After Nice, Monaco, and Cannes, we headed back to Torino to finish up a day in my Torino life. Dad and I went running along the river which was beautiful. It made me regret not discovering and running it sooner. After we got ready we went to Porta Palazzo, the biggest open market in Western Europe. The sites and sounds are something I'll really miss even if I don't miss the masses of people bumping into me. We walked by the Duomo, Piazza Castello again, and ate foccaccia at my favorite place on Via Po. Dad also got to experience a AC Torino football match. The atmosphere is so great there, you can tell the fans really care about the team. I had some last minute packing and cleaning to do before we went to Piazza Vittorio for appertivo. I'm not sure if I never noticed it before but for some reason La Drogheria was really aggressive like people who have never had anything to eat before in their lives. It was definitely odd. It was time for one last walk around Via Po and off to Piazza Castello to say goodbye to one of my friends. As I've said before, this has been a great 4 months and I've learned so much. And if you've been reading my blog I posted an Italian bucket list so now I'm going to reflect on what I've accomplished...
Visit an open air market at eat fresh fruit-done, on a regular basis.- Thank you Spezia Market
Cook an authentic Italian meal – Pasta Carbonara
Buy a beautiful Italian leather bag (and maybe boots)- Got the boots and on my way to Florence for the bag
Go to Milan Fashion Week- Looked into it and couldn't find tickets :(
Eat procuitto and cheese in Parma- Eaten proscuitto and cheese FROM Parma in Italy, it counts.
Ride a gondola in Venice- No but I did go to Carnevale in Venice and danced in Piazza San Marco, which is better so it counts
Go to a Juventus & AC Milan Game- One AC Milan Game and 2 AC Torino games
Eat a nutella crepe- More than one...
Have a shot of Limoncello- Once again, more than one haha
Visit Alba and drink lots of wine from Piemonte- Wine Country field trip and had different Piemonte wines at the winery
Walk along the River Po- one of my favorite ways to spend to sunny days
Go to Paris, Barcelona, and Prague- Sadly didn't make it to Pragye but 2/3 isn't bad!
Take a zillion pictures- oh yeah big time have you seen my facebook?
Sit in a cafe and have conversations with Italians- spoke to my dads friends
Speak Italian fairly fluently- sadly no
Transform my style into something sophisticated- check!
Dress nice everyday- semi check
Get asked directions from an Italian- and answered successfully!
Find a perfect souvenir for each special person in my life- Almost done
Go to a discoteca and dance the night away- many times, and once took the first bus of the morning home
Read a book in a piazza- Magazine counts right?
Visit Connie in Rome, Lauren in Florence, Naomi in Barcelona and Leigh in Marseille- Saw Connie in Rome, Lauren came to Torino, Saw Naomi, and met Leigh in Nice, success!
Meet George Clooney at a bar on Lake Como- one up, went to his house in Lalio
Buy unique pieces of jewelry from the open air markets or the piazzas- yes and I'm in love
Go to the Alps- and skiied too!
Buy something Hello Kitty- Gelato!
Go to the Almalfi Coast and get a tan- to be determined but did get a tan in Greece
Only speak Italian for 1 day start to finish- not happening
Eat authentic Torino hazelnut chocolate- and loved ever second of it
Visit Lavazza coffee plant- not as easy as it sounds, not a success.
Shop on Via Garibaldi- Many times :)
Visit Sephora Italia- read above haha
Make friends with our Italian neighbors- and their cute little dogs too!
Eat a picnic in the park across from school- Picnic in Parco del Valentino
Throw an orange at the Carnival di Ivrea- check!
Go to Venice during Carnival- check!
Buy a piece of beautifully made clothing- check!
Subtly stand out with impeccable style and HAVE FUN! Check!
