It's just starting to hit us that we have just at one week left in Italy. We've been here just long enough to get accommodated and really feel like we are "Italian" in the loosest sense of the word.
I've come to enjoy tons of stuff about Italy. First of all, the FOOD! You truly can't order a bad dish at a restaurant, especially if you go to the well-recommended restaurants. Everything here tastes so much better than the stuff at home. I have come to discover that I actually do like salami, I just don't really enjoy the processed, packaged crap back home. The groceries here are pretty cool too. They don't burden you with a vast variety of things; just enough to be able to have a good selection. They have great prices on lots of things and a good selection of fresh meats and cheeses. Matt and I have developed our "favorites" of things when we go to the grocery. I like my Cioccolino Fondente Special K cereal every morning, we both love plumcakes (like a better twinkie with no filling), I have a FAVORITE strawberry yogurt (seriously, it's the best yogurt I've ever had). Most importantly, the wine. When us silly Americans think of Chianti, we think of the crap that comes in the wicker bottles. Here, the wine flows fresh and cheap. I love the "true" chianti classico. If I could bring home a case, I would. Hands down. It's delicious. Also, think of the cheap wine you get at home. Well, it tastes cheap. But the cheap wine here (I'm talking 2-4 Euro) is wonderful. We've also learned our favorite menu items. A Sienese specialty dish is Papardelle with wild boar sauce; another is pici (think triple thick spaghetti) pasta with some kind of sauce. Matt has been ordering osso buco like he's never going to have it again. And I think we've both had enough fresh pesto pasta to last us both a lifetime. But we continue to love it and eat it.
Another thing I've come to love is the atmosphere. Everything is just much slower and relaxed in Siena. People are generally in no hurry to get anywhere and just meander through the streets. I like having the window open and listening to neighbors greet each other on our street. Not to mention, the area is full of beautiful sights and great history. It's definitely a place I'll continue to come back to in future European travels.
On the flip side, I do miss some of the comforts of home. I miss my big comfy bed and a clothing dryer (we've been hanging ours on a clothes line). I miss the English language. I miss the media room and the pool. I miss my family and the pets. And as much as I enjoy pasta, I miss the wide variety of foods back home.
List of things to eat as soon as I get back to the States:
- MOS PIZZA
- A big fat delicious cheeseburger
- Chinese food
- Sushi
- Chips and Salsa
But man, I'll miss the gelato. Mmmmm.
In other news, the wine tour was WONDERFUL. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and even bought some stuff to send home. I've discovered that I like truffle oil, which was absolutely delicious. Matt and I have spent the week thus far trying to cram in all of our last minute shopping and sight-seeing (we climbed the city tower the other day and took some great photos). We have our finals on Friday and then we head to ROME!
We changed and added bookings this week. We're spending 3 nights in Rome, staying at the Hotel Raffaello and we are moving to 3 nights in Venice, staying at the Hotel Ca del Nobile. Then we leave to go back home to the states.
I'm sad that we're leaving soon. I wish we had more time. Gotta make this last week count the most.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Update
Sorry we haven't updated in a while...here's what's been going on
Friday was the field trip to a looted archaeological site and wine tour. The day was moderately interesting, but poorly planned. We woke up and rushed to school to be on the bus by 6:45am. What should have been a 3 hour bus ride was a 5 hour bus ride to a looted necropolis (tomb site). It was the site of old Etruscan (basically, ancient Italians) tombs which have been looted for the ancient Greek vases and other pottery work that was included in them. It really was cool to see them but we only had about 45 minutes to explore. So needless to say, a 5 hour drive for a 45 minute rush through a really cool archaeological site was not the best thing ever.
Afterwards, we had about a 3 hour drive to a winery, which was cool. It was nestled in the Tuscan hills just outside of Montalcino. The winery makes rosso (table red), Cabernet Sauvignon and Brunello. Brunello is a wine specific to the Montalcino region and is made of special grapes. The guy was telling us that they don't make Brunello wine; instead they make wine that they hope becomes Brunello. They have to go through the entire process and a local official has to come out to sample the wine, to make sure it is worthy of carrying the name Brunello. Pretty cool.
Sad part is that the wine was just..okay. Now I understand that we tried reds and they are supposed to get better with time...I get that. But couldn't the school have picked a winery that was at least a little more affordable? The Brunello was 45 Euros - a little out of my price range.
After another hour on the bus, we were finally back in Siena. We were exhausted from being on a bus all day and starving because we had not eaten since about 11:30 (and it was about 7/8pm).
Yesterday, on Saturday, we woke to stormy skies. It drizzled heavily in the morning but by the afternoon, we had a full out thunderstorm on our hands. We stayed inside most of the day, trying to book hotels in Venice and Rome, as well as attempting to do some sort of studying. We were finally able to Skype with our families because we have internet. We chatted with my family for about an hour, and after much technical support via Gmail and the international calling card, we were linked up with Matt's mom as well.
Last night we met up with some friends from the program and had dinner at a little trattoria (family restaurant) down the street. Afterwards, we went to the Piazza and had a drink at one of the tables overlooking the entire square. It was great. The guys had some cigars, ladies enjoyed limoncello, which is a lemon liquer made in Italy - very good - except I got a Baileys, because I needed a taste of home.
Today is rather overcast and cloudy. We made reservations for the wine tour, but I'm really hoping the sky clears up. The pictures won't be nearly as pretty if it's not the clear blue sky in the background.
Until next time...
Friday was the field trip to a looted archaeological site and wine tour. The day was moderately interesting, but poorly planned. We woke up and rushed to school to be on the bus by 6:45am. What should have been a 3 hour bus ride was a 5 hour bus ride to a looted necropolis (tomb site). It was the site of old Etruscan (basically, ancient Italians) tombs which have been looted for the ancient Greek vases and other pottery work that was included in them. It really was cool to see them but we only had about 45 minutes to explore. So needless to say, a 5 hour drive for a 45 minute rush through a really cool archaeological site was not the best thing ever.
Afterwards, we had about a 3 hour drive to a winery, which was cool. It was nestled in the Tuscan hills just outside of Montalcino. The winery makes rosso (table red), Cabernet Sauvignon and Brunello. Brunello is a wine specific to the Montalcino region and is made of special grapes. The guy was telling us that they don't make Brunello wine; instead they make wine that they hope becomes Brunello. They have to go through the entire process and a local official has to come out to sample the wine, to make sure it is worthy of carrying the name Brunello. Pretty cool.
Sad part is that the wine was just..okay. Now I understand that we tried reds and they are supposed to get better with time...I get that. But couldn't the school have picked a winery that was at least a little more affordable? The Brunello was 45 Euros - a little out of my price range.
After another hour on the bus, we were finally back in Siena. We were exhausted from being on a bus all day and starving because we had not eaten since about 11:30 (and it was about 7/8pm).
Yesterday, on Saturday, we woke to stormy skies. It drizzled heavily in the morning but by the afternoon, we had a full out thunderstorm on our hands. We stayed inside most of the day, trying to book hotels in Venice and Rome, as well as attempting to do some sort of studying. We were finally able to Skype with our families because we have internet. We chatted with my family for about an hour, and after much technical support via Gmail and the international calling card, we were linked up with Matt's mom as well.
Last night we met up with some friends from the program and had dinner at a little trattoria (family restaurant) down the street. Afterwards, we went to the Piazza and had a drink at one of the tables overlooking the entire square. It was great. The guys had some cigars, ladies enjoyed limoncello, which is a lemon liquer made in Italy - very good - except I got a Baileys, because I needed a taste of home.
Today is rather overcast and cloudy. We made reservations for the wine tour, but I'm really hoping the sky clears up. The pictures won't be nearly as pretty if it's not the clear blue sky in the background.
Until next time...
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Long awaited pictures
Because we finally have internet, we have been able to upload pictures. We decided to compile all of our zillions of photos onto shutterfly and then just share them with everyone.
