I have a small confession to make...
I've been back in the US for over 2 weeks. I came back as planned on May 10, thankfully dodging any interference from the volcanic ash that I was so worried about.
No longer can I use the lack of internet as an excuse to not update my blog. I am constantly connected to the internet - even more so than before due to my new Blackberry.
So my updates will become more regular and I will bring this blog up to date on all my traveling that transpired over the last 6 months or so.
Until then, I'm planning on making a half-hearted effort to find a summer job and readjusting to life in my native country.
I've already been made painfully aware of the fact that I am no longer in Italy by many different events. I miss the blunt approach the Italians have to life - when I spoke to my friends here, they initially found me to be brutally honest. Needless to say both parties had some adjusting to do.
I can't look at the "Italian food" served in the US, let alone eat it. No pizza for the next few months until I can forget what authentic pizza tastes like. And don't get me started on how dismayed I am that I can't buy alcohol for myself yet. How am I supposed to get my wine?!
But for all the cultural differences, I love my home country. And I can't complain that I no longer have to worry about communication errors when going to the doctors or ordering at restaurants. Plus, seeing my friends and family again continues to be a treat each day.
Now that I'm back I can clearly see huge changes in who I am and what I want out of life - all for the better, I think. But more on that later. And more pictures and stories of my travels.
Showing posts with label siena. Show all posts
Showing posts with label siena. Show all posts
Friday, May 28, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
I'm back on blogger but who knows when I'll be back in the US...
It has been 4 months since I've posted - I must apologize profusely for my absence from the web...
To bring you all up to speed with my life in Europe, here is a quick summary of where I am now:
I am still studying in Siena, Italy (Tuscany). The differences between this semester and last are staggering - I am no longer living in an apartment with American room mates, but in a homestay with an Italian family (and none of them speak a word of English). Unfortunately this means I have no internet access at home, thus making it a real challenge to post here. Other than that, it is warm outside (FINALLY!) which means I no longer have to wear 3 layers when I leave the house!
I've been on the move a lot, traveling across the country. In the near future I intend to post pictures and stories about all the places I've been (including places like Prague, Vienna, Northern Italy, etc.).
But sadly I will be leaving in 3 weeks to return to the US. Or at least, that's when my flight is scheduled - my flight that will be going through London's Heathrow airport. If you've been following the global news, you may have noticed a little hitch in European travel as of late...
For those of you who haven't heard, a volcano erupted last week in southern Iceland. The ash from this has been causing flight delays for almost a week now - especially in London - with no definite end in sight. The volcano is still spewing ash and scientists fear another eruption down the road (in a few weeks or a few months, no one really knows).
Some airports reopened (at least some of their flights) today, but a new ash cloud that is moving in could set all progress back to square one again. This may mean that I could end up stuck in Rome if my flight is canceled.
I know, poor Taylor, stranded in one of the most amazing cities on Earth...
I have to admit, I'll use any excuse I can to spend more time in Italy - but unfortunately doing so wouldn't bode well for my dwindling bank account.
But for now, there's nothing I can do except stay optimistic and enjoy my last few weeks in beautiful (and mostly sunny) Siena.
To bring you all up to speed with my life in Europe, here is a quick summary of where I am now:
I am still studying in Siena, Italy (Tuscany). The differences between this semester and last are staggering - I am no longer living in an apartment with American room mates, but in a homestay with an Italian family (and none of them speak a word of English). Unfortunately this means I have no internet access at home, thus making it a real challenge to post here. Other than that, it is warm outside (FINALLY!) which means I no longer have to wear 3 layers when I leave the house!
I've been on the move a lot, traveling across the country. In the near future I intend to post pictures and stories about all the places I've been (including places like Prague, Vienna, Northern Italy, etc.).
But sadly I will be leaving in 3 weeks to return to the US. Or at least, that's when my flight is scheduled - my flight that will be going through London's Heathrow airport. If you've been following the global news, you may have noticed a little hitch in European travel as of late...
For those of you who haven't heard, a volcano erupted last week in southern Iceland. The ash from this has been causing flight delays for almost a week now - especially in London - with no definite end in sight. The volcano is still spewing ash and scientists fear another eruption down the road (in a few weeks or a few months, no one really knows).
