05 October 2009
04 October 2009
Day 42!
I just got back yesterday from the Cinque Terre, a national park made up of five little towns on the coast of the Ligurian Sea. Anne and I planned this little trip a couple weeks ago because we knew we would have a long weekend available to travel before classes really started up. We left Thursday morning on the 7:30 train. I slept a lot on the way there! We got to Riomaggiore, the town furthest south and the one we stayed in, around 1:00, I think. We checked into the hotel first thing. Our room was up three flights of stairs from the main street and then up 6 more once we got in the building! But the view was definitely worth the extra effort. We could see the whole city spread out around us. The room was sooo tiny, too. The bed took up the whole room, and the bathroom was divided into two rooms, one with the toilet and bidet (always necessary in Europe, even when there is clearly not enough room for it!), and the sink and shower in the other. Anne and I (neither of us big people) could barely squeeze by the sink to the shower or around the bed to get out to the only big part of our room--the terrace! After getting settled in, we walked around Riomaggiore and just took in the sights. It's such a cute, quiet little town and very vertical. It's a steep climb walking up the main street from the water. We went down to the water and climbed out on the "beach," a bunch of huge rocks, where we sat for awhile just talking and watching the sun go down. So peaceful! We had a really nice dinner that night, and our waitress was this cute little middle aged Italian woman who really liked that we spoke Italian to her. Then we went to bed early to rest up for the hike on Friday.
Friday morning we got up and took the train to the northernmost city, Monterrosso al Mare. There are trails between each of the 5 cities so you can hike from one to the other. We hiked from Monterrosso to Vernazza, then from Vernazza to Corniglia, then stopped there for lunch. Those are the two hardest sections of trail, with LOTS of stairs!!! Anne and I stretched before we started and when we stopped in every city, and I think that's the only reason we were able to walk the next day at all! The trails from Corniglia to Manarola to Riomaggiore were SO much easier, we didn't even break a sweat. The views were so worth the effort of the hike, and we felt so accomplished when we finished! All of the towns are so cute and feel very iconic Italy, despite all the American and German tourists who were there. My favorite was definitely Vernazza, the second town. It sits right on the water and is so colorful and quiet. There is a tiny little harbor and beach and a bell tower overlooking the town. It was also a lot more horizontal than Riomaggiore! After the hike, we were both pretty wiped out, so we went back to the hotel, napped, showered, and then hit the town again. We bought wine from this little wine shop. The man was so nice to us! After we shamefacedly asked if he sold Fragolino (our favorite--a delicious, sweet, strawberry wine) he informed us that they don't make Fragolino anymore! Sad news! But he suggested a different wine, which we bought (and it was delicious!), and opened it halfway for us, since we didnt have a bottle opener in the room. Once we got back to the room (up about 35094 stairs) we proceeded to break the cork! So we had to go alllll the way back and have him open the bottle the rest of the way. It was worth the effort, though. We had dinner out on our terrace overlooking the beautiful town. I had pesto pizza which was unbelievable! That region is famous for pesto, so I simply had to try it. Excellent decision! It was another early night for us, since we were still so tired from the hike.
Saturday we got up and got on the train back to Bologna. We finally made it back around 4. I hung out with Allegra, Erin, Alex, and her Italian roommates, who are so nice and really funny. The rest of the weekend has been pretty lowkey. I did some laundry today and am just trying to get prepared for classes starting tomorrow. My University of Bologna class, Contemporary Italian Literature, is from 3 to 5. I will let you know how it goes!
xoxo
ps. I am trying desperately to post pix of Cinque Terre, but Facebook is not cooperating right now. I will post again as soon as they're up!
