Stop and Smell the Roses

San Gimignano is a very pretty city. It's kind of like Siena only smaller and a lot of towers! There used to be 72 but only 14 - I think - are still standing, five really pronounced ones. Me and a few friends just spent the day on the hillside staring out into the mountains and other distant cities. We found the best pizza place that I've been to thus far, and a couple got some really good wine, made in Tuscany of course. There were signs everywhere for a wine museum, but I swear it just took you in circles, we never found it unfortunately.

Tomorrow, I'm going to an ultra outlet mall that everyone keeps talking about. It's about a half hour bus ride out of Florence..called Barberino Outlet. I CAN'T WAIT! Puma, Prada, Adidas, Guess, Lacoste, Dolce & Gabbana, Calvin Klein, and The End just to name a few stores there. I hear they have pretty good prices, and it's sales month so hopefully I find some good discounts! Trying not to spend too much money though, don't want to get myself in trouble, but I guess I don't have to eat next week ;). Other than that, Sunday and Monday I'll probably find myself in studio since we have a little project due on Tuesday.

I have done a lot of thinking since I've been here... So, I've only been here for 3 weeks and my view on America/Americans has already changed, and I have a feeling it is going to keep changing throughout the semester. I mean I guess I kind of already had some of these thoughts because my family and friends all pretty much think the same way too, but being outside of everything just makes you realize it a whole lot more.

Italians live for family, friends, and good food - all things that really anyone should live for, but doesn't really come across in the states. Almost everyone is so friendly, maybe not always to us foreigners, but I've been watching a lot of people here around Florence and in the other cities I've been to, and everyone is very nice. Laid back is another characteristic of Italians. Just about everything closes during lunchtime, all day Sundays, and for the majority of Mondays. They take their time and enjoy what's around them for a change. Americans are so..fast..in everything. Driving through the closest McDonald's or Wendy's for their lunch, always working past hours of close, working on weekends even. Don't get me wrong..we are far better off with technology and certain things, but can't we just take a chill pill once in a while? Remember that saying "stop and smell the roses"? No one does that anymore. Everyone has to have the latest invention or be the best of the best.

Also, when I was on the bus going from Siena back to Florence, there were a few women on the bus - all separate from each other - that just kept waving goodbye to their family/friend/loved one until we left, probably at least a good 10 minutes. Mind you this is maybe about an hour bus ride that goes back and forth everyday. I feel like, yeah, we get sad when we see family go, but normally when you only get to see that person(s) maybe once or twice a year. Not really when you only have an hour car ride to see them next. They just care about each other so much. Granted, I'm not trying to say that we are all just heartless people, I just don't think we really appreciate it as much as we should. And, not all people do this, like I said before my family and friends, I feel, have the same attitude towards life as me, since they have shaped me into who I am as a person.

I think I just feel bad for the rude people in our country. They really just don't see the world as you are supposed to. There are a lot of beautiful things in the world that no one - especially Americans - really stops to look at or notice. I feel like everyone needs the opportunity to get out and see the rest of the world. No one that I have encountered is bitter and rude, they just enjoy what is there. It's kind of sad to say already, but I already don't want to go back to the states.

Oh, another thing. I hate how they think about us. I went out a couple times my first week I was here, and the clubs cater to Americans because they know we are going to overindulge in alcohol and spend lots of money at the bar. A lot of places lower the cover charge and give you free shots and drinks. Also, apparently every American girl - in the eye of an Italian or other foreigner - is as most people say 'easy'. NOT TRUE! Why do we have to put this bad reputation on the U.S.?! They know we are like this, and we give in to it! I don't understand... people here have one or two glasses of wine or beer or whatever during dinner and that's it. No getting drunk out of your mind - they think that if you are drunk you are sick - they just enjoy the taste. I feel like maybe it has to do with the fact the legal drinking age is 21 and here you can pretty much have it your entire life, I haven't been carded once since I've been here. I don't know, I just don't understand how some people can't just enjoy a glass of wine and a relaxing evening....