Some airports reopened (at least some of their flights) today, but a new ash cloud that is moving in could set all progress back to square one again. This may mean that I could end up stuck in Rome if my flight is canceled.
I know, poor Taylor, stranded in one of the most amazing cities on Earth...
I have to admit, I'll use any excuse I can to spend more time in Italy - but unfortunately doing so wouldn't bode well for my dwindling bank account.
But for now, there's nothing I can do except stay optimistic and enjoy my last few weeks in beautiful (and mostly sunny) Siena.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Rome, Florence, and Siena within 2 days...
About 2 weeks ago my Italian Cinema class went on a field trip to Rome (Roma in Italian) to see a movie at the Casa del Cinema there and then chat with some influential Italian directors and writers. We watched “The Conformist” (with English subtitles, thank god – my Italian isn’t that good yet). Afterward we had a round table discussion with Dacia Maraini (an Italian writer), Adriano Apra (Italian film specialist in film history and director), and Giuliano Montaldo (Italian director). It was a treat to hear them discuss “The Conformist”. Here’s the best photo I was able to secretively snap of them:
The day after Rome, my entire study abroad program went on our last excursion together to Florence (Firenze in Italian). Florence isn’t too far from Siena – only an hour and a half on the bus. There we went to the Uffizi museum as well as the museum that houses The David statue. Florence was gorgeous, especially it’s duomo.
Upon returning to Siena, I decided to finally take photos of my apartment that I’ve been living in for the past 2 and a half months…
My apartment is more spacious and newer than your typical Italian apartment. I also have a fantastic view of a Piazza. I often sit on my windowsill and watch as contrada’s parade by, people converse in Italian, and vespas zoom all over the place. Oh, one thing about Italian bathrooms – each and every one has a toilet and a bidet. So European.
The day after Rome, my entire study abroad program went on our last excursion together to Florence (Firenze in Italian). Florence isn’t too far from Siena – only an hour and a half on the bus. There we went to the Uffizi museum as well as the museum that houses The David statue. Florence was gorgeous, especially it’s duomo.
Upon returning to Siena, I decided to finally take photos of my apartment that I’ve been living in for the past 2 and a half months…
My apartment is more spacious and newer than your typical Italian apartment. I also have a fantastic view of a Piazza. I often sit on my windowsill and watch as contrada’s parade by, people converse in Italian, and vespas zoom all over the place. Oh, one thing about Italian bathrooms – each and every one has a toilet and a bidet. So European.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
So here's what I've been up to in Siena for the past few months...
Aside from my travels to other part of Italy, I’ve been having some small adventures here in Siena. A few weeks ago, I went to my first European football (soccer) game. The game was Siena vs. Lazio and it was played here in Siena. In Siena, women pay 6 or so euro less (almost 10 dollars) then men for football tickets. That, plus the fact that the football stadium is only a two minute walk from my apartment, meant that I had no reason not to go to the game.
It was a good game that ended up in a 1-1 tie. I particularly enjoyed the diehard Sienese fans that yelled at the refs when they made questionable calls. Here are some photos from my first football game in Italy.
My class recently took a small field trip to one of the many contrada’s (neighborhoods) of Siena. There, in the Tortuga (tortoise) contrada, we visited the contrada’s church and museum. Each contrada has its own church, museum, and fountain. Tortuga, being one of the winners of this summer’s Palio, has their current Palio painting (which the winners of the Palio receive each year) on display in the church. The museum holds many artifacts and past Palios from the contrada. Here are some photos of it all:
In my free time a few weeks ago, I ventured outside the walls of Siena to a nearby middle school where I tutored some 7th graders in English. I prepared a game about American pop culture in which they guessed the names of American celebrities. I was surprised how much of American culture is present in Italy, seeing as they not only knew who Beyonce and Lady Gaga were, but they were also very familiar with figures such as Obama and George Clooney. There is so little Italian pop culture that I see in America. This makes me feel a little guilty – why is America so isolated and seemingly unwilling to learn from other countries?
About 2 weeks ago I headed down to the center of Siena at the Piazza del Campo to find that there was a huge outdoor market taking place there. I’ve never seen this in the two months I’ve been here, but it was so exciting to see so many people out in this colder weather. The stalls at the market had a huge variety of merchandise including contrada memorabilia, knick-knacks, clothing, accessories, food and wine. I purchased a slightly pricey bottle of Chianti wine (my personal favorite). In the evening, I returned to the Campo and was surprised that the market was still in full swing, now accompanied by beautiful sparkling lights lining all the rooftops of the Campo. It was a very gorgeous sight. Unfortunately I left my nice camera at home so I couldn’t capture the extent of the beauty with my little point-and-shoot, but here are some photos anyways.
