Fall Break Post: Jamie and Mom's Visit

Before I begin my post about this lovely weekend, let me say that I only have 44 days left here in Italy. I started out with 104. I'm more than halfway done with my study abroad experience, and I am not quite sure if this upsets me or if I feel a bit relieved.

Late Saturday night, my mom and sister got into town. It was so good to see them! I hadn't seen Jamie since Christmas, and my mom since I left Kansas in August. They both gave me a big hug, something I really needed from a family member. I have been deprived of Najims for weeks now, it does get a bit wearing to be without my kind! Ha.

Anyways, here's how the week went down....

Sunday: Their first day here, and we decided to keep it easy. We slept in until 11AM (ahhh, wonderful) and I did the typical tour around Florence (I am starting to get good at this). I showed them my apartment and all the tourist sites. I took them across the Arno River and we had lunch at Gusta Pizza, a famous and delicious pizza place in Florence. We quickly saw the Brancacci Chapel where all of Masaccio's famous frescoes are, which was on my mom's Florence bucket list. Apparently when I came to Florence with my parents at age 9, we took a carriage ride to this chapel and it was closed. Thus, seeing these frescoes was a must! We relaxed a bit around the apartment, and then went out for a delicious Italian dinner.

Monday: Day trip to Siena! The train only took about an hour and half, complete with great views of Tuscan countryside. Siena used to be a Medieval Town, and it's built on a hill, so there were many steep staircases and all the buildings are made of brick. It's a neat little town, although there's not too much to do there. We went to Piazza del Campo, which is the main public square in Siena and is one of Europe's greatest medieval squares. It is renowned worldwide for its beauty and architectural integrity. Unfortunately, it was rainy and chilly all day, so the square didn't look as pretty as many photographs suggest. We had a nice lunch away from the tourist area, and then we went to the Duomo. It's smaller than the Duomo in Florence for sure, but far more beautiful. The exterior and interior are constructed of white and greenish-black marble in alternating stripes, with addition of red marble on the façade. Black and white are the symbolic colors of Siena, etiologically linked to black and white horses of the legendary city's founders, Senius and Aschius. Michelangelo's Saint Peter statue is there, and it was way smaller than I thought it would be. I loved admiring all the art in there. We also saw mom's doppelganger; there was a woman that looked JUST like her, and was even wearing the same outfit! Jamie and I were trying so hard not to make a scene with our giggling in this holy place (didn't work), and we shot some photos of this woman. They are the best, I must say I am not skilled in stalker-like photos. After that visit, we headed back to the train station and went home to our flat in Florence.


Tuesday: Another lazy day, which was typical after our travel days. We slept in again, went to the Mercado Centrale for some food, and shopped around a bit. I think we took a nap in the afternoon (can't remember) and then made dinner. We made Risotto with vegetables, and a Caprese salad...all food that I learned how to make in my cooking class! It was delicious and relaxing.


Wednesday: Day trip to Ravenna! This was a big day, mostly because Ravenna is a bit far from Florence, but it was also a must do for the art history lovers. We took two trains to get there (a "layover" in Bologna) and arrived around 12:30. Again, it was rainy and chilly, but surprisingly that made the day somewhat pleasant. What I especially loved about this town was that there were hardly any tourists. We headed straight for San Vitale, the historic church. It was built in around 575AD (extremely old) and it was seriously one of the most beautiful churches I have ever stepped inside. The altar is covered in mosaics; the pieces are as big as finger nails. They were so colorful and outstanding. We were the only ones in the church, which I think made the experience extra special. Apparently Gustav Klimt got his inspiration from the golden pieces when he came to visit. If you've taken an art history course, you have seen these mosaics of Justinian and Theodora, the rulers that helped restore Ravenna. As an art history major, it fascinates me to see the evolution of art and how people have come to portray life, emotions, religion, and anything else. It was a surprise how impacting this church was, and it's probably one of my favorite works I have ever seen. I am so glad I shared the experience with my mom and sister. We exited the church and went to the Mausoleum along the way, which the interior was also covered with mosaics.  After that, we hit up a restaurant recommended by our favorite travel man, Rick Steves. The restaurant was well priced, with delicious food (you can never go wrong with food in Italy, honestly) and wonderful service. After lunch, we had some time to kill around the city before our train, so we did some window shopping and kept warm in a cafe. On our way back to Florence we were able to take one train for way cheaper (9 euros per person rather than 35), but it was regional and stopped at every little town along the way. It wasn't bad at all though, especially since Jamie and I had The Hunger Games to read, which I will talk about later. We got pizza to go and ate it at our flat, and it was quite lovely.


