Mid-Movember

Ciao amici! Hope you all enjoyed a fantastic Thanksgiving and that you didn't get trampled by the Black Friday-crazies. Across the pond, I find myself enjoying a leisurely Friday and reflecting on the past two weeks in Italy.....


Last weekend, two of my friends from Camp Laurel (yes, the terrible job I had two summers ago for those of you who have been reading my blog for that long) came to visit! One of them is presently an au pair in Turin and the other is studying abroad in Budapest, Hungary. Fortunately, we were able to find a weekend that worked for all of us and they ventured to Florence for a weekend that we almost entirely remember! [Just kidding, Mom, I remember everything.....the same cannot be said for both of my friends]


We began our Friday by touring Santissima Annunziata and Santo Spirito (two beautiful churches) before eating a scrumptious lunch at Gusta Pizza. The afternoon led us to the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens; to end our day, we grabbed a bottle of wine and hiked-up to Piazza Michelangelo to watch the sunset. Not a bad day! We spent the night at a few crazy bars and discotecas......which was probably why we didn't surface until 11 AM on Saturday. Regardless, we were able to fit in plenty! We toured open air markets and ate delicious paninis and pasta at Pinos before gearing-up for another rowdy evening. A great weekend? I think so!


This week flew in a haze of homework and it's one of those TGIF weeks. However, we did manage to have quite the Thanksgiving last night, despite our shafty kitchens and limited cooking skills. 15 of us gathered in one of our friends' apartments upstairs and we found ourselves with ample food and wine. As we crowded around a rickety table with paper plates and fold-up chairs, we toasted to an insanely amazing semester. And then, of course, we stuffed ourselves full and passed-out in food comas. Guess Thanksgiving is the same (minus the FOOTBALL) no matter where you are!


Next weekend, it's off to Switzerland for the Christmas Markets and a lovely visit to my Aunt Joan. Until next time, arrivederci!

Forsa Roma!

Ciao miei amici! I've spent the past two days in Rome and it's been absolutely wonderful. I traveled the first day with my Villa & Garden class; we ventured to the Villa Farnesina and the Villa Giulia to get a taste of High Renaissance Villas. The second day was spent rushing through the city to experience as much as possible and this is what we saw.....

We started the day by trying fried rice balls.....which are, surprisingly, amazing!

On our way to the Villa Farnesina, we noticed that the Romans like to chain their bikes up in rather irregular ways.....

The Villa Farnesina was beautiful! The gardens weren't so shabby, either.

Raphael. No description necessary.

Happy campers at the Villa Giulia :)

Saturday began at the Vatican Museum. For the record, I highly advise purchasing a 'skip the line' pass.

At the center of the Museum courtyard was this beautiful 1926 sculpture that spins. 

Laocoon & Sons! This was probably my favorite piece in the museum.

Michelangelo's Pieta was in one of the chapels at St. Peter's Basilica. 

The scale of the church and baldacchino were truly overwhelming.

Swiss guard uniform or halloween costume? You tell me....

The Pantheon was perhaps the most crowded site we visited. No complaints here - it's free to visit and truly amazing!

We threw coins in the Trevi fountain before heading to the Spanish steps!

The Ecstasy of St. Theresa is perhaps the most renowned sculpture by Bernini and is located in the Cornaro Chapel at Santa Maria della Vittoria.

Our last stop was the Colosseum which was, unfortunately, closed at 4:30 PM on a Saturday. Go figure?

We ended the weekend at a local restaurant. Spinach and feta ravioli sure warms the tired soul!

Have you ever dumpster-dived?

Well, I hadn't either - until today. After my classes, I walked home to find that the garbage had yet to be taken out of my apartment. Attempting to be a good roommate, I grabbed my keys and went back out with the garbage. Unfortunately, as I threw the bags into the dumpster, my keys went with them and found their way to the bottom of the dumpster.


I suppose you may consider this a puny first-world problem, but it absolutely consumed the next hour of my life. After an initial panic, I ran back to our apartment, jumped our terrace wall, and proceeded to rip a small branch off of the hedge that surrounds the terrace. Hoping for the best, I hurried back to the dumpster and attempted to use the stick to shimmy the keys up the side of the dumpster. Naturally, karma was not on my side and the stick proceeded to snap in half. Attempt #1 = failure.


I stared at the dumpster for awhile longer before deciding I'd need to jump in. Hoping that my Italian was understandable, I asked a passing woman to hold-up the lid of the dumpster so I could jump in. She laughed and called me a crazy foreigner before walking away. Attempt #2 = bigger failure.


Now, I must note that none of my roommates were in my apartment at this time AND my cell phone was also in my apartment. I certainly did not set myself up for success.


Next, I convinced myself that I should just dive in. As I held the lid, I quickly attempted to jump-up so that my hips were on the ledge and I could lean in. The jump was successful, though the lid of the dumpster proceeded to slam into my head, effectively trapping the upper half of my body within the dumpster and my legs were left kicking the air above the sidewalk. After a minute of concern, I managed to collapse out of the dumpster. Attempt #3 = largest, and most embarrassing, failure.


Finally, another student from our program walked by and I asked him for help. Bless his soul, he stopped to help me. As I held the lid, he jumped halfway up and then leaned into the dumpster (preventing full immersion) and was able to reach my now-slimy keys.


And, there you have it. Just another afternoon in Florence, I suppose......

A Slice of British Paradise!

Hello again, friends! Hope that the beginning of Movember is going well for you! I was fortunate enough to spend the beginning of this month romping across the United Kingdom, visiting family and friends. Here are some snapshots from my trip - enjoy!

My first stop was in Letchworth to visit some family from my mother's side. It was fantastic to get a piece of home and I adored the English countryside.

I also got the opportunity to meet some of my younger cousins for the first time! Katie enjoyed wearing my scarf :) I also enjoyed trick-or-treating with them!

The English countryside was absolutely lovely. It sure made me miss autumn at home!

I spent the second day in London, beginning at Kings Cross Station. Platform 9 3/4 anyone?

My first stop was the Swiss Re building! I was ecstatic to see 'the Gherkin' in person!

The London Eye looked so appealing! If only the line hadn't been 2 hours long....

Westminster Abbey was far more impressive than I could have imagined. I assumed that after seeing the churches of Italy, this wouldn't 'wow' me. How mistaken I was.....

Big Ben!

St. James' Park in front of Buckingham Palace featured some very interesting birds....

My next day was spent in Glasgow visiting a friend from home. We spent our first night at the local bookclub bar with friends.

Scotland was so beautiful. Goes to show that I should have studied abroad in the land of my ancestors....

Apparently, the formation of Hogwarts in the HP movies was based on the University of Glasgow. So was it inappropriate for me to yell HUFFLEPUFF when this group walked by?

Who wouldn't want to go to school in a beautiful place like this? I have to admit, this is what I also imagined college would look like.

My second day in Scotland was spent in Stirling, where we met up with a friend of mine from college. Scottish paradise? Quite possibly.

We toured Stirling Castle and were particularly fond of the cannons....

We ended the day at a local brewery in Bridge of Allen that served the best cider I'd ever had. Leaving Scotland was the most difficult thing I've done recently, that's for sure!