My Italian class took a day off from language learning to learn how to cook traditional Italian food! We learned to make rice stuffed tomatoes, a tomato and bread soup, pici (thick traditional Sienese pasta that we rolled by hand!), a tomato sauce, and tiramisu! Then we ate everything we made. So good!
It was a good game that ended up in a 1-1 tie. I particularly enjoyed the diehard Sienese fans that yelled at the refs when they made questionable calls. Here are some photos from my first football game in Italy.
My class recently took a small field trip to one of the many contrada’s (neighborhoods) of Siena. There, in the Tortuga (tortoise) contrada, we visited the contrada’s church and museum. Each contrada has its own church, museum, and fountain. Tortuga, being one of the winners of this summer’s Palio, has their current Palio painting (which the winners of the Palio receive each year) on display in the church. The museum holds many artifacts and past Palios from the contrada. Here are some photos of it all:
In my free time a few weeks ago, I ventured outside the walls of Siena to a nearby middle school where I tutored some 7th graders in English. I prepared a game about American pop culture in which they guessed the names of American celebrities. I was surprised how much of American culture is present in Italy, seeing as they not only knew who Beyonce and Lady Gaga were, but they were also very familiar with figures such as Obama and George Clooney. There is so little Italian pop culture that I see in America. This makes me feel a little guilty – why is America so isolated and seemingly unwilling to learn from other countries?
About 2 weeks ago I headed down to the center of Siena at the Piazza del Campo to find that there was a huge outdoor market taking place there. I’ve never seen this in the two months I’ve been here, but it was so exciting to see so many people out in this colder weather. The stalls at the market had a huge variety of merchandise including contrada memorabilia, knick-knacks, clothing, accessories, food and wine. I purchased a slightly pricey bottle of Chianti wine (my personal favorite). In the evening, I returned to the Campo and was surprised that the market was still in full swing, now accompanied by beautiful sparkling lights lining all the rooftops of the Campo. It was a very gorgeous sight. Unfortunately I left my nice camera at home so I couldn’t capture the extent of the beauty with my little point-and-shoot, but here are some photos anyways.
My Italian class took a day off from language learning to learn how to cook traditional Italian food! We learned to make rice stuffed tomatoes, a tomato and bread soup, pici (thick traditional Sienese pasta that we rolled by hand!), a tomato sauce, and tiramisu! Then we ate everything we made. So good!
Update (Part 1): Bologna and Halloween
It has been far too long since I last updated this blog! My utmost apologies! Needless to say, life has been hectic and busy in Italy, but nonetheless exciting.
Classes have been getting more demanding and I begin to learn more and more complexities of the Italian language and parties/travels have been taking over the rest of my time.
To bring you up to speed with what I've been up to here in Italy, I'll quickly sum it all up here before going into detail about each adventure I've been on.
Three weeks ago I stayed in Bologna for three days with my study abroad program.
Two weeks ago I celebrated Halloween here in Siena.
Last weekend I went to Sicily with a friend from back home who is currently studying in Florence.
This weekend I relaxed in Siena (making this my last full weekend in Siena this semester before all of my crazy traveling starts).
Alright, so first off: Bologna.
Bologna is a big city full of university students, most of which attend the University of Bologna (the oldest university that is still in use in the world). Needless to say, the nightlife in Bologna is exciting and varied due to all the students living there. Even though it was raining half the time my friends and I were there, we still had an amazing time exploring the city and sampling the food and night clubs.
The architecture of Bologna is simply beautiful, with high arches and porticos everywhere. A portico is almost like an overhang that covers the sidewalk so that the people of Bologna can go about their everyday lives and move from one place to another, even when its raining. We were infinitely grateful for these porticos as we toured the city in the rain.