Thursday: Got to sleep in a little more today, but it was a big art day! Because the Accademia and Uffizi are such famous and touristy art museums in Florence, people usually have to get reservations. This is advisable, because the non-reservation line usually has a 2-3 hour wait. With my student card, I can get into both of these places for free AND cut the line. We scheduled to visit these two this day, and it was fun! It's my third time visiting each place, and as much as I love art, I wasn't as excited to see the same stuff as I had my first times. But, I loved showing my mom and sister how much I have learned. We got a quick lunch at a delicious (and also recommended by Rick Steves) sandwich place, and did a little bit of shopping. After relaxing for a bit, we got a quick dinner, and I took my mom and sister to Finnegan's Pub (my hang out place, as you all know) for Pub Trivia! We are an excellent team. With my mom's old-school intellect, Jamie's wit, and my modern coolness (ha) we got in second place!! A point short of first (damn), but it was still awesome. We all such a blast, and they loved the pub, as everyone should.


Friday: Slept in, ahhh. This was a lazy day as well, we didn't have anything big planned incase there was something extra we wanted to do or not to do. We had lunch, and then went to Santa Maria Novella so mom could see Masaccio's Trinity, also something on her Florence bucket list. We then walked over to Pitti Palace so I could show her the Boboli Gardens, which she loved!! I could come back to this place everyday and never get sick of it. It's a perfect getaway from city life, and you can just enjoy the smell of fresh grass and TREES!! It's funny, the things you miss when you're away from home. We also ran into a really friendly cat that enjoyed being pet. Oh, how I miss my cats...I am definitely cat deprived here. I sat down and this kitty jumped in my lap and snuggled with me! I know you all probably think that's gross and I could get diseases, blah blah blah, but it was so wonderful to snuggle with a kitty! It was a beautiful day outside, sunny and mild, which was a change from all the rain and chilly weather we had been having. We left the gardens and my mom bought my Christmas present...an authentic Italian leather jacket! It's perfect and exactly what I wanted. And since I am a student, I got a giant discount (was 480 euro, got it for 160) which was such a great deal. I can't wait to wear it! Because this was my mom and sister's last night in Italy, we went out for a very nice dinner close to our flat and got gelato afterwards.


Saturday: Woke up around 8:30ish in order to clean up, pack, and get out of the rental flat by 10. We lugged all our stuff over to my place and hung out there. We did some quick grocery shopping for me, and got a small lunch at a cafe nearby. The evil taxi came and took them away from me at noon, and saying goodbye to them was rough. I had such a wonderful time with both of them, and I only wish they could've stayed longer. In order to stop crying I made myself clean my dirty apartment, which took 3 hours of hardcore dedication. I swept the floors, mopped, dusted, scrubbed the grim off of the counters/stove/sink, did laundry, and straightened everything up. The place looks spotless, and I hope it stays that way for a while. Anyways, none of my roommates are back so I have been alone all day, which is depressing after being with my wonderful family. Hopefully things get better once everyone gets back in town from fall break.


Something that was really hilarious about week was me and Jamie's new obsession with The Hunger Games series. I asked my mom to bring me the first book over because I had heard great things and I needed something new to read. Upon my excitement, my older sister steals it from me so I can't read it, and she ended up loving the series. It turned into a race to finish the book, since we were both "sharing" it. We found a bookstore with English books, and luckily there were two copies of the next book! We were thrilled, and my mom kept commenting on how cute we were. My sister still felt the need to race me, but I took my time reading this book, because who knows if I'll find the next book or have anything to read when I am done? Luckily, we found one copy of the third and final book, so I do have that in my possession. Oh, sibling rivalry. But, I seriously recommend this book to anyone who needs a new read. It's no Harry Potter, it's way better than Twilight, and it's overall very exciting and addicting!