What a fabulous adventure.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Cote d'Azur
Earlier this semester I went to Nice and it was one of my favorite places I've traveled. My dad got tickets for the practice rounds of the Grand Prix so we decided to spend a few days in Nice. We took the train and arrived to blue skies and sunshine. We ate outside and then went for a walk around the beach. We took the same hike to the top of the mountain as I did last time I was in Nice. The view was just as beautiful and it was nice to stop by the waterfall and get a little bit of mist. After we climbed down we relaxed on the rocky beach. Then I walked around the shops and dad went for a run. For dinner we ate outside (sense a trend?) and had tapas and beer while watching a football match.
Thursday morning we crammed onto a train and headed to Montecarlo to watch the practice races for the Formula Grand Prix. There were so many cars, they were much smaller than I expected them to be. The noise was also incredibly loud. I wore ear plugs and poor dad dropped his. We sat in the grand stands which overlooked the water. There were people on their yachts watching the race and sunbathing, needless to say I was very jealous. The weather was great until the second round of practice and then it started to cloud up and rain a bit.
We got really lucky with our timing in the South of France. The Cannes Film Festival also started that week. We took a bus to Cannes and saw the beautiful palm trees, yachts, and white tents set up for the festival. There was such a fun vibe in the air and there were so many people dressed up going in and out of movie screenings. I really enjoyed being there was wished I had a pass to get onto that red carpet.
The newspaper on Friday said that between the Grand Prix, film festival, and general gorgeous spring weather in the South of France, that Nice had record visitors this weekend. It was so fun seeing such important world events going on right in front of my eyes. I don't know how I got so lucky but I've really appreciated all the opportunities I've had so far.
Thursday morning we crammed onto a train and headed to Montecarlo to watch the practice races for the Formula Grand Prix. There were so many cars, they were much smaller than I expected them to be. The noise was also incredibly loud. I wore ear plugs and poor dad dropped his. We sat in the grand stands which overlooked the water. There were people on their yachts watching the race and sunbathing, needless to say I was very jealous. The weather was great until the second round of practice and then it started to cloud up and rain a bit.
We got really lucky with our timing in the South of France. The Cannes Film Festival also started that week. We took a bus to Cannes and saw the beautiful palm trees, yachts, and white tents set up for the festival. There was such a fun vibe in the air and there were so many people dressed up going in and out of movie screenings. I really enjoyed being there was wished I had a pass to get onto that red carpet.
The newspaper on Friday said that between the Grand Prix, film festival, and general gorgeous spring weather in the South of France, that Nice had record visitors this weekend. It was so fun seeing such important world events going on right in front of my eyes. I don't know how I got so lucky but I've really appreciated all the opportunities I've had so far.
Epic Journey
Its been hard to say goodbye to people since I'm now on my last leg of my trip. My Dad came in to Milan on Saturday morning and we went to Menaggio on Lake Como. We met up with my dad's friends and stayed at a beautiful hotel lakeside. It was really fun to see my dad catching up with old friends and speaking Italian. We went to a really pretty restaurant on top of the mountain and I tried horse meat for the first time. We ate, drank, relaxed, and walked lakeside enjoying our atmosphere. The weather had pockets of sunshine which was a nice change from the 2 week down pour I've been having in Torino.
On Sunday morning we took a ferry to Bellagio, where I was a few weeks ago. There weren't as many pretty flowers as there were the week before but there were a lot of geriatric tourists. We had lunch at Senor Angelo's villa, which was amazing. The views from there were breathtaking too. The next day we drove to a rainy Como. Since it was Monday mostly everything was closed but it was still nice to see and walk around the lake. We headed to Milan and ate lunch in Piazza del Duomo. When we were walking around Corso Vittorio Emmanuale we saw the goal keeper for Inter Milan, Julio Cesare. Obviously he was going into the Ferrari store. Afterward we went to Paola and Davide's for a nice dinner before heading to Torino in the morning.