Here are some pictures of the architecture and porticos of Bologna:
Bologna is not only beautiful and full of night life, but it happens to be the gastronomic capital of Italy. The food is unbelievable! Each of the three days we were in Bologna, our study abroad program took us to a different restaurant for lunch and fed us 7 course meals. I think I gained five pounds from that weekend in Bologna alone, but it was all so delicious. We had delicious appetizers of prosciutto and quiche, amazing pumpkin gnocchi, tender pig cheek (which was really good), and fantastic desserts such as creme brule. Tortellini was first created in Bologna, so naturally we had some of that as well.
Here's a picture of the appetizer I had at the last restaurant we ate at (a winery outside of Bologna). Egg quiche and prosciutto with a flowery seasoning. So good.
There were also some fun outdoor fruit and vegetable vendors in Bologna. Check it out.
Our program also took us on tours of both a Parmesan cheese factory and a Balsamic Vinegar factory.
At the balsamic vinegar factory, we tasted 4 different kinds of vinegar - some of them aged over 20 years. They were surprisingly sweet and delicious on their own, but incredibly expensive. Here's the currently fermenting vinegar at the factory, stored in barrels until its ready to be bottled.
At the Parmesan cheese factory, we were walked through the entire process that goes into making authentic Parmesan cheese. These huge vats are used to mix the cheese:
There were hundreds and hundreds wheels of cheese stored at the factory.
Bologna was a fantastic experience, and I will probably return before the end of my stay in Italy - especially for the food, if nothing else.
Now, about Halloween...
Halloween isn't too widely celebrated in Europe, but over the years Europe has slowly warmed up to the idea of dressing up on October 31. I don't think I saw any children trick-or-treating in the streets of Siena, but the students of Siena definitely partied hard in honor of Hallows Eve. Many of my fellow American students (including myself) spent the majority of our Halloween at a dance party at La Fortezza (the fortress) near my house. There was a huge party with a DJ and free drinks. I was surprised at how many Italians actually came out in costume. I also get a kick out of being able to say that I celebrated Halloween in a fortress in Italy...
Classes have been getting more demanding and I begin to learn more and more complexities of the Italian language and parties/travels have been taking over the rest of my time.
To bring you up to speed with what I've been up to here in Italy, I'll quickly sum it all up here before going into detail about each adventure I've been on.
Three weeks ago I stayed in Bologna for three days with my study abroad program.
Two weeks ago I celebrated Halloween here in Siena.
Last weekend I went to Sicily with a friend from back home who is currently studying in Florence.
This weekend I relaxed in Siena (making this my last full weekend in Siena this semester before all of my crazy traveling starts).
Alright, so first off: Bologna.
Bologna is a big city full of university students, most of which attend the University of Bologna (the oldest university that is still in use in the world). Needless to say, the nightlife in Bologna is exciting and varied due to all the students living there. Even though it was raining half the time my friends and I were there, we still had an amazing time exploring the city and sampling the food and night clubs.
The architecture of Bologna is simply beautiful, with high arches and porticos everywhere. A portico is almost like an overhang that covers the sidewalk so that the people of Bologna can go about their everyday lives and move from one place to another, even when its raining. We were infinitely grateful for these porticos as we toured the city in the rain.
Here are some pictures of the architecture and porticos of Bologna:
Bologna is not only beautiful and full of night life, but it happens to be the gastronomic capital of Italy. The food is unbelievable! Each of the three days we were in Bologna, our study abroad program took us to a different restaurant for lunch and fed us 7 course meals. I think I gained five pounds from that weekend in Bologna alone, but it was all so delicious. We had delicious appetizers of prosciutto and quiche, amazing pumpkin gnocchi, tender pig cheek (which was really good), and fantastic desserts such as creme brule. Tortellini was first created in Bologna, so naturally we had some of that as well.
Here's a picture of the appetizer I had at the last restaurant we ate at (a winery outside of Bologna). Egg quiche and prosciutto with a flowery seasoning. So good.
There were also some fun outdoor fruit and vegetable vendors in Bologna. Check it out.
Our program also took us on tours of both a Parmesan cheese factory and a Balsamic Vinegar factory.
At the balsamic vinegar factory, we tasted 4 different kinds of vinegar - some of them aged over 20 years. They were surprisingly sweet and delicious on their own, but incredibly expensive. Here's the currently fermenting vinegar at the factory, stored in barrels until its ready to be bottled.
