you going to be living? What is your apartment like? Do you speak Italian? Do you know anyone already? What is the school like? my answer is, "I don't know." (I sounded like dummy robot on both the last day of school and my ciao bella party, "Uh, well, I don't really know yet; Nope, I don't know a word; Nope, not a single person; No, never been there before. You get the idea.) It turns out I don't know much, but while anxious and stressed about it I am equally (well, almost equally) excited about it. The unknown can be sad, painful, and about to send me over the edge with stress right now, but it also gives me something to look forward to, something new(ok, many, many somethings) to learn.</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaCkmBoLOzd4O3dhAFEFDY_4eFja3wc3PbtnFc4H-mIeYUOI6Dh1FXdtmZ-M61TqpvG7K_8a97F6Pb8LhYBIqJ6MrAwesZMFQJOJ19SMIohj8TsecW8YD7g1UnaBk19P7r8ZpjqfgNXx1J/s320/IMG_1383.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629635430355254098" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">I know I'll miss my friends and family, but if you can put up with my "I don't know"s right now I promise to share tons of new experiences and knowledge in the not so distant future.</span></span><div><br /></div><div> </div><div><br /></div>mllespearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07926065973965567334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6262666800480463163.post-67037171693879342392011-04-27T11:37:00.000-07:002011-04-27T12:40:15.051-07:00Does Experience Mean Nothing?Here I am. Back to Europe. Am I excited? YES! Nervous? Of course! Do I have a clue what I am doing? Not at all! Do I think I do? Sure. I like to think that two and half years of dealing with French <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">bureaucracy</span> has taught me a thing or two about trying to live in Europe. However, today I was reminded that: experience?! Experience means nothing in these situations. Well, maybe not nothing, but close to it. <br /><br />In February, I got a job teaching 1st grade at a school in Milan for the next school year. The contract and various other paperwork was sent promptly from the school. I returned it brilliantly forgetting to include my application itself. (Yes, I had to submit a post-hire application.) No problem there, just scanned and sent. However, part of the paperwork packet was an ominous letter stating that a copy and translation of my college diploma would be necessary to get my visa. In red letters, underlined at the top, it says: "Please start this procedure immediately, as it may take a significant amount of time to complete all <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">of</span> the steps." Got it. Totally on it. Had Mom Fed Ex my <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">diploma</span> to me.<br /><br />I figured finding an <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Italian</span> translator may have been the time problem, but living in DC, I could find one in a flash. But wait! The letter warns that I must find an <strong>authorized translator</strong> (highlighted in yellow) from the Consulate. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Ok</span>, I look online at the Embassy website. Not there. I call. "It's on the Italian part, under <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">situaiutaln</span>, " the lady I finally reach says. I do not read or speak Italian so I have no idea if "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">situaiutaln</span>" is really what she said; I made that up, but it doesn't matter because I never found it. Eventually, after a slick favor from a friend at the State Department and a contact from teachers at my new school. I find a translator who eventually translates my diploma 8 days after he promises it. I tell myself he is on Italian time. <br /><br />Today, on spring break I finally take my newly translated <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">diploma</span> over the Italian embassy (open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays between 10-12:30, just in case you were curious about how little Italian diplomats have to deal with the public). I show up and much to my surprise find it quite friendly and helpful (in contrast to those lovely French civil servants). I take a number and wait in a leather chair in the waiting room (think <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">DMV</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">esque</span> with four leather couches/chairs). One wall of the waiting room is a row of 3 windows/counters behind which one can get help from a real Italian <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">bureaucrat</span>! One window is taken by a man helping the people who have numbers. One window is empty and one window is occupied by a man who is busy doing unknown stuff... <br /><br />I'm number 62 and number 54 is being helped at the moment. I sit down and read, prepared for the wait. An hour or so later, a Chinese man waltzes into the room and up to the window where the man is busy doing stuff. I want to pick up my passport he says. The man stops working and goes to get it!!! No fuss, no barking, no rude comments, or exasperated sighs I so often encountered in the French version of this process. All of the people sitting in the leather chairs suddenly look at each other and make a bee-line for the window. One by one each citizen receives his or her <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">passport</span>. Next is my turn. Suddenly I'm getting nervous because I realize that I probably should be in the notary section and this clearly is the visa one. Past experience has taught me that I am so dumb for thinking that these two could possibly be the same. (The man next to me lets me go first because this is his 5<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">th</span> embassy in a scavenger hunt for where to get a tourist visa and he is feeling defeated at this point.) <br /><br />I slowly walk to the counter. I smile at the man. (Under my sweater is a very low-cut dress that I can use if I need to get his attention or interest-- a trick I learned in France.) "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Buongiorno</span>," the man smiles. SMILES! A sincere, helpful smile! "Uh, hello," I reply. I explain my situation and he asks for my papers. I show him what I brought. "Where is the original?" he asks. "Shit!!!!" I think. "I didn't bring it." Turns out it doesn't matter because the secretary of state in Kentucky (where my college is) has not yet put an <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">apostille</span> on it. The kind man explains that I when I come back I need to bring a photocopy with the Kentucky <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">apostille</span> (real thing), the real diploma, the translations I had made, and $11 cash. Even as I type this now, I am worried that I have left something out. Oh, yes! When I send off for the Kentucky stamp, his personal advice is to include a self-<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">addressed</span> stamped envelope so that the notary can send it back to me. Good thinking since I would hate to get that far and not get it back! I walked away laughing since my experience has also taught me to laugh instead of scream or cry at such hurdles or there will be lots of sore throats and tears. <br /><br />As for now, I am waiting to see how difficult working with Kentucky Sec. of State will be. In any case, I can tell already that it is going to be an interesting and year full of laughing. <br /><br /><br /><br /><strong></strong>mllespearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07926065973965567334noreply@blogger.com0