A short blog today! There’s not much to tell, but I wanted to get a blog out there before I headed out of town so that I don’t worry any of you from a lack of blogs!
Today, I slept in late- it was nice, but I missed breakfast. I went up to the roof and spent sometime looking at the sea, which was a little bit feistier than usual since the weather was bad. Naples is uglier when it’s damp and doesn’t have the bright sun to make up for it’s dirt…but the cool, misty air was pretty refreshing (I know, I know, I’ve got it hard over here, always having to deal with the bright sun and warm weather. My Midwestern heart likes change in the weather.)
Lunch was superb as usual- 1st- a dish that was layers of pasta, bread, cheese, and ham, covered in a tart, red sauce, Main- lamb shanks and beef slabs, covered in a reddish sauce, and a platter with eggplant with roasted tomatoes and sautéed mushrooms.
Afterwards I facebooked my Belgian friend and headed over to her place, taking Sabrina (the movie) and a package of cookies that I picked up at the grocery store after studying the cookie isle for about 20 minutes with me. She met me at the metro and we stopped for some juice and then at the pasteria by her apartment for some excellent little canolli.
Her apartment is very nice, and it has a spare bed room that Dan can stay in while he’s here!!! We talked about all of our plans of the things that we’re going to cook while he’s here (it’s an excuse for me to get to use a kitchen!), and we are very excited for all of the eating that will happen (I hope you’ve started training, Dan.)
After the movie, Erika walked me to the metro stop- she was a very hospitable host. Now I’m back at the villalta, avoiding doing the problems that I have to do for my research tomorrow morning by writing this… Now it’s time for dinner! Tomorrow morning I go riding again, then straight to my meeting with the Professor in charge of my research, then straight to my Italian class! Then I need to pack, because the next day- I leave for Palma!!!
I’m not crazy excited about going to Palma- from everything I hear, it just sounds like a “Spring break” destination, with nothing but beaches and discos. The discos I am not excited about, but the beaches I would be excited about if it weren’t going to be either cloudy or raining on the days that I’m there…. Also, I just found out that Jenn, her sister, and her sister’s friend booked their hostel a while ago, and they got a private 3-person suite. They don’t have any single rooms at that hostel, and you have to book a private room- so either I pay for 2 more people that won’t be there, or I find a different place to stay. Oh well, che sera! I can make the most of this trip, I’ll stop being down about it.
………………………..………………………..………………………..………………………..
Next day-
My ride this morning was fun. I rode Ziggy again, and I’m starting to trust him more. He didn’t take off last time because he was testing my authority; they just always gallop at that spot in the trail… I realized that he’s the perfect trail horse (for these trails at least, and for a rider who doesn’t care to venture past the beaten trail)- he’s been trained to know where to go, when its safe to take what speed, and doesn’t get spooked by the lizards (which will spook me sometimes- they’re surprising loud for how small they are). We took a different trail this time- we rode higher along the ridge of the crater that I told you about last time- the view was incredible. There was also an excellent view of Capri, and I saw another funny, little island- it was originally used as a prison, and it’s still a juvie.
Ziggy did get spooked by the dogs at one point on the way back and almost took off right out from under me, but I held on and we got calmed down enough to take the rest of the trail at a slow trot.
After riding, I met my professor. We didn’t get very far with the problems…the ones that I asked him about (because I finally gave in and accepted the fact that I couldn’t teach myself a graduate level course overnight) turned out being more difficult that I had thought- and once he started explaining the solutions, he got all up into derivations, and it took a long time. Anyway, my new assignment is to actually complete all the problems and hand them in to be checked over… yikes! We’ll see how that goes.
After the meeting, I grabbed a quick panino and went to the last hour of my Italian course, where I didn’t learn anything, but I talked with some of my class mates for quite awhile after the class.
Tonight was movie night and the dinner was great. Instead of watching the movie (The Prestige), I followed Begonia to the computer room and she showed me everything that I had to see in Barcelona while I’m there tomorrow afternoon! I’m actually a little bit excited for my trip now. She also invited me to her home in Madrid when she goes back in June. We looked up plane tickets and I found some really cheap ones, so- I’m going back to Spain!
Okay- time to go to sleep. Tomorrow: Barcellona. Friday-Monday: Palma de Mallorca. I will write sometime after that.
Bye!
mercoledì 27 aprile 2011
lunedì 25 aprile 2011
Tanti Auguri!- Una Pasqua Buona
Oh my gracious. What a weekend. And the one weekend that I forget my camera in Naples is the one where I went on my most beautiful trip yet!!! But at least it’s close enough and cheap enough to go back- it’s not like I can just go back to Paris because I forgot my camera..
Okay, so, I went home with Enza (aka Zuzu…my roommate). It was excellent. It’s not very often in a lifetime that you get to go to the home of a local in a different culture for a weekend- but if you ever get the chance, it’s one of the coolest weekends you’ll ever have. You don’t have to worry about where or how to get food, but you’re guaranteed excellent meals. You don’t have to worry about where to go or what to see, but you’re guaranteed to see new things- and not the tourist things. You get to see how similar and how differently people across the world live. It was fantastic.
Enza lives in a small town not far from the Amalfi coast (in the shadow of Vesuvius). We were picked up from the train station by her brother, who also studies in Naples but was also home for Easter, for the first of many exciting car rides. (I still can’t believe how people can stand driving over here. As a passenger, not having to worry about my car and not being afraid of a quick death, the car rides are exciting and for the most part enjoyable, but you could not pay me 100 euro to drive here.)
Our first stop was at their family shop so I could be introduced to their mom, then I got to see most of their town by running errands- it was nice. They knew every other person we passed on the street or in a car, and each was greeted with a little honk (Italians are not in the least bit shy of using their car horns). That night, we had one of my favorite meals that I’ve had over here so far- it was simply fresh ricotta (completely different from ricotta in the states), spread on fresh bread, with a side of fresh, diced, salted, and oiled tomatoes, and fresh hunks of mozzarella (their mozzarella is from buffalo’s milk instead of cow’s, and it approximately one million times better). It was a very fresh meal. Zuzu also fried some potatoes and onions, which were very good. For dessert, I had my first piece of Pastiera (a cake made with oats, which reminded me of pumpkin pie, that is a cake that every Italian home must have during the Easter weekend so that they can force visitors to eat it when they stop by- consumption is willingly done so..it was excellent), with many pieces to follow throughout the weekend.
After dinner, I fell asleep on the couch (jealous Dan?), and Zuzu woke me up and made me go to bed. In the morning, we got up early, had breakfast, and hurried to the train station to pick up Zuzu’s and Ludovica’s boyfriends, and met up with Mariangela (another girl I live with) and her boyfriend. Then we embarked on another exciting car ride to Ravello- a town on the Amalfi Coast, where Ludovica (and another girl I live with) lives and where her parents own a hotel. (This car ride was even more exciting due to the hairpin turns and dangerously thin roads lined with a mountain wall on one side and a drop-off on the other, getting thinner and thinner as you get higher into the mountains. It was beautiful- as long as I focused on the view and not my stomach).
We met up with Ludo in Ravello and walked around the extremely beautiful city with the most incredible view I’ve ever seen (I can’t believe people actually live there!!!!). We went to the Gardens of Villa Cimbrone (gardens of a villa that have been turned into a tourist attraction with an incredible look-out point, tons and tons and tons of beautiful flowers, many statues, and lots of cool little things to see- it was amazing). Ludo knew the owners so we got in for half price. Afterwards, we went to Villa Amore to eat lunch, where Ludo also knew the owners, but I’m not exactly sure what that got us. This lunch was honestly unforgettable. The weather was beautiful (72 degrees and sunny); we sat on a terrace at an elegantly set table, shaded by vines with flowers blossoming on them, high up on a cliff, with a breeze off the sea and a fantastic view of the ocean, surrounded by cool Italian buildings, drinking wine and eating: 1st course- heaping (which is an understatement) plates of homemade pasta noodles in a light marinara sauce with fresh clams and mussels (still in shell). Main- a huge platter of fried, various sea foods- calamari, jumbo shrimp, octopus, alice(little fish), etc. Afterwards, I had my first taste of limoncello (alcohol made with lemons, which the area is famous for), which I did not like (tasted like a mix between Pine Sol and vodka).
After we parted ways with the terrace, we walked around Ravello more (I was not the only tourist in the group! Even though all of the people I was there with live only a dozen miles away, they had only been up that way either a couple times or zero times…the roads to Amalfi aren’t things you want to use often. So they were all taking pictures and gawking at the views as well.) Ludo showed us the great ceramics shops that the area is known for, as well as all the spots where the teenagers go to kiss…
After Ravello, we hopped back in the cars and drove to Amalfi, where we didn’t spend much time. We climbed the 80 steep steps to the church where the Apostle Andrew is buried, but we didn’t want to pay to get into the church, so we climbed back down the steps, took a short walk, then left Amalfi because we had plans to go to the next small town for the famous cake shop- Sal de Riso. It was superb. I got Torta Foresta Nera (black forest cake) with lots of chocolate and some cherries.
After our cake and a round of coffees, we headed back. We had some difficulties getting back to the train station because the soccer team of Enza’s town had won their match that afternoon, which meant that they got to move up from the C division to the B division, and there was a ridiculous amount of celebrating in the streets, making it hard to drive anywhere. We got caught at the border of the town, where the road at been blocked off for all of the celebrating, which had to take place at the border of the town so that it could be shoved in the faces of the neighboring town, who are not the biggest fans of Enza’s town. We saw some very angry people on our side (the neighboring town), and it looked like there was going to be a Green Street Hooligans throw down, which is too common. I asked Enza’s brother if he would be out there celebrating if he didn’t have to chauffer us around, and he told me that he doesn’t even like soccer any more because of how dangerous it has gotten to be a fan.
When we finally got through to the train station, we dropped the boyfriends off, stopped at a friend’s house (with more pasteria), and headed back to the house. That night we had a big dinner with steak, artichokes (Mom, she taught me how to eat artichokes!), and pizza pasta (no joke, Dan! It’s really called pizza pasta! Completely different from yours, though- this is a huge hunk of pasta (spaghetti, also with some small hunks of meat), that has been coated with eggs and fried in a pan).
After dinner, we watched a movie about the previous pope- Pope Karol, which was very interesting, and I’m sure would have been even more interesting had I watched it in English. This was Enza’s favorite pope- she said he was “the pope of the people.”
I got to sleep in the next morning. When I woke up, I showered, ate breakfast, and read the Great Gatsby while I waited for the others. Rosario dropped Zuzu and I off at church, where we had to stand in the back for the whole service because everyone in the town was there, and there were only seats for about half of the people. During the service, I accidently and illegally took communion. I asked Zuzu if I cross my arms in front of my chest when I go up so he knows that I’m not Catholic and she told me no, I just need to say “Amen” when I’m up. As I was saying “A-” he stuck the cracker in my mouth… oops.
After church, we proceeded to stop at every home in the town to wish everyone “Auguri” (an expression for all special occasions) and “Happy Easter.” (Stopping at every house is an exaggeration, but we spent at least 2 hours making visits- which is really cool and something that we miss out on in America by having personal space between houses… I was really glad I got to experience that.) We also stopped at the cemetery to pay our respects to Zuzu’s father, who died of cancer last year, and to some grandparents and friends.