This coming week I have a paper due, a presentation, and a weekend trip to Rome with the school. Back to reality? Nah. Not until I come back to the States. :)

My and my big sister :) Lookin' like fools in our AE hoodies 

Brancacci Chapel

Duomo in Siena

Interior of Duomo

Lady on right. My mom's doppelganger!!

Dinner we made. Risotto and Caprese salad

Interior of San Vitale in Ravenna

Mosiacs...so perfect

Theodora and her pearls

Justinian 

San Vitale

Jamie and I goofing off on the train

Saint Elizabeth Street!

Mom being very American at Boboli gardens

Me and the snuggly kitty!

My beautiful new leather jacket!!

Since my family has been here, I am really missing Kansas. Right now the leaves are changing and fall is settling in. I love it here in Italy, but I miss home a lot right now. There's nothing like a hug from momma or a laugh with your sister to cheer you up. I am so lucky to have such a loving and amazing family!

Stay tuned, I have many more adventures yet to come :)

Ciao!

Nathan's Visit and our trip to Venice!

As I mentioned in the previous post, Nathan arrived safely in Florence on Sunday afternoon. The following Monday, we got to sleep in and I went to my Italian class. I took Nathan to the market, we had lunch, and then we headed over to the Pitti Palace to go to the Boboli Gardens, which was absolutely perfect. I hadn't been around trees or grass since I have come to Italy, and it definitely made me a happy camper. Everything smelled so fresh and perfect, and it made me miss Kansas a little. The garden becomes a maze if you decide to go on paths less traveled. We went from 4:30PM until closing time, right when the sun was beginning to set, and we could overlook Tuscan countryside. We left the palace at the perfect time, because as we were crossing the Arno River, the sunset was turning into pink and purplish hues, one of the most beautiful sunsets I have seen since I have been here. It was such a perfect day, filled with much laughter and carefree wandering around a forest. We took many pictures and got some celebratory gelato afterwards.

The next few days were, well, awful...to put it nicely. Except for some excursions to the Uffizi and the Accademia (to see the David of course), I spent most of my time studying. Midterms were a lot more difficult than everyone expected, and it felt like a horrified version of finals week. At KU, I am used to having one, maybe two midterms, but here it was a requirement that every class had a midterm. There was more required information than I realized, and I ended up cramming last minute (knowing me, this is NOT something I ever do) late into some nights, and I don't quite understand how my friends or boyfriend live that horrific lifestyle of all nighters and multiples of caffeinated beverages...ugh. Never again. Overall I think I did alright, but it wasn't an easy week! Thank goodness I had Nathan Riley here to help me study.

On Thursday, I finished my Michelangelo midterm with a bang, and then Nathan and I headed off to the train station to catch a train to Padua. We got there around 2:30ish and were scheduled to visit the Scrovegni Chapel at 5pm. This is a very famous chapel where Giotto painted a serious of frescoes depicting the life of Christ. I have written probably 2-3 papers on this specific place, and it has been on my bucket list to go see it ever since my sophomore year of high school. The chapel is quite small, and it is in a beautiful garden area full of grass and trees. Reservations and entrance procedures were extremely strict. You MUST book in advance. You are not allowed to take a single bag (even a tiny purse) inside. They only allow 25 people inside for 15 minute increments, and the room is highly ventilated and air conditioned to perfect temperatures which run through cycles every 30 minutes. This is in order to protect and maintain preservation of the frescoes, and honestly I was very impressed with these methods. We were put into an "air conditioned room" (it's hilarious to me how much they emphasized this) for 15 minutes to watch a movie about the chapel, and then we were let inside. It was so perfect...it was everything I had imagined and more. I saw so much detail in the frescoes, something you can never see in a textbook replica. The scenes looked bigger than I imagined too, and I loved the ceiling covered in gold stars and a bright blue sky. We weren't allowed to take pictures (obviously) so here is a photo from google images...

Go see it in person if you are ever in Italy! Such a precious, historical treasure.