At the Parmesan cheese factory, we were walked through the entire process that goes into making authentic Parmesan cheese. These huge vats are used to mix the cheese:
There were hundreds and hundreds wheels of cheese stored at the factory.
Bologna was a fantastic experience, and I will probably return before the end of my stay in Italy - especially for the food, if nothing else.
Now, about Halloween...
Halloween isn't too widely celebrated in Europe, but over the years Europe has slowly warmed up to the idea of dressing up on October 31. I don't think I saw any children trick-or-treating in the streets of Siena, but the students of Siena definitely partied hard in honor of Hallows Eve. Many of my fellow American students (including myself) spent the majority of our Halloween at a dance party at La Fortezza (the fortress) near my house. There was a huge party with a DJ and free drinks. I was surprised at how many Italians actually came out in costume. I also get a kick out of being able to say that I celebrated Halloween in a fortress in Italy...
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Exploring Siena and Lucca
I'm sitting in my room, listening to the chatter of Italian in the piazza below my window. There is an unusual amount of people out in the streets of Siena this evening. I'm not sure why, but my guess would be that there is going to be a contrada (one of any of the neighborhoods in Siena) party tonight. That's part of the intrigue of Siena... there's always a lot going on here but only the local Sienese seem to be sure of what it all means. The tourists and students here are left to observe and figure it out for themselves.
A friend recently took me to the botanical gardens here in Siena, located in the Tortuga (tortoise) contrada - one of my favorite parts of Siena. The plants there give off a very relaxing scent and I could see some beautiful views of the Tuscan hills from there.
Not far from the gardens is a charming park that was once a farm. It overlooks part of Siena, a villa owned by a rich family, and more of the shadowy blue hills of Tuscany.
Yesterday my study abroad program took a bunch of us students to Lucca - a small, walled city in Tuscany. Lucca is about 2 hours from Siena and very similar, only with more greenery and less tourists. We took a tour on top of the city walls of Lucca, and then into the town center. It was absolutely beautiful there and the weather was undeniably perfect.
We then went to Villa Reale a little bit outside of Lucca (where my camera battery unfortunately died) which was the villa of Napoleon's sister. It was so incredibly gorgeous and peaceful there. I especially loved the grotto where the inhabitants of the villa used to spend hot summer days (before air conditioning came along). There they had water that sprayed in thin streams out of the ground and statues and ceiling.
I would gladly live in either Siena or Lucca for the rest of my life. The walled cities are so medieval and beautiful, with everything concentrated and within walking distance. I think I'll have to make a trip on my own to Lucca in the upcoming month so that I have more time to explore the city and get to know it better.
A friend recently took me to the botanical gardens here in Siena, located in the Tortuga (tortoise) contrada - one of my favorite parts of Siena. The plants there give off a very relaxing scent and I could see some beautiful views of the Tuscan hills from there.
Not far from the gardens is a charming park that was once a farm. It overlooks part of Siena, a villa owned by a rich family, and more of the shadowy blue hills of Tuscany.
Yesterday my study abroad program took a bunch of us students to Lucca - a small, walled city in Tuscany. Lucca is about 2 hours from Siena and very similar, only with more greenery and less tourists. We took a tour on top of the city walls of Lucca, and then into the town center. It was absolutely beautiful there and the weather was undeniably perfect.
We then went to Villa Reale a little bit outside of Lucca (where my camera battery unfortunately died) which was the villa of Napoleon's sister. It was so incredibly gorgeous and peaceful there. I especially loved the grotto where the inhabitants of the villa used to spend hot summer days (before air conditioning came along). There they had water that sprayed in thin streams out of the ground and statues and ceiling.
I would gladly live in either Siena or Lucca for the rest of my life. The walled cities are so medieval and beautiful, with everything concentrated and within walking distance. I think I'll have to make a trip on my own to Lucca in the upcoming month so that I have more time to explore the city and get to know it better.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
I'm going to get fat eating all this food - and I really don't mind
My apologies for going so long without posting here!
Life in Siena has been crazy (but good) and I don't even know where to start explaining it all!
I think perhaps the most important thing I need to write about is the food in Italy seeing as it is what my life revolves around here. I picked up a bit of Italian before classes started and it was all about how to order food. "Vorrei una fetta" is "I'd like a slice of pizza". Or "Vorrei uno piccolo cono di Limone" is "I'd like a small cone of lemon gelato". (Please forgive any spelling/grammatical errors in my Italian...I am still learning).