Friday morning we got up and took the train to the northernmost city, Monterrosso al Mare. There are trails between each of the 5 cities so you can hike from one to the other. We hiked from Monterrosso to Vernazza, then from Vernazza to Corniglia, then stopped there for lunch. Those are the two hardest sections of trail, with LOTS of stairs!!! Anne and I stretched before we started and when we stopped in every city, and I think that's the only reason we were able to walk the next day at all! The trails from Corniglia to Manarola to Riomaggiore were SO much easier, we didn't even break a sweat. The views were so worth the effort of the hike, and we felt so accomplished when we finished! All of the towns are so cute and feel very iconic Italy, despite all the American and German tourists who were there. My favorite was definitely Vernazza, the second town. It sits right on the water and is so colorful and quiet. There is a tiny little harbor and beach and a bell tower overlooking the town. It was also a lot more horizontal than Riomaggiore! After the hike, we were both pretty wiped out, so we went back to the hotel, napped, showered, and then hit the town again. We bought wine from this little wine shop. The man was so nice to us! After we shamefacedly asked if he sold Fragolino (our favorite--a delicious, sweet, strawberry wine) he informed us that they don't make Fragolino anymore! Sad news! But he suggested a different wine, which we bought (and it was delicious!), and opened it halfway for us, since we didnt have a bottle opener in the room. Once we got back to the room (up about 35094 stairs) we proceeded to break the cork! So we had to go alllll the way back and have him open the bottle the rest of the way. It was worth the effort, though. We had dinner out on our terrace overlooking the beautiful town. I had pesto pizza which was unbelievable! That region is famous for pesto, so I simply had to try it. Excellent decision! It was another early night for us, since we were still so tired from the hike.
Saturday we got up and got on the train back to Bologna. We finally made it back around 4. I hung out with Allegra, Erin, Alex, and her Italian roommates, who are so nice and really funny. The rest of the weekend has been pretty lowkey. I did some laundry today and am just trying to get prepared for classes starting tomorrow. My University of Bologna class, Contemporary Italian Literature, is from 3 to 5. I will let you know how it goes!
xoxo
ps. I am trying desperately to post pix of Cinque Terre, but Facebook is not cooperating right now. I will post again as soon as they're up!
29 September 2009
Day 37!
Agian, sorry for the delay. I just had finals for my presession class yesterday, so I have been busy studying for those, although apparently not enough because the culture section of the test was SO HARD! So a lot has happened since the 23rd when I wrote last.
On the 24th, Anne and I went on an underground tour of Bologna! It was so cool and a little creepy. Definitely check out the pix. We learned a lot about Bologna, like one quarter of the city used to be on water like Venice! But the canals were too dangerous, and too many people kept drowning so they closed them up. Bologna's only natural waterway is underground, we walked along it the whole tour. It really wasn't that impressive, but I guess when there's a lot of rain, it gets kind of dangerous.
Then Friday we had our last class and had to give our final presentations. I was so sad, because I am really going to miss our teacher Clara! Later that night, we all went out for Michelle's birthday to this cool little osteria. It was really fun, she got a cake and everyone sang to her. There was this guy singing American songs there, too, so we were all singing along of course. It was a fun night.
Saturday we all went to Urbino for our culture class. Urbino is so pretty! The views were spectacular, check out the pix. We walked around the Palazzo Ducale for the whole morning, then had the usual fantastic lunch :), then went to this park wayyy up on a hill, where I got the most of my pix. We also saw Raphael's house where he was born and grew up, but we weren't really allowed to take pix, sorry! It was a really beautiful day in a beautiful place with beautiful people. There was a very spirited conversation between Dr. Ricci (the director), Prof. Benevolo (our culture teacher), and Clara. Best half hour of my life! Italians are sooo funny! :)
Sunday was spent studying for the exams. Definitely not exciting:(
Monday we had exams, which I would really rather not talk about any more... Then Anne and I went and had Chinese food for lunch. Italian Chinese is so good!! We pretty much spent the whole day together just relaxing and trying to do things that didn't require any brain power whatsoever (like watch the Office and Freaks and Geeks).