After that, we took a train over to Venice, our destination for the next 2 days. We got there around 7PM, and it was already dark! Confused like none other, we realized we needed to take a water taxi to our bed and breakfast. Apparently we missed our stop, so we had to go on a different water taxi to the correct location. We were struggling for sure, and it didn't help that it was completely dark and we had no idea where we were going. We finally got off at our stop (Celestia) and the place was DESERTED. Not a soul in sight. It was incredibly creepy, and we did not have a map or anything to help us. The only noises that could be heard were water (from the streets) and boats hitting each other from the wind being blown. It was also freezing outside, and we did not properly prepare for this weather. We wandered around, and finally ran into a couple who helped us find our place. They were so kind that they even walked us up to the front door! Hallelujah.

We walk in and run into Santos, the owner. Words cannot describe how awkward this man was. He asked me "Why don't you speak Italian? You are in Italy, you know!" which I had no idea how to answer. He then talked on and on forever about things (that I don't even remember) and then would laugh like a character from Beevis and Butthead. (Heh heh heh heh heh heh heh...). We were starving, and he recommended us to a place not far from the hotel. We walk in, the place looking like it was about to close for the night, and they sat us immediately and gave us menus. We had the most awkward waitress I have ever had, and she probably spoke only two words of English. We decided to name her Gert, and we joked throughout the trip how strange Gert and Santos were. Although the food was amazing (and relatively cheap for Venice), it was no doubt a night of awkwardness, and Nathan and I began to wonder if everyone in Venice was just plain strange.

The next morning we woke up and explored the city with no agenda in mind. It clearly was the best experience we had. We explored untravelled roads and saw gorgeous views of typical Venice. We did walk by the tourist areas (San Marco Square, Rilato Bridge), and it definitely was too much. Although extremely touristy and sometimes overpriced, we went on a Gondola ride. It was amazing! We were able to talk down the price to the Gondolier (man who captains the gondola? I don't know..) and got it for 60 euros for 30 minutes (30 euros each) which was REALLY cheap....I have heard of Gondola rides being 90 euros for 20 minutes. It was worth it for sure. He took us around quiet areas of Venice, sang to us, and told us the history of the area and the buildings. It was a pleasant experience, and it was indeed another thing to cross off my bucket list.

We continued to wonder off a bit, trying to stay away from tourists and still get a good feel of the city. Venice truly is a unique place...there is nothing else like it. It felt like such a labyrinth, and half the time we were lost we ran into water and had to turn around. We found the area of the two museums I wanted to see: The Academia and The Guggenheim around the Grand Canal. We went into both museums and had such a wonderful time. In the Academia, I saw Giorgione's The Tempest. That work was on my Lost Codes and Secret Symbols in Art midterm! The Guggenheim was filled with modern art, which was honestly so wonderful to see after studying much Renaissance art all semester. There was even an outdoor sculpture garden with interactive pieces! We had such a blast, and I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Venice. We also spent an arm and a leg at the gift shop, buying posters and post cards of our favorite pieces. Money well spent.

We headed back to the hotel for a quick power nap, and then we decided to go visit Gert again for dinner. This time was much less awkward, and we tipped her 1 euro which gave her the biggest smile on her face! I almost wish I had a picture. We bought tickets to go see a Venetian Opera, and almost arrived late! We were relying on Nathan's Blackberry to map quest us there, but for some reason it wasn't working well and it took us much longer to get to our destination. We got there a minute late, sat down, and then the show started! Perfect. However, we were slightly confused and accidentally did not see an opera, but an orchestra concert. Pretty much, we watched people in old Venetian costumes play string instruments. It was very good and the musicians were extremely talented, but we were sad that we didn't see any opera singing. I have missed going to orchestra concerts, though. We found our way back to the hotel safely, thanks to the GPS on Nathan's phone.

The next day was more of a travel day. We ate breakfast, said goodbye to Santos, took a water taxi to the train station and caught our train back to Florence. We made it back in the early afternoon, and spent time shopping for souvenirs for friends back home. We got one last fancy and expensive dinner, and decided to actually get dessert with it. It has been so nice having him here with me, because I have missed my best friend so much! Thank you for such a wonderful and helpful week. :)

Now, my mom and sister (Jamie) are here in Florence with me during my fall break. They got in Saturday (last) night, and this morning we slept until 11AM...how wonderful! I then gave them a little tour around Florence, went to Gusta Pizza for lunch, and then swung by Santa Maria del Carmine to see the Brancacci Chapel which has gorgeous frescoes by Masaccio, which include Tribute Money and Expulsion from the Garden of Eden. If you have ever taken an art history class, you will have definitely seen these works in a textbook!