For the first week or so that I was here, I was on a strict pizza and gelato only diet. In Siena there is at least 3 pizzerias and 5 gelato bars on each street.
Now I don't really know how to describe the pizza here other than to say it is AMAZING. It is thin, but not too crunchy and it always tastes good. I don't think I'll ever get sick of the pizza here - and honestly I will probably never eat pizza in America again because now I've been exposed to the superiority of Italian pizza.
Gelato is going to be the death of me - I love it even more than the pizza here. Gelato is the Italian version of ice cream,and like the pizza here, it is infinitely better than its American equivalent. I'm lactose intolerant but I can't stop eating gelato! There are tons of different flavors at each gelateria and while each gelato flavor I've tried has been amazing, I think my favorite combination is Rose Petal (petali di rosa) with Chocolate (cioccolata) or Strawberry (fragola). I haven't had gelato in two days now (I'm trying to avoid getting too fat right away), but I feel that in another day's time I will be indulging in some Nutella flavored gelato.
(Gelato at a gelateria on one of the main streets of Siena)
After eating too much pizza and gelato (if there is even such a thing as "too much pizza and gelato"), I've branched out and sampled various Italian dishes. I love running into a bakery and buying a panino with Tuscan salami and cheese. I tried gnocchi with ragu in Florence and wanted to buy two more orders of it. I've had risotto (with some beef in it - just delicious) and an unbelievable tomato soup with bread in it (I'm told I will learn to cook this in my upcoming cooking class). I keep my kitchen stocked with bread and brie cheese at all times and often prepare a simple past dish wish pesto sauce for a light dinner when I'm not eating out.
The other item I've become enamored with is the wine here. The region of Tuscany is famous for their Chianti, so I have been drinking a glass (or two...) with dinner every evening.
There really is no way to describe how fantastic the food is here - everyone really must try it for themselves.
Life in Siena has been crazy (but good) and I don't even know where to start explaining it all!
I think perhaps the most important thing I need to write about is the food in Italy seeing as it is what my life revolves around here. I picked up a bit of Italian before classes started and it was all about how to order food. "Vorrei una fetta" is "I'd like a slice of pizza". Or "Vorrei uno piccolo cono di Limone" is "I'd like a small cone of lemon gelato". (Please forgive any spelling/grammatical errors in my Italian...I am still learning).
For the first week or so that I was here, I was on a strict pizza and gelato only diet. In Siena there is at least 3 pizzerias and 5 gelato bars on each street.
Now I don't really know how to describe the pizza here other than to say it is AMAZING. It is thin, but not too crunchy and it always tastes good. I don't think I'll ever get sick of the pizza here - and honestly I will probably never eat pizza in America again because now I've been exposed to the superiority of Italian pizza.
Gelato is going to be the death of me - I love it even more than the pizza here. Gelato is the Italian version of ice cream,and like the pizza here, it is infinitely better than its American equivalent. I'm lactose intolerant but I can't stop eating gelato! There are tons of different flavors at each gelateria and while each gelato flavor I've tried has been amazing, I think my favorite combination is Rose Petal (petali di rosa) with Chocolate (cioccolata) or Strawberry (fragola). I haven't had gelato in two days now (I'm trying to avoid getting too fat right away), but I feel that in another day's time I will be indulging in some Nutella flavored gelato.
(Gelato at a gelateria on one of the main streets of Siena)
After eating too much pizza and gelato (if there is even such a thing as "too much pizza and gelato"), I've branched out and sampled various Italian dishes. I love running into a bakery and buying a panino with Tuscan salami and cheese. I tried gnocchi with ragu in Florence and wanted to buy two more orders of it. I've had risotto (with some beef in it - just delicious) and an unbelievable tomato soup with bread in it (I'm told I will learn to cook this in my upcoming cooking class). I keep my kitchen stocked with bread and brie cheese at all times and often prepare a simple past dish wish pesto sauce for a light dinner when I'm not eating out.
The other item I've become enamored with is the wine here. The region of Tuscany is famous for their Chianti, so I have been drinking a glass (or two...) with dinner every evening.
There really is no way to describe how fantastic the food is here - everyone really must try it for themselves.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Ciao Bella!