Siena é una cittá meravigliosa.

Siena is probably the most gorgeous and authentic city I have ever been to. It is so picturesque with its windy roads and steep hills. Almost every road has one of those little romantic restaurants with two person tables, flowers in the middle, and an arbor with pretty vines over top. On some of the roads there are archways that make it very romantic as well. Oh, and all the apartments have those fenced in windows with flowers or some type of plant growing from the extended sill. Beautiful.

The Cathedrale di Santa Maria is ridiculous. First of all, the part that exists was only supposed to be the apse. The church was not completely built due to financial reasons. Some aspects that were built though, like one of the aisles and the front entrance, so you can see exactly what it was intended to be. It would have been tremendous. I did go inside for mass, obviously no pictures were allowed – unfortunately. The inside is marvelous, so pretty. So much detail was put into the church. Apparently the money that they couldn’t use for the rest of the church was used to make inside as elaborate as possible.

Well, other than my long day in Sienna, I haven’t been doing too much. Last week everyone was getting sick so now it’s my week. Today, I’m feeling very miserable, blowing my nose about every 5 seconds – which made classes not fun at all. Hopefully I get better, I’m trying to go to Turin for a day or two this weekend, but probably won’t if I feel like this.

Good news, however, I booked some flights.. one to Munich for Springfest - not until April 23rd - and one to Bratislava - Feb 10th - where we will be going to Vienna as well. Really excited to see what's outside of Italy!

Pisa and It's Leaning Tower

Pisa is awesome. First of all it was a gorgeous day in Italy today, especially in Pisa. Sunny and in the high 50's. The morning started out rough when we went to the self ticket booth and the machine ate a 5 euro bill :( - I guess it was good it was only a 5... but the train ride was a very cool experience, first time I've ever rode a train before, at least I think. Very pretty the entire way, lots of mountains, villages, and vineyards. When we got to Pisa, it was a trek to the cathedral, tower and baptistry, but it was nice because then I got to see the whole city. The ever-so pretty Arno River runs through Pisa as well, so there were some nice water shots.

The leaning tower is pretty amazing. I went ahead and splurged on the 15 euro pass to go up the tower for a half hour and I don't regret it at all! It was the coolest thing ever, very trippy to walk up though. The stairs are about as wide as one maybe two people, and obviously since it's leaning, it feels like your walking down stairs when really your walking up. Or you fall to the side a little, which is what I did. Also, when you get up to the bell level, there are three stairs and a railing on the first step. Well when your on the third step, your above the railing so I'm pretty sure if you were to trip and fall you would just literally fall right off the tower. To say the least, I had to stay on the first stair and grab the freaking railing because I seriously thought I was going to fall. It was scary! There is one more floor, though, which is where all of it is worth it. Beautiful. Mountains on one side and Pisa on the other. A terrific view of the cathedral too. If any one has the chance to get to Pisa and the tower is actually open, CLIMB IT! It is way worth it!

I also was able to go inside the church, since it was free, which was exquisite. All the frescos were still on the walls and it was just jaw-dropping. I literally walked in and was awe-strucken - if thats even a word. I'll be putting pictures up on fb sometime soon, when I get the chance. I really can't even describe it. There were just so many things going on and so many little details everywhere that made it so pretty.

It's unbelievable how much was accomplished back then, and how much money was put into these extraordinary buildings. It makes me realize how advanced they were back then. Me and a friend were talking about the 'what-ifs' if Rome's empire hadn't fallen. I feel like we would really be the futuristic space ships and all that if they were still in power today. But I guess that's another story that no one will ever know, just something cool to consider and think about.

Overall, Pisa is definitely something to experience and can for sure be done in a day. There isn't much beyond the cathedral and it's tower. I never went inside the baptistry, which I hear is very beautiful itself. Didn't have the money since I got jipped at the train station and then had to pay 15 for the tower. I'm definitely not disappointed though. Awesome experience and awesome architecture!

And the classes begin...