Rilato Bridge in Venice

Giorgione's The Tempest

San Marco Square in Venice

Boboli Gardens

Relaxing. This is the first time I have seen leaves change! I miss fall so much.

Tuscan countryside

Nathan and sign..."do not sit/fall off of railing" HA

View of Florence from Boboli Gardens

Getting lost in Boboli Gardens

Arno River at sunset

View of Duomo from Boboli Gardens

Beautiful Florence

Scrovegni Chapel

Getting lost in Venice

Me and Nathan on pre-gondola departure 

On gondola ride

Venetian masks

Venice at it's finest

Last dinner in Italy...heart shaped ravioli!

The pictures are out of order to do sloppy internet connection and with much frustration on my part, I decided to keep it this way. I hope you enjoy!

Feel free to leave comments or questions! I'll gladly answer anything or reply somehow =)

Ciao!

Week 6 Activities and Nathan's arrival!

Once again, another week has flown by and I am still in awe of this place. There are moments when I get homesick or feel the need to complain about something, and usually when this happens, I go look at the view through my bedroom window and I am reminded of this experience and how special it is to me.

Okay, enough of the cheesiness.

This week was probably the most stressful out of the bunch, so far. Why? Oh, we just have some dumb tests called MIDTERMS next week, which no one has seemed to taken schools seriously until now. Yes, I am learning quite a lot and soaking it all in, but I will admit...it isn't easy to "study" when in such a beautiful country like this one. So, everyone is pretty much panicking and unsure of what the next week holds for us. After my professors went through midterm formats and expectancies, I definitely know the things I do and don't need to be concerned about. I was surprised about how difficult my Pairing Food and Wine midterm will be (memorize typologies of wines and recipes...such nitty gritty stuff!) and how easy my Italian Renaissance art history test will be. Wish me luck!

To summarize my school week...

Monday: Had class. Probably cleaned a lot. Bought some food at the market. Worked on 2 projects and had a delicious kebab (I am officially addicted) for dinner.

Tuesday: Had class and learned new things in Pairing Food and Wine. Researched classes to take for the fall. I am credit-wise a senior and on track to graduate in the Fall 2012....YIKES!! Definitely not ready to think about that yet.

Wednesday: Class all morning. Finished HUGE paper...14 pages on Astrology in the Medician Court for my Lost Symbols and Secret Codes in Art class. Skyped with momma. Trivia Night at Finnegan's Irish Pub...I won a t-shirt but my team placed 4th or 5th overall...eeek, better luck next time. The bartenders at Finnegan's know my name and my friends have become "regulars" there. It's definitely one of my favorite places to go in Florence.

Thursday: Class in morning until 11:30AM and it was officially the weekend. Checked my mail and I received both a letter and package from my sister, Claire! She sent me socks, soap, Chips Ahoy, Gardettos, Cheez Its (my favorite), candy bars, and taco shells! It was ironic because just the day before my roommates and I were talking about how much we missed eating tacos. We had another successful family dinner that night, followed by gelato and a round of kebabs (mhmm, my favorite).

Friday: Got to the train station at 7:15AM to take a bus to Perugia (with my cooking class) for the Eurochocolate Festival! It was definitely a fun place to be. I'm not a huge fan of chocolate like most girls, but I got a lot of great samples and the town was truly beautiful. It was a bit creepy knowing that this is where the Amanda Knox drama occurred, so we tried hard not to think about it all. I didn't buy any chocolate, mostly because I am trying to save money and I bought a ton in Switzerland. I did, however, buy a cute red headband-thing. I got back around 6:30PM, made some dinner, and my OCD brain decided to clean the apartment and study for midterms late into the night.