So I arrived in Siena a little under a week ago and have been far too busy to get around to posting! I apologize for the putting this off since I know a lot of you have been curious as to how my new life in Italy is going! Here is the explanation of how I got to Siena. Soon I'll post more about eating and living in Italy! :)
So to start off, I have to tell you about my journey from San Diego to Siena.
Last Sunday, my family drove me to LAX. I got through security and found my gate without a problem. At the gate I met with 8 other students who were all traveling to Siena to study in the same program as myself. We all boarded the plane right on time. Almost 11 hours later we touched down in Zurich where we all easily found our way to the next gate for our flight to Florence. Everything was going unbelievably well until we got the the baggage claim at Florence. Everyone got all their bags except for one girl who was missing one of her bags. We waited for 30 minutes for the lost and found department to give her the appropriate paperwork.
This delay caused us to miss the 8:00pm shuttle bus from the Florence airport to the bus station. So we took the 8:30 shuttle, which put us at the bus station at 9:00pm. At this point, 3 of girls we were traveling with left us and went to their hostel they had reserved for that evening in Florence. The remaining 6 of us frantically tried to find the bus stop (which is adjacent to the huge train station we had been dropped off at) in order to catch the last bus to Siena at 9:15pm. Unfortunately we missed the bus due to the fact that we couldn't find anyone to give us clear instructions (in English) to the bus station.
At this point we decided to buy an open train ticket to go to Siena. A train was departing from platform 2 in 15 minutes. We hurry over to platform 2 but there is no on on the train. We then hear an announcement informing us that the train on platform 2 is a non-passenger train. At this point we believe we have no way to get to Siena and make our hostel reservation for the evening. But we soon find out that a train is leaving for Empoli (where we can get a connection to Siena) in 3 minutes from the opposite end of the train staion. We sprint for the train and barely haul all our luggage onto the train before it takes off.
At this point, a nice Italian man named Luchio (please excuse any incorrect Italian spelling) helps us put all our luggage overhead and explains to us (in very good English) that some trains and workers are on strike so some trains are unavailable even though you can buy tickets for them. This explains why we couldn't take the train from platform 2. As the train sped along, I realized that we had not validated (stamped) our ticket before jumping on the train - this can result in a heavy fine in Italy. So two girls go to get our ticket validated by a train staff member who tells them to get off the train at Empoli and get a bus there that will take us to Siena.
We start to realize that there are no signs or announcements informing passengers where to get off. I find a man who speaks only French and ask him where the stop for Empoli is. He informs me that we are about to arrive in Empoli in 2 minutes. There is a frantic rush as the 6 of us students all heave our bags to the doors and jump off the train. We are left alone at Empoli at 10:50 in the evening.
Empoli is a very sketchy place to be in the evening time. We pull our bags up and down stairs until we make our way out of the train station and onto the street. We can't find the bus stop so we ask some people at a cafe across the street. They point us to the bus stop but explain that the bus won't be there for an hour.
For some reason, Empoli is full of creepy old men who just stared at us as we waited nervously for the bus. At this point we had been traveling for somewhere around 20 hours. The bus to Siena arrives at 11:55pm. We board it and sigh with relief. We arrive at the train station in Siena at 1:30am. But we are not anywhere near the city center (inside the protective walls of Siena on the hill). So we all wait for a taxi. The only taxis running at this hour are tiny little cars that only have room for 2 people plus their luggage. So we split into pairs and arrive at the Pizza Gramsci.
We try to find a hotel (since we've missed our check in time for the hostel) but all are too expensive and we can't navigate the twisting cobblestone streets with our luggage. We find our way to the Piazza del Campo (Pictures at end of this post) at 2am, which is the heart of Siena's social scene. Unfortunately all the bars and cafes were closing. We all put our luggage down and decided to give it up and spend the night there.
In the Piazza del Campo we meet some interesting (and drunk) locals who offer us their apartments for the evening - but we, being paranoid and sleep deprived, decline.
We spent the evening talking there - no sleep. And when the sun finally rises, we go to check in with our program and undergo hours of waiting through orientation and paper work. Finally we are shown to our apartments and dorms at which point I shower and then reluctantly climb into bed (after discovering I was running a fever and was dizzy from the exhaustion) and then fall asleep for 8 hours.