Well, I've only been to two days of classes and there's already so much to talk about. Let's see, yesterday I started my morning out with Italian class. Nothing special or new - since we technically started that class last week. My Italian is getting better though. I went to a store the other day and only spoke Italian to the lady working, I was proud of myself :) . Next class was Sketching and Drawing. I'm very excited about this class because every Thursday we get to go on site and just sketch what is around us. I hope to improve my drawing skills while I'm here so this is the perfect way to do so.

Then last but of course not least, we had studio. I was a little nervous that the work load was going to be ridiculous like always, and I was going to find myself in studio all the time instead of traveling around. Instead, my professor seems very nice and accepting of the fact that traveling and seeing everything is really what we are here for. Of course we are going to learn A LOT, but seeing everything is half the learning. My professor is Italian, went to school at the University of Venice for undergrad, but then came to the U.S. for grad school to Syracuse. Pretty cool because he kind of knows what we are going through, studying in a different country. Just from the introduction, he seems like a very good prof and I think I will learn a ton from him.

Today was my favorite class, Italian Art. I was soo excited for this class before I came here and now I'm even more excited to go to every class. We went to two different piazza's today, where he gave us a lecture on the history of Florence. Very cool by the way, too much to type but pretty awesome to hear how the city became what it is today. Every class we will meet in the classroom and he will give us a brief lecture on what we are going to see, then we get to go to the place that we are talking about and literally see it. Some scheduled places are inside Santa Croce, San Lorenzo, Santa Maria Novella, the Duomo - literally inside the dome, we get to climb it as he lectures about how it was built, and museums including Accademia, Uffizi, and Opera del Duomo - all museums containing very famous work.

Also, today after class, me and a few friends decided to try out our museum passes and went to the Uffizi museum. We were there for probably about 3 hours and barely saw half the museum. It is huge and has so many amazing things in it! Unfortunately, you can't take pictures there, so I didn't take any today. I'm going to try to work on my sneakiness to take a few at some point. Since we get in for free, and get to jump any line that there may be, we can go back as many times as we want :)

Tomorrow, I have the exact same schedule as yesterday, and we are all off on Fridays for any type of traveling we may want to do. As I said before, we are planning on going to Pisa and Sienna this weekend!

La Bella Citta

Today, in Florence, it was beautiful! I spent the day wondering around the city, making my way back up to Piazzale Michelangelo. I didn't take any pictures, just absorbing how pretty it was. I went at night a few days ago and I thought it was pretty then, but during the day you can see the mountains surrounding the city. I think I could definitely find myself going up there quite a few more times this semester.

The past few days have been rather boring, just waiting for classes to start and walking aimlessly around the city. I found a cheaper gelato place, which I'm so excited about! Only 2 euro for a small cone - which is all you need. I've also been finding the cheaper places to eat. Sandwiches big enough for two meals for only 2-3 euro.

A few of my friends and I are planning a couple trips this weekend. Friday to Pisa, Saturday to Medici's Villa - which is with the school - and Sunday to Sienna. It's supposed to be really pretty Friday and Saturday but Sunday it's supposed to rain, hopefully not enough to ruin our plans. I'm excited to get out of Florence for a bit and see other places in Italy that aren't so touristy.

Today, I did sign up for a couple things that the student advisor has planned for us. An opera next Thursday, a free Tuscan dinner this Friday, and a pizza and gelato cooking class in March some time. Hopefully I come back with some good pointers on cooking! I also picked up my museum card, good for admission to quite a few museums in Florence. We tried to go to a couple of them today, but we found out, like most things around the city, they are closed on Monday's. It's a weird concept that I'm going to have to get used to. Sunday and Monday are like their weekends. There's not really much else to report at this time, but I'll probably have a lot after this week since classes start.