Today, I have just been lazing about my apartment. Flavia just left for class. She's such a sweetie! Last night when I got home she told me she would teach me how to cook! Yay! I think I am going to go to an aperitivo with some Italian students in a little bit, so that should be fun. I'm still in my pjs, so I need to go get ready for that! Ciao!!
xoxo
On the 24th, Anne and I went on an underground tour of Bologna! It was so cool and a little creepy. Definitely check out the pix. We learned a lot about Bologna, like one quarter of the city used to be on water like Venice! But the canals were too dangerous, and too many people kept drowning so they closed them up. Bologna's only natural waterway is underground, we walked along it the whole tour. It really wasn't that impressive, but I guess when there's a lot of rain, it gets kind of dangerous.
Then Friday we had our last class and had to give our final presentations. I was so sad, because I am really going to miss our teacher Clara! Later that night, we all went out for Michelle's birthday to this cool little osteria. It was really fun, she got a cake and everyone sang to her. There was this guy singing American songs there, too, so we were all singing along of course. It was a fun night.
Saturday we all went to Urbino for our culture class. Urbino is so pretty! The views were spectacular, check out the pix. We walked around the Palazzo Ducale for the whole morning, then had the usual fantastic lunch :), then went to this park wayyy up on a hill, where I got the most of my pix. We also saw Raphael's house where he was born and grew up, but we weren't really allowed to take pix, sorry! It was a really beautiful day in a beautiful place with beautiful people. There was a very spirited conversation between Dr. Ricci (the director), Prof. Benevolo (our culture teacher), and Clara. Best half hour of my life! Italians are sooo funny! :)
Sunday was spent studying for the exams. Definitely not exciting:(
Monday we had exams, which I would really rather not talk about any more... Then Anne and I went and had Chinese food for lunch. Italian Chinese is so good!! We pretty much spent the whole day together just relaxing and trying to do things that didn't require any brain power whatsoever (like watch the Office and Freaks and Geeks).
Today, I have just been lazing about my apartment. Flavia just left for class. She's such a sweetie! Last night when I got home she told me she would teach me how to cook! Yay! I think I am going to go to an aperitivo with some Italian students in a little bit, so that should be fun. I'm still in my pjs, so I need to go get ready for that! Ciao!!
xoxo
25 September 2009
23 September 2009
Day 31! I have a roommate!
Ciaooo! This week has been pretty slow. I've just been going to class, doing homework, laying out on my terrace, and walking around Bologna. Nothing too crazy or exciting until this evening when my roommate, Flavia, finally arrived! She is from Marche, the region just below Emiglia-Romagna on the Adriatic Coast. She is 20 years old and studies philosophy. She is so nice and easy to talk to! Erin, Maria, Allegra, Alex, Flavia, and I all went to an aperitivo tonight. We spoke in Italian the whole time because Flavia came with us, which was really good for us. It was hard though, too, and my brain is so tired now! I know I am going to be speaking so much more Italian now that I have a roommate, so hopefully I will improve quickly! I need to go now and work on my presentation that is due on Friday. The outline is due tomorrow though. Sorry for the short post!
xoxo
xoxo
20 September 2009
Day 28!
It's so hard to believe I've only been here for 28 days. Less than a month! So much has happened, it's a little crazy.
Our "gastronomical tour" on Thursday went well. We all met in the Piazza Maggiore and then walked around that area getting a little history of that part of the city. We stopped in a pasticceria and learned about/sampled some different kinds of breads, cakes, and pastas. It was interesting, as well as delicious! We then moved on, finally ending up at Tamburini, a restaurant that we have all eaten at already--it's so good! There we had red wine, bread, six different types of coldcuts, and parmigiano reggiano. After the tour, Anne and I wandered around the city looking for rain boots. We found some inexpensive ones at Upim, a department store. Maria had me over for dinner that night. We made this really delicious casserole type dish with rice, chicken, prosciutto, tomato sauce, garlic, onions, basil, and brie and mozzarella cheeses melted on top. We can actually make a tasty meal! Later that night, we met up with everyone in Piazza Maggiore. We were planning on going to this little osteria where you just buy wine but can bring in your own food, but it was closed by the time we found it. So instead we just got gelato (of course!) and sat in the Piazza. It was a really beautiful night!