Following the visits was another car ride to the other side of the Amalfi coast where Zuzu’s aunt lives in beautiful home, high up on one of the Amalfi coast cliffs. Directly below the wall of windows in the living room and dining room is their own personal beach, with perfect, turquoise water. They had one of the most beautiful views that I’ve seen yet; I couldn’t believe it. There we ate a never-ending Easter meal of 1st- homemade pasta in marinara, 2nd- hunks of beef and a platter of breaded and fried eggplant, Main- lamb, 1st dessert- the giant chocolate eggs that are everywhere here for Easter (we had 8 eggs, each at least as big as my head, with only 8 people and 2 halves to eat them…one of the halves took care of several people’s shares, however), 2nd dessert- bowl of fruit, 3rd dessert- sliced strawberries in a glass with whipped cream, 4th dessert- 2 types of pastiera, 1 thicker with some dried fruit in it, the other typical, with a woven crust on top. All followed by coffee, and later some liquor that I didn’t try off of Zuzu’s suggestion since I didn’t like the limoncello.
While all the grown-ups did their talking about all the problems of Italy, I very happily played with the cheap little toys that came in the giant, hollow, chocolate eggs with Zuzu’s cousin’s children (boy-6, girl-4). In fact, I spent most of the day with them. As soon as I walked in and was introduced, Zuzu’s cousin told his kids that I only speak English, and immediately the little boy said to me- “Hello. What is your name?” in English! It was incredible. He actually was very good at English, but preferred not to speak it. I mostly hung out with the little girl, who didn’t want to speak at all, but we drew pictures together and told each other the names of what we drew in English and Italian.
Later that afternoon, Rosario and Zuzu drove me back to the train station, said their goodbyes, and put me on the train back towards Naples. On the ride back, I sat with a couple from London that was visiting Naples for the week (because Britain only has 3 work days out of 10 consecutive days due to Easter and the Royal Wedding- they gave me the statistic of how many people left London for the week…it was impressive, but I can’t remember how many it was) and we talked the whole way about where they had been in Naples and what I had done since coming to Europe. I also gave them suggestions about what they should still see in Naples. (Look at me! The local, giving advice!)
I was happy to get back to Naples, but I very much enjoyed my weekend. You couldn’t escape the smell of fresh flowers anywhere along the coast, and it was too beautiful to be true. I don’t even want to go to Palma Majorca next weekend- now that I know that such a place as the Amalfi coast exists, I only want to go back there (poor Odysseus, I feel you).
When I returned, Elisabetta, Pia, Irene, and I had dinner in the family room, watching a famous Italian TV program (which I found very cheesy, but they seemed to like), and I went to bed early.
I’m not really sure what I did today- it was very relaxing. We were supposed to go to a barbeque for Easter up in Vomero today, but Elisabetta wasn’t feeling very well, so we stayed in, which was fine with me. After lunch, I watched The Passion, which was more intense than I remembered, and it and it’s after affects took up my afternoon. Then, I spent some time emailing, facebooking, skyping, etc.; I ate dinner; and here we are. I actually will do my homework tomorrow, at least some of it, I promise. There, now that I’ve promised it, I have to. Bleehhh. I was supposed to go to Positano tomorrow with my Belgian friend, but she hasn’t been feeling well and it’s supposed to rain tomorrow, so I guess the coast and I will just have to be reunited a different time.
Mmkay, well, that is all. I’m not sure how interesting my next few days will be, so I’m not making any promises about an imminent post.
Bye!
Okay, so, I went home with Enza (aka Zuzu…my roommate). It was excellent. It’s not very often in a lifetime that you get to go to the home of a local in a different culture for a weekend- but if you ever get the chance, it’s one of the coolest weekends you’ll ever have. You don’t have to worry about where or how to get food, but you’re guaranteed excellent meals. You don’t have to worry about where to go or what to see, but you’re guaranteed to see new things- and not the tourist things. You get to see how similar and how differently people across the world live. It was fantastic.
Enza lives in a small town not far from the Amalfi coast (in the shadow of Vesuvius). We were picked up from the train station by her brother, who also studies in Naples but was also home for Easter, for the first of many exciting car rides. (I still can’t believe how people can stand driving over here. As a passenger, not having to worry about my car and not being afraid of a quick death, the car rides are exciting and for the most part enjoyable, but you could not pay me 100 euro to drive here.)
Our first stop was at their family shop so I could be introduced to their mom, then I got to see most of their town by running errands- it was nice. They knew every other person we passed on the street or in a car, and each was greeted with a little honk (Italians are not in the least bit shy of using their car horns). That night, we had one of my favorite meals that I’ve had over here so far- it was simply fresh ricotta (completely different from ricotta in the states), spread on fresh bread, with a side of fresh, diced, salted, and oiled tomatoes, and fresh hunks of mozzarella (their mozzarella is from buffalo’s milk instead of cow’s, and it approximately one million times better). It was a very fresh meal. Zuzu also fried some potatoes and onions, which were very good. For dessert, I had my first piece of Pastiera (a cake made with oats, which reminded me of pumpkin pie, that is a cake that every Italian home must have during the Easter weekend so that they can force visitors to eat it when they stop by- consumption is willingly done so..it was excellent), with many pieces to follow throughout the weekend.
After dinner, I fell asleep on the couch (jealous Dan?), and Zuzu woke me up and made me go to bed. In the morning, we got up early, had breakfast, and hurried to the train station to pick up Zuzu’s and Ludovica’s boyfriends, and met up with Mariangela (another girl I live with) and her boyfriend. Then we embarked on another exciting car ride to Ravello- a town on the Amalfi Coast, where Ludovica (and another girl I live with) lives and where her parents own a hotel. (This car ride was even more exciting due to the hairpin turns and dangerously thin roads lined with a mountain wall on one side and a drop-off on the other, getting thinner and thinner as you get higher into the mountains. It was beautiful- as long as I focused on the view and not my stomach).
We met up with Ludo in Ravello and walked around the extremely beautiful city with the most incredible view I’ve ever seen (I can’t believe people actually live there!!!!). We went to the Gardens of Villa Cimbrone (gardens of a villa that have been turned into a tourist attraction with an incredible look-out point, tons and tons and tons of beautiful flowers, many statues, and lots of cool little things to see- it was amazing). Ludo knew the owners so we got in for half price. Afterwards, we went to Villa Amore to eat lunch, where Ludo also knew the owners, but I’m not exactly sure what that got us. This lunch was honestly unforgettable. The weather was beautiful (72 degrees and sunny); we sat on a terrace at an elegantly set table, shaded by vines with flowers blossoming on them, high up on a cliff, with a breeze off the sea and a fantastic view of the ocean, surrounded by cool Italian buildings, drinking wine and eating: 1st course- heaping (which is an understatement) plates of homemade pasta noodles in a light marinara sauce with fresh clams and mussels (still in shell). Main- a huge platter of fried, various sea foods- calamari, jumbo shrimp, octopus, alice(little fish), etc. Afterwards, I had my first taste of limoncello (alcohol made with lemons, which the area is famous for), which I did not like (tasted like a mix between Pine Sol and vodka).
After we parted ways with the terrace, we walked around Ravello more (I was not the only tourist in the group! Even though all of the people I was there with live only a dozen miles away, they had only been up that way either a couple times or zero times…the roads to Amalfi aren’t things you want to use often. So they were all taking pictures and gawking at the views as well.) Ludo showed us the great ceramics shops that the area is known for, as well as all the spots where the teenagers go to kiss…
After Ravello, we hopped back in the cars and drove to Amalfi, where we didn’t spend much time. We climbed the 80 steep steps to the church where the Apostle Andrew is buried, but we didn’t want to pay to get into the church, so we climbed back down the steps, took a short walk, then left Amalfi because we had plans to go to the next small town for the famous cake shop- Sal de Riso. It was superb. I got Torta Foresta Nera (black forest cake) with lots of chocolate and some cherries.
After our cake and a round of coffees, we headed back. We had some difficulties getting back to the train station because the soccer team of Enza’s town had won their match that afternoon, which meant that they got to move up from the C division to the B division, and there was a ridiculous amount of celebrating in the streets, making it hard to drive anywhere. We got caught at the border of the town, where the road at been blocked off for all of the celebrating, which had to take place at the border of the town so that it could be shoved in the faces of the neighboring town, who are not the biggest fans of Enza’s town. We saw some very angry people on our side (the neighboring town), and it looked like there was going to be a Green Street Hooligans throw down, which is too common. I asked Enza’s brother if he would be out there celebrating if he didn’t have to chauffer us around, and he told me that he doesn’t even like soccer any more because of how dangerous it has gotten to be a fan.
When we finally got through to the train station, we dropped the boyfriends off, stopped at a friend’s house (with more pasteria), and headed back to the house. That night we had a big dinner with steak, artichokes (Mom, she taught me how to eat artichokes!), and pizza pasta (no joke, Dan! It’s really called pizza pasta! Completely different from yours, though- this is a huge hunk of pasta (spaghetti, also with some small hunks of meat), that has been coated with eggs and fried in a pan).
After dinner, we watched a movie about the previous pope- Pope Karol, which was very interesting, and I’m sure would have been even more interesting had I watched it in English. This was Enza’s favorite pope- she said he was “the pope of the people.”
I got to sleep in the next morning. When I woke up, I showered, ate breakfast, and read the Great Gatsby while I waited for the others. Rosario dropped Zuzu and I off at church, where we had to stand in the back for the whole service because everyone in the town was there, and there were only seats for about half of the people. During the service, I accidently and illegally took communion. I asked Zuzu if I cross my arms in front of my chest when I go up so he knows that I’m not Catholic and she told me no, I just need to say “Amen” when I’m up. As I was saying “A-” he stuck the cracker in my mouth… oops.
After church, we proceeded to stop at every home in the town to wish everyone “Auguri” (an expression for all special occasions) and “Happy Easter.” (Stopping at every house is an exaggeration, but we spent at least 2 hours making visits- which is really cool and something that we miss out on in America by having personal space between houses… I was really glad I got to experience that.) We also stopped at the cemetery to pay our respects to Zuzu’s father, who died of cancer last year, and to some grandparents and friends.
Following the visits was another car ride to the other side of the Amalfi coast where Zuzu’s aunt lives in beautiful home, high up on one of the Amalfi coast cliffs. Directly below the wall of windows in the living room and dining room is their own personal beach, with perfect, turquoise water. They had one of the most beautiful views that I’ve seen yet; I couldn’t believe it. There we ate a never-ending Easter meal of 1st- homemade pasta in marinara, 2nd- hunks of beef and a platter of breaded and fried eggplant, Main- lamb, 1st dessert- the giant chocolate eggs that are everywhere here for Easter (we had 8 eggs, each at least as big as my head, with only 8 people and 2 halves to eat them…one of the halves took care of several people’s shares, however), 2nd dessert- bowl of fruit, 3rd dessert- sliced strawberries in a glass with whipped cream, 4th dessert- 2 types of pastiera, 1 thicker with some dried fruit in it, the other typical, with a woven crust on top. All followed by coffee, and later some liquor that I didn’t try off of Zuzu’s suggestion since I didn’t like the limoncello.
While all the grown-ups did their talking about all the problems of Italy, I very happily played with the cheap little toys that came in the giant, hollow, chocolate eggs with Zuzu’s cousin’s children (boy-6, girl-4). In fact, I spent most of the day with them. As soon as I walked in and was introduced, Zuzu’s cousin told his kids that I only speak English, and immediately the little boy said to me- “Hello. What is your name?” in English! It was incredible. He actually was very good at English, but preferred not to speak it. I mostly hung out with the little girl, who didn’t want to speak at all, but we drew pictures together and told each other the names of what we drew in English and Italian.
