Ok, so to update you on what I did on Saturday and today.
Saturday, March 27: We toured pretty much all of Rome and the Vatican. I SAW THE SISTINE CHAPEL! It was so cool to stand underneath Michelangelo's frescoes! We also saw the Spanish steps (and I went on about Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, and Roman Holiday), the Trevi Fountain (I threw a coin in and made a wish), the Pantheon (it was way too crowded to get in, but I caught a glimpse and got to be the nerd I am and explain everything to my friends that I learned about the Pantheon in Art History last semester - be proud, Annie), and the outside of the Colosseum (we arrived too late to go in - that's our plan for tomorrow). We also finally had gelato! YUM!
At night, we had to stay out in Rome all night because the first train to Naples was before the hostel's shuttle started running. The reception told us there'd be a bar to go nearby the train station. There really wasn't. We ended up finding a chill place with comfy couches and waited there until the train station opened up.
Sunday, March 28th: Our longest day by far. It was crazy! We got on the train at quarter to six this morning and got some sleep on the 3 hour train to Naples. After that, we grabbed breakfast (an espresso based drink included) and headed to Pompeii. I have been wanting to see Pompeii since I was in 6th grade, so it was so awesome to go! I recommend a guided tour so that you can actually understand what's going on. Plus, the tour isn't too expensive and the guides are really good (and the groups are about 6-8 people, so you can actually ask questions and pay attention). I really loved Pompeii! I also couldn't help but think of the Doctor Who episode, haha!
After Pompeii, we went back to Naples to get PIZZA! We wanted to go to the original restaurant, but it was closed. At 4 in the afternoon. After walking all day (on little sleep and food), we were a little upset. We finally found a place that was open and probably a whole lot cheaper than Pizzeria Brandi. Besides, anywhere you go in Naples, the pizza is going to be great! The dough was different - a little spongier/stretchier (I can't quite explain it), but it was great. Plus, they used buffalo mozzarella and had a great balance of sauce, bread, cheese, and toppings. All in all, I love pizza from Naples, but I don't care for the city itself. The city is a little dirty and kinda sketchy and doesn't really have a lot of attractions. Although, making a stop on the way back to Rome from Pompeii for pizza is a MUST! By far, the best pizza I have ever purchased (and you know what? I've never actually purchased a Chicago pizza nor homemade pizza, so Naples can definitely receive that title). I'm still partial to Chicago and homemade pizza, but Naples is truly fantastic. I'm so torn.
Well, we finish up our tour of Italy with some more sightseeing in Rome tomorrow and leave from Pisa early Tuesday morning. I'm pretty sure we'll see some Semana Santa events in Spain, so I'll have to fill you all in on that later.
Ciao!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
Wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy
Ok, so I'm taking advantage of the free internet at the "Rome" hostel (it's actually about half an hour away) and Ke$ha comes on with "Tik Tok" and we all stop and sing the opening, hence the title of the post.
In case you haven't guessed, I'm in Italy now. We flew into Pisa yesterday and stayed in a fabulous little hotel (it was way cheaper than the cheapest motel in the states and the quality of a 3 star hotel or so). It was quite an adventure getting there. The first bus driver directed us to the wrong bus and the second bus driver kicked us out in the middle of freaking nowhere near Pisa. Luckily, there was an open cafe with a super nice owner who not only called us a cab, but waited 10 minutes on hold. It was really frustrating, especially since no one spoke English or even Spanish, but we survived.
This morning, we went to the tower. I refused to pay the 15€ to climb up the stairs since it seemed rather unnecessary to pay that much money to climb up a bunch of stairs. I did take the touristy picture holding up the tower, though! :)
We meant to go to Florence, but fell behind schedule, and ended up just taking a train to Rome this afternoon (thank goodness, because we didn't get into Rome until 7:45, and didn't get to the hostel (after taking the Metro) until, maybe 9 PM). Sorry, statue of David, but I'll have to come back to Italy to see you.
So, moving on to Rome. We got into the train station and ended up having to take the metro out to the suburbs (which, are supposed to be like the inner-city). The metro was a little sketch, but we found the hostel, and it's actually not so bad. Plus, we ran into another girl from our program, and some other cool people on the way. I also had pizza in Italy for the first time. The crust was thin like Chicago pizza (further proving Chicago pizza's awesomeness). It was quite delicious.
I feel like I had a K.Kelles moment today. I felt very accomplished in successfully navigating the metro of a foreign city (and in a country where I don't speak the language). I don't know why I thought of K.Kelles, but I think perhaps the phrasing I thought in my head was something similar to her phrasing.
Ok, well, there's my epic adventure of attempting to navigate public transit in Italy (one succes story and one not so successful story). Stay tuned for my adventures in Rome (including the Vatican), Pompeii (I feel like we picked Pompeii over Florence, sorry Annie), and Napels!