Friday we had class in the morning. It was actually sunny again, not raining! So of course I laid out on my terrace after class. I'm afraid I won't have many more days nice enough to do that. Then in the afternoon, we all had to go out to the immigration office and file our requests for our living permits. I hate bureaucracy! We were at the office for at least two hours, wasting a beautiful day. Oh well. Friday night, everyone came over to my place again, then we went out to the Celtic Druid, then Irish, both Irish pubs haha. It was a good night, although pretty relaxed.
Saturday morning we all had to be at the medieval museum at 10:30 for another culture lesson. It was pretty interesting, and thankfully not too early! Right after it was over at 12, Erin, Rodolfo, Allegra, and I left for Florence! The train ride there was only about an hour long. We spent all day there walking around and seeing the sights. We saw Santa Maria Novella, the Duomo, the Uffizi, some leather markets, the Ponte Vecchio, the Palazzo Pitti, and the Giardino di Boboli. Florence is a beautiful city, but I am glad I'm studying in Bologna instead. Florence is soooo touristy! We literally saw more Americans than Italians there. Michelle met up with us after the Giardino and we got gelato and walked around some more. We had a really nice dinner together. I forgot to take pix of my food, so sorry! But it was delicious. I had spaghetti with seafood and mushrooms in a cream sauce, and I had panna cotta with chocolate for dessert. We walked around some more, killing time till the nightlife started. We walked by the Uffizi again, and there was this guy, Ken Mercer, playing music to a crowd of people. He was really good, so we sat and listened to him. He was playing covers of Simon and Garfunkle, U2, things like that. It was so perfect to sit there in the twilight in Florence and listen to beautiful music. I even bought his CD at the end of his set. After that, we met up with some friends of Erin's who are studying in Florence. We all went to the opening of this club called Space. Which was interesting. None of us really got into it or partied because we were all too disgusted by the behavior of our fellow Americans. We have been here less than a month, and we are already such Eurosnobs! But seriously, Americans are gross. No offense to any of you! It was just so easy to see why the rest of the world hates us so much. Americans are rude, self-important, and obnoxious, and they drink way too much. This club was almost entirely Americans. Another reason I am glad I'm in Bologna. We actually get to experience the real Italian nightlife here, instead of the American nightlife transplanted to Italy. We stayed at Space until about 2 am, then headed toward the trainstation. Our train for Bologna didn't leave until 4:30, so we hung out at McDonalds (the only place that was open) for a couple hours. The train ride back was the looongest hour and a half of my life! But we finally made it back home at around 6 this morning. Everyone promptly parted ways for home and bed! The only reason I am awake right now is because I haven't written my composition for tomorrow yet! Then I'll probably go right back to bed! It was a crazy, whirlwind day/night in Florence! It was a great experience, and I'm so glad we did it, although it certainly took a toll on everyone. Well, you only live once!
xoxo
ps. more pix & a new album!
Our "gastronomical tour" on Thursday went well. We all met in the Piazza Maggiore and then walked around that area getting a little history of that part of the city. We stopped in a pasticceria and learned about/sampled some different kinds of breads, cakes, and pastas. It was interesting, as well as delicious! We then moved on, finally ending up at Tamburini, a restaurant that we have all eaten at already--it's so good! There we had red wine, bread, six different types of coldcuts, and parmigiano reggiano. After the tour, Anne and I wandered around the city looking for rain boots. We found some inexpensive ones at Upim, a department store. Maria had me over for dinner that night. We made this really delicious casserole type dish with rice, chicken, prosciutto, tomato sauce, garlic, onions, basil, and brie and mozzarella cheeses melted on top. We can actually make a tasty meal! Later that night, we met up with everyone in Piazza Maggiore. We were planning on going to this little osteria where you just buy wine but can bring in your own food, but it was closed by the time we found it. So instead we just got gelato (of course!) and sat in the Piazza. It was a really beautiful night!