Later that afternoon, Rosario and Zuzu drove me back to the train station, said their goodbyes, and put me on the train back towards Naples. On the ride back, I sat with a couple from London that was visiting Naples for the week (because Britain only has 3 work days out of 10 consecutive days due to Easter and the Royal Wedding- they gave me the statistic of how many people left London for the week…it was impressive, but I can’t remember how many it was) and we talked the whole way about where they had been in Naples and what I had done since coming to Europe. I also gave them suggestions about what they should still see in Naples. (Look at me! The local, giving advice!)
I was happy to get back to Naples, but I very much enjoyed my weekend. You couldn’t escape the smell of fresh flowers anywhere along the coast, and it was too beautiful to be true. I don’t even want to go to Palma Majorca next weekend- now that I know that such a place as the Amalfi coast exists, I only want to go back there (poor Odysseus, I feel you).
When I returned, Elisabetta, Pia, Irene, and I had dinner in the family room, watching a famous Italian TV program (which I found very cheesy, but they seemed to like), and I went to bed early.
I’m not really sure what I did today- it was very relaxing. We were supposed to go to a barbeque for Easter up in Vomero today, but Elisabetta wasn’t feeling very well, so we stayed in, which was fine with me. After lunch, I watched The Passion, which was more intense than I remembered, and it and it’s after affects took up my afternoon. Then, I spent some time emailing, facebooking, skyping, etc.; I ate dinner; and here we are. I actually will do my homework tomorrow, at least some of it, I promise. There, now that I’ve promised it, I have to. Bleehhh. I was supposed to go to Positano tomorrow with my Belgian friend, but she hasn’t been feeling well and it’s supposed to rain tomorrow, so I guess the coast and I will just have to be reunited a different time.
Mmkay, well, that is all. I’m not sure how interesting my next few days will be, so I’m not making any promises about an imminent post.
Bye!
venerdì 22 aprile 2011
Cavalli, Spiagge, Holy Week!
My Italian class today was frustrating. I have no idea what the teacher is saying when she tries to explain things. We got a page of verbs to conjugate, and that I could actually do…but as she was going around the class having everyone read what they wrote, she would skip me because she knows I don’t know what’s going on, but I actually had the answers to the questions that she skipped me on! And of course, the one question she finally does ask me is one that I have wrong.
After class I stopped at a trattoria down the street and got a panino. It was sooooo good. Huge hunks of homemade mozzarella on a giant slice of homemade bread. For dessert I had some of the sweet bread that was set out for snack. A vegetarian would do very well here- with all of the great breads and pastas and fruits and vegetables (they’d be missing out on some great meats as well, but I suppose they wouldn’t know the difference). People who would not do well here are those allergic to gluten and dairy (sorry Liz :/)
I have a confession. I’ve started reading The Two Towers… It’s the only book in the Villalta’s library that is in English. I knew Dan would be proud, though. After reading some Tolkien instead of doing homework, I went up to the roof for awhile to real some Paul, and it was beautiful.
Wednesday dinner was excellent- we had several types of sandwiches: on “French” bread with either lettuce, swiss, and a type of smoked prosciutto (which I actually don’t really like) or lettuce, swiss, and hotdogs that had been sliced down the middle. Also, there were giant, breaded and fried balls of rice with what was either sausage or chicken…but very good. There was also some country friend steak, as well as the usuals of salad and potato chips. Dessert was cups of fruit with apples, kiwi, and banana in sweet orange juice. Also, as a post-dessert dessert, we had a fancy, enormous slab of dark chocolate with nuts. The movie was Kung Fu Panda and I loved it just as much in Italian as I do in English- and I actually finally learned a little Italian from it I think!
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The next day…
Now I’ve had a very satisfying day and have a very sore bottom. There is much to tell..
This morning I finally met up with Karen (from my church) in Pozzuoli. I piled into her car with 3 of her kids (I’m not sure how many she has- I know it’s at least 4) and she drove me out to the stables where she keeps her horses. The stables were very cute. They had their own section to themselves, which she took over 2 years ago from the trainer that her kids were taking lessons from when the trainer went back to England. There are stalls for all of the horses, but they stay most of the year in their little paddocks that go up a hill into the woods. I was introduced to all the horses and they were all very nice (Tory- I don’t know if you read this, but for your sake- they were some of the nicest horses I have ever met…). One of my favorites was a little pony mare, about 9 hands?, named Fragallina, who just get’s to wander around the stable at her own will. Karen’s kids went off to paint some fences while they waited for their jumping lesson later, and Karen and I saddled up and went for a trail ride. I rode Ziggy, a pony with a strong resemblance to Pegasus- extremely white and beautiful and very full of energy. I thought I would look ridiculous on him, but he seems very big for his size (he’s right on the edge of being a horse). He’s very stubborn (and loves to head-butt you), and next time I ride him I will have to take a crop- he had his fair share of control on that ride; luckily he only used to it snag a couple of bites of trees here and there and to take off at a gallop every now and then when he knew it was safe to… haha.
The trail was crazy- it was small and overgrown and it winded up and down steep hills through the woods. Good thing Ziggy knew where he was going, because I had to lead since Karen’s horse kicks if anyone gets behind him. It was beautiful, though. At one part of the trail, there was a cool stone wall that ran next to the path. A little further down, I saw on the other side of the wall was a huuuuge crater with plenty of plants, trees, grass- you get the idea. Karen told me that one of the Kings of Naples would bring tigers, lions, giraffes, elephants, etc. and put them in that crater so that he could hunt them, as if on a safari, without leaving Naples. Pretty crazy. However many hundreds of years later, there were many holes in the wall, and I couldn’t help but wonder if there were any tiger families living in secret in the woods that we were riding through..
It was shortly after this that there was a spot in the trail that didn’t have an sharp turns or steep hills (but it was not at all flat or open, and the path was scarily thin), that apparently they usually let Ziggy speed up on, and he took off at a gallop. They ride a very tight-reined English and Ziggy by no means has a soft mouth (I wondered if he could even feel my yanking at all), so there was nothing I could do but let him go, keep my heels down, and try to anticipate the turns so I didn’t fall off. I had never actually gone above a walk on a trail ride, so it was quite a new experience for me, and it was a lot of fun.
Eventually I got Ziggy to slow down, and we cooly emerged from the woods (as if we had never been in an uncontrolled, head-long gallop at all), and there was a huge meadow at the top of the mountain we had just climbed, with a view of fields, villages, villas, and the ocean. It was gorgeous. We let the horses graze for a while before moving on back down the mountain towards the stables. Ziggy was much calmer with a belly full of grass and I didn’t have to be in a constant fight to keep him at a walk and to keep his head from the vegetation.
When we got back, we untacked and then I got a chance to ride Hollywood. He is not at all a pony. He’s around 17 hands, a bay with great muscle tone, and he used to be quite the jumper in his day (like 1 and a half meter jumps?!?!). He was owned by an extremely rich family in Sorrento and was imported from France. You can tell he used to be worth quite a few euro. They worked him really hard, though, and you can see the affects on his gate- it’s a little bit choppy now. He was retired young- only 14 (he’s now 22)- and Karen pulled him out of retirement a couple years ago for mostly arena work (he’s a little too much horse to take on trails- if he takes off like Ziggy did and you fall off, it’s not going to be pretty). He was trained in dressage and is very responsive to leg cues, and he does not have the tough mouth that Ziggy has, so no yanking is necessary (although he does get extremely distracted while you’re working him…they suggest riding him with spurs to remind him that he’s in the arena). The problem with Hollywood, and the reason I love him, is that he’s very smart. You can tell when you look his eyes that he’s smart, which makes him beautiful, but a very bad horse, haha. He’s always pushing buttons and seeing how much he can get away with. I hope that he and I get along.
Although I was frightened most of the time, it was good to be riding again. (Karen said that I was a good rider because I’m not afraid …ha!) My balance needs a little improvement and I need to get used to these horses (and my bottom needs to get used to the saddle! ye gads), but I liked it at the stables- it was nice to not only be speaking English, but speaking horse (with Karen, not the horses- I’m not that good. I’m no Monty Roberts). They are going out of town to their house in the mountains for Easter, but I am meeting up with them when they get back on Wednesday to go back out.
Afterwards, I had to rush back to the Villalta because I had plans to go to the beach with my Belgian friend! I got back, changed real fast, and ate lunch real fast (but not as fast as I needed to- there were some high school girls visiting the Villalta to see if they wanted to live there next year, and I talked to them for too long and I was late meeting Erika). Lunch was excellent, even though I was eating it as cold left-over’s since I was late getting back from the stables. 1st- Gnocchi di patate in tomato sauce, and small slices of bread with either tuna spread on them or “pink sauce” with toothpicks stuck in the middle. Main- slices of beef and roasted peppers and eggplant. Dessert- a giant slice of cake that was ice cream, whipped cream, and shavings of dark chocolate.
The beach was gorgeous- not at all crowded since the Italians still think its winter, with nice sand and huge, beautiful cliffs on either side of it. The water felt good, but was a little cold, and we didn’t bother with swimming. We layed on the beach and talked, and it was a very nice afternoon.
When I got back from the beach, no one was at the Villalta because they were at church for the Maundy Thursday service and I couldn’t get in, so I walked down the street to the bookstore-Feltrinelli. I love that store. I could stay there all day. I bought the Italian version of Good Wives for Elisabetta (the book that she read to me to practice her English on our way to England) so she could actually enjoy the book and know what she was reading, and as a sort of good-luck-with-your-operation present (it turns out that Elisabetta has cancer. The good news is that it was caught early and can all be removed- they are operating this weekend, so please be praying). I also bought The Great Gatsby for myself, because I just can’t help myself when I’m in a bookstore, and it was only 3 euro!
When I got back, Elisabetta was not feeling well and she asked me to prepare dinner (the cooks had cooked everything ready, I just needed to heat up what needed to be heated up- but it sounds fancier saying that I prepared dinner..) Anyway, the dinner I prepared was excellent: One course- a big platter with tuna in middle and with rays of fresh tomatoes, of hardboiled eggs, and of green beans beaming out. There was also a big plate of sandwiches on fococcia bread baked with tomatoes on top, filled with swiss, spinach, ham, prosciutto, and cooked peppers, surround on the platter by spears of hunks of swiss and the left over country fried steak. I think there was more food, but I was too preoccupied with the above mentioned. Dessert was cups of sliced pineapple, strawberries, kiwi, and apple in juice.
After dinner, some of us went out to pray and stay awake (because the apostles couldn’t!), and I’m really glad I went because it turned out to be a tour of the churches near us. It was incredible. The night was full of incense, ornate alters, vaulted ceilings, painted domes, intricate carvings, gold, artwork, beautiful, fresh flowers, etc., all in the light of tons and tons of candles. We went to 5 churches, and we were never at any of them long enough for me to be able to pull out my Bible, because in the ten minutes that we were there, I was so caught up at looking at the church itself. It’s common in the south of Italy to go to several churches on the Thursday night of Holy Week, stopping to pray for a little time at each, while the story of the last supper and the visit to the garden are being read at each. On this tour of churches, I learned about the rosary and was invited to the home of one of the girls sometime- she lives where The Passion was filmed! And she met Mel! And she saw some of the filming of the movie! She said there are a lot of cool caves to see.. I’m pretty excited.
Now, I am exhausted. And it hurts to sit after my rough ride through the woods today (apparently I need more cushion on my rear… I don’t know how all this pasta hasn’t given me all I need and more).
