America in Italy

Buon Ringraziamento!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Despite being on the other side of the world for this all-American holiday, my roommates and I (Ilaria and Valentina included) managed to celebrate Thanksgiving with a traditional Thanksgiving meal.  There were a total of 11 people at dinner and enough food for twice that number.  I loved being able to share our American holiday and traditions with Ilaria and Valentina and they loved it too!  I feel like each time we have a dinner party (although this is only the second one) I get to know them a little bit more.

I was proud that my first Thanksgiving cooking for people other than my family, both of my dishes were a hit.  I made a cold broccoli salad and sweet potatoes, which I learned are NOT the same as yams!  All these years I thought that yams and sweet potatoes ("patate dolci" or more commonly known as "patate Americani") were the same thing!  I felt my first Thanksgiving disaster coming on when I cut open my cooked potatoes and they were white inside! (dramatic, I know)  My mom came to the rescue and gave me a recipe that pleased a crowd.  So I suppose I didn't do it ALL by myself.

I find it a bit ironic how there are those times when you can get around a market using all Italian and don't look too out of place...and then you buy "patate Americani" and whatever cover you fooled yourself about having is surely blown. "Aaahh...Patate Americani!" says the vendor with a smirk when I ask for patate dolci.

Yes, those are strawberries.

There are a few things this weekend that I am missing back at home that have been Christmas traditions for almost as long as I can remember, but I am doing better than I thought I would on homesickness.  The day after Thanksgiving is always reserved for putting up Christmas decorations and we kept that going here in Italy with a tree and decorations we found in the closet.  Florence, apparently, has the same tradition because a giant Christmas tree (no, it doesn't compare to the Rockefeller Tree in New York, but still) was going up next to The Duomo as I was walking to dance, and when I came out there were Christmas lights sparkling here and there on the walk home.

Alasdair and Madelaine, 30 minutes till party time!

Another of our annual traditions is The Gingerbread Party.  Some of you  have been, some of you have heard about it, and some of you can just take a look at this picture to see how anxiously children await this Christmas party!  (Ok...how anxiously EVERYONE awaits this Christmas party.)  Candy and Gingerbread all afternoon and delicious, warm chili and cornbread after each family has decorated their house.  This was Amelia Josephine, my youngest niece's, first Gingerbread Party and she is a little young to decorate, but when I am there next year I imagine she will be in it and sticky!

(Thanksgiving pictures to come later...they are not on my camera.)

Roma

Yes, my blogs are getting fewer and farther between.  Sorry about that.  Don't give up on my, I'll keep going!

The Colosseum from a distance

Last weekend I went to Roma with my school on a field trip and we stayed in a 4 star hotel!  Man, it was so nice!  Not that my apartment isn't nice, but who knows how many years ago it was built and there are some things that you just can't clean or you just can't fix.  This hotel room had spotless hardwood floors, towels that went down to my calves and a huge breakfast every morning.

Inside the Colosseum with a partially reconstructed arena floor.

We left Thursday morning and made stops along the way to Roma, were in Roma for 2 days, and left Sunday morning and saw different things all the way back to Firenze.  The things we saw were amazing, but there was just so much on our itinerary.  We went to the Roman Forum first and then the Colosseum.  They were amazing.  I have to say though, when we were in the Colosseum I didn't really know how to feel.  It was so cool to be there, but at the same time, I felt bad to think it was "cool" thinking about how many people were murdered there for spectacle.  I wanted pictures in the Colosseum, but what was I supposed to do?  Do you smile?  It was just weird.  I am so glad that I was able to visit though!

Ruins of the Roman Forum

By the time I got home I never wanted to see another museum again for months and months and months.  We probably went to more museums in 4 days that I have been to in 3 years.  There are certain aspects of Rome that are so strange though...like the ruins that are on practically every block.  You turn the corner and, "Hey look.  More ruins."  It was all much more exciting if you thought about it in Biblical terms too.  There are so many people, like Paul, who spent time in that city, in places that I have now been to!

While I was in Rome I really made a conscious effort to spend time with different people than I normally do back in Firenze.  I really enjoyed being with new groups of people and I'm glad I did.  One night when we went out we were talking about the differences between Rome and Florence and certain things that I hadn't thought of before.  Obviously Rome is much bigger than Florence, that is not a surprise, but I never thought before about the necessity of a financial district in every big city.  So much of what is in those districts is what keeps cities alive and growing financially.  Florence does not have a district like this and instead survives primarily on tourism.  It is surviving for now, but does this mean that Florence is a dying city?  It seems to be turning into a living museum and nothing more.  What happens if interest in Art goes south?  Just thoughts we discussed.

The trip was good, but a little to go, go, go for my liking.  I understand that they had to do it that way since it was a school trip and there were only a few days but I think it will be better when I go back in April.  My parents and I are going to Rome in April!!  They bought their ticket!  THEN we will have a wonderful vacation!

Londra e Irelanda! Wait...they speak English!

(DISCLAIMER...VERY LONG BLOG)
I'm home!...That doesn't sound quite right.  I don't think Firenze has earned that title quite yet, but I am back in Italy, "the real world," and I have finally made time to blog about my first experiences of traveling while abroad.

Let me just say that I have been seriously blessed my whole life with vacations that are true vacations.  Not to say that this wasn't a vacation...but it was a very different experience to be staying at hostels in rooms with 6-10 strangers and living out of a small school backpack for 8 days in UK fall weather.  With that said, I was still so happy I got to go.  I traveled with five other girls who graciously invited me to come along when they found out I had no one to travel with, and there were a lot of personalities to mesh and a lot of different plans to try to accommodate in one week with so many people.  It was a growing experience in many ways, just as this whole school year has been so far, but I realized that even though there are somethings that I would like to change about myself, I am, overall, pleased with the person I am and how I live my life.