Friday we had class in the morning. It was actually sunny again, not raining! So of course I laid out on my terrace after class. I'm afraid I won't have many more days nice enough to do that. Then in the afternoon, we all had to go out to the immigration office and file our requests for our living permits. I hate bureaucracy! We were at the office for at least two hours, wasting a beautiful day. Oh well. Friday night, everyone came over to my place again, then we went out to the Celtic Druid, then Irish, both Irish pubs haha. It was a good night, although pretty relaxed.
Saturday morning we all had to be at the medieval museum at 10:30 for another culture lesson. It was pretty interesting, and thankfully not too early! Right after it was over at 12, Erin, Rodolfo, Allegra, and I left for Florence! The train ride there was only about an hour long. We spent all day there walking around and seeing the sights. We saw Santa Maria Novella, the Duomo, the Uffizi, some leather markets, the Ponte Vecchio, the Palazzo Pitti, and the Giardino di Boboli. Florence is a beautiful city, but I am glad I'm studying in Bologna instead. Florence is soooo touristy! We literally saw more Americans than Italians there. Michelle met up with us after the Giardino and we got gelato and walked around some more. We had a really nice dinner together. I forgot to take pix of my food, so sorry! But it was delicious. I had spaghetti with seafood and mushrooms in a cream sauce, and I had panna cotta with chocolate for dessert. We walked around some more, killing time till the nightlife started. We walked by the Uffizi again, and there was this guy, Ken Mercer, playing music to a crowd of people. He was really good, so we sat and listened to him. He was playing covers of Simon and Garfunkle, U2, things like that. It was so perfect to sit there in the twilight in Florence and listen to beautiful music. I even bought his CD at the end of his set. After that, we met up with some friends of Erin's who are studying in Florence. We all went to the opening of this club called Space. Which was interesting. None of us really got into it or partied because we were all too disgusted by the behavior of our fellow Americans. We have been here less than a month, and we are already such Eurosnobs! But seriously, Americans are gross. No offense to any of you! It was just so easy to see why the rest of the world hates us so much. Americans are rude, self-important, and obnoxious, and they drink way too much. This club was almost entirely Americans. Another reason I am glad I'm in Bologna. We actually get to experience the real Italian nightlife here, instead of the American nightlife transplanted to Italy. We stayed at Space until about 2 am, then headed toward the trainstation. Our train for Bologna didn't leave until 4:30, so we hung out at McDonalds (the only place that was open) for a couple hours. The train ride back was the looongest hour and a half of my life! But we finally made it back home at around 6 this morning. Everyone promptly parted ways for home and bed! The only reason I am awake right now is because I haven't written my composition for tomorrow yet! Then I'll probably go right back to bed! It was a crazy, whirlwind day/night in Florence! It was a great experience, and I'm so glad we did it, although it certainly took a toll on everyone. Well, you only live once!
xoxo
ps. more pix & a new album!
17 September 2009
Day 25!
Buon giorno! Sorry I haven't updated in a few days! I don't really know where my time goes here. We really have a lot of free time, but somehow I feel like I never get anything done. Maybe we have too much free time? I think that's possible...
So Saturday we went to Ravenna, a city in Emilia Romagna on the Adriatic coast. It is famous for its mosaics. We spent most of the day walking around the city, going from one historical site to another. It's a really nice little city. I love Bologna, but Ravenna is so much quieter and more peaceful. We went to the Battistero degli Ariani first. The focal point there was the mosaic in the middle of the ceiling of John the Baptist baptizing Jesus in the Jordan River. The old man on the left is a personification of the river, which I thought was kind of cool. Around the centerpiece are the twelve apostles and a throne for Christ.