Tomorrow at noon, I will go to my church’s good Friday service. Before then, I need to do some homework. After church is lunch, and after lunch, I leave for Enza’s! I don’t know what to pack, but I’m used to being the fashion sore thumb by now.. no big. I won’t be able to write for several days, but when I do, I will be able to tell you how the Italians celebrate Easter, and hopefully I will be able to tell about Amalfi! (We are supposed to be going to the coast this Saturday!)
Okay, Ciao!!!
After class I stopped at a trattoria down the street and got a panino. It was sooooo good. Huge hunks of homemade mozzarella on a giant slice of homemade bread. For dessert I had some of the sweet bread that was set out for snack. A vegetarian would do very well here- with all of the great breads and pastas and fruits and vegetables (they’d be missing out on some great meats as well, but I suppose they wouldn’t know the difference). People who would not do well here are those allergic to gluten and dairy (sorry Liz :/)
I have a confession. I’ve started reading The Two Towers… It’s the only book in the Villalta’s library that is in English. I knew Dan would be proud, though. After reading some Tolkien instead of doing homework, I went up to the roof for awhile to real some Paul, and it was beautiful.
Wednesday dinner was excellent- we had several types of sandwiches: on “French” bread with either lettuce, swiss, and a type of smoked prosciutto (which I actually don’t really like) or lettuce, swiss, and hotdogs that had been sliced down the middle. Also, there were giant, breaded and fried balls of rice with what was either sausage or chicken…but very good. There was also some country friend steak, as well as the usuals of salad and potato chips. Dessert was cups of fruit with apples, kiwi, and banana in sweet orange juice. Also, as a post-dessert dessert, we had a fancy, enormous slab of dark chocolate with nuts. The movie was Kung Fu Panda and I loved it just as much in Italian as I do in English- and I actually finally learned a little Italian from it I think!
........................................................................................
The next day…
Now I’ve had a very satisfying day and have a very sore bottom. There is much to tell..
This morning I finally met up with Karen (from my church) in Pozzuoli. I piled into her car with 3 of her kids (I’m not sure how many she has- I know it’s at least 4) and she drove me out to the stables where she keeps her horses. The stables were very cute. They had their own section to themselves, which she took over 2 years ago from the trainer that her kids were taking lessons from when the trainer went back to England. There are stalls for all of the horses, but they stay most of the year in their little paddocks that go up a hill into the woods. I was introduced to all the horses and they were all very nice (Tory- I don’t know if you read this, but for your sake- they were some of the nicest horses I have ever met…). One of my favorites was a little pony mare, about 9 hands?, named Fragallina, who just get’s to wander around the stable at her own will. Karen’s kids went off to paint some fences while they waited for their jumping lesson later, and Karen and I saddled up and went for a trail ride. I rode Ziggy, a pony with a strong resemblance to Pegasus- extremely white and beautiful and very full of energy. I thought I would look ridiculous on him, but he seems very big for his size (he’s right on the edge of being a horse). He’s very stubborn (and loves to head-butt you), and next time I ride him I will have to take a crop- he had his fair share of control on that ride; luckily he only used to it snag a couple of bites of trees here and there and to take off at a gallop every now and then when he knew it was safe to… haha.
The trail was crazy- it was small and overgrown and it winded up and down steep hills through the woods. Good thing Ziggy knew where he was going, because I had to lead since Karen’s horse kicks if anyone gets behind him. It was beautiful, though. At one part of the trail, there was a cool stone wall that ran next to the path. A little further down, I saw on the other side of the wall was a huuuuge crater with plenty of plants, trees, grass- you get the idea. Karen told me that one of the Kings of Naples would bring tigers, lions, giraffes, elephants, etc. and put them in that crater so that he could hunt them, as if on a safari, without leaving Naples. Pretty crazy. However many hundreds of years later, there were many holes in the wall, and I couldn’t help but wonder if there were any tiger families living in secret in the woods that we were riding through..
It was shortly after this that there was a spot in the trail that didn’t have an sharp turns or steep hills (but it was not at all flat or open, and the path was scarily thin), that apparently they usually let Ziggy speed up on, and he took off at a gallop. They ride a very tight-reined English and Ziggy by no means has a soft mouth (I wondered if he could even feel my yanking at all), so there was nothing I could do but let him go, keep my heels down, and try to anticipate the turns so I didn’t fall off. I had never actually gone above a walk on a trail ride, so it was quite a new experience for me, and it was a lot of fun.
Eventually I got Ziggy to slow down, and we cooly emerged from the woods (as if we had never been in an uncontrolled, head-long gallop at all), and there was a huge meadow at the top of the mountain we had just climbed, with a view of fields, villages, villas, and the ocean. It was gorgeous. We let the horses graze for a while before moving on back down the mountain towards the stables. Ziggy was much calmer with a belly full of grass and I didn’t have to be in a constant fight to keep him at a walk and to keep his head from the vegetation.
When we got back, we untacked and then I got a chance to ride Hollywood. He is not at all a pony. He’s around 17 hands, a bay with great muscle tone, and he used to be quite the jumper in his day (like 1 and a half meter jumps?!?!). He was owned by an extremely rich family in Sorrento and was imported from France. You can tell he used to be worth quite a few euro. They worked him really hard, though, and you can see the affects on his gate- it’s a little bit choppy now. He was retired young- only 14 (he’s now 22)- and Karen pulled him out of retirement a couple years ago for mostly arena work (he’s a little too much horse to take on trails- if he takes off like Ziggy did and you fall off, it’s not going to be pretty). He was trained in dressage and is very responsive to leg cues, and he does not have the tough mouth that Ziggy has, so no yanking is necessary (although he does get extremely distracted while you’re working him…they suggest riding him with spurs to remind him that he’s in the arena). The problem with Hollywood, and the reason I love him, is that he’s very smart. You can tell when you look his eyes that he’s smart, which makes him beautiful, but a very bad horse, haha. He’s always pushing buttons and seeing how much he can get away with. I hope that he and I get along.
Although I was frightened most of the time, it was good to be riding again. (Karen said that I was a good rider because I’m not afraid …ha!) My balance needs a little improvement and I need to get used to these horses (and my bottom needs to get used to the saddle! ye gads), but I liked it at the stables- it was nice to not only be speaking English, but speaking horse (with Karen, not the horses- I’m not that good. I’m no Monty Roberts). They are going out of town to their house in the mountains for Easter, but I am meeting up with them when they get back on Wednesday to go back out.
Afterwards, I had to rush back to the Villalta because I had plans to go to the beach with my Belgian friend! I got back, changed real fast, and ate lunch real fast (but not as fast as I needed to- there were some high school girls visiting the Villalta to see if they wanted to live there next year, and I talked to them for too long and I was late meeting Erika). Lunch was excellent, even though I was eating it as cold left-over’s since I was late getting back from the stables. 1st- Gnocchi di patate in tomato sauce, and small slices of bread with either tuna spread on them or “pink sauce” with toothpicks stuck in the middle. Main- slices of beef and roasted peppers and eggplant. Dessert- a giant slice of cake that was ice cream, whipped cream, and shavings of dark chocolate.
The beach was gorgeous- not at all crowded since the Italians still think its winter, with nice sand and huge, beautiful cliffs on either side of it. The water felt good, but was a little cold, and we didn’t bother with swimming. We layed on the beach and talked, and it was a very nice afternoon.
When I got back from the beach, no one was at the Villalta because they were at church for the Maundy Thursday service and I couldn’t get in, so I walked down the street to the bookstore-Feltrinelli. I love that store. I could stay there all day. I bought the Italian version of Good Wives for Elisabetta (the book that she read to me to practice her English on our way to England) so she could actually enjoy the book and know what she was reading, and as a sort of good-luck-with-your-operation present (it turns out that Elisabetta has cancer. The good news is that it was caught early and can all be removed- they are operating this weekend, so please be praying). I also bought The Great Gatsby for myself, because I just can’t help myself when I’m in a bookstore, and it was only 3 euro!
When I got back, Elisabetta was not feeling well and she asked me to prepare dinner (the cooks had cooked everything ready, I just needed to heat up what needed to be heated up- but it sounds fancier saying that I prepared dinner..) Anyway, the dinner I prepared was excellent: One course- a big platter with tuna in middle and with rays of fresh tomatoes, of hardboiled eggs, and of green beans beaming out. There was also a big plate of sandwiches on fococcia bread baked with tomatoes on top, filled with swiss, spinach, ham, prosciutto, and cooked peppers, surround on the platter by spears of hunks of swiss and the left over country fried steak. I think there was more food, but I was too preoccupied with the above mentioned. Dessert was cups of sliced pineapple, strawberries, kiwi, and apple in juice.
After dinner, some of us went out to pray and stay awake (because the apostles couldn’t!), and I’m really glad I went because it turned out to be a tour of the churches near us. It was incredible. The night was full of incense, ornate alters, vaulted ceilings, painted domes, intricate carvings, gold, artwork, beautiful, fresh flowers, etc., all in the light of tons and tons of candles. We went to 5 churches, and we were never at any of them long enough for me to be able to pull out my Bible, because in the ten minutes that we were there, I was so caught up at looking at the church itself. It’s common in the south of Italy to go to several churches on the Thursday night of Holy Week, stopping to pray for a little time at each, while the story of the last supper and the visit to the garden are being read at each. On this tour of churches, I learned about the rosary and was invited to the home of one of the girls sometime- she lives where The Passion was filmed! And she met Mel! And she saw some of the filming of the movie! She said there are a lot of cool caves to see.. I’m pretty excited.
Now, I am exhausted. And it hurts to sit after my rough ride through the woods today (apparently I need more cushion on my rear… I don’t know how all this pasta hasn’t given me all I need and more).
Tomorrow at noon, I will go to my church’s good Friday service. Before then, I need to do some homework. After church is lunch, and after lunch, I leave for Enza’s! I don’t know what to pack, but I’m used to being the fashion sore thumb by now.. no big. I won’t be able to write for several days, but when I do, I will be able to tell you how the Italians celebrate Easter, and hopefully I will be able to tell about Amalfi! (We are supposed to be going to the coast this Saturday!)
Okay, Ciao!!!
mercoledì 20 aprile 2011
Sirens
Yesterday was good. Again, I liked my MS (metallic structures) class a lot. We did part 2 of the extraordinary examples- this one was all bridges. My favorite topic of the day was the proposed plans for the Messina/Sicily bridge. The design that has been officially accepted is for, by far, the longest suspension bridge in the world (and is debatably extremely unsafe because its slenderness ratio is off the charts). Because of the incredibly controversial design of this bid (chosen by Italy’s Prime Minster for the purpose of putting his name in the record books), no contractors have accepted the project, and a bridge from Italy’s mainland and Sicily will probably never be built (until the next administration passes though, perhaps). A different proposal for the bridge was also very interesting- an underwater, buoyancy-supported bridge. He will be picking up with that topic in the next lecture, but I won’t be there because I have a plane ticket to Palma! (But I’m going to be the nerdy kid in class that reviews the slides I missed and goes in to discuss them with the Professor).
Following class, I had not the greatest lunch that I’ve had since I’ve been here… I ordered a hamburger and patatine (french fries- well, Belgian fries… I learned my lesson for calling them french fries in front of my Belgian friends. Apparently fries come from Belgium, not France) panino, which is a sandwich with hamburger and fries in it, because I was curious. The hamburger was rubbery, tasteless, and gray and the fries were cold. The bread that it came on and the cheese inside of it were excellent, however. Also, I’m pretty certain that I was charged an extra euro for being an American, but what’re you gonna do?