Although my dad was born in Italy, he has never been to Torino. I was anxious and excited to show him my city. We took the bus to my apartment and I gave him a quick rundown of what was where. We had lunch at FIAT (Fate Infretta a Tavola translation: Hurry up and eat!). The food was so good and there was SO much of it. I chose that place because they make typical Piemontese food and the menu changes daily. The owner even gave us pasta in the shape of the cinquecento to take home.
Next we went onto a tour of the piazzas. We started in Piazza San Carlo which is my favorite. I really love the atmosphere there. It isn't too big and its perfect to sit on the statue, eat gelato, and people watch. We walked along the fancy shops of Via Roma to reach Piazza Castello. My dad was amazed at the size of the piazza and the amount of history and open space all in one place. From there we strolled along Via Po and headed to the museum of cinema.
Il Mole Antonielliana is my favorite building in Torino. I know way too many useless facts about it and I may as well have taken a course on it. It is on the back of the Italian 2 cent coin and was the symbol of the 2006 Winter Olympics. Anyway, it also house the museum of cinema (also believe to be the world's tallest museum.) Dad and I went inside there and it was incredible. It had interactive movie sets, and seats you can recline in and watch movie clips. I may or may not have taken a short nap. I really enjoyed going inside well worth it!
We then walked to Piazza Vittorio, the Murazzi, and Parco del Valentino. It was a nice abbreviated tour of everywhere I spent a large amount of time this past 4 months. We went home and relaxed before eating dinner in Piazza Carlo Emmanuele. I love eating outside and it was such a perfect night. Next up on our “Epic Trip” as dad would call it was Nice.
On Sunday morning we took a ferry to Bellagio, where I was a few weeks ago. There weren't as many pretty flowers as there were the week before but there were a lot of geriatric tourists. We had lunch at Senor Angelo's villa, which was amazing. The views from there were breathtaking too. The next day we drove to a rainy Como. Since it was Monday mostly everything was closed but it was still nice to see and walk around the lake. We headed to Milan and ate lunch in Piazza del Duomo. When we were walking around Corso Vittorio Emmanuale we saw the goal keeper for Inter Milan, Julio Cesare. Obviously he was going into the Ferrari store. Afterward we went to Paola and Davide's for a nice dinner before heading to Torino in the morning.
Although my dad was born in Italy, he has never been to Torino. I was anxious and excited to show him my city. We took the bus to my apartment and I gave him a quick rundown of what was where. We had lunch at FIAT (Fate Infretta a Tavola translation: Hurry up and eat!). The food was so good and there was SO much of it. I chose that place because they make typical Piemontese food and the menu changes daily. The owner even gave us pasta in the shape of the cinquecento to take home.
Next we went onto a tour of the piazzas. We started in Piazza San Carlo which is my favorite. I really love the atmosphere there. It isn't too big and its perfect to sit on the statue, eat gelato, and people watch. We walked along the fancy shops of Via Roma to reach Piazza Castello. My dad was amazed at the size of the piazza and the amount of history and open space all in one place. From there we strolled along Via Po and headed to the museum of cinema.
Il Mole Antonielliana is my favorite building in Torino. I know way too many useless facts about it and I may as well have taken a course on it. It is on the back of the Italian 2 cent coin and was the symbol of the 2006 Winter Olympics. Anyway, it also house the museum of cinema (also believe to be the world's tallest museum.) Dad and I went inside there and it was incredible. It had interactive movie sets, and seats you can recline in and watch movie clips. I may or may not have taken a short nap. I really enjoyed going inside well worth it!