Thus far, this album includes Cinqueterre (first 200 photos or so), then Florence, and the final few are self-explanatory shots from Pisa. We are in the process of uploading photos from Siena, so those will be coming soon.
Hope you enjoy them.
PICTURES
Tomorrow we will be traveling to a looted archaeological site and touring a winery in Montalcino. This weekend, Matt and I are going to hang around Siena...maybe go to the pool and do a wine tour on Sunday. We'll see where life takes us!
Thus far, this album includes Cinqueterre (first 200 photos or so), then Florence, and the final few are self-explanatory shots from Pisa. We are in the process of uploading photos from Siena, so those will be coming soon.
Hope you enjoy them.
PICTURES
Tomorrow we will be traveling to a looted archaeological site and touring a winery in Montalcino. This weekend, Matt and I are going to hang around Siena...maybe go to the pool and do a wine tour on Sunday. We'll see where life takes us!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Finally...INTERNET!
This blog post is brought to you by the renewed internet access in the Siena apartment! Finally, we have internet. Now the fun can begin.
To recap the goings-on since last post...
Monday we had class as usual, tried to fix the internet and cooked supper. We wanted something non-pasta and it ended up being probably the best meal we've made yet (or ever for that matter). Paneed chicken breasts, green beans sauteed with pancetta and garlic roasted potatoes. Yum.
Today we had class as usual and came home to do some reading and have a nap. We walked over to Piazza Gramsci and had a pint of good ole beer at Dublin Post (I had a Harp Lager and Matt had some hard to say German lager). We mooched off of their internet for a while, grabbed groceries for dinner - and got the code to log into the internet!
For dinner, Matt paneed some lightly breaded veal cutlets and we made a romaine salad and some sauteed potatoes. It was a pretty good dinner.
And now here I am, enjoying my red wine and INTERNET!!! So exciting. Now I can finally do the research I need to do to book our excursion this weekend (probably going back to Cinqueterre) and look up rooms in Rome and Venice.
To recap the goings-on since last post...
Monday we had class as usual, tried to fix the internet and cooked supper. We wanted something non-pasta and it ended up being probably the best meal we've made yet (or ever for that matter). Paneed chicken breasts, green beans sauteed with pancetta and garlic roasted potatoes. Yum.
Today we had class as usual and came home to do some reading and have a nap. We walked over to Piazza Gramsci and had a pint of good ole beer at Dublin Post (I had a Harp Lager and Matt had some hard to say German lager). We mooched off of their internet for a while, grabbed groceries for dinner - and got the code to log into the internet!
For dinner, Matt paneed some lightly breaded veal cutlets and we made a romaine salad and some sauteed potatoes. It was a pretty good dinner.
And now here I am, enjoying my red wine and INTERNET!!! So exciting. Now I can finally do the research I need to do to book our excursion this weekend (probably going back to Cinqueterre) and look up rooms in Rome and Venice.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Final Thoughts on Florence
Yesterday was such a busy day in Florence that we didn’t have time to blog. We woke up fairly early and had a light breakfast at Hotel Panorama (the lodgings were somewhat of a letdown but not that bad for what we paid) before heading to the Museo del Accademia for our 10 a.m. reservation. We bypassed the line of sweaty people that wrapped around the corner and strolled right into the air-conditioned museum (never go to a museum in Italy without a reservation – it’s definitely worth the extra €4 or so). We went through the Michelangelo exhibit that houses some of his unfinished sculptures from a decommissioned series called Prisoners and of course his David. It was exquisite – there is simply no comprehending such an attention to detail and how someone truly understood the human form so well. We then strolled through the Robert Mapplethorpe photo gallery with some of his most popular nudes and expressive photographs. On a parallel but much removed level from Michelangelo, he too had a genuine passion for the human body that was remarkable and it at once became clear: (a) why a photograph could and should be considered a work of art and (b) why the museum chose to display such a modernist photographer’s work alongside one of the most revered and revolutionary artists in history.
After the Accademia, we met up with some of our friends from the program in the central shopping district and grabbed lunch at a fantastic little sandwich dive where you can craft a custom panini or foccacia sandwich from their list of ingredients for only €4. It was a life-altering sandwich (mine was artichokes, sundried tomatoes, Parma ham, salami, and brie). After lunch we walked around, doing some random damage at the leather markets and the designer stores. I got a ton of ties (handmade, pure Italian silk, and the kicker – only €3-7 a piece), an Italian leather dress belt, and two new wallets, all of great quality and at really modest, negotiable prices. Megan racked up with a pashmina wrap, a Florence custom-T, a really nice and versatile two-tone leather purse, and all sorts of gifts for people (get excited, blog subscribers). We almost, almost, bought these amazing handmade leather briefcases that we haggled down the price of by almost 40%, but in the end they were still really pricy and we weren’t sure we would have the space to bring them back, so we reluctantly told the merchant we’d have to think about it. We decided to head for the bus station while we still had the means to buy our tickets, and before we knew it the bus was pulling out of the terminal and we were on our way back through the countryside to Siena. We got back just in time to make our way through the evening shopping crowds, throw our stuff down in the apartment and whip up a quick pasta smorgasbord with some leftover red wine. We passed out after watching the second half of Closer that we began watching a few days before and slept until after ten today. We were awoken once again by the loud drums of the neighborhood marches that occur every Sunday, which we now think must be some display of friendly challenge and comradery leading up to the annual city-wide horserace and festival called the Palio that happens during the first week of July. Anyway, we are going to have a lazy day and maybe go to the Piazza del Campo to do some reading for class. Thanks for reading and staying up to date with us and we are looking forward to seeing all of you again soon. Ciao.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Florence
Sorry we haven't updated in a while...
We are currently in Florence, enjoying the free wi-fi at the little "hotel" we're staying at. Yesterday (Friday) we had a school sponsored trip to Florence where we walked through the Pitti Palace gardens (beautiful old Italian gardens, the kind with the long paths, fountains and statues everywhere), met with the Carabinieri to discuss their problem of stolen or looted art and antiquities and had a 3 course lunch at a restaurant close to the Uffizi, where we ended the day gazing at medieval, gothic and classic renaissance art (including Michelangelo, Botticelli, and other classics). We saw the Birth of Venus, La Primavera (Spring), the Annunciation, etc.
After this we had to walk all the way back to the bus, at the southern-most porta (entrance to the city) where the bus was waiting to bring people back to Siena. We grabbed our overnight bag and, with the people who knew the way to the hotel (and at their utmost insistence) began to walk back to the hotel. They said it would take 15 minutes. Well, 45 minutes of brisk walking with a backpack each, Matt and I arrived at the hotel, under the instruction of these classmates. They are also the people who recommended this hotel. Exhausted from a full day of walking, we checked in and hiked up to our room - which smelled like an old, musty ashtray. Matt went to complain to the guy and we were moved into another room, which thankfully did not smell like smoke and has a pretty decent view of the street (and a small corner of the Duomo).
We showered and got dressed, then walked a few blocks over to meet up with some other girls who are in the program with us. One of them actually lived in Florence for 2 years, so she knows all of THE places to go. We went to a restaurant well off the beaten path and it was the best food we've had thus far on the trip. I think the place was called NAPO leone. GREAT ambience and even better food. We ordered a ton of food for sharing - Steak in a balsamic vinegar reduction (my favorite), veal cutlets, pappardelle in a wild boar sauce, potato soup, prosciutto pizza, ravioli in a truffle white sauce, and a spicy chicken and rice. For dessert we had strawberries in a marscapone cream and tiramisu. Three bottles of wine and about 2 hours later, we decided to go to the local club, Central Park. It was a huge dance complex, with different rooms inside and an HUGE outdoor area. We got home around 2:30am after a night of great food, dancing and company. So much fun.
Now it's time to eat some quick breakfast, see the David and GO SHOPPING!!!
Arrivederci!