Then we went to Sant'Appolinare Nuovo. These mosaics spanned the entire length of the church and were absolutely incredible. At the front of the church, Mary and baby Jesus are one one side with the three wisemen. On the other is Jesus and four archangels. At the back there is a scene with the city and a ship on one side and a palace on the other side. Then in between I think they are all saints or something. Anyway very cool. The three wisemen were my favorite part because they are wearing animal print leggings...
Up next was the Battistero Neoniano. The mosaic in the ceiling here was the same theme as the first one, Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist with the twelve apostles. This mosaic was much more realistic than the other one with a lot more detail. The whole building was more elaborate and the inside was simply covered in mosaics. It was really beautiful.
Next we stopped by Dante's tomb, which was cool, but not nearly as exciting as the mosaics! Really not much to say about it. We couldn't even go in, just looked from the outside. It was pretty simple.
Next up was everyone's favorite part of the day: LUNCH. We always know we will eat well when BCSP provides the food. We went to this great restaurant that had really cool architecture. We ate in what appeared to be an old converted courtyard. It felt like we were still outside because the cieling was just frosted glass. The meal was wonderful: first course was pasta filled with cheese and a delicious meat sauce; second course was a variety of delicous vegetables, warm bread, several different coldcuts including prosciutto and mortadella, and this awesome soft cheese; desert was macedonia (fresh fruit salad); and then there was caffe! So delicious!
After everyone was sufficiently stuffed, we headed for the Basilica di San Vitale. It's this amazing two-story church that is absolutely covered with mosaics. It was my favorite place because the colors were so brilliant. I'm still upset that my camera wasn't good enough to really capture the beauty there. Features there include the "Rainbow Jesus," a scene with Abraham, and I think emperor Justinian and empress Theodora.
We then went to the Mausoleo di Galla Placidia. I didn't post any pictures from there because it was way too dark to get any good ones. It was relatively boring though, having just witnessed the glory of the Basilica di San Vitale.
After that we just had free time for the rest of the day until our train left at 5:30. Sky, Maria, Erin, Alex, Anne, Allegra, and I walked around and did some window shopping/real shopping. Sky and I found a little candy stand (really Erin's nose found it) and we bought fresh marzipan. Which is almond-flavored heaven in the shape of different fruits. Wonderful.
So that was Ravenna! We all went out Saturday night, and then spent all of Sunday doing homework.
Monday was very rainy, and we had class. I went grocery shopping, not a super exciting day. My roommate was supposed to move in on Tuesday, but she STILL isn't here. I don't really understand what's going on with that. We had class and a meeting with one of the university professors on Tuesday, too. He teaches Contemporary Italian Literature, which I think is the class I'm going to take this semester. It was another gross, rainy day. That evening, we girls went over to Allegra's apartment to celebrate her finally moving in! We made hamburgers and salad. It was delicious! We went out after that, but Anne and I weren't really feeling it, so we got crepes (nutella and mascarpone for me!) and just had some girl talk. She's great! She studied abroad in Italy for her senior year of high school, so she has the scoop on how to survive/thrive in this kind of situation. She has a lot of advice and wisdom that will definitely come in handy this year. Yesterday she and I went out to lunch before our culture class. After class we all had to go the the Sala Borsa (the public library) to get our library cards. It is so beautiful there! I don't know if I will be able to study there because I'll be too distracted!
Today instead of class, we have a "gastronomical tour" of Bologna, in the words of Prof. Ricci. I'm not quite sure what that means, but it sounds good! I will, of course, let you know how it goes!
xoxo
P.S. new pixxx
So Saturday we went to Ravenna, a city in Emilia Romagna on the Adriatic coast. It is famous for its mosaics. We spent most of the day walking around the city, going from one historical site to another. It's a really nice little city. I love Bologna, but Ravenna is so much quieter and more peaceful. We went to the Battistero degli Ariani first. The focal point there was the mosaic in the middle of the ceiling of John the Baptist baptizing Jesus in the Jordan River. The old man on the left is a personification of the river, which I thought was kind of cool. Around the centerpiece are the twelve apostles and a throne for Christ.