I got back, sent some emails that I needed to send, and started to do my homework before I was distracted by an invite from my Belgian friend to go to Positano on Tuesday since we don’t have class- which caused me to google Positano- which caused me to get caught up in looking at websites about the Amalfi coast for hours and hours. Once you start looking at those pictures, you absolutely cannot stop (fitting- it is where the Sirens from the Odyssey were found…) Then I thought it was only fair to spend several hours researching what there is to do in Sicily, and I found a cool website of an organization devoted to helping tourists get the most out of their visit to Sicily- I emailed them my interests and my budget, and I hope they are able to help me out! I don’t have any idea what I should plan for our 3 days there.
Tuesday Dinner-
1st- an extremely orange carrot soup (no hunks of carrots, just orange liquid)- looked strange but tasted good. There were also dishes of very green tortellini and what looked like a baked pasta dish of penne, cheese, and tomatoes- neither of these dishes made it my way, unfortunately
Main- a dish of baked slices of seasoned zucchini, surrounded by sections of rolled meat, cheese, and dough that had been basted with egg (I think? It was spongy and tasted a little like French toast) and baked. There were also huge, thin slices of what looked like pork and some chicken legs- never made it my way either.
After dinner, I allowed myself to be distracted by the sirens for a short time longer, got to skype Dan for a bit, read for a bit, then went to sleep.
When I woke up this morning, Dan was still on skype! So we chatted for awhile, but it was very frustrating because I kept having to move rooms to get out of the way of the maids. But it was good because we won’t be able to skype for about a week since he has a ton of stuff to finish before the weekend, and I will be out of town this weekend!
Zuzu (my roommate) felt sorry for me being at the Villalta all alone while everyone else goes home for Easter break, so she invited me to her house for Easter! (Honestly, I was looking forward to being here without everyone for a little while- I could use the TV to watch movies in English, not worry about being in anyone’s way, not have to try to speak Italian for a whole week, etc.) But I am excited to see an Italian home and see how the Italian Catholics celebrate Easter. Also, she is taking me to the Amalfi coast on Saturday since she lives very close! I am going to come back on Monday, however, because I have plans with my Belgian friend to make a giant American/Belgian brunch with pancakes, crepes, eggs, bacon, etc. Also, hopefully I will be doing some riding (Karen’s horses) next week! Also, I really need to crack down on my schoolwork and research, and that’s easiest when I don’t have boisterous, Italian conversations going on around me. Also, I have my trip to Positano on Tuesday! Also, I don’t want to be in the way- I want to give Zuzu’s family a little time with her. Also, ..... I get the mansion to myself ;)
Okay, time to be productive. Another liter of coffee for breakfast should help with that. KBye!!
Following class, I had not the greatest lunch that I’ve had since I’ve been here… I ordered a hamburger and patatine (french fries- well, Belgian fries… I learned my lesson for calling them french fries in front of my Belgian friends. Apparently fries come from Belgium, not France) panino, which is a sandwich with hamburger and fries in it, because I was curious. The hamburger was rubbery, tasteless, and gray and the fries were cold. The bread that it came on and the cheese inside of it were excellent, however. Also, I’m pretty certain that I was charged an extra euro for being an American, but what’re you gonna do?
I got back, sent some emails that I needed to send, and started to do my homework before I was distracted by an invite from my Belgian friend to go to Positano on Tuesday since we don’t have class- which caused me to google Positano- which caused me to get caught up in looking at websites about the Amalfi coast for hours and hours. Once you start looking at those pictures, you absolutely cannot stop (fitting- it is where the Sirens from the Odyssey were found…) Then I thought it was only fair to spend several hours researching what there is to do in Sicily, and I found a cool website of an organization devoted to helping tourists get the most out of their visit to Sicily- I emailed them my interests and my budget, and I hope they are able to help me out! I don’t have any idea what I should plan for our 3 days there.
Tuesday Dinner-
1st- an extremely orange carrot soup (no hunks of carrots, just orange liquid)- looked strange but tasted good. There were also dishes of very green tortellini and what looked like a baked pasta dish of penne, cheese, and tomatoes- neither of these dishes made it my way, unfortunately
Main- a dish of baked slices of seasoned zucchini, surrounded by sections of rolled meat, cheese, and dough that had been basted with egg (I think? It was spongy and tasted a little like French toast) and baked. There were also huge, thin slices of what looked like pork and some chicken legs- never made it my way either.
After dinner, I allowed myself to be distracted by the sirens for a short time longer, got to skype Dan for a bit, read for a bit, then went to sleep.
When I woke up this morning, Dan was still on skype! So we chatted for awhile, but it was very frustrating because I kept having to move rooms to get out of the way of the maids. But it was good because we won’t be able to skype for about a week since he has a ton of stuff to finish before the weekend, and I will be out of town this weekend!
Zuzu (my roommate) felt sorry for me being at the Villalta all alone while everyone else goes home for Easter break, so she invited me to her house for Easter! (Honestly, I was looking forward to being here without everyone for a little while- I could use the TV to watch movies in English, not worry about being in anyone’s way, not have to try to speak Italian for a whole week, etc.) But I am excited to see an Italian home and see how the Italian Catholics celebrate Easter. Also, she is taking me to the Amalfi coast on Saturday since she lives very close! I am going to come back on Monday, however, because I have plans with my Belgian friend to make a giant American/Belgian brunch with pancakes, crepes, eggs, bacon, etc. Also, hopefully I will be doing some riding (Karen’s horses) next week! Also, I really need to crack down on my schoolwork and research, and that’s easiest when I don’t have boisterous, Italian conversations going on around me. Also, I have my trip to Positano on Tuesday! Also, I don’t want to be in the way- I want to give Zuzu’s family a little time with her. Also, ..... I get the mansion to myself ;)
Okay, time to be productive. Another liter of coffee for breakfast should help with that. KBye!!
martedì 19 aprile 2011
Breve e Dolce
Yesterday, I gave up café e dolci (coffee and sweets). I am very happy to have them back today! Well, I’m giving myself the coffee back, but I may keep the embargo of sweets active- they are just way too plentiful in Naples, and I am too much like the kids in Jimmy Neutron (when they didn’t have parents anymore to force them to make good decisions, they ate and ate sweets until they were all sick). I’m still remembering a couple of days ago when I ate sweets on 7 occasions throughout the day, and I’m not remembering them as being as appealing as I’m sure they had been at the time..
The rest of the day wasn’t anything exciting (except for the phone call I made to Karen from church… I will be meeting her in Pozzuoli on Thursday to ride :) ); up for breakfast (w/ no coffee or any of the left over baba)…although rum-soaked bread in the morning doesn’t sounds particularly tempting..), to campus for my foundations class (I was having a hard time focusing without my coffee), a quick lunch from carpe diem (a giant hunk of bread rolled and baked around slices of ham, salami, and cheese), and to the other campus for my Italian course (I definitely didn’t focus in this one- I also considered leaving halfway through because I was afraid I would fall asleep, but I popped a piece of gum in to keep me awake and stuck it out). After class, I was complimented by one of the other students on how well I speak English… yessssssss!
Following class was a lazy afternoon- I finalized and posted yesterday’s blog, showered, watched half of a movie, and skyped Dan for a bit. Dinner was very excellent. After not allowing myself to eat a snack in the afternoon (as an attempt to start to control the absurd amount of food I allow myself to consume), I was famished and completely ruined my afternoon’s progress in self-discipline by taking seconds of everything. (1st- pasta in oil with bits of zucchini and tomato, sourdough bread and vinegarette. Main- breaded fish fillets, more “vegetable,” and some fries. Dessert- mandarino). During tertulia, one of the girls talked about the Opera, which she went to on Sunday, and I actually understood what she was talking about because I researched the Naples Opera several days ago because I want to get to at least one while I’m over here (as a student, you watch a dress rehearsal for only 7 euro! I’ll probably have to do that since I don’t have any clothes that are fancy enough, and I can’t borrow anything to wear from the tiny girls I live with..)
This morning I happily welcomed my good ol’ TI-89 back into my life. Zuzu did not seemed pleased with our loving reunion…it must be an engineer thing. I pulled my old friend out because need him for the problems that I was assigned on base-isolation for my research!! (not technically MY research.. right now it’s just independent study so that I’ll know what the grad students are talking about, should I ever get around to helping them with anything. This whole “research” thing has really just been pretty awkward.) Dr. Myers has asked me to type up a brief abstract of the work I’m doing over here- it should be not the least bit interesting. But if any of you are keen on read it (probably only Dad) send me an email and I will send it back.
I drank a liter of coffee for breakfast, and I feel very ready for the day. It’s nice to know what I can actually keep these things pretty short. Hopefully there will be another brief one coming soon- I don’t want to have to play catch-up again, or receive anymore angry emails demanding more posts (I’m making myself sound more popular than I am so that you guys will think I’m coooool.)
K, ciao!
lunedì 18 aprile 2011
Mi Dispiace, ma Sono Tornato!
Hello again!! Sorry about the delay! I did it to remind you all how much you miss me and so you would realize exactly how much you love my blogs! (Acutally, I burnt myself out a little bit on writing- when I start writing, I don’t know when to stop, then I resent it for taking up so much of my time.) I would say that I’m going to prevent this from happening again writing less, but I don’t know what to cut out!! (No, Dan, I am not going to cut out the food part- I will want that record when I’m trying to decide what to cook when I’m not feeling inspired)
So, I left off with Jenn and the Aussies coming to Naples. I was expecting them to get in that Monday afternoon, but I never got a call. Later that night, I got an email from Jenn saying that they had made it in, and we made plans to meet up the next morning.
As I waited for them at the metro stop by my place, I did some reading from a Naples guidebook that I got from Michael- Naples is pretty intense- it’s had a very interesting history- you all should look it up. I also read about foods I needed to try- they said the classics are actually hard to find in common trattorias etc., and your best shot at getting them is ordering ahead of time, or trying to snag a home-cooked meal (check!). I’m pretty sure I’ve had all of the suggested dishes at the Villalta. However, I had not tried sfogliatella- a pastry stuffed with cream or ricotta- but I got that later in the day as we were walking around.
When they arrived, I took them to the Villalta to show them where I live and so they could drop their things (like Natalia- they were very impressed with the grandeur and cleanliness of my palace, and they didn’t want to leave the view on the roof). We headed towards the Castel Dell’Ovo, and stopped at my favorite stand along the beach to buy one of the giant, nutella-stuffed croissants to share. We went to the top of the castle and relaxed for a little bit, then came back down and got a table at one of the nice, sea-side pizzerias next to the castle. We ordered lunch, but I had to leave before the food came out because I had to go to class (however, I was there long enough to get the complimentary glass of champagne and the excellent bread with oil). I probably would have skipped my class, in order to be a good host, had it not been the first day of that class.
So I left very unwillingly before the plate of various fried sea foods and the 2 types of pizza came out, and realized that I was going to be extremely late for my class, so I power-walked/slightly jogged the 30 minutes back to the metro stop near the Villalta (it was the closest one), which was incredibly frustrating because Napolitanos don’t know how to walk in a straight line, walk very slowly, and stop to look in store windows, clogging the small sidewalks. I finally got to the metro- very stressed out- and had to wait 10 minutes for the next metro (they normally come every few minutes). Once off the metro, I continue my tiring pace through the frustrating streets, and get to class only 20 minutes late. When I got there, I apologized for being late and sat down. The teacher said that it was quite alright and that we were still waiting on 2 of the 5 students in the class. We sat there for 10 minutes before the Professor tells us that we aren’t able to have class that day anyway because the course had not been officially approved by the department yet and the meeting to discuss the matter would be held that afternoon… so we were dismissed. So then I started the frustrated, rushed trip back to the restaurant that I left the girls at, because I was hoping to meet back up with them before they ate all the food. I finally got a hold of them halfway through my journey and found out that they had already left, so we met up in Piazza Peblecito, and I snagged a giant piece of stuffed pizza (stuffed with parmesan and spinach) from a little café.