We are currently in Florence, enjoying the free wi-fi at the little "hotel" we're staying at. Yesterday (Friday) we had a school sponsored trip to Florence where we walked through the Pitti Palace gardens (beautiful old Italian gardens, the kind with the long paths, fountains and statues everywhere), met with the Carabinieri to discuss their problem of stolen or looted art and antiquities and had a 3 course lunch at a restaurant close to the Uffizi, where we ended the day gazing at medieval, gothic and classic renaissance art (including Michelangelo, Botticelli, and other classics). We saw the Birth of Venus, La Primavera (Spring), the Annunciation, etc.
After this we had to walk all the way back to the bus, at the southern-most porta (entrance to the city) where the bus was waiting to bring people back to Siena. We grabbed our overnight bag and, with the people who knew the way to the hotel (and at their utmost insistence) began to walk back to the hotel. They said it would take 15 minutes. Well, 45 minutes of brisk walking with a backpack each, Matt and I arrived at the hotel, under the instruction of these classmates. They are also the people who recommended this hotel. Exhausted from a full day of walking, we checked in and hiked up to our room - which smelled like an old, musty ashtray. Matt went to complain to the guy and we were moved into another room, which thankfully did not smell like smoke and has a pretty decent view of the street (and a small corner of the Duomo).
We showered and got dressed, then walked a few blocks over to meet up with some other girls who are in the program with us. One of them actually lived in Florence for 2 years, so she knows all of THE places to go. We went to a restaurant well off the beaten path and it was the best food we've had thus far on the trip. I think the place was called NAPO leone. GREAT ambience and even better food. We ordered a ton of food for sharing - Steak in a balsamic vinegar reduction (my favorite), veal cutlets, pappardelle in a wild boar sauce, potato soup, prosciutto pizza, ravioli in a truffle white sauce, and a spicy chicken and rice. For dessert we had strawberries in a marscapone cream and tiramisu. Three bottles of wine and about 2 hours later, we decided to go to the local club, Central Park. It was a huge dance complex, with different rooms inside and an HUGE outdoor area. We got home around 2:30am after a night of great food, dancing and company. So much fun.
Now it's time to eat some quick breakfast, see the David and GO SHOPPING!!!
Arrivederci!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
New Faces, Cheese and a Winning Sunset – June 9
I haven’t blogged in a few days and, in lieu of reading some chunky law review article for class I’ve decided to go for a quick update with my last few sips of wine (Valpolicella, if you must know). We woke up early this morning (against all odds) and were out of the apartment early enough to enjoy a leisurely stroll through the crowded working class avenues of downtown Siena. The Italian businessmen hustled around with their ties draped over their shoulders, and the bus drivers honked at the early-bird tourists as they wheeled around tight stony corners to deliver their haul to the shops that were getting ready to open. It’s a wonder they’re aren’t more wrecks in this city the way cars fly headlong around curves with no idea who or what is around the corner.
We got to school early and took some pictures from the local dog park (don’t bring your cocker spaniels, according to the picture diagram on one sign that we still haven’t completely deciphered) of the Tuscan countryside outside of the city walls. School was school…although we did have a thrilling lecture by Colonel Matthew Bogdanos, a New York City prosecutor, three-time veteran and Marine officer who led the campaign for the return of the thousands of looted items stolen from the Iraq Museum in 2003 after the US invasion of Baghdad.
After class, we met a guy from class who is at Tulane Law and we all went on a field trip to the grocery store to pick up some fruit (which developed into a serious excursion involving cheese, wine, and various other items, as is always the case). After returning to the apartment, we had some white wine and soft pepper cheese with crackers while watching CNN and BBC (this is pretty much how I hope it is when I die, with the possible addition of a white terry cloth robe). Meg cooked spaghetti Bolognese for dinner and I made my focaccia garlic bread – both were outstanding. The sunset was a fascinating purple color and the packs of swallows darted wildly around the rooftops, at some times only feet away from our open window. So now, we’re getting prepped to do some much-needed reading and then call it a night.
Well look at that…Megan just made me a cappuccino. Huh! (Shout-out to Mr. Steve.)
We got to school early and took some pictures from the local dog park (don’t bring your cocker spaniels, according to the picture diagram on one sign that we still haven’t completely deciphered) of the Tuscan countryside outside of the city walls. School was school…although we did have a thrilling lecture by Colonel Matthew Bogdanos, a New York City prosecutor, three-time veteran and Marine officer who led the campaign for the return of the thousands of looted items stolen from the Iraq Museum in 2003 after the US invasion of Baghdad.
After class, we met a guy from class who is at Tulane Law and we all went on a field trip to the grocery store to pick up some fruit (which developed into a serious excursion involving cheese, wine, and various other items, as is always the case). After returning to the apartment, we had some white wine and soft pepper cheese with crackers while watching CNN and BBC (this is pretty much how I hope it is when I die, with the possible addition of a white terry cloth robe). Meg cooked spaghetti Bolognese for dinner and I made my focaccia garlic bread – both were outstanding. The sunset was a fascinating purple color and the packs of swallows darted wildly around the rooftops, at some times only feet away from our open window. So now, we’re getting prepped to do some much-needed reading and then call it a night.
Well look at that…Megan just made me a cappuccino. Huh! (Shout-out to Mr. Steve.)
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Summer School
On Sunday, after the rain, Matt and I had a siesta which was interrupted by the sound of drums. We looked out the window to find a parade of men and boys dressed in medieval-looking uniforms, marching, drumming and waving red and white banners. We discovered that the people were residents of the giraffe neighborhood (right next to ours). Members of our neighborhood (contrada del bruco) went out and started to waive our flag in the middle of the giraffe parade. It was pretty cool to watch. I guess these kind of “rivalries” continue until the big Palio horse race in July. Matt said he was waiting for a fight to break out because it looked like something “straight out of West Side Story.” Hahaha…
Sunday night we had our “Orientation,” which is to be applied in a loose way. We arrived at the law school (facolta di guirizprudenza) at about 6:30 and were the first ones there. Around 7pm, other students and faculty began to arrive and Professor Gordley greeted us all. We had a brief overview of the program and had pizza at a little outdoor restaurant overlooking the back side of the Piazza. After several glasses of wine and several slices of pizza similar to American pizza, we made the trek back to Casa di Guglielmi.
Monday morning was a quick one. Jumped up, got dressed, had breakfast and headed to school. Today was just a quick overview of the themes of the classes and the material we intend to cover. Our first class was “International Legal Framework for the Protection of Art and Cultural Property,” taught by Sienese Professor Francioni and Tulane Law Professor Gordley. Our other class is “From Grey to Black: The Markets in Stolen and Looted Art and Antiquities” taught in conjunction by Professor Larson, director of Tulane Law foreign programs and a criminal defender, and Colonel Matthew Bogdanos, author of “Thieves of Bagdad” and a criminal prosecutor in the NYC Das office. Col. Bogdanos was in charge of restoring items that had been looted from the Iraq Museum in Bagdad, when the US occupied the city in 2003. Pretty cool.
We have Internet access at the school, though they are operating off of ancient PCs with what is reminiscent of mid-1990s internet speed. Almost as slow as dial-up. Almost. But, this will allow us at least some method of communication with the outside world. That was how we were able to upload the first blog post. We apologize for the length. We have a lot to say!
The afternoon was spent trying to fix the washing machine and the internet. After calling the UK booking agency and their local person in Siena, we received a call from the owner of the condo, who lives in PA. She was very nice and spent lots of time on the phone with us, talking about local places to go (she told us about a grocery store that has a much bigger selection of American products). She called the "caretaker" for us, the Italian who gave us our keys, and he came over to fix the washing machine. Lo and behold, we are simply dumb Americans. The water had been turned off. Good news is that we don't have to hike to a lavanderia to do clothes. Funny thing is, all we have is a clothes line. If you could have seen me yesterday, hanging out of the window, trying to figure out the best way to efficiently hang clothes on a line...I bet everyone would have laughed. It's not as easy as you would think!!