Top things

Top things I have loved thus far:

1. Mercatos! - The markets have so much good food, from cheese and wine to fruits and vegetables. Everything is fresh, homemade, and tasty! The meat is in huge slabs so you know exactly what your getting. And of course the best part..it's fairly inexpensive! Today, I went and got vegetables for a salad, four tomatoes, a red and yellow pepper, and a huge head of lettuce for only 2.70 euro! [About $4]

2. Gelato - Delicious!! The gelaterias are everywhere and they smell soo good! Next time I go I'm going to have to get some with the waffles! Unfortunately, it's just so expensive so I can't get it all the time :(

3. Views - Everything is so beautiful and old. Ponte Vecchio is very pretty, you don't even feel like you are on a bridge until you get to the middle and see the river. It's also pretty romantic with the nice [expensive] jewelry, and the lock fence [you're supposed to come with the person you are going to marry and put a lock, with you and the persons name, on the fence and your said to be married happily ever after]. Really pretty much everything in the city is romantic, old, and cozy. Tonight, I'm going to Piazzo de Michaelangelo, which is supposed to be the prettiest place, overlooking the entire city. I'm excited to get some really nice pictures!

4. Culture - Italians are very old-fashioned and I love it! There are not very many cars, everyone walks everywhere, or rides their scooter/motorcycle. The city was very carefully planned. I love how everything is so compacted together [I wish that we had cities like this in the states]. Also, everyone I've met so far have been pretty friendly. I just found out about where the actual residing Italians go for dinner and stuff like that so I'm excited to go check them out and see what they are really all about!

5. Language - It's very similar to Spanish. My four years of it in high school is helping me out. It's just a very pretty language, which is kind of weird to say, but it's fun to just listen to people. I don't know very much yet, but it should be pretty easy since I'm going to have to use it every day. I can't wait to know and understand it better!

6. The month of January - SALES!! Twice a year they have huge sales. The entire months of January and July are dedicated to them! Almost everything is 50% off. I went to H&M and bought a few nice pieces of clothing, dress pants and shirt, skirt, and a casual top. Also, today I went to an Italian store named Zara, sooo cute! Four floors of fabulous clothes. There I got a nice leather jacket for only 40 euro. Other than that I haven't really bought much, considering I'd rather travel than get clothes.

7. Vendors - There is a huge market running about 5 different streets that just have vendors on it selling scarves, purses and bags, coats, clothing, sunglasses, wallets, belts, just about everything in that sense. Everything is cheap but fake. The scarves are awesome though, only 5 euro and they are actually pretty nice. There is one market that runs about a mile long, but it only opens Tuesday mornings. Everything there, though, is very inexpensive, scarves for only 1 euro.

8. Fashion - As soon as I walked into the Florence airport, fashion hit me in the face. Billboards of people modeling clothing or bags or whatnot. The people are very flashy wearing the latest fashion, and there are clothing stores everywhere. Granted they are really expensive but fashion is pricey!

My First Few Days

I'm starting my blog a little late. This blog is about my study abroad in Florence, Italy for four and a half months. It is part of the cirriculum of the Architecture program at Kent State University that all third-years have the chance to live in Florence and study there. We left out of Detroit airport on January 7, 2010. It was a miserable day for travel, 19 degrees and snowing non-stop. Of course the weather delayed us getting out. It was very slow in the airport so checking in and getting through security wasn't bad at all. Me and a few others not traveling on the bus - going from Kent State to the Detroit airport - arrived quite a bit early since the weather was bad and we didn't want to miss the flight. We had dinner and were never rushed. However, I felt really bad about the people who did travel on the bus considering they did not get there until about an hour / hour and a half before the plane left! If anyone knows me, I would have been freaking out.