We then walked to Piazza Vittorio, the Murazzi, and Parco del Valentino. It was a nice abbreviated tour of everywhere I spent a large amount of time this past 4 months. We went home and relaxed before eating dinner in Piazza Carlo Emmanuele. I love eating outside and it was such a perfect night. Next up on our “Epic Trip” as dad would call it was Nice.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Arrivederci Study Abroad
As the semester has been coming to an end, I decided to not travel and discover the joys of Torino. Our program USAC organized a trip to the Langhe Wine country in Piemonte. We went to a town called Alba and took a tour of Cavour's castle. It was really interesting looking through a piece of history. It also had amazing views of the vineyards. Afterward we went to a family owned winery for lunch. We had 4 different types of wines from the region and ate authentic Piemontese dishes. It was honestly the best meal I've had in Piemonte. We were all so stuffed and a little buzzed so the entire bus slept on the way home.
On Saturday a group of us met at Stadio Olympico and watched an AC Torino game. AC Torino is a Seria B team which is the lower division but most people from Torino prefer AC Torino to Juventus. The stadium wasn't sold out but in certain sections it was PACKED. There was so much cheering and an incredible amount of energy for the amount of people who were in attendance. We walked home in the pouring rain but it was so much fun that we didn't even care. And as a tourist bonus, we walked across the 2006 Olympic Bridge to get to and from the stadium which was pretty cool.
Sunday was very very lazy. It's finals week so everyone is busy getting all their work done. Monday night I had a few friends over to celebrate my birthday. We headed to Murphy's (of course my favorite) for the midnight celebration. Tuesday had some finals and a great Mexican dinner with some friends.
It's my last week here as part of an official study abroad program. Eveyone is leaving Saturday, and I'll be traveling around with my dad after that. What I can honestly say about the program is this: When I first arrived here I had a really hard time with communication barriers and being so far from home. My luggage was lost, I was sick, and I was really frustrated. Even having gone through some bumps in the road I would never trade this experience for the world. I have met incredible people from all over the US and the world. I have traveled to places I never imagined I would set foot it. I've eaten tapas in Barcelona, bratwust in Germany, and gyros in Greece. If you are reading this and have not studied abroad, please, you must. I love Italian Culture, however frustrating it may be sometimes I love their way and outlook on life. I know myself much better than I did before. I am proud of my experience here, and I feel like I am more confident and independent. I wish I had more time here with these great people I met. I wish I realized how quickly it was going to end and pouted a little less. Whether it was Erasmus Wednesday, Chalet on Thursday, or Murphy's everyday for a week just for the hell of it, I loved every second of this. Thank you to everyone who made this experience everything it was, I will never forget it.
I live for the nights I'll never remember with the people I'll never forget.
On Saturday a group of us met at Stadio Olympico and watched an AC Torino game. AC Torino is a Seria B team which is the lower division but most people from Torino prefer AC Torino to Juventus. The stadium wasn't sold out but in certain sections it was PACKED. There was so much cheering and an incredible amount of energy for the amount of people who were in attendance. We walked home in the pouring rain but it was so much fun that we didn't even care. And as a tourist bonus, we walked across the 2006 Olympic Bridge to get to and from the stadium which was pretty cool.
Sunday was very very lazy. It's finals week so everyone is busy getting all their work done. Monday night I had a few friends over to celebrate my birthday. We headed to Murphy's (of course my favorite) for the midnight celebration. Tuesday had some finals and a great Mexican dinner with some friends.
It's my last week here as part of an official study abroad program. Eveyone is leaving Saturday, and I'll be traveling around with my dad after that. What I can honestly say about the program is this: When I first arrived here I had a really hard time with communication barriers and being so far from home. My luggage was lost, I was sick, and I was really frustrated. Even having gone through some bumps in the road I would never trade this experience for the world. I have met incredible people from all over the US and the world. I have traveled to places I never imagined I would set foot it. I've eaten tapas in Barcelona, bratwust in Germany, and gyros in Greece. If you are reading this and have not studied abroad, please, you must. I love Italian Culture, however frustrating it may be sometimes I love their way and outlook on life. I know myself much better than I did before. I am proud of my experience here, and I feel like I am more confident and independent. I wish I had more time here with these great people I met. I wish I realized how quickly it was going to end and pouted a little less. Whether it was Erasmus Wednesday, Chalet on Thursday, or Murphy's everyday for a week just for the hell of it, I loved every second of this. Thank you to everyone who made this experience everything it was, I will never forget it.