I showed them the beautiful shopping center near the piazza, I got my sfogliatella, they got their gelato, and we were pointed in the direction of the Archeological Museum (it has the artifacts recovered from Pompeii- I hear it’s amazing, and it was free that week!). We power-walked another half hour, and when we arrived, we found out that it was closed because it was a Tuesday! I was very disappointed and was feeling very pressured because I felt like it was my duty to make sure that they had a good time in Naples and saw everything that they should see, and we only had 3 more hours before their train left! So I decided to take them up to Vomero to see the view from Castel Sant’Elmo. However, I made the mistake of trying to follow the signs on the street that pointed us to the castle (do not try to follow signs for attractions, or bathrooms, in Italy…absolutely find a map and navigate your own way with it). After wasting 30 minutes of our short time hiking up the small mountain to Vomero, a lady finally pointed us in the direction of a metro (which we had been passing up in order to follow the street signs).
Finally we got up to the top of the mountain to the castle, and we passed the shop that carves and sells the cameos (the one that Natalia and I discovered after meeting the nice owner on the way to the castle) (also, there are a couple of pics on facebook of cameos in my “Dove Vivo” album, now) and we spent quite a while there reveling in how amazing the cameos are. We finally made it to the castle and got to enjoy the impressive view for a solid 30 seconds before we had to turn and head back to the Villalta so they could get their things.
After some confusion with finding the correct metro, we got back and they made it to the train station in the nick of time, and I was exhausted and famished from my intense workout. I ate nearly a whole bag of cookies and laid on my cot for a little while, then wasn’t hungry for dinner. I still ate plenty, but I can’t remember what it was. I know the first course was pea soup with little noodles in it- but I couldn’t tell you what else.. I don’t recall tertulia that night either… it was too long ago.
Wednesday breakfast-
I’ve finally accepted that I’m addicted to the coffee here. Every night before I go to sleep I get excited because I know that when I wake up, I get to drink the coffee! The coffee is really strong and black, but what you do at breakfast is put just a little bit in your cup, then fill the rest of your cup up with milk, and it’s soooooo good. (sometimes the other girls do this, then put cornflakes in it…I’m not sure I’ll try that one, I’m quite content with it how it is)
Wednesday Lunch-
I stopped at my favorite sea-side stand on my way back from my Italian class and I got a panino, which had a lot of potential…but I think it was several days past fresh. It was a giant slab of bread with hardboiled eggs and hunks of ham baked into it. This is one that I’m going to try to make when I get back to a kitchen that I know how to manage because I want to see what it tastes like when it’s not stale.
Wednesday snack-
I guess this is still a part of my lunch, since I ate it before eating my big, fat, stale panino: homemade coconut cookies, dusted in powdered sugar, juice, sparkling water, and hunks of dark chocolate
Then I wasted a lot of time researching places to stay and what to do in Sicily (and cancelled my car rental since Dan and I are not of age). Later at dinner, as they were setting up the TV to watch the movie typical of Wednesday nights, the news was on and was showing some pretty unimpressive shots of Sicily right now, with all the Libyans piling in. I wonder if it’ll be like that when we go next month.
Wednesday Dinner-
Croissants with either ham and eggplant, or cheese and ham, or cheese and other cured meats, some pasta that seemed like the Italian version of mac n cheese (penne with some oil and lots of parmesan, and it was slightly orange, so there had to have been some sort of tomato additive, but it was apparent in appearance or taste), salad with olive oil, chips, some hunks of beef that were really good.
Dessert: pineapple, kiwi, peaches, blood oranges, and mandarinos.
The movie was Disturbia. When you don’t understad the language that the movie is in, you are more sensitive to the mood-setting, and I was getting quite nervous! But because I know how it turns out, I was able to keep my calm, and it was funny looking around the room seeing how nervous everyone else was.
Thursday Lunch-
1st- small penne, oil, parmesan. Delicious.
Main- Meatloaf and some more honey-glazed carrots, which were incredibly orange.
Dessert- A blood orange
Post-lunch tertulia: Lots of interesting topics were brought up- the Italian Prime Minister has mad a law to keep him out of (a pm can do this?, I am thankful for the American system. We could have Gheddafi as a leader! Or Berlusconi for the matter). Also, we discussed Sicily and the refugees that continue to pile in. Also, the night before, one of the heads of a mafia family had been killed- he was “dissolved with acid”. Intense. I’m excited for our trip there! (I probably should’ve gotten a couple of tickets to Venice, instead.)
Thursday Dinner-
1st- Some sort of pasta, I can’t remember.
Main- huge, round slices of what was once a giant eggplant, with marinara and slices of mozzarella melted on top- sooooo good. Also, a plate of what seemed to be the Italian version of tater tots (not near as good as ours- more dull tasting, and filled with mashed potatoes instead of potato (chunks?)) Also, some vegetable- I have no idea what it was- when I asked, the only answer I got was “vegetable.” It had a giant stalk and what used to be a leafy top, but was cooked and was mushy, and for some reason was really good. I’m going to have to figure out how to cook vegetables before I leave here (especially eggplant! When I tried to cook it, it was a disaster, and theirs is so good!)
Dessert- a mandarino
For tertulia, we went out to get gelato!!!! The gelateria was right next to my church! It was incredible. For 2 euro, I got 3 flavors piled onto a cone- café, bueno bar, nutella mousse.
Later that night I got to skype with Dan and his roommate. It was nice, like I was in Rolla, just hanging out.
The next morning I was up before my roommates had a chance to wake me up with their loud Italian music! (well, actually most of their music is American, but it’s loud all the same), and was off to campus for the second real day of my Advanced Metallic Structures class. I actually loved it- I can’t remember the last time I loved a class (other than the psychology or history classes that I’ve taken… did I pick the wrong major?). The previous day (our first class) we talked about the basics of steel building design, and Friday we moved onto limitations, and extraordinary examples. I started getting really into it when he was discussing structures in Paris since I had just been there. And since there were only 3 of us in class that day (there are 2 more- Turkish students- but they weren’t there, and the other two are Italian grad students, but I don’t think they understand what he is saying most of the time (I know what it’s like, don’t blame them one bit), so the Professor normally just ends up talking straight to me, since I’m the one that understands what he’s saying), it ended up being pretty much a conversation between the professor and I- I told him about my visit to Paris, the buildings I saw there, and I was able to chip in on things I knew from what I’ve studied in the past.
I was really glad that I had gone to Paris- it made this lecture so much more interesting! However, I was kicking myself for all of the buildings that he was discussing that I didn’t see while I was there… I can’t believe I didn’t go see Centre di Pompidou! Also that I didn’t have time to duck into Musee d’Orsay for at least just a few minutes on free day. He went on to discuss buildings in London (check!), Madrid (my next stop!), Chicago (check!), Hong Kong (perhaps some day?), Pittsburg, etc. I enjoyed it. It was interesting hearing him describe buildings (being a steel structures expert) because finally, someone wasn’t just bashing on all the modern buildings (I prefer the classic building types myself (how can you not love all these huge, impressive, gorgeous, detailed buildings that are more like art work that structures that are scattered everywhere over here?), but there’s nothing you can do- everything in the building industry is so different now, the classic style cannot even be replicated, because as Professor Mazzolini said- it would be a falsity, a fake, almost an insult to the image that you were trying to mimic- so you might as well accept that, and embrace the new, impressive structures that can be possible with the new technology in building.)
Also, every now and then he would throw in the comment- “And I designed this one,” which was pretty crazy. I had heard that he was a pretty big deal, but I was very impressed actually seeing it! My favorite was his story about the commissioning of covers for all of the soccer stadiums in Italy- his design for the stadium in Rome was chosen (it was very fancy), and it was even the image printed onto the stamps that were printed in honor of the new stadium designs! But then “the greens” (I think it’s like the PETA of the construction world- the party who has assigned themselves the responsibility to make sure that everything is eco-friendly and blends into the environment, and has the power to stop production in its path) decided that his design was “uneconomical” (even though it was the cheapest bid) because it was too modern and flashy, and didn’t blend in with the surrounding buildings. So the next bid was chosen and approved. (But his still made it onto the stamps at least!) Anyway, I hope every lesson is as interesting as this one was- the class does have the potential to be very boring.
As for the rest of Friday, I don’t remember much other than being homesick for English. I went to class that morning, then met with Professor Serino about my research and was given typical base-isolation homework problems to get a better understanding of the subject matter so that I will be able to assist the grad students if they ever ask, returned to the Villalta for lunch, went to tertulia and didn’t understand what they discussed, and took a nap. When I woke up from my nap, I really wanted to watch a movie in English, so I went out to the great bookstore down the street and bought 3! (Across the Universe, An English Wedding, and Sabrina- with Harrison, not Audrey.)
I made it back in time for dinner, and after dinner, for tertulia, we all watched Across the Universe in English! It was great.
On Saturday, I went to Pompeii! I was invited by a couple of people from my Italian course to go to the Amalfi Coast that day to do the “walk of the gods,” but we decided to go a different day since it was supposed to be raining and cold in Amalfi. That morning, however, I got an invite from them to go to Pompeii instead, which ended up being perfect because it was free that day because of “Setimana Cultura,” whereas it’s normally 11 euro from non-EU students such as myself.
We had made plans to meet up at the central train station, and after showing up a little bit late, then looking for them for about 15 minutes, I figured I had missed them, but decided to just go on ahead with out them. If I could navigate Rome on my own, I could certainly navigate Pompeii on my own! And now that I was out, I definitely wasn’t going back without seeing some ruins. So I found my train, paid my 4.5 euro for the total trip, and was on my way when I got a call from a number I didn’t know. It was the Belgians! (2 from my Italian course, one was a friend visiting for the weekend) They were on the train right behind me, and we met up in Pompeii and had an excellent time. I can’t really describe Pompeii… you just have to look at my pictures on facebook.
While I was waiting for the rest to arrive, I went ahead into the park and lurked behind one of the English-speaking tour groups for a while, and it was incredibly interesting. Parents, when we go, I suggest we buy one of those people J
Pompeii was way bigger than I was expecting, but we still managed to see just about all of it in a little over 3 hours. So after a quick stop for gelato, we decided to head back in the direction of Naples and make a quick stop at Herculaneum (the richer town that was destroyed by the same eruption as Pompeii). Again, it was free because of Cultural week, and I save another 11 euro! We only stayed in Herculaneum about an hour, though, because it was much, much smaller, and after you look at ruins for so many hours, they all start to look the same.
I was very tired when I got back, and after a dinner of various, homemade pizzas and a short skype session with Dan, I went to sleep and slept very hard.