Sadder news with the internet though. The IT guys (and I use that in the loosest sense of the word) are sick and we can't get them to come look at the router until Thursday. So more blogging from the ancient computers at school...
Today has been a bit scattered. We had our early class this morning, but the second one was postponed until 2pm. Matt and I took this break as an opportunity to see if the IT office was open (which, after a phone call, we discovered that they are out side for the next few days). We made the decision to have McDonalds for lunch, simply as a method of comparison. I will now make the following recommendation: When in a foreign country, skip McDonalds. The ones at home are much better. For starters, they only have a Big Mac, chicken nuggets, the Royale (which is a crappier version of a Quarter Pounder) and a double patty bacon variation. They also had curly fries, which was cool. They had some Italian variations too, like a burger with parmesean cheese, a chicken foccaccia type thing...interesting. Another reason to forego the foreign McD's experience is the price! It was 13 euro for two value meals!! And they were not up to my standards, as an American fast food expert. My sandwich was meat, bread, cheese, lots of onions and a huge glob of mayo. And no self serve ketchup! No thanks, Italian McDs...
So that was our cross-cultural experience of the day. Now, it's time for class and then lots and lots of reading to do!!
Arrivederci! Hope all is well for everyone in the states.
Sunday night we had our “Orientation,” which is to be applied in a loose way. We arrived at the law school (facolta di guirizprudenza) at about 6:30 and were the first ones there. Around 7pm, other students and faculty began to arrive and Professor Gordley greeted us all. We had a brief overview of the program and had pizza at a little outdoor restaurant overlooking the back side of the Piazza. After several glasses of wine and several slices of pizza similar to American pizza, we made the trek back to Casa di Guglielmi.
Monday morning was a quick one. Jumped up, got dressed, had breakfast and headed to school. Today was just a quick overview of the themes of the classes and the material we intend to cover. Our first class was “International Legal Framework for the Protection of Art and Cultural Property,” taught by Sienese Professor Francioni and Tulane Law Professor Gordley. Our other class is “From Grey to Black: The Markets in Stolen and Looted Art and Antiquities” taught in conjunction by Professor Larson, director of Tulane Law foreign programs and a criminal defender, and Colonel Matthew Bogdanos, author of “Thieves of Bagdad” and a criminal prosecutor in the NYC Das office. Col. Bogdanos was in charge of restoring items that had been looted from the Iraq Museum in Bagdad, when the US occupied the city in 2003. Pretty cool.
We have Internet access at the school, though they are operating off of ancient PCs with what is reminiscent of mid-1990s internet speed. Almost as slow as dial-up. Almost. But, this will allow us at least some method of communication with the outside world. That was how we were able to upload the first blog post. We apologize for the length. We have a lot to say!
The afternoon was spent trying to fix the washing machine and the internet. After calling the UK booking agency and their local person in Siena, we received a call from the owner of the condo, who lives in PA. She was very nice and spent lots of time on the phone with us, talking about local places to go (she told us about a grocery store that has a much bigger selection of American products). She called the "caretaker" for us, the Italian who gave us our keys, and he came over to fix the washing machine. Lo and behold, we are simply dumb Americans. The water had been turned off. Good news is that we don't have to hike to a lavanderia to do clothes. Funny thing is, all we have is a clothes line. If you could have seen me yesterday, hanging out of the window, trying to figure out the best way to efficiently hang clothes on a line...I bet everyone would have laughed. It's not as easy as you would think!!
Sadder news with the internet though. The IT guys (and I use that in the loosest sense of the word) are sick and we can't get them to come look at the router until Thursday. So more blogging from the ancient computers at school...
Today has been a bit scattered. We had our early class this morning, but the second one was postponed until 2pm. Matt and I took this break as an opportunity to see if the IT office was open (which, after a phone call, we discovered that they are out side for the next few days). We made the decision to have McDonalds for lunch, simply as a method of comparison. I will now make the following recommendation: When in a foreign country, skip McDonalds. The ones at home are much better. For starters, they only have a Big Mac, chicken nuggets, the Royale (which is a crappier version of a Quarter Pounder) and a double patty bacon variation. They also had curly fries, which was cool. They had some Italian variations too, like a burger with parmesean cheese, a chicken foccaccia type thing...interesting. Another reason to forego the foreign McD's experience is the price! It was 13 euro for two value meals!! And they were not up to my standards, as an American fast food expert. My sandwich was meat, bread, cheese, lots of onions and a huge glob of mayo. And no self serve ketchup! No thanks, Italian McDs...
So that was our cross-cultural experience of the day. Now, it's time for class and then lots and lots of reading to do!!
Arrivederci! Hope all is well for everyone in the states.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Compilation of Days 1-6...sorry for the wait!
Because we did not have time to blog when we first arrived in Siena and were without internet in Cinqueterre and for our first few days in Siena, we have compiled the first post regarding our travels thus far. We hope you enjoy.
- Megan and Matt
Long Travels and Arrival – Day One
Well, after three airplanes (New Orleans to Newark, Newark to Rome and Rome to Florence) and two buses (Florence airport to bus station, bus station to Siena) and walking up the cobblestone streets, in the rain (and getting lost) – we finally made it to Siena!
Our apartment is absolutely wonderful, situated at the top floor of an old building on Via del Comune in the Contrada il Bruco. The street is a steep one-way at the edge of town, which means when you look out of one window, you get the city view and when you look out the other, you get the outskirts of the city with the Tuscan countryside in the background. Absolutely beautiful. The Contrada il Bruco is one of the neighborhoods (contrada) in Siena. Each neighborhood “dukes it out” so to speak for bragging rights every year in a horse race around the Piazza del Campo known as the Palio. For a good idea of what the Palio is, check out the beginning scenes of 007: Quantum of Solace. Il bruco means “caterpillar” in Italian, so we live in the neighborhood of the caterpillar – I just hope that means that the caterpillars don’t fall out of the sky like they do back home.
After getting settled in the apartment, we went walking in the area around the apartment and picked up some groceries to make dinner. We ended up with a chicken pesto/broccoli bowtie pasta combination. It was very good. Unfortunately I think my stomach still has some jet lag, so I haven’t been able to really enjoy the food – yet.
We discovered last night that our bedroom is situated beneath someone else’s loft. Our ceiling is made of what looks like plastered-over wood, and last night the neighbors must have been having a furniture-moving party (Matt’s exact comment) with all the chair moving they did. Not very enjoyable when you haven’t slept in over a day.
But we finally got to sleep, woke up and rearranged the packing situation, meandered down the block for some breakfast and ran over to the square. We caught a taxi to the train station, noting that taxis are much nicer than those back home. Once at the train station, we managed to figure out the departure system, and headed on our way to Cinqueterre.
The train ride was about four hours, which wasn’t so bad, except that in the last train, we couldn’t find our assigned seats so we ended up moving around the whole time after a large group of Italian boy scouts (or campers or something) came and filled up an entire car with both brightly-clothed bodies and stench.
But here we are, in beautiful Monterosso. We just checked into the B&B Il Parco and it truly is gorgeous. It is situated on top of a hill with great views of the water and harbor. Though it looks like a steep climb up the hill to get here! We have yet to go our and explore the city, so hopefully I’ll have more to share about how beautiful this place is later.
Arrivederci!
- Megan
Cinque Terre (Monterosso) – Day 2
If Heaven ain’t a whole lot like Cinque Terre, then I don’t want to go. Wasn’t that a saying? Well, it should have been. This place truly is a little Italian paradise, and is a striking contrast to the ancient urban layout of Siena. We arrived today (Tuesday) at around 3:00 p.m. after a scenic train-ride through Empoli, Pisa and La Spezia, and ending in Monterosso, the northernmost of the five villages that make up Cinque Terre. After navigating through the dense crowds of tourists and locals at the train station, we caught a cab up to our bed and breakfast, Il Parco, situated atop one of the large hills surrounding the village. We checked into our small, quaint room after meeting with the owner, Marta, a friendly, red-headed local (all Italians aren’t olive-skinned and brunette, believe it or not).