Anyway...
London.  I loved it.  When I moved to Firenze I was wondering what appeal I ever saw of living in a big city but when I got to London I remembered!  There are so many reasons why London was so different from Firenze...
1. They speak English
2. They speak English
3. There is theater and dance!
4. There are huge parks to escape to where you forget you are in the city...and they are easy to get to...
5. You can get around the city in a matter of minutes with the RELIABLE public transportation (The tube)
I am not bashing Florence, just highlighting London's positive attributes.

The first day in London (after getting to the hostel at 3am) we saw most of the classic tourist attractions...Big Ben/Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Oxford Circus, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square. SO MUCH. Go, go, go.  Then I met up with my British friend Jo, who was studying abroad at San Jose State last year and we had dinner.  It was so wonderful to see someone from home!  It was also a nice break to get away on my own.  After a couple hours to catch up, Jo walked me over to the Royal Haymarket Theater and I saw Sweet Charity...my first West End show!  It was strange to be there by myself but the show was wonderful!


Sunday we went to King's Cross Station and saw the "real" Platform 9 3/4 and attempted to catch the Hogwarts express, but we decided we should probably stay on this side of reality.  From there we headed over to Regent's Park were I could have spent all day.  It was absolutely beautiful with all of the fall colors and afternoon sunlight.  I was so excited when we got to The Queen's Gardens and went into the rose garden...there was a rose there with a name that made my day:


Monday, our last day, the girls all had plans to go to The British Museum.  Anyone who knows me well knows that I dislike museums and since it was my last of only three days in London I decided to do my own thing and told them I would meet back up with them for afternoon tea.  I got up and got out (since it was just me) and spent my day in Covent Gardens after a first stop at Grosvenor Square.  My time in Covent Gardens was wonderful and what I considered to be my best day in London!  I listened to a string quartet playing near a restaurant, went inside the Royal Opera House, walked around where most of the theaters were, sat in a garden behind a church...with no one's agenda but my own.  It was wonderful.

Legos Anyone?

After afternoon tea we all went over to Tower Bridge (which had a striking resemblance to one of our first lego sets).  At dusk I left the girls and headed over to Covent Gardens to see Chicago, my last hurrah.  Tami and Jessica joined me and we had the classic dinner of fish and chips before I headed over to the theater.  Chicago was amazing and...I need to take more jazz classes!  I had great seats and loved it, but again I would have loved it even more if I had been there with someone!


 IRELAND...

St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin

St. Steven's Green, Dublin

We left our hostel in London at 4:00am and by the time we arrived at our hostel in Dublin it was only 11:00am.  Our first stop was St. Steven's Green, a park that my good friend Bria told was a must see.  It was so beautiful!  I know that I keep going on and on about the parks I visited, but it was just such a perfect time of year for the trees and everything was beyond exquisite.  We had dinner in the Temple Bar area that night where I had my first pint of beer ever (Smithwick's).  I'm glad I went to Dublin just to say that I have been, but the city was nothing spectacular.

The next morning we took a 4 hour bus to Galway.  Because of all the stops it was twice as long as it would have been by car, but the Irish countryside scenery was breath taking.  Quite different from Dublin, when we arrived, Galway was about as cold as London but had bone chilling winds to go with it.  I was glad that I knew how to dress and pack for cold weather!  Some did not.

I ate vegetable soup two times of my own accord while in Ireland and my family can tell you that this is completely unlike me!  Let me tell you though, the Irish know how to make soup.  It was thick and hearty...more like stew, which is the most common Irish dish. (Turns out the Irish don't eat corned-beef and cabbage...that was an Irish-American immigrant meal.)

The next morning three of the girls and I woke up and took a bus tour to The Cliffs of Moher (and other places along the way), and the other two girls went back to Dublin to go to the Guiness factory.  The Cliffs of Moher...the same caliber as Niagara Falls, for those of you that have been there.  Absolutely astounding.  I was so in awe of God while I was there.  One of the girls I was with asked, "You have to wonder what happened to make this!?"  For her The Cliffs were a mystery of science, for me they showed the magnificence of God and His creation!

Musicians in an Irish Pub

That evening we were exhausted from a day in the intense high winds up on the Cliffs of Moher, but after the rest of the girls left for Dublin, Tami and I went out to hear some more Irish pub music.  We brought along some new friends from the hostel and had a fun night of music, dancing and socializing (I finally had a Guiness and I really liked it!).  While in Galway I met people from Ireland, Italy, Germany, Canada, Australia, England, Spain...It was pretty neat!

A stop on the way to The Cliffs of Moher...I forgot it's name!

Our last day in Galway and our last full day in Ireland, Tami and I spent just walking around the city.  We ate scones and hot water (It really hits the spot and good for students on a budget! Bria taught me this one!) and warmed up after walking in the rain all day.  We left for Dublin at 6:30 that night and left for "home" (Italy) the next morning.  After eight days I was ready to be home especially after traveling from 8:00am-10:00pm for a trip that was only from Ireland to Italy (bus, airplane, bus, train).

There it is folks!  You lasted until the end of this ridiculously long blog and now you have heard a few of the stories of your friend, daughter, sister, granddaughter and niece, the new-found wold traveler!