The next morning I went back to the beautiful Church of Christ. I showed up just late enough that I wasn’t assigned a part to read in “The Passion” (they began reading at Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem and ended with Pontius Pilate washing his hands of Jesus’ fate), which was fine because they had to stand at the front of the church for about 30 minutes, which I would have found uncomfortable. The sanctuary was decorated with tons of the biggest palm branches I have ever seen. After church, I spent quite a while talking to some women who are from Leeds, and then with a family that I met last week. The mother of this family walked up to me and out of the blue asked me if I ride horses. I told her that I like to… and she told me that she has 6 horses and is having a hard time keeping them exercised! She used to have a British trainer, but she left last year, and since she left, Karen decided to keep the horses around because she didn’t want to part with them yet, and it has been a chore. She likes to make sure they are ridden every day, and I said I would love to help her out with that! I just need to find size 42 boots…
Sunday lunch- 1st: great mini penne with some alfredo, pinkish sauce, and shrimp. Main: spears of meat- chicken, sausage, etc., and a giant bowl of diced eggplant, tomatoes, etc. Dessert- little bowls of pudding with slices of blood oranges and kiwi in them
After lunch, I wasted time uploading my picture from Pompeii onto facebook, etc., then went on a pasajar to Castel dell’Ovo with some of the girls. It was closed, so we stopped at “American Bar” that is next to it. I got café nocciolo (which turned espresso with thick, chocolate, nutty goo at the bottom, and was delicious) and torta caprese (I giant piece of chocolate cake, slightly warm and gooey, with little bits of nuts in it, amaretto flavoring, and powered sugar on top)
When I got back I had a really cool discussion with a couple of the other girls about Protestantism (they have no idea what it is to be a Christian w/o being Catholic- they were very surprised to find out that I celebrate Easter, that I believe in the holy trinity, that I take communion, that we don’t have to do confession before taking communion, that I know who Peter is (as in Simon Peter..San Peitro to them), that we don’t have a pope or saints, etc., etc.)
After that, I met up with my new, Belgian friends at Piazza Amedeo because I invited them to dinner at my place. It was a good time- I like having guests. Again, they loved the roof, were surprised at the cleanliness, and were very exuberant about the fancy dinner (even though it was Sunday, which is paper plates night because the kitchen staff has the night off). We went back up to the roof one more time before tertulia because they didn’t want to leave it. Tertulia was fun and lasted way longer than normal- the Belgians were quizzed on Belgium and Naples and many other things.
This morning I went to my foundations class and now I’m off to my Italian class (I don’t want to go………). I will hopefully post again sooner than I did last time!
Okaaaay, bye!!
lunedì 11 aprile 2011
Chiesa Nuova, Et Cetera
So, I slept in a little too long Sunday morning, but I was up with enough time to have a quick shower before heading off to the English church that I had found online (only a 5 minute walk from where I’m living! God is good.). I guess the church would be classified as Episcopalian- it was very similar to American Catholicism, with a lot of standing up and sitting down, Pastoral readings and responses, and very old hymns. The church is absolutely gorgeous (built in the early 1800s, it’s very gothic and fancy). The pastor is a very enthusiastic man, greets everyone as they leave the church, where he exclaimed how excited he was that I was there, and invited me to coffee behind the chuch. He introduced me to several women, and I was escorted to the back for coffee. I met pretty much the entire church (only about 40 people- mostly there because Naples is a Naval base- most were Brits, but there were a handful of Americans, a couple of Irish, and 1 Canadian). One of the couples invited me to lunch at their house afterwards, and I agreed to go. This couple was Bambi (an American) and Michael (a Brit, even though I found out later that he had been raised in Naples). Bambi had choir practice after church and Michael was running everything else- directing people to where they needed to go, translating an Italian letter, chatting with everyone, cleaning things up, making sure everything was generally in order, and locking up. Since I was waiting to go with them to their house, I got to help with doing dishes and cleaning up, which I was very grateful for because it makes it far less awkward when you’re able to help, as if you already belong, rather than being treated like a guest who isn’t allowed to do anything behind the scenes. Also as I waited, I took turns talking to all the couples who were waiting to talk to the Pastor about him marrying them (there were 4 couples!), and Michael gave me an assignment to help clean up the library- he told me to get rid of a bunch of books so the shelves weren’t so crowded, but I couldn’t do it- I couldn’t condemn any of them. I very much wanted to obey, and I felt awkward telling him no, but I didn’t want to be responsible for that! He said that was okay, I should just take all the books I wanted, then, to clean out the shelves, but I wouldn’t be able to afford the cost of another suitcase to bring all the ones that I wanted back home with me. I picked one out to read and return, though. It’s called in the Arena, and it’s about Isobel Kuhn, a missionary, mother, and wife doing ministry work in China- from the Moody Bible College.
Michael and Bambi’s house was gorgeous- there were 12 staggered terraces behind their villa, making their way down the steep hill to the sea, a beautiful view of Naples, the sea, Mt. Vesuvius, Capri, etc. It’s located up in Pozzuoli (which used to be the area where all the noblemen lived), so it’s got a nice, high view. We had lunch on patio, cooked by the German friend that was visiting them. He made a salad, home-made vinegaret dressing, carrots cooked in sesame seeds and honey, potatoes with bits of ham, fish, and we had it with a light, white wine (less alchohol, so acceptable for lunches). Dessert was fruit, followed by a round of coffee.
We talked for a very long time- Michael and Bambi are very knowledgeable people. They’ve been married for 45 years, and have been living in Naples for most of it I believe. Michael apparently grew up in the villa that they still live in (we talked how it’s strange to people in the rest of the world that Americans never stay in the same house that they grew up in), which has been passed down through his family. It’s a giant property, at least for Naples…you aren’t allowed much land in the city. If I understood correctly, the property had been taken from their family during the war, and when got it back it wasn’t in excellent shape, and they’ve been doing their best to renovate it ever since, but it’s a very time-consuming job.
Anyway, the conversation never lulled as Bambi and Michael love travelling, culture, opera, literature, and architecture, and had an endless supply of tips on where to travel and what to see in Naples. We talked a lot about the architecture and history of the area. I left with maps, tips, a guidebook, a couple of lemons picked from their orchard (one of the levels on the trek down to the sea is full of orange and lemon trees), an invitation to come back, and a promise to see them next week at church.
When I got back, I cleaned up my room because I was no longer the only inhabitant (it was nice having my own, quiet room for a short weekend!), and skyped the family and Dan.
Sunday Dinner- these are great because I get to try a bunch of different things. We finally had lasagna!!! It was sooo good (the biggest difference I could tell- they used slabs of mozzarella instead of shredded, and regular beef instead of Italian sausage). There was also a sort of lasagna made of layers of eggplant and what was similar to Thanksgivin stuffing- I liked it, but no one else seemed to, so I had a lot. I also braved the bruschetta with tomatoes and basil on top (elisabetta showed me to trick to eating bruscetta- pour water from your glass onto the rock-hard bread and let is soak awhile before you eat it so you don’t break your teeth! It was much more enjoyable this way.) There was also salad and plain bread, but I didn’t bother with those
Dessert- Crepes! Glorious! Some stuffed with nutella and some just plain.
I didn’t do tertulia because I was exhausted, and I was planning on going to bed, but I ended up wasting time on with my fancy internet key instead.
Today I went to Italian class, and surprised myself by how well I paid attention. Afterwards, one of the girls ran up to catch me after class, asking if I was the American girl. She was from Belgium and we chatted for awhile about what we’re doing in Naples, and she invited me to go to the Adalfi coast (I had just been reading about it last night, it sounds great) to walk through the Garden of the Gods with her and some other Erasmus (the European exchange program) students this weekend- which is great because I hadn’t scheduled a trip for this weekend yet! J
Okay, Jenn and the Aussies are coming in town soon. I get to play host finally! I’m excited!
KBYE, I’ll write soon.
Roma!
Howdy!
(I’m so Italian)
Rome was great! I didn’t end up staying the night, though, because I was satisfied with all of the things I was able to see on Saturday, I was very tired, and I never was able to find Jenn and the Ausies… haha.
My ride to Rome was decent. There was a struggle at the second stop, when a lady kicked me out of my seat (since it was hers), and I discovered that my train ticket had a seat number on it…. I finally found my seat and read Playing for Pizza the whole train ride, trying to keep my legs tucked under me (the problem with train cars instead of the trains with airplane seating is that everyone’s legs have to go in the same place..) As I started reading, I was at the part when Grisham describes the Napoli team’s trip to Parma, and it was very strange because I was getting on a train in Naples at the exact same time that they did for a similar, 1-day trip (although I was going to Rome to be a tourist rather than going to Parma to play football. When I returned though, I passed out on my bed as if I had had a football game). But all the same- I feel connected to the Naples Bandits!
When I got to Rome, I tried calling Jenn, with no success. So I went to the McDonald’s to get wifi on my ipod to see if she had finally responded to my messages about where we should meet up, but I was not able to connect. I struggled with the internet alongside a couple from Naples, Florida, and we had an enjoyable chat. It’s nice when you find fellow Americans over here. I found out later that Jenn’s phone had died- but luckily I didn’t wait around the train station to get in contact with them before I headed out.. I bought a map of Rome and a day-long metro pass and started venturng!
My first stop was the Spanish steps in the Piazza di Spagna (where I was attacked by men trying to sell me flowers), then I went through the church at the top of the steps (all of the pictures are on facebook and the captions are more informative than I will be on here… so you should check those out for a better description of my trip and the things I saw). Next, I looked around some artwork that the people were trying to sell on the streets, and listened to the band playing on the steps.
I stopped for gelato (the main reason for this stop was the free restroom, which is not a common find), but this was an excellent choice. I got the banana gelato off of a suggestions, even though I don’t like banana flavored things, and it tasted exactly like mushed up, frozen bananas… really good. Then I walked through a beautiful garden with more blossoming trees and a great view of the city from high up. Next, I headed down to the Piazza del Popolo, found my way to the river (not as impressive as the rivers in London and Paris), then I headed towards the Pantheon, because this was the #1 thing I wanted to see in Rome, due to the amount that I’ve studied it in my classes. Near the Pantheon, I stopped for lunch at a little outdoor café (7.5 euro for a pizza margherita, bruschetta, and a coke). I ate, wrestled with my giant map (deciding to basically forget it and just wander…which ended up working out quite nicely for me), and again tried calling Jenn again (..nothing).
I headed over to the Pantheon, and got stopped in the Piazza in front of it by a clown that had been performing- He came over to me, stared at me with his mouth hanging open, pulled out a measuring tape from who knows where, and pretended to measure my height. I didn’t really know what to do, so I just sort of stopped and stared at him, then got bored, smiled and tried to walk away, but he grabbed my hand, squatted down (he wasn’t very much shorter than me..), and started walking with me. I just walked along, holding his hand, like we were friends. He finally found a different tourist to jump on and followed him instead, thank goodness.
The Pantheon was great. I knew previously about the great airflow design, but I wasn’t expecting it to be as temperaturely cool as it was- I was very impressed. I sat down on some seats in there and stared at it awhile before moving on.
Next I just started walking in the direction that I knew would eventually get me to the Colosseum, but I assumed it would be a long walk before I got there. I stopped into an art museum and took a picture of the garden, but didn’t go further because I didn’t want to pay. The next corner I walked around.. bam! The giant Piazza Venezia, and…. A little bit of the Colosseum visible, not too far away! But first, I had to get around the giant piazza without getting hit. It’s a good thing I had to walk around it and couldn’t just bee-line to the Colosseum, because as I was walking, a bit of ruins caught my eye, and I decided to take a small tour to track these down. It turned out that the ruins that I had spotted were not seemingly important (there are ruins everywhere in Rome), but they were right next to Il Campidoglio (the Capitol), which I’m very glad I stopped at. The impressive, blossoming trees were what urged me to start climbing the steps, then I caught a glimpse of the beautiful the Capitol Square (designed by Michelangelo) that was at the top of them, so I kept going.