Later, we went into town, following a steep downhill step path that stopped at the main drag of the village, full of gelaterias and touristy shops. The weather was fantastic – warm and sunny with a light ocean breeze – and the beach was packed. We walked into what’s known as the “Old Town,” a separate part of the village that has many restaurants, bars and food markets. We stopped into one restaurant recommended by Signore Rick Steves, and soon found that not only were they no longer serving lunch, but we also had been served bruschetta that we didn’t order or particularly want (I’m not a fan of raw tomatoes, which seems like it may be a bit of a problem in these parts as they come on just about everything) after a miscommunication with the waitress. Nevertheless, we had some wine and watched the hordes of families on the beach play and swim in the beautiful Mediterranean surf. While walking through the inner sanctum of Old Town, replete with family-owned shops where the owners’ dogs or cats slept soundly on their front porches, we dropped into a quirky American-style dive for a couple of ciabatta sandwiches and a good, old-fashioned Coke. As we left and began our walk back to New Town, we bought some tiramisu-flavored gelato from a vendor and stopped by a restaurant veranda to rest our feet and snap some pictures of another Monterosso staple, a large statue unofficially titled Il Gigante, which depicts a man holding up part of the adjoining building on his back. As the sun sank over the hills, we decided to head home, but not before buying a bottle of Pinot Grigio at a nearby enoteca (bottle store). After the lengthy uphill trek to Il Parco, we sat on the outdoor terrace and watched the sunset over a bottle of wine.
Tomorrow, we are beginning the famous Cinque Terre hiking path and will be visiting Vernazza, which is rumoured to be the most picturesque of the five villages – hard to imagine at this point. Ciao.
- Matt
Cinque Terre (Vernazza) – Day 3
This will be a short one because we are both exhausted from today’s festivities. We hiked from Monterosso to Vernazza, which is supposedly the most difficult leg of the five-town hiking path. Suffice to say, we called that bluff and lost. We strolled into what was fabled to be a 1.5-hour hike (more like 2.5) wearing Chacos and a camera bag and soon found ourselves climbing steep mountain paths that were about two feet wide at some points. The hike was beautiful though, full of breath-taking views and dramatic ocean landscapes that were simply cathartic to observe.
Vernazza was a colorful and fast-paced little harbor town. The village square was surrounded by numerous restaurants that specialized in seafood, as well as, of course, pasta and pizza. We stopped into a harbor-side pizzeria that had great prices and fantastic food – I got frutti di mare pizza (pizza with steamed clams, mussels, calamari and shrimp) and Meg got trenette pesto (flat spaghetti-like pasta with pesto). After lunch, we roamed through the narrow alleys and shopped for a bit. We marveled at the architecture of the local church and paid a few Euro to see the amazing panoramic view of the city atop Il Castello, an ancient castle tower built into the rocky ocean cliffside. After trucking it to the train station, we packed our sweaty bodies onto the train and were back to Monterosso in what seemed like no time. Megan said “You know, we could have just ridden the train there instead of hiking” and I just rolled my eyes at her. We got a double-scoop of gelato and took a breather on a street bench before making our way back to Il Parco for a shower and a nap.
- Matt
Cinque Terre (Riomaggiore and Manarola) – Day 4
To finish up with yesterday, we had showers and a very long and much needed siesta. We meandered back into town for some dinner, grabbing a bite at the Hotel Baia Restaurant at one of their few boardwalk-side tables that had a great view of the beach. We shared a green salad with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar and a plate of fish-stuffed ravioli with mini zucchini and prawns (look like shrimp but taste almost like crawfish) in a delicious light red sauce. As the sun went down and the evening turned into night, Matt and I made friends with the two female Aussies who were sitting at the table next to us, swapping stories and travel itineraries while sipping mojitos. After dinner, we grabbed a quick taxi back to the hotel because our sore feet did not want to make the trek back to the B&B.
Today was a day that looked to be the worst of the trip thus far and ended up being one of the best. We woke up to cloudy, misty skies with the sure promise of rain. After having breakfast at the B&B, we snuggled back up to sleep thinking that the morning was lost. But even clouds in Cinqueterre are clouds in paradise. We ventured out just before lunchtime and caught the train to Riomaggiore, the town located all the way on the other side from Monterosso. Once in Riomaggiore, we meandered through the town, walking up the steep streets and peaking in shops and markets. We toured their marina and watched the waves crash against the rocks that shelter the shore. For lunch, we grabbed foccacia pizza at a take away counter – Matt got the olive slice while I got the pesto slice (the pesto is just SO GOOD!).
After enjoying a quick lunch, we began our light stroll along the Via dell’Amore (path of lovers). This is the paved, oceanside road to Manarola, which only takes about 20 minutes to walk. At this point in the day, the clouds had completely vanished and the mixture of Mediterranean sunshine and Ligurian Sea breeze was absolutely perfect. Once in Manarola, we ambled through the streets, toured the ancient church and watched the sunbathers in the tiny marina.
We made our way back to Monterosso from Manarola on the crowded and stuffy regional train. Once in town, we decided that we wanted a simple, inexpensive dinner by grabbing some fresh salami and cheese at the local market for supper. We walked first through the old town, poking our heads in shops with jewelry, pottery and other local gifts. After picking up some food and petting a local cat or two (or four! They’re everywhere!) we walked back through the new town and back to the B&B. And here we are, about to eat the delicious food that we purchased just a little while ago, while sipping some wine (we have both sangiovese and a little bit of pinot grigio left from yesterday – yum). We hope that tomorrow’s weather is as promising as this afternoon; we want to spend our last full day in Cinqueterre on the beaches in Monterosso. We will report back soon!
- Megan
P.S. – Here are some things that I have discovered thus far about Italy… Cars are much smaller; Food portions are much bigger. They expect you to eat antipasti (appetizers), a first course (usually a small serving of pasta), a second course (a much larger pasta or fish/seafood dish), dessert and coffee all in one sitting! Not only is that expensive, but it’s nearly impossible to finish. The driving system is organized chaos. They have smaller vehicles and smaller roads. But, like Americans, they drive on the left side of the car and the right side of the road (or at least most of the time).
For mom – They actually have real Coke, Coke Light (Diet Coke) and Coke Zero. I had a Coke Light today and it tastes just like Diet Coke. I have yet to discover whatever the Italian version of Coke is (if you remember the name, remind me). Once I try it, I’ll let you know.
If and whenever you have to make room reservations in Italy or Europe, be wary that a double bed might not actually be a queen or double sized bed like we are used to in America. Matt and I have “double” beds both in our Siena apartment and here in the B&B Il Parco. However, instead of being one solid bed, it is simply two twin beds pushed together with common bed linens. I guess double beds just aren’t as prevalent here, because of the small living spaces and doorways.
Also, the bathroom situation is a bit different and unpredictable. Our private bathrooms in Siena and in Monterosso have bidets, or as Matt likes to call them “butt fountains.” It is basically a tiny little shower bowl for your behind. Don’t know that I’ll use it as much as Europeans probably do, but I can understand the necessity. Sometimes you just want a clean butt in the middle of the day. Also, when Matt and I were in Florence, I attempted to use the bathroom in the train station, only to discover that there was a €0.80 cover charge! It worked kind of like a subway, where you plug in the money, press the button and the mechanical doors open. And then, when I attempted to use the WC (that’s what bathrooms are known as – “Water Closets”) in Monterosso’s train station, I was very alarmed to discover what is basically a hole in the ground. I was so startled that I walked out to make sure I was still in the ladies’ room. Needless to say, I have not yet mastered this European variation on the toilet. Frankly, I’m not sure how the women who use it don’t run into trouble. But maybe one day soon I’ll be faced with a dire situation where I have to use one. You know what they say – When in Rome…I just didn’t realize it also applied to toilets!