Saturday: Slept in till 10:45AM...that was wonderful. I was expecting Nathan's arrival, but due to Delta Airlines being a twit and overbooking his flight, he was not able to make it, and was set back by a day. This was depressing, but waiting a day did not kill me overall. Instead, I went to Gusta Pizza with my friend Sam and we visited Santo Spirito cathedral to see Michelangelo's Crufix. It was wonderful to catch up with her and have a relaxing afternoon with the refreshing fall weather. Later on, I went to Tijuana for Danica's birthday, and we had half-off margaritas and delicious Mexican food. After that, we got some celebratory Prosecco and watched the Princess Bride, a true classic. Half of us have the movie memorized down to every single line, and the other half had not seen it before. No more rhymes now, I mean it! Anybody want a peanut? It was definitely a hilarious situation, with people repeating lines verbatim and others having no idea what was going on, and thinking we were all nuts. I also met a girl here who is an Alpha Gamma Delta in California! It's so nice to finally meet a sister here!

Sunday (aka TODAY): Slept in again and did some more studying. Figured out more plans for trip to Venice. Waited anxiously for my dear friend Nathan Riley, who is finally HERE!!! Words cannot express how happy I am to see him. He gave me the biggest hug and we've been laughing all day. He got settled in, and we left the apartment to explore. I gave him the usual tour around Florence. Since I have been here for a while and have been studying lots of Renaissance art, I can pretty much be anyone's private tour guide around Florence, and Nathan got a full dose of my nerdy history talk. We walked all the way to the Duomo, around Piazza Signoria, onto Ponte Vecchio, and past the Arno River. Poor guy isn't used to all the walking yet! After that, we found this great Italian restaurant called ZaZa's. The tap water was FREE (free water in Europe?) as well as the bread they put on our table. I had delicious gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce (mhmm) and Nathan had Sorrento style pasta with tomato, basil, and buffalo mozzarella. So worth it. We walked home, and Nathan helped me study for my Italian Renaissance Midterm, which consists of many dates, Donatellos, Brunalleschis, and more. He passed out around 9PM while I continued to study and finish this blog post.

Plans for the week:
1. Show Nathan around Florence
2. Take 5 midterms (eeek!!)
3. Taco Night (for family dinner) on Wednesday, followed by Trivia Night at Finnegan's Pub
4. See Giotto's frescoes in Padua on Thursday
5. Go to VENICE on Thursday-Saturday!
6. Finally see my mom and sister on Saturday!!

Definitely going to be an exciting week.

Eurochocolate Festival Logo 

Historic part of Perugia

Me (with new red headband) at the overlook of Perugia

Nathan's first meal here in Florence!

Ciao!

Week 5 and Jake's Visit!

I still cannot believe how quickly time passes here, I am almost halfway done with this semester! Everyone had warned me about that, but I never fully understood it until now. 

This past school week was pretty decent, nothing super awesome to report. I went on 2 field trips with my art history class, in Italian Renaissance art we went to Santa Maria Novella church and inside the Duomo. I loved finally seeing the fresco by Massacio, Trinity. I was shocked at how boring the Duomo was! I've heard from an art history professor at KU that the prettier the church is on the outside, the "lamer" it is on the inside, and vice versa. Very true in this case. But, now I can say that I have finally been INSIDE the Duomo after living here for weeks. In my Michelangelo class we went to the Bargello, the famous sculpture museum here in Florence. It was cool to finally see Donatello's David, Michelangelo's Bacchus, and the competition panels by Ghiberti and Brunelleschi. School is starting to get a little stressful with midterms coming up, but I am honestly not terribly worried about them.

This past Wednesday, my friends and I attended Trivia Night at our favorite Irish pub called Finnegan's. It was such a blast. My team comprised of many knowledgeable people, which made it even more fun to be actually winning. We won for Best Team Name because we made a Celtic reference (Neil and the Lemons) and overall, we got third. The prize was a bottle of wine, which we later called it "Victory Wine" and served it at the weekly family dinner on Thursday, which was amazing this week. We (well, my roommates mostly) made 3 delicious Italian styled pizzas which were out of this world. I contributed with cheap wine and a fruit salad. Family night is always a night spent in good company, lots of laughs, delicious food, and bonding.

I also finally found the secret bakery! For those of you who don't know, a secret bakery is a tiny little bakery that starts making treats and pastries anywhere from 2:30AM-4AM. They make them for cafes and restaurants for that day, and the only way you can find them is by your sense of smell. After searching for forever, my friends and I finally found it! It was the most amazing 2 chocolate croissants of my life. Definitely going again!