Then we went to Sant'Appolinare Nuovo. These mosaics spanned the entire length of the church and were absolutely incredible. At the front of the church, Mary and baby Jesus are one one side with the three wisemen. On the other is Jesus and four archangels. At the back there is a scene with the city and a ship on one side and a palace on the other side. Then in between I think they are all saints or something. Anyway very cool. The three wisemen were my favorite part because they are wearing animal print leggings...
Up next was the Battistero Neoniano. The mosaic in the ceiling here was the same theme as the first one, Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist with the twelve apostles. This mosaic was much more realistic than the other one with a lot more detail. The whole building was more elaborate and the inside was simply covered in mosaics. It was really beautiful.
Next we stopped by Dante's tomb, which was cool, but not nearly as exciting as the mosaics! Really not much to say about it. We couldn't even go in, just looked from the outside. It was pretty simple.
Next up was everyone's favorite part of the day: LUNCH. We always know we will eat well when BCSP provides the food. We went to this great restaurant that had really cool architecture. We ate in what appeared to be an old converted courtyard. It felt like we were still outside because the cieling was just frosted glass. The meal was wonderful: first course was pasta filled with cheese and a delicious meat sauce; second course was a variety of delicous vegetables, warm bread, several different coldcuts including prosciutto and mortadella, and this awesome soft cheese; desert was macedonia (fresh fruit salad); and then there was caffe! So delicious!
After everyone was sufficiently stuffed, we headed for the Basilica di San Vitale. It's this amazing two-story church that is absolutely covered with mosaics. It was my favorite place because the colors were so brilliant. I'm still upset that my camera wasn't good enough to really capture the beauty there. Features there include the "Rainbow Jesus," a scene with Abraham, and I think emperor Justinian and empress Theodora.
We then went to the Mausoleo di Galla Placidia. I didn't post any pictures from there because it was way too dark to get any good ones. It was relatively boring though, having just witnessed the glory of the Basilica di San Vitale.
After that we just had free time for the rest of the day until our train left at 5:30. Sky, Maria, Erin, Alex, Anne, Allegra, and I walked around and did some window shopping/real shopping. Sky and I found a little candy stand (really Erin's nose found it) and we bought fresh marzipan. Which is almond-flavored heaven in the shape of different fruits. Wonderful.
So that was Ravenna! We all went out Saturday night, and then spent all of Sunday doing homework.
Monday was very rainy, and we had class. I went grocery shopping, not a super exciting day. My roommate was supposed to move in on Tuesday, but she STILL isn't here. I don't really understand what's going on with that. We had class and a meeting with one of the university professors on Tuesday, too. He teaches Contemporary Italian Literature, which I think is the class I'm going to take this semester. It was another gross, rainy day. That evening, we girls went over to Allegra's apartment to celebrate her finally moving in! We made hamburgers and salad. It was delicious! We went out after that, but Anne and I weren't really feeling it, so we got crepes (nutella and mascarpone for me!) and just had some girl talk. She's great! She studied abroad in Italy for her senior year of high school, so she has the scoop on how to survive/thrive in this kind of situation. She has a lot of advice and wisdom that will definitely come in handy this year. Yesterday she and I went out to lunch before our culture class. After class we all had to go the the Sala Borsa (the public library) to get our library cards. It is so beautiful there! I don't know if I will be able to study there because I'll be too distracted!
Today instead of class, we have a "gastronomical tour" of Bologna, in the words of Prof. Ricci. I'm not quite sure what that means, but it sounds good! I will, of course, let you know how it goes!
xoxo
P.S. new pixxx
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