At the top, I noticed that there was a museum, so I check the prices- they were normally 8 euro, but I only had to pay 3.5 euro- I’m not sure why. I went through the museum, and it was very nice. There were tons of sculptures, busts, and oil paintings, as well as a photo booth/ room that you could inset your face into a Roman bust (I may have done this… it was a little embarrassing being a 22-year-old, all alone, doing such an embarrassing, cheesy, touristy thing, with families with children in line behind me…) After a little over an hour in the museum, I headed back out. When I exited, I was curious about the view behind the museum, because we were so far up, and I ran into the Piazza Senatorio, which had an amazing view of the Roman Forum (tons and tons of ruins- very interesting- with giant columns and foundations left, as well as a view of the Colosseum).
I reluctantly headed back down and started walking to the Colosseum, but I walked right next to the Forum, and the ruins were just as impressive from the street. I saw tons and tons of artists- intricately sculpting carrots and gourds into flowers and fish, spray-painting scenes of Rome, standing as frozen sculptures, posing as gladiators… And I finally made it to the Colosseum. I decided not to pay for a tour, since it was getting late in the day and I assumed that sometime later in my stay, I would be back in Rome with someone else who wanted to tour the Colosseum, and figured it would be better to do it then rather than alone.
Next, I grabbed a metro back to Roma Termini, bought a train ticket for a train that would be leaving in 2 hours- getting me out of Rome before the dangerous sunset, bought a croissant stuffed with nutella and some mineral water (I’ve become addicted to the stuff), and rested my feet for awhile.
After my rest, I took the metro out the Vatican City, took plenty of pictures of the Saint Peter’s Square, then saw a big line and figured if that’s where everyone else wanted to go, it’s probably where I wanted to go, so I got in it. I waited about half an hour of my precious hour and a half that I had left (I found out later that this was making it in excellent timing- it usually takes well over an hour), and went through the tomb of the Popes (because it didn’t cost anything), which was very strange to me. I’m sure I would have enjoyed it much more if I were Catholic.. I just walked straight through without stopping to look at anything because I wanted to find the Sistine Chapel if I could before I had to leave. When I walked out, I found an information desk and asked where the Sistine Chapel was, and she told me that it was too late, that it had already closed- so there’s another thing for me to accomplish on my next trip to Rome.
Since I had a little time to kill, I joined the hundereds of other tourists that were sitting (or napping) on the steps surrounding the Piazza San Pietro, and soaked up the sun for a little while before heading back to the train station. On my way back, again, I stopped and got some gelato- this time chocolate and tiramisu, and met a nice British lady who did not have a high opinion of Naples. By the time I got the the train station, for some reason I was hungry again, and stopped at the same little ethnic café and bought another Doner Kebab (the same as I did on my stop in Rome on my way to Paris) and an orange Fanta. I hadn’t finished my kebab by the time the train was supposed to depart, so I had to stuff it in my bag, because it was awkward eating it in a tiny car with five other people. (My bag smelled very strange when I got bag). The ride back was very pleasant- I had found the correct seat, now that I knew I had one assigned to me, and the car that I was in had a nice set of people- all older and none travelling together, but there was a very good vibe there, although I couldn’t understand any of the conversation. I’ve just about finished my book now.
I got back to the Villalta just in time for dessert at dinner (um… I may have had gelato for the third time that day….. You can’t just pass it up! It was pineapple and delicious). Afterwards we had tertulia, and I was exhausted. Afterwards, I went to bed, quite content with my day, even though it had not gone according to plan.
I will tell about the rest of my weekend later, it is time for mio corso di Italiano! Ciao!
venerdì 8 aprile 2011
Cibo, Taglio di Capelli, e un Partito
Okay, so there have been a couple of exciting things happening… It’s nice and easy to tell everything that I’ve been up to by using the meals as a point of reference though, so I will keep that up.
Wednesday Lunch-
I had my Italian class and couldn’t eat at the Villalta, so on my way to class I stopped at a café down the street that I new accepts the “tickets” that we get when we won’t in the Villalta for a meal. I made use of my pointing skills that I have perfected to order, what turned out to be, a giant hunk of bread with prosciutto baked into it and a coke (I can’t wait to get back to a kitchen which I know how to work and ingredients that I know how to use and start trying to cook all of these things!). And all through my Italian class I was craving nutella, so on my walk back I stopped at the stand that I stopped at on my first day and got one of those 1-euro, giant, melty nutella croissants with powdered sugar on top and it was soooo good. I sat down, looking at the sea while I ate.
Snack-
Yes, even though I had just had a giant croissant, I got snack too. There were two giant loaves of bread with chocolate shavings baked into them with powdered sugar on top, and fruit.
Wednesday Dinner-
(Movie Night)- chicken nuggets (not as good as what I’m used to… America does have the best junk food that I’ve found throughout my travels), foccacia bread (huge slabs of bread baked with olive oil, tomatoes, and black olives), salad, and potato chips.
Dessert- fruit (and it was already peeled!!!) I had fresh pineapple, kiwi, mandarinos, and red oranges
Inspired by my visit to Paris, I took this evening to watch Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame on Youtube (instead of sitting there while all the Italian-speaking girls watched The Queen), as well as the 1977 version, which was definitely not Disney. It was very brave of Disney to take on such a horrible, horrible story to turn into a movie for kids.
Thursday Lunch-
1st Course- Shells in red sauce with parmesan
Main- Sunny-side up eggs with spinach surrounding them, sitting on pieces of toast, with more cooked spinach as a side dish- they love their spinach here, and everyone takes huge helpings of it… they must be very strong
Dessert- Fruit. I mangled a kiwi
There was no tertulia (I’ve found out that this is what they call the time-to-get-together-to-talk… it means time-to-get-together-to-talk..) after lunch today because people are busy, but I went out on one of the patios that I didn’t know existed (there are so many secrets to this place! It’s like living at Hogwarts!), and we watched some people on the street below and I learned some lingua Napoletana (Naples has it’s form of the Italian language…and it is actually the official language of the “Kingdom of Naples”- it is not considered very classy). I also discovered that the castley-looking building next door is exactly that- some old castle-esque building, that is technically a part of the same building that the Villalta is, but no one has fixed that part up like our part...and it is uninhabited. I want to explore it so bad! I walked up some of the steps and saw a patio overgrown with weeds and flowers and wanted to keep exploring, but the other girls wouldn’t go with me, saying that there are probably too many rats… Maybe I’ll go some other time- I’m not as adventurous as I used to be, though.
Snack- little sandwiches made of rolls with slices of ham stuffed inside
Then, I got my hair cut! I was slightly bored, decided that I wanted my hair cut, then went out and did it. I told some of the girls what I was going to do on my way out, and they were all very upset, telling me not to. But I was determined, and they relnted to letting me do it, as long as I took Stella with me to tell the hair dresser what I wanted. Stella took me to her hairdresser- Marco, and he was very talented. I have some new technique from watching him for when I come back to the states and start cutting hair again. He did not cut my hair as short as I was hoping, but it’s okay. At dinner that night there was a huge reaction from the girls- some were really excited about it and some looked like they were going to cry… (they like my hair before…they said it looked like Sherapova’s hair?), but I love getting haircuts after I’ve let it get really long… it feels so light and nice.
Thursday Dinner- 1st Course- Broccolli soup with homemade croutons and parmesean
Main- French fries and hamburgers(w/o buns)! Also, some patate al forno.. huge slabs of potatoes that have been baked, I think with onions..
Dessert- Fruit.
At dinner I found out that Elisabetta had been sent to the hospital! They said she had “an octopus” (they didn’t know how to explain it..), which I think meant a cyst, and that she had to have an operation ):
After dinner, we had one of the Villalta’s “infamous parties” for two of the girls’ birthdays. It started by the two girls picking teams- dividing us in half, then they each had to pick the end of a string (these strings had been wrapped around the banisters, hallway wall sconces, door knobs, under furniture, through rooms (all of this spreading over several levels of the Villalta), and the whole team had to help wrap up all of this string. When we finally made it to the end, there were instructions to tie each of our legs to the long string that we had collected (this was really frustrating because we started tying our legs one at a time, starting at the end, and we were wasting time while the other team was already ahead of us, when we could’ve started in the middle and been attaching people from both sides, to make up some time.. I tried to explain this, but it is very hard to communicate your idea if you speak a different language and everything is hectic and no one wants to take to time to understand...so I just stood there as I was attached while we were getting further behind the other team- this was very hard for me. Also, they were not giving near enough slack between people on the string (something else I tried to correct without success), so when we started walking and going up the stairs, it was extremely difficult. I also had a rather clumsy girl behind me, who was not moving her foot at the same time as mine, and the string kept breaking, so we kept having to retie it, and it kept getting impossibly short (I ended up have to grab her leg to move it with mine…). So now that we were all connected, we had to go throughout the Villalta as a chain gang- collecting clues, that eventually lead us back to where we started (my team lost..). When we got there, we played musical chairs (with chairs with arm rests…so it was pretty dangerous), and that was the loudest, most animated game I have ever played… the Italians are quite competitive- but they keep a really good attitude. After that, I kind of got lost with what we were doing… I know that there were balloons, and that each of the birthday girls had 2 balloons to break, and inside the balloons were notes for them- but I have no idea what the notes said, or what the point of this was.. After that, it was over. I had a good time, but I’m sure I would have had a much better time had I been able to speak Italian so that I could be useful and know what was going on…
This morning I was searching for a train to Rome for tomorrow and a flight to Palma Majorca for the end of this month to meet Jenn, and I found a 4-euro return flight from Sicily to Rome for the week that Dan will be here… so I bought 2! The flights to Sicily were also only 14 euro… (Ryanair can be amazing when you are planning ahead of time and are flexible on the cities that you want to fly into… it’s not so great when you’ve got little time to plan the trip, and have a specific destination that you want to get to—the tiny seats and slow service is not worth how the slight difference in price from a legit airline.) I also got a really good price on a car for the 4 days that we will be in Sicily by being a costumer from Ryanair- including all the fees, it was only 23 euro/day (from what I had been researching, this was a real price) and it gets picked up and dropped off at the airport (so no more surprise 15 euro bus tickets to get to the town you were intending to go to, where you then need to pay for more transportation, which is not nearly an convienent as having a car). Also, this way we can explore all of Sicily, which is exactly what Elisabetta had suggested doing.
Friday Lunch-
1st Course- Spaghetti in butter
Main- huge slabs of parmesean, basil leaves, slices of tomatoes, sprinkled in basil, and bread
Dessert- Fruit: pears, aaples, kiwis, bananas, red oranges, mandarinos
I am currently at Federico II, trying to get a start on my research, but now knowing really what to do. I sent an email to Professor Serino, telling him that in order to fulfill my research agreement, for which I received a grant, I will be coming into the Federico II’s structural engineering computer lab (byo computer) to use the excellent resources that Missouri S&T has to offer in doing literature review. I will be researching the topic of using rubber pads for base isolation in earthquake engineering, which is the project that he discussed on my tour of the lab, unless he has any other suggestions of topics to be researched (he has not informed me of any). I told him that I will be in the lab every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, so that I may be available to any of the grad students if they ever need help with literature review or more hands for running a test. We’ll see how this turns out.
Okay, my next post will prob be full of exciment from my visit to Rome! I was planning on just going for the day so that I didn’t have to pay for a place to stay the night… but now that I’ve seen all the train stations, I don’t want to be travelling alone in them at night… so I think I will stay the night on Saturday and come back Sunday as well.
Alright, byebye now!
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