Random fact: Our landlord rang our doorbell on Saturday and gave us grapes from his garden! So nice of him...and they are delicious!

I didn't go anywhere this weekend, and it was honestly very nice and relaxing to stay in Florence. Jake Bauer came to visit this weekend, so I showed him the town! On Friday we went to the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch...overpriced but a must see. We then went to the Galileo Museum, which is full of all these math and scientific instruments from the Medici family and Galileo. It definitely made me think of my math major friend, Nathan, and my nerdy science loving boyfriend, Michael. =) You could even see Galileo's tooth, middle finger, and fore finger! So gross. It started raining that day, and it was wonderful to finally feel cooler weather here. On Saturday, we saw the David (my first time since being here) and it was so incredible! Such a powerful statue, and it's huge! There's so much detail in the hands and face, it's so incredible. After that, we wondered around Florence and visited Santa Croce, a beautiful cathedral where many famous people are buried, such as Galileo, Michelangelo, Dante, Machiavelli, and others. It was such a nice day out...I actually wore jeans and a jacket for the first time! Everyone over here is very much ready for cooler weather. 

This month is very exciting for me...my best friend Nathan Riley, my momma, and my sister are all visiting me!! It will be so wonderful to see them, because I have missed them all so much. They are very excited to see my lifestyle here, and I cannot wait to show them around town!

Michelangelo's David

Amazing Armillary Sphere at Galileo Museum

Masacchio's Trinity

Pizza we made for family dinner

Me and Jake!

Our landlord gave us grapes from his garden!

Santa Croce

I miss everyone back home. Florence is starting to switch over to autumn weather, and there are no trees to see the leaves change! I really miss trees, big patches of sky, grass, Cheez-Its, Netflix, and my boyfriend. It's a bit depressing, but then I remember that I am in Florence for only a semester, so I can miss out on some of these things. =) This week I am booking my trip to IRELAND, and I am so excited!! I can't wait to explore Dublin and be in one of my favorite countries in the world.

Ciao!

Lake Como and Switzerland

My trips to all these places just keep getting better and better! Well, better in their own way. Switzerland was definitely one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, and I hope that sometime in my life I will go back.

It started off, of course, as a super early Saturday morning. We left around 6AM, made a stop somewhere at 8:30AM, and then finally arrived at Lake Como a couple of hours later. This lake is in Northern Italy, with lots of cute little towns around it. It's a huge lake, surrounded by picturesque mountains. We had some free time around the town Como, in which my friends and I hung out by the lake and enjoyed some refreshing orange juice. I bought a postcard or two. Then we all jumped on a ferry that explored another cute town, called Bellagio.We saw the area where apparently George Clooney has a house. We took some beautiful pictures, and I did enjoy myself, but I will admit I am a little tired of lake towns and the touristy stuff around it. Much like going to many museum or cathedrals in a vacation, I am a little tired of seeing vast amounts of water and beach life. I am still having a hard time grappling the concept of water here. Being from Kansas, you don't have views of water that extends far beyond the eye can see, so I still get a little freaked out when I'm around it. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it and the place was relaxing and pretty, but I had another destination in mind. After all that nonsense we were back on the bus, heading off to the real location for the weekend: Switzerland.

Switzerland is a very unusual country. It's very small, and it borders Germany, Italy, France, and Austria. Because of this, it has 4 official languages which every citizen must know: German, Italian, French, and a mix of all three called Romansh. They have declared themselves a neutral country since 1200 something, and have not been involved in any major wars. Because of this neutrality, they didn't join the UN until 2002 and are not a part of the European Union. They have their own currency called the Swiss Franc, which apparently is extremely strong at the moment. Switzerland has a great economy, and is a country known for it's extreme sports. I don't know much at all about Swiss history, and I don't think there is too much because of their neutral status. Nevertheless, it's one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to.

Once we crossed the Swiss border, we were attacked by endless mountains, green grass, purple clouds, and so many trees. I couldn't stop staring out the window, just in denial that a place like this actually exists. We made a quick stop at an extremely beautiful site, and it was perfect timing because the sun was setting over the lake, the Swiss alps had a pinkish purple tint, and the air was cooling and getting fresh. I managed to take great photos, which I will post on here. After that, we got back on the bus and headed to our city, St. Moritz. This is a quiet little town, mostly full of old geezers that come here to retire. Apparently it's an extremely expensive place, and the cost of living is through the roof. The town has 3,000 residents, and December is the biggest tourist season, in which 20,000 people come to visit. Talk about huge increase!