I live for the nights I'll never remember with the people I'll never forget.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Oh My Gaudi...
Since a lot of the sites in Barcelona are far away from each other we decided to do the Bus Touristic. Our beginning point was the Sagrada Familia, a Gaudi building. Barcelona is know for its incredible architecture. Antonio Gaudi built so many works throughout this city and this cathedral is incredibly grand. I didn't have the opportunity to go inside but the 4 columns on the outside and all the stone was so cool. However, the Sagrada Familia is an unfinished work. They began building it in the late 1800's and lost the plans after Gaudi died. It is unfinished and won't be finished until I'm at least 60! There are a ton of cranes around it, the inside is unfinished, and it is supposed to be massive when it's finished.
Next stop on the bus was Parc Güell. Another Gaudi creation that was composed of buikdings, sculptures, towers, arches and tons of amazing pieces. It was like a jungle play ground with breathtaking views of the city. The colors used in the mosaics were beautiful and the sculptures like the famous lizard were so fun. The hall of 100 towers had mosaics on the ceilings and the Catalan arches were so unique and amazing. I never thought about an architect making a park but after seeing this is was spectacular.
We hopped back on the bus and then headed up Tibidabo by tram. It had great views of the city and it was fun to see its amusement park and the rides. Later on we went to the top of the bus and rode around the city. My favorite site was the FC Barcelona stadium. It was HUGE. I wish I had time to go to a game there because it would be crazy being in a stadium that holds almost 100,000 people.
Our last stops were Gaudi's Casa Batllo and la Pedrera. I went inside the Casa Batllo and I was astonished to see the creativity and imagination that Gaudi had. The house is now a UNESCO World heritage site, and I could see why. Everything I saw was pure whimsy. I was looking around and it was as if I had entered wonderland. I need to read up on this genius of a man. La Pedrera was also a work of art with its curved facade and unique corner building.
Overall I was in love with the architecture of Barcelona. I really found everything about the city magical and I am desperate to go back!
Next stop on the bus was Parc Güell. Another Gaudi creation that was composed of buikdings, sculptures, towers, arches and tons of amazing pieces. It was like a jungle play ground with breathtaking views of the city. The colors used in the mosaics were beautiful and the sculptures like the famous lizard were so fun. The hall of 100 towers had mosaics on the ceilings and the Catalan arches were so unique and amazing. I never thought about an architect making a park but after seeing this is was spectacular.
We hopped back on the bus and then headed up Tibidabo by tram. It had great views of the city and it was fun to see its amusement park and the rides. Later on we went to the top of the bus and rode around the city. My favorite site was the FC Barcelona stadium. It was HUGE. I wish I had time to go to a game there because it would be crazy being in a stadium that holds almost 100,000 people.
Our last stops were Gaudi's Casa Batllo and la Pedrera. I went inside the Casa Batllo and I was astonished to see the creativity and imagination that Gaudi had. The house is now a UNESCO World heritage site, and I could see why. Everything I saw was pure whimsy. I was looking around and it was as if I had entered wonderland. I need to read up on this genius of a man. La Pedrera was also a work of art with its curved facade and unique corner building.
Overall I was in love with the architecture of Barcelona. I really found everything about the city magical and I am desperate to go back!
Viva Barca!
After some anxiety due to the stupid volcano, I was able to leave for Barcelona. I went to visit Naomi from school and I stayed with her in the residencia. I loved the concept of the residencia, which was 300 students from Spain and America living dorm style. Equipped with study rooms, party rooms, and a pool...what a life! Naomi took me town to Placa Catalunya and Las Ramblas to see the city and all of its activity at night. We stopped for tapas, sangria, and paella. Basically everything Barcelona is know for in terms of food. It was absolutely delicious and the mugs of sangria were HUGE. We took the always convenient Barcelona metro home and then got ready and hung out with some of her friends in the residencia.