When I woke up, I looked out my bedroom window and and could see a busy piazza full of people speaking Italian and riding vespas. "I'm in Italy," I thought, smiling. "Finally."
So to start off, I have to tell you about my journey from San Diego to Siena.
Last Sunday, my family drove me to LAX. I got through security and found my gate without a problem. At the gate I met with 8 other students who were all traveling to Siena to study in the same program as myself. We all boarded the plane right on time. Almost 11 hours later we touched down in Zurich where we all easily found our way to the next gate for our flight to Florence. Everything was going unbelievably well until we got the the baggage claim at Florence. Everyone got all their bags except for one girl who was missing one of her bags. We waited for 30 minutes for the lost and found department to give her the appropriate paperwork.
This delay caused us to miss the 8:00pm shuttle bus from the Florence airport to the bus station. So we took the 8:30 shuttle, which put us at the bus station at 9:00pm. At this point, 3 of girls we were traveling with left us and went to their hostel they had reserved for that evening in Florence. The remaining 6 of us frantically tried to find the bus stop (which is adjacent to the huge train station we had been dropped off at) in order to catch the last bus to Siena at 9:15pm. Unfortunately we missed the bus due to the fact that we couldn't find anyone to give us clear instructions (in English) to the bus station.
At this point we decided to buy an open train ticket to go to Siena. A train was departing from platform 2 in 15 minutes. We hurry over to platform 2 but there is no on on the train. We then hear an announcement informing us that the train on platform 2 is a non-passenger train. At this point we believe we have no way to get to Siena and make our hostel reservation for the evening. But we soon find out that a train is leaving for Empoli (where we can get a connection to Siena) in 3 minutes from the opposite end of the train staion. We sprint for the train and barely haul all our luggage onto the train before it takes off.
At this point, a nice Italian man named Luchio (please excuse any incorrect Italian spelling) helps us put all our luggage overhead and explains to us (in very good English) that some trains and workers are on strike so some trains are unavailable even though you can buy tickets for them. This explains why we couldn't take the train from platform 2. As the train sped along, I realized that we had not validated (stamped) our ticket before jumping on the train - this can result in a heavy fine in Italy. So two girls go to get our ticket validated by a train staff member who tells them to get off the train at Empoli and get a bus there that will take us to Siena.
We start to realize that there are no signs or announcements informing passengers where to get off. I find a man who speaks only French and ask him where the stop for Empoli is. He informs me that we are about to arrive in Empoli in 2 minutes. There is a frantic rush as the 6 of us students all heave our bags to the doors and jump off the train. We are left alone at Empoli at 10:50 in the evening.
Empoli is a very sketchy place to be in the evening time. We pull our bags up and down stairs until we make our way out of the train station and onto the street. We can't find the bus stop so we ask some people at a cafe across the street. They point us to the bus stop but explain that the bus won't be there for an hour.
For some reason, Empoli is full of creepy old men who just stared at us as we waited nervously for the bus. At this point we had been traveling for somewhere around 20 hours. The bus to Siena arrives at 11:55pm. We board it and sigh with relief. We arrive at the train station in Siena at 1:30am. But we are not anywhere near the city center (inside the protective walls of Siena on the hill). So we all wait for a taxi. The only taxis running at this hour are tiny little cars that only have room for 2 people plus their luggage. So we split into pairs and arrive at the Pizza Gramsci.
We try to find a hotel (since we've missed our check in time for the hostel) but all are too expensive and we can't navigate the twisting cobblestone streets with our luggage. We find our way to the Piazza del Campo (Pictures at end of this post) at 2am, which is the heart of Siena's social scene. Unfortunately all the bars and cafes were closing. We all put our luggage down and decided to give it up and spend the night there.
In the Piazza del Campo we meet some interesting (and drunk) locals who offer us their apartments for the evening - but we, being paranoid and sleep deprived, decline.
We spent the evening talking there - no sleep. And when the sun finally rises, we go to check in with our program and undergo hours of waiting through orientation and paper work. Finally we are shown to our apartments and dorms at which point I shower and then reluctantly climb into bed (after discovering I was running a fever and was dizzy from the exhaustion) and then fall asleep for 8 hours.
When I woke up, I looked out my bedroom window and and could see a busy piazza full of people speaking Italian and riding vespas. "I'm in Italy," I thought, smiling. "Finally."
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