Highs and Lows of Our Last Day in Monterosso – Day 5
If today wasn’t the most enjoyable day of our trip, it was definitely the most surprising and bittersweet. We started off with a light breakfast at Il Parco, both of us remarking that we hoped the weather, which was windy and overcast, would improve as the morning wore on as it had the day before. We waited until the drizzling slowed and then made our way down to Old Town to do some shopping. We bought lemoncino and mandarincino, two fruit flavored liqueurs, as well as pesto, trofie pasta, and a couple other knick-knacks. We stopped into a foccaceria and bought a large loaf of foccacia and two smaller pizzas for lunch. Afterwards, we headed up a steep set of steps in the city center to the Cappuccin Monastery, which held a church, cemetery, and other religious relics. We ran into a strange amount of people from the South while we were there, including people from Arkansas, Texas and Alabama (Meg’s LSU t-shirt was pretty much a red flag) and all were very friendly and well-representative.
And this is where the day started to take a turn for the worse. The clouds overhead continued to darken, even amidst my consistent assurances that “It’s going to clear up, you just watch.” After returning to New Town, we decided to go to the beach and enjoy our last day in Monterosso as much as we could under the circumstances. We stole some quality rocks from the beach and got a good hour of…rainclouds….before we decided to head back to Old Town to look for a shirt Megan wanted to buy. We couldn’t find it, but the sun had come back out and we managed a half-hour of tanning on the beach before we had to return to the B&B to get ready for our dinner reservations. We showered, got freshened up, and strolled down to Ristorante Miky on the boardwalk, one of the most highly recommended places in the city. We had a nice secluded table on the patio and decided to splurge on some wine and a two-course meal. We got pesto pasta as the first course (a wonderful go-to when you don’t want to be too risky) that was to die for. For the second course we ordered scampi with garlic parsley and zucchini – sounds delicious right? We thought “Oh, shrimp scampi – I know what that is. Little bit of lemon, some oil and cheese, and pasta. Mmm.” Not so much. The server brings us a platter with three large “bastard children” of shrimp and lobsters, as Meg called them. They were larger than shrimp but much smaller than lobster, and had a distinctive shrimp appearance with large lobster-like claws. There was a minimal amount of tail meat and we were finished in less than five minutes. Needless to say, I was still hungry and bummed. It wouldn’t have been so bad if the “shrobsters” weren’t €25 (about $35).
Then, to make things worse, after we left Miky, we stopped by a payphone and called a taxi, which never arrived. So after the long walk back to the B&B, someone complaining the whole way home, and getting everything straight for our departure in the morning, I must say, I will miss Cinque Terre, but I’m about ready to be back in Siena. We have orientation coming up on Sunday, and hopefully tomorrow will be a luckier day for us.
Back in Siena (Without Internet!) – Day 6 (June 6)
We left Cinqueterre today and headed back to Siena around 11am. We were glad to leave though, because the weather was not pretty at all. Last night it was very windy and rainy and this morning was not much different. First, we hopped on the train from Monterosso to Pisa, with reservations in Car 10. After the train departed, we continued to have trouble finding the car. The numbers jumped from 7 to 9 and back down to 5 and so on. Finally, we found another couple, who was from Australia, who had seat reservations next to us in Car 10. Sure enough, we asked the “conductor,” if you will, where Car 10 was – and he said that Car 10 is changed to Car 4. Great. So at the next stop, the four of us had to get off of the train and RUN down the platform to get to our car.
Once we got settled in the car, we got to know our Aussie companions and rode together to Pisa, where we all got off together to see the Tower. We took a very bumpy ride to the tower, snapped a couple of photos, grabbed a quick snack for lunch and hopped a bus back to the train station. From there we rode together through Empoli, where Matt and I caught a connecting train to Siena.
Once back at the apartment, we discovered that the internet is out and after lots of stressful tweaking with the settings and router…still no internet. :0( We gave up and did some grocery shopping, which was yet another adventure. Something as simple as picking out cereal is an ordeal when you don’t know the language. Shopping in Italian groceries is a bit different – the eggs are not refrigerated and come in Extra Fresh and just Fresh varieties. The milk comes either refrigerated or not refrigerated. Strange.
Anyway, we’re trying to figure out the washing machine (which is either not working or we’re just crazy and can’t work it) and the internet problem.
- Megan
And So It Begins… - Day 7
Today is our first full day in Siena and we awoke to dark skies and a morning full of rainy weather. Thankfully, we were able to sleep late and spend most of the morning in bed. But once we finally got up and got going we had some breakfast. I am proud of my cereal choice from yesterday’s shopping trip. The groceries are quite different from back home. Whereas in America we have a whole aisle devoted to any kind of cereal you can imagine, the Italian grocery has about one vertical shelf devoted to cereal. First of all, Italians must love chocolate for breakfast – chocolate chip muffins, chocolate stuffed croissants, chocolate everything. I recognized the Special K cereal (but still, different from America). They had just flakes, dried white grapes, chocolate spirals – No dried strawberries kind. I got the Cicciolato Fondente (chocolate shavings) and it was very good! Matt recognized the Dalfour jelly products (French brand that Mom uses at home) and had a breakfast of jam, butter and toast.
The whole morning has been spent trying to fix the internet (still) and exploring the cable TV channels. We are more up to date on world news that I think we have ever been in our entire lives, seeing as the only English channels are CNN World Edition and BBC World News. We know about the Air France plane getting lost (on the same day we were in the air – yikes!), President Obama’s speech tour, D-Day remembrance, Mexican fires, Susan Boyle’s breakdown and so on.
It’s about 2pm now and we just finished lunch (salami, prosciutto and fontina sandwiches on panino bread). We’re going to wait a bit to call the families and then head out to explore Siena before heading to our law school program’s Orientation that starts at 7pm on the other side of town. Looks like it may be just clouds and not rain (fingers crossed) for the rest of the day.
- Megan
- Megan and Matt
Long Travels and Arrival – Day One
Well, after three airplanes (New Orleans to Newark, Newark to Rome and Rome to Florence) and two buses (Florence airport to bus station, bus station to Siena) and walking up the cobblestone streets, in the rain (and getting lost) – we finally made it to Siena!
Our apartment is absolutely wonderful, situated at the top floor of an old building on Via del Comune in the Contrada il Bruco. The street is a steep one-way at the edge of town, which means when you look out of one window, you get the city view and when you look out the other, you get the outskirts of the city with the Tuscan countryside in the background. Absolutely beautiful. The Contrada il Bruco is one of the neighborhoods (contrada) in Siena. Each neighborhood “dukes it out” so to speak for bragging rights every year in a horse race around the Piazza del Campo known as the Palio. For a good idea of what the Palio is, check out the beginning scenes of 007: Quantum of Solace. Il bruco means “caterpillar” in Italian, so we live in the neighborhood of the caterpillar – I just hope that means that the caterpillars don’t fall out of the sky like they do back home.
After getting settled in the apartment, we went walking in the area around the apartment and picked up some groceries to make dinner. We ended up with a chicken pesto/broccoli bowtie pasta combination. It was very good. Unfortunately I think my stomach still has some jet lag, so I haven’t been able to really enjoy the food – yet.
We discovered last night that our bedroom is situated beneath someone else’s loft. Our ceiling is made of what looks like plastered-over wood, and last night the neighbors must have been having a furniture-moving party (Matt’s exact comment) with all the chair moving they did. Not very enjoyable when you haven’t slept in over a day.
But we finally got to sleep, woke up and rearranged the packing situation, meandered down the block for some breakfast and ran over to the square. We caught a taxi to the train station, noting that taxis are much nicer than those back home. Once at the train station, we managed to figure out the departure system, and headed on our way to Cinqueterre.