Side note: Barcelona is of course famous for its night life. But the crazy part about it is the schedule. Dinner at 9, get ready at 12, leave the house at 1am, stay out until 430. It's downright exhausting! You sleep until noon, go out by 2 and lose track of time in the beautiful city.
We went to a fun club called Oshum, got home late late late and slept in the next day. We walked through Parc de la Ciutadella, saw the Arc de Triomph and got sandwhiches and smoothies. Walking through the city in the sunshine made me so happy (got to love that Vitamin D!). Next we walked along the water and watched the fish and boats. There isn't a "real" beach in Barcelona. Although its a port city on the water, the sand was brought into the beach for the 1992 Olympics.
We spent more time on Las Ramblas and perused the jewelry market. Everything was really unique and special there. One of the greatest sensory experiences though was La Boqueria. It was a large market with candy, fruit, vegetables, seafood, meat and tons of treats. The colors were brilliant, the smells were so fresh and the fresh squeezed fruit juices (strawberry guava for me) were out of this world. We went shopping at a mall on the port and I shopped in tons of cool shops. For dinner we went for Chinese food, which seemed to be never ending portions that refilled themselves.
We met up with some friends and by 12:45am we were out for the night First stop was L'Ovella Negra (Black sheep). It was basically a beer warehouse, table after table of college kids, pints, and pitchers. It was HUGE. The atmosphere was really fun and I think it would be something fun to be in America. Next and last stop was Razzmatazz. Razz is a 5 story room with tons of different rooms playing different music and TONS of people. We got into the club at 2 and when we left at 5 it was still packed. I love this crazy town! We stopped on our way home for patatas bravas and chocolate covered churros and then went home to sleep.
Barca was an amazing and unique city. It is one of the only cities I've experienced the night life but nothing could compare to it. I loved the clubs, the culture, the food it was all incredible and I cannot wait to go back...
Side note: Barcelona is of course famous for its night life. But the crazy part about it is the schedule. Dinner at 9, get ready at 12, leave the house at 1am, stay out until 430. It's downright exhausting! You sleep until noon, go out by 2 and lose track of time in the beautiful city.
We went to a fun club called Oshum, got home late late late and slept in the next day. We walked through Parc de la Ciutadella, saw the Arc de Triomph and got sandwhiches and smoothies. Walking through the city in the sunshine made me so happy (got to love that Vitamin D!). Next we walked along the water and watched the fish and boats. There isn't a "real" beach in Barcelona. Although its a port city on the water, the sand was brought into the beach for the 1992 Olympics.
We spent more time on Las Ramblas and perused the jewelry market. Everything was really unique and special there. One of the greatest sensory experiences though was La Boqueria. It was a large market with candy, fruit, vegetables, seafood, meat and tons of treats. The colors were brilliant, the smells were so fresh and the fresh squeezed fruit juices (strawberry guava for me) were out of this world. We went shopping at a mall on the port and I shopped in tons of cool shops. For dinner we went for Chinese food, which seemed to be never ending portions that refilled themselves.
We met up with some friends and by 12:45am we were out for the night First stop was L'Ovella Negra (Black sheep). It was basically a beer warehouse, table after table of college kids, pints, and pitchers. It was HUGE. The atmosphere was really fun and I think it would be something fun to be in America. Next and last stop was Razzmatazz. Razz is a 5 story room with tons of different rooms playing different music and TONS of people. We got into the club at 2 and when we left at 5 it was still packed. I love this crazy town! We stopped on our way home for patatas bravas and chocolate covered churros and then went home to sleep.
Barca was an amazing and unique city. It is one of the only cities I've experienced the night life but nothing could compare to it. I loved the clubs, the culture, the food it was all incredible and I cannot wait to go back...
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