I arrived in Firenze, Italia on January 8, 2010. I was very excited, scared, and anxious all at the same time. The entire time flying I realized where I was going, but it never hit me. It still hasn't hit me yet. We flew over Ireland, England, and, of course, France - stopping in Paris. I did get to see the land for all of the countries since we were low enough, but I didn't see any particular landmarks. One really nice thing about Air France, we were served free alcohol. Arriving in Paris was an experience, I wanted to look out the window and see the Eiffel Tower or something, but all I saw out the window was farm land, maybe I was on the wrong side of the plane. It was freezing there - much like when we left from Detroit - which I really didn't expect. We left about an hour late out of Detroit, so we literally had to run around the Paris airport, run to the bus to get to the next terminal that our connecting flight was out of, run through security - yes, again - just to make our connection to get to Florence. We even had Air France workers directing us where to go, and the plane was still waiting on us. To say the least, I felt like a dumb American.

I didn't sleep much of the 7 hour 40 minute plane ride. It was so crowded and tight, there was no way I was getting comfortable. Instead, I spent my time watching Sweet Home Alabama on the personalized screen you get from the seat in front of you, playing sudoku, and listening to Italian lessons on my iPod. Although, I did pass out on the flight from Paris to Florence, probably because I had been up for almost a full 24 hours. The flight to Florence was fairly nice, lots of room to spread out. Landing in Florence, I did the same thing as I did in Paris, looked around for the Duomo this time, trying to find something remarkable about Florence. Yet again, I saw nothing. At the airport, members the Kent State, Florence were meeting us to give us money for a taxi and keys to our apartments. Unfortunately, the travel agent that we used put me down as arriving the next day, so they did not have the envelope for me. Luckily, a girl was living right above me in the same building so we went together - me thinking I was just going to stay at her place until my roommates arrived. Our landlord met us at the door to our place and gave me his keys for the apartment, so I was able to get in and see the place.

My apartment is located pretty much in the city center. San Lorenzo - a historic cathedral - just around the corner, and the Duomo - the most famous cathedral in Florence - just a block away. Also, finding out after the next couple of days, the San Lorenzo market and the Central market - the biggest markets of Florence - are also only a 2-5 minute walk. Other really nice features of the place, fairly big in size, huge jacuzzi tub/shower - which by the way is awesome in Italy, all the showers barely fit a person inside - and a view of the Duomo.

After looking around my apartment, I wanted to explore Florence a little. A few of us went over to see the Duomo from street view. It was everything I expected and more. The scale is just extraordinary! Much bigger than I thought it was going to be. It was pretty late by this point, so we grabbed some pizza at a pizzeria by the Duomo, which was really good but pretty expensive. After that, SLEEP! I was so tired from jet lag and not having enough sleep.

The next few days, over the weekend, I toured the city. Saw everything from Ponte Vecchio to museums to fabulous stores. Okay, interruption, everyone that is from Florence is so stylish it's ridiculous! All the stores that I've seen thus far have been outrageously expensive. I also went inside the Duomo, and then went back for mass the next morning. Mass was an awesome experience. Me and a friend, Lucas, were selected to take collection. To get the baskets, we went in this back room that contained these chests that were behind glass - had to have been relics. It was pretty cool to have gone back there. Everything else, well, was in Italian so I couldn't tell you much about it, yet.

I did go to a club on Saturday night, too. It was pretty American though, just a few more flashing lights. Played American music, and I noticed there were a lot of Americans - which you can so easily point out here. Nothing too crazy happened, but I want to get to an Italian club to see what they are like.

Orientation started on Monday. It has just been long and boring talking about things that we were already lectured about before we left. Of course all important stuff, but getting old. I also have been to the market the past couple days. I really wish we had something like that all the time in America, it is awesome! Fresh vegetables, fruit, meat, cheese, bread, wine, everything! Bad thing though, is that it's only open for so long. Like a lot of places here, there is a long lunch break where they close in the middle of the day, so on most days the market is only open till about 12:30 before people start closing up.

Other than that I've just been walking around and trying to adjust myself to the 6 hour time difference. I'll try to keep this updated as the semester passes.

Disappointing moment thus far: EVERYTHING and EVERYWHERE has English underneath. Even when we were in Paris. Yes, it is very nice to know what everything says, but I felt like it was there because of us Americans that don't know squat about any other language. Just about everyone spoke at least two languages, maybe three. Again, another dumb American feeling.