We had dinner at the hotel, which was an interesting mix between American and Italian food. It wasn't the best food I've had here in Europe, but it was enough to feed me and make me happy. The girls and I called it an early night, mostly because we were all exhausted and getting over/suffering through colds. I shared a room with Jeanette, and we were so excited to have comfortable beds, a porch overlooking the mountains, and ENGLISH TELEVISION!! It's nice to know what's going on in the world.

The next morning, we woke up around 7:45AM and got a delicious breakfast at the hotel. It was about 45-50 degrees Fahrenheit, and we all were so happy to have cold, crisp fall weather (Florence is still in the high 80s, it's insane!!). We then went on a 3 hour walking tour around St. Moritz and got more beautiful photos. The tour guide spoke very good English and informed us about important buildings and fun facts about the town. We also saw the location where George Clooney parks his Lamborghini...again, what is with the George Clooney stalking on this trip? The garage door was open, and our tour guide said "Oh, it looks as if though Mr. Clooney is out today." Interesting. We stopped at an extremely expensive chocolate shop, and I bought probably $45 worth of chocolate (Christmas presents, get excited!) and some Swiss hot chocolate...oh my god that was amazing! Definitely hit the spot. After the tour, we hopped on the Bernina Express.

The Bernina Express was definitely my favorite part on the trip. This is train line is the highest rail crossing of the Alps, helping to make it one of Europe's outstanding train journeys. It goes from St. Moritz to Tirano (Italy) and "boasts countless jaw-dropping views from bridges viaducts and tight bends as the train climbs ever higher and higher, until, sprightly as a mountain goat, it goes through the Bernina Pass at 2553M." That is a quote from my itinerary, and it is unbelievably correct (and funny, no?). It reminded me and my friends of the Hogwarts Express or Polar Express. Let me just say that I have no words to describe this. Endless snow top mountains. Bright blue water. Vast untouched land. Natural waterfalls. Trees everywhere. My friends and I listened to the Lord of the Rings soundtrack and cried. I hung my head out the window and felt the cool breeze hit my face. I wondered how things like this exist, and how lucky I am to see it. I don't think I have ever been that overwhelmed by nature, it really is a powerful thing. You all can see my pictures on Facebook or this blog, but it's sad to say they don't do any sort of justice for what I saw. Yet again, I don't think any picture does any sort of justice in that country, Italy, or Europe in general. You have to see it to believe it.

After the train ride, I was depressed to get off and head back to Florence. I wish I could've spent more time in Switzerland, but I will come back someday. We spent about 45 minutes in Tirano, and then hopped on the bus to head back to Florence. It was a terrible bus ride. Why? For some reason, we got stuck in horrible traffic (stupid Milan) which set us back THREE HOURS. I was asleep during this traffic and had no idea, so when I was told how far behind we were, I wasn't happy. Not to mention my iPod had died and my butt was sore. I also was missing out on NFL Football night at Red Garter, and I was so excited to get some wings. With the combination of all those elements, I was indeed a cranky Najim. Because of these delays, our ETA went from 8:30PM to midnight. Needless to say, I am sick of riding buses. But the trip was worth it, and I would do it all again just to see Switzerland.

Pictures!!

Lake Como

Town of Bellagio on Lake Como

Alps at sunset in Switzerland 

Me at the sunset

Me and my girls early Sunday morning before walking tour in St. Moritz

St. Moritz and lake

Danica and me

Best Swiss hot chocolate ever.

Bernina Express

Me and girls on train ride!

Hanging head out of window

Sigh

Such blue water

Endless mountains

So many trees

Small village. Is this real life?

Lakes, mountains...

Natural waterfalls

Clouds

See what I mean? Wow. These next couple of weeks I am staying in Italy and doing things around Florence, because four amazing people are visiting me this month: Jake Bauer this weekend, Nathan Riley next weekend, and my mom and sister the weekend after that!! I am so excited to see people from home, and my family. 

Ciao!