The train ride was about four hours, which wasn’t so bad, except that in the last train, we couldn’t find our assigned seats so we ended up moving around the whole time after a large group of Italian boy scouts (or campers or something) came and filled up an entire car with both brightly-clothed bodies and stench.
But here we are, in beautiful Monterosso. We just checked into the B&B Il Parco and it truly is gorgeous. It is situated on top of a hill with great views of the water and harbor. Though it looks like a steep climb up the hill to get here! We have yet to go our and explore the city, so hopefully I’ll have more to share about how beautiful this place is later.
Arrivederci!
- Megan
Cinque Terre (Monterosso) – Day 2
If Heaven ain’t a whole lot like Cinque Terre, then I don’t want to go. Wasn’t that a saying? Well, it should have been. This place truly is a little Italian paradise, and is a striking contrast to the ancient urban layout of Siena. We arrived today (Tuesday) at around 3:00 p.m. after a scenic train-ride through Empoli, Pisa and La Spezia, and ending in Monterosso, the northernmost of the five villages that make up Cinque Terre. After navigating through the dense crowds of tourists and locals at the train station, we caught a cab up to our bed and breakfast, Il Parco, situated atop one of the large hills surrounding the village. We checked into our small, quaint room after meeting with the owner, Marta, a friendly, red-headed local (all Italians aren’t olive-skinned and brunette, believe it or not).
Later, we went into town, following a steep downhill step path that stopped at the main drag of the village, full of gelaterias and touristy shops. The weather was fantastic – warm and sunny with a light ocean breeze – and the beach was packed. We walked into what’s known as the “Old Town,” a separate part of the village that has many restaurants, bars and food markets. We stopped into one restaurant recommended by Signore Rick Steves, and soon found that not only were they no longer serving lunch, but we also had been served bruschetta that we didn’t order or particularly want (I’m not a fan of raw tomatoes, which seems like it may be a bit of a problem in these parts as they come on just about everything) after a miscommunication with the waitress. Nevertheless, we had some wine and watched the hordes of families on the beach play and swim in the beautiful Mediterranean surf. While walking through the inner sanctum of Old Town, replete with family-owned shops where the owners’ dogs or cats slept soundly on their front porches, we dropped into a quirky American-style dive for a couple of ciabatta sandwiches and a good, old-fashioned Coke. As we left and began our walk back to New Town, we bought some tiramisu-flavored gelato from a vendor and stopped by a restaurant veranda to rest our feet and snap some pictures of another Monterosso staple, a large statue unofficially titled Il Gigante, which depicts a man holding up part of the adjoining building on his back. As the sun sank over the hills, we decided to head home, but not before buying a bottle of Pinot Grigio at a nearby enoteca (bottle store). After the lengthy uphill trek to Il Parco, we sat on the outdoor terrace and watched the sunset over a bottle of wine.
Tomorrow, we are beginning the famous Cinque Terre hiking path and will be visiting Vernazza, which is rumoured to be the most picturesque of the five villages – hard to imagine at this point. Ciao.
- Matt
Cinque Terre (Vernazza) – Day 3
This will be a short one because we are both exhausted from today’s festivities. We hiked from Monterosso to Vernazza, which is supposedly the most difficult leg of the five-town hiking path. Suffice to say, we called that bluff and lost. We strolled into what was fabled to be a 1.5-hour hike (more like 2.5) wearing Chacos and a camera bag and soon found ourselves climbing steep mountain paths that were about two feet wide at some points. The hike was beautiful though, full of breath-taking views and dramatic ocean landscapes that were simply cathartic to observe.
Vernazza was a colorful and fast-paced little harbor town. The village square was surrounded by numerous restaurants that specialized in seafood, as well as, of course, pasta and pizza. We stopped into a harbor-side pizzeria that had great prices and fantastic food – I got frutti di mare pizza (pizza with steamed clams, mussels, calamari and shrimp) and Meg got trenette pesto (flat spaghetti-like pasta with pesto). After lunch, we roamed through the narrow alleys and shopped for a bit. We marveled at the architecture of the local church and paid a few Euro to see the amazing panoramic view of the city atop Il Castello, an ancient castle tower built into the rocky ocean cliffside. After trucking it to the train station, we packed our sweaty bodies onto the train and were back to Monterosso in what seemed like no time. Megan said “You know, we could have just ridden the train there instead of hiking” and I just rolled my eyes at her. We got a double-scoop of gelato and took a breather on a street bench before making our way back to Il Parco for a shower and a nap.
- Matt
Cinque Terre (Riomaggiore and Manarola) – Day 4
To finish up with yesterday, we had showers and a very long and much needed siesta. We meandered back into town for some dinner, grabbing a bite at the Hotel Baia Restaurant at one of their few boardwalk-side tables that had a great view of the beach. We shared a green salad with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar and a plate of fish-stuffed ravioli with mini zucchini and prawns (look like shrimp but taste almost like crawfish) in a delicious light red sauce. As the sun went down and the evening turned into night, Matt and I made friends with the two female Aussies who were sitting at the table next to us, swapping stories and travel itineraries while sipping mojitos. After dinner, we grabbed a quick taxi back to the hotel because our sore feet did not want to make the trek back to the B&B.
Today was a day that looked to be the worst of the trip thus far and ended up being one of the best. We woke up to cloudy, misty skies with the sure promise of rain. After having breakfast at the B&B, we snuggled back up to sleep thinking that the morning was lost. But even clouds in Cinqueterre are clouds in paradise. We ventured out just before lunchtime and caught the train to Riomaggiore, the town located all the way on the other side from Monterosso. Once in Riomaggiore, we meandered through the town, walking up the steep streets and peaking in shops and markets. We toured their marina and watched the waves crash against the rocks that shelter the shore. For lunch, we grabbed foccacia pizza at a take away counter – Matt got the olive slice while I got the pesto slice (the pesto is just SO GOOD!).
After enjoying a quick lunch, we began our light stroll along the Via dell’Amore (path of lovers). This is the paved, oceanside road to Manarola, which only takes about 20 minutes to walk. At this point in the day, the clouds had completely vanished and the mixture of Mediterranean sunshine and Ligurian Sea breeze was absolutely perfect. Once in Manarola, we ambled through the streets, toured the ancient church and watched the sunbathers in the tiny marina.
We made our way back to Monterosso from Manarola on the crowded and stuffy regional train. Once in town, we decided that we wanted a simple, inexpensive dinner by grabbing some fresh salami and cheese at the local market for supper. We walked first through the old town, poking our heads in shops with jewelry, pottery and other local gifts. After picking up some food and petting a local cat or two (or four! They’re everywhere!) we walked back through the new town and back to the B&B. And here we are, about to eat the delicious food that we purchased just a little while ago, while sipping some wine (we have both sangiovese and a little bit of pinot grigio left from yesterday – yum). We hope that tomorrow’s weather is as promising as this afternoon; we want to spend our last full day in Cinqueterre on the beaches in Monterosso. We will report back soon!
- Megan
P.S. – Here are some things that I have discovered thus far about Italy… Cars are much smaller; Food portions are much bigger. They expect you to eat antipasti (appetizers), a first course (usually a small serving of pasta), a second course (a much larger pasta or fish/seafood dish), dessert and coffee all in one sitting! Not only is that expensive, but it’s nearly impossible to finish. The driving system is organized chaos. They have smaller vehicles and smaller roads. But, like Americans, they drive on the left side of the car and the right side of the road (or at least most of the time).
For mom – They actually have real Coke, Coke Light (Diet Coke) and Coke Zero. I had a Coke Light today and it tastes just like Diet Coke. I have yet to discover whatever the Italian version of Coke is (if you remember the name, remind me). Once I try it, I’ll let you know.
If and whenever you have to make room reservations in Italy or Europe, be wary that a double bed might not actually be a queen or double sized bed like we are used to in America. Matt and I have “double” beds both in our Siena apartment and here in the B&B Il Parco. However, instead of being one solid bed, it is simply two twin beds pushed together with common bed linens. I guess double beds just aren’t as prevalent here, because of the small living spaces and doorways.
Also, the bathroom situation is a bit different and unpredictable. Our private bathrooms in Siena and in Monterosso have bidets, or as Matt likes to call them “butt fountains.” It is basically a tiny little shower bowl for your behind. Don’t know that I’ll use it as much as Europeans probably do, but I can understand the necessity. Sometimes you just want a clean butt in the middle of the day. Also, when Matt and I were in Florence, I attempted to use the bathroom in the train station, only to discover that there was a €0.80 cover charge! It worked kind of like a subway, where you plug in the money, press the button and the mechanical doors open. And then, when I attempted to use the WC (that’s what bathrooms are known as – “Water Closets”) in Monterosso’s train station, I was very alarmed to discover what is basically a hole in the ground. I was so startled that I walked out to make sure I was still in the ladies’ room. Needless to say, I have not yet mastered this European variation on the toilet. Frankly, I’m not sure how the women who use it don’t run into trouble. But maybe one day soon I’ll be faced with a dire situation where I have to use one. You know what they say – When in Rome…I just didn’t realize it also applied to toilets!
Highs and Lows of Our Last Day in Monterosso – Day 5
If today wasn’t the most enjoyable day of our trip, it was definitely the most surprising and bittersweet. We started off with a light breakfast at Il Parco, both of us remarking that we hoped the weather, which was windy and overcast, would improve as the morning wore on as it had the day before. We waited until the drizzling slowed and then made our way down to Old Town to do some shopping. We bought lemoncino and mandarincino, two fruit flavored liqueurs, as well as pesto, trofie pasta, and a couple other knick-knacks. We stopped into a foccaceria and bought a large loaf of foccacia and two smaller pizzas for lunch. Afterwards, we headed up a steep set of steps in the city center to the Cappuccin Monastery, which held a church, cemetery, and other religious relics. We ran into a strange amount of people from the South while we were there, including people from Arkansas, Texas and Alabama (Meg’s LSU t-shirt was pretty much a red flag) and all were very friendly and well-representative.
And this is where the day started to take a turn for the worse. The clouds overhead continued to darken, even amidst my consistent assurances that “It’s going to clear up, you just watch.” After returning to New Town, we decided to go to the beach and enjoy our last day in Monterosso as much as we could under the circumstances. We stole some quality rocks from the beach and got a good hour of…rainclouds….before we decided to head back to Old Town to look for a shirt Megan wanted to buy. We couldn’t find it, but the sun had come back out and we managed a half-hour of tanning on the beach before we had to return to the B&B to get ready for our dinner reservations. We showered, got freshened up, and strolled down to Ristorante Miky on the boardwalk, one of the most highly recommended places in the city. We had a nice secluded table on the patio and decided to splurge on some wine and a two-course meal. We got pesto pasta as the first course (a wonderful go-to when you don’t want to be too risky) that was to die for. For the second course we ordered scampi with garlic parsley and zucchini – sounds delicious right? We thought “Oh, shrimp scampi – I know what that is. Little bit of lemon, some oil and cheese, and pasta. Mmm.” Not so much. The server brings us a platter with three large “bastard children” of shrimp and lobsters, as Meg called them. They were larger than shrimp but much smaller than lobster, and had a distinctive shrimp appearance with large lobster-like claws. There was a minimal amount of tail meat and we were finished in less than five minutes. Needless to say, I was still hungry and bummed. It wouldn’t have been so bad if the “shrobsters” weren’t €25 (about $35).
Then, to make things worse, after we left Miky, we stopped by a payphone and called a taxi, which never arrived. So after the long walk back to the B&B, someone complaining the whole way home, and getting everything straight for our departure in the morning, I must say, I will miss Cinque Terre, but I’m about ready to be back in Siena. We have orientation coming up on Sunday, and hopefully tomorrow will be a luckier day for us.
Back in Siena (Without Internet!) – Day 6 (June 6)
We left Cinqueterre today and headed back to Siena around 11am. We were glad to leave though, because the weather was not pretty at all. Last night it was very windy and rainy and this morning was not much different. First, we hopped on the train from Monterosso to Pisa, with reservations in Car 10. After the train departed, we continued to have trouble finding the car. The numbers jumped from 7 to 9 and back down to 5 and so on. Finally, we found another couple, who was from Australia, who had seat reservations next to us in Car 10. Sure enough, we asked the “conductor,” if you will, where Car 10 was – and he said that Car 10 is changed to Car 4. Great. So at the next stop, the four of us had to get off of the train and RUN down the platform to get to our car.
Once we got settled in the car, we got to know our Aussie companions and rode together to Pisa, where we all got off together to see the Tower. We took a very bumpy ride to the tower, snapped a couple of photos, grabbed a quick snack for lunch and hopped a bus back to the train station. From there we rode together through Empoli, where Matt and I caught a connecting train to Siena.
Once back at the apartment, we discovered that the internet is out and after lots of stressful tweaking with the settings and router…still no internet. :0( We gave up and did some grocery shopping, which was yet another adventure. Something as simple as picking out cereal is an ordeal when you don’t know the language. Shopping in Italian groceries is a bit different – the eggs are not refrigerated and come in Extra Fresh and just Fresh varieties. The milk comes either refrigerated or not refrigerated. Strange.
Anyway, we’re trying to figure out the washing machine (which is either not working or we’re just crazy and can’t work it) and the internet problem.
- Megan
And So It Begins… - Day 7
Today is our first full day in Siena and we awoke to dark skies and a morning full of rainy weather. Thankfully, we were able to sleep late and spend most of the morning in bed. But once we finally got up and got going we had some breakfast. I am proud of my cereal choice from yesterday’s shopping trip. The groceries are quite different from back home. Whereas in America we have a whole aisle devoted to any kind of cereal you can imagine, the Italian grocery has about one vertical shelf devoted to cereal. First of all, Italians must love chocolate for breakfast – chocolate chip muffins, chocolate stuffed croissants, chocolate everything. I recognized the Special K cereal (but still, different from America). They had just flakes, dried white grapes, chocolate spirals – No dried strawberries kind. I got the Cicciolato Fondente (chocolate shavings) and it was very good! Matt recognized the Dalfour jelly products (French brand that Mom uses at home) and had a breakfast of jam, butter and toast.
The whole morning has been spent trying to fix the internet (still) and exploring the cable TV channels. We are more up to date on world news that I think we have ever been in our entire lives, seeing as the only English channels are CNN World Edition and BBC World News. We know about the Air France plane getting lost (on the same day we were in the air – yikes!), President Obama’s speech tour, D-Day remembrance, Mexican fires, Susan Boyle’s breakdown and so on.
It’s about 2pm now and we just finished lunch (salami, prosciutto and fontina sandwiches on panino bread). We’re going to wait a bit to call the families and then head out to explore Siena before heading to our law school program’s Orientation that starts at 7pm on the other side of town. Looks like it may be just clouds and not rain (fingers crossed) for the rest of the day.
- Megan
Saturday, May 30, 2009
This is it!
Well, today is our last day in the states for a month! We leave in the morning at approximately 10am Central time.
It's finally here! We're pretty much finished packing - just a few last minute additions and we'll be ready to go.
Tonight Matt's parents are coming into town and we're all going to enjoy some good ole American steak and potatoes with ice cream sundays for dessert. Just a plan for good food, good drinks and good company.
Next time you hear from us, we'll be on the way!
It's finally here! We're pretty much finished packing - just a few last minute additions and we'll be ready to go.
Tonight Matt's parents are coming into town and we're all going to enjoy some good ole American steak and potatoes with ice cream sundays for dessert. Just a plan for good food, good drinks and good company.
Next time you hear from us, we'll be on the way!
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