In case you haven't guessed, I'm in Italy now. We flew into Pisa yesterday and stayed in a fabulous little hotel (it was way cheaper than the cheapest motel in the states and the quality of a 3 star hotel or so). It was quite an adventure getting there. The first bus driver directed us to the wrong bus and the second bus driver kicked us out in the middle of freaking nowhere near Pisa. Luckily, there was an open cafe with a super nice owner who not only called us a cab, but waited 10 minutes on hold. It was really frustrating, especially since no one spoke English or even Spanish, but we survived.
This morning, we went to the tower. I refused to pay the 15€ to climb up the stairs since it seemed rather unnecessary to pay that much money to climb up a bunch of stairs. I did take the touristy picture holding up the tower, though! :)
We meant to go to Florence, but fell behind schedule, and ended up just taking a train to Rome this afternoon (thank goodness, because we didn't get into Rome until 7:45, and didn't get to the hostel (after taking the Metro) until, maybe 9 PM). Sorry, statue of David, but I'll have to come back to Italy to see you.
So, moving on to Rome. We got into the train station and ended up having to take the metro out to the suburbs (which, are supposed to be like the inner-city). The metro was a little sketch, but we found the hostel, and it's actually not so bad. Plus, we ran into another girl from our program, and some other cool people on the way. I also had pizza in Italy for the first time. The crust was thin like Chicago pizza (further proving Chicago pizza's awesomeness). It was quite delicious.
I feel like I had a K.Kelles moment today. I felt very accomplished in successfully navigating the metro of a foreign city (and in a country where I don't speak the language). I don't know why I thought of K.Kelles, but I think perhaps the phrasing I thought in my head was something similar to her phrasing.
Ok, well, there's my epic adventure of attempting to navigate public transit in Italy (one succes story and one not so successful story). Stay tuned for my adventures in Rome (including the Vatican), Pompeii (I feel like we picked Pompeii over Florence, sorry Annie), and Napels!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Aula de Informatica
I´m taking advantage of my Universidad de Cordoba e-mail account and using the computer room to surf the web (without the interruption of my finicky computer). The Spanish keyboard is slightly different from the American keyboard, especially since there is an extra key for the ñ right where the semi-colon key should be. Anyway, moving on.
Last Friday, I went to Sevilla with the group. It was nice - not my favorite. The weather was beautiful, so that was a bonus. We saw another cathedral and just chilled in the city. I did enjoy going to the Plaza de España. A bunch of cities have mosaics in the plaza. We definitely went to the Cordoba one to take pictures.
Ok, off to the other computer to print off my boarding pass for ITALY!!!!! Tomorrow, I leave from Sevilla to Pisa. I will update you all on my Semana Santa vacations after Easter!
Last Friday, I went to Sevilla with the group. It was nice - not my favorite. The weather was beautiful, so that was a bonus. We saw another cathedral and just chilled in the city. I did enjoy going to the Plaza de España. A bunch of cities have mosaics in the plaza. We definitely went to the Cordoba one to take pictures.
Ok, off to the other computer to print off my boarding pass for ITALY!!!!! Tomorrow, I leave from Sevilla to Pisa. I will update you all on my Semana Santa vacations after Easter!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Que pasa, calabasa?
So, I just realized that it has been almost a month since I last posted. Oops. For those of you who don't know, I've been having some computer issues, and thus have not been posting much (in fact, this is my second attempt at posting this one). Anyway, I'm hoping to get better at updating my blog.
I finally have a class schedule (we didn't do final registration until March 3rd - talk about being different than Wellesley). With the program, I'm taking a class on image, gender, and sexuality in contemporary Spanish cinema (AKA, watching a lot of Almodovar films), a class on the history of Islam (with special attention to Andalucia), a comparative politics course on the political institutions of Spain and the United States. As a part of the program, I have to take at least one course of "direct matriculation" into the University of Cordoba. For that course, I am taking a course at the Facultad de Derecho (which I guess would be the school of laws/rights) on the Spanish constitution. I don't have class on Fridays, which is fabulous (although, I get really confused during the weekend because I'm not used to having 3 days).
This past month has mostly been me settling in, picking my courses, and finally having a regular schedule (of course, I didn't get this regular schedule until all of my friends in the states were heading into mid-terms, haha).
I've also started taking Sevillanas, which is a lot of fun. I can't wait to dance it at Feria in May! I've also been taking the cooking courses when they're offered. The classes aren't quite what I thought - a lot more watching than actual doing. I'd prefer to learn how to cook by doing. Oh well, at least I have recipes for a lot of Spanish food (and we go to a restaurant after class to try everything that we learned how to cook in class, so I guess I can't complain if they want to feed me).
I have also been watching A TON of TV in Spanish (American movies and TV series, Bob Esponja [Spongebob Squarepants], etc.). I actually watch a lot of American series here that I don't watch at home because it's difficult for me to watch my favorite series (I keep wanting to hear the original actors' voices). I did watch The Sound of Music the other day - that was pretty great. In the song, "Do-Re-Mi," my favorite Spanish line was "Fa es lejos en ingles" (Fa is "far" in English).
Yes, so, that's about all. I'm going to Sevilla next week, and Italy the week after (I'm going to Rome and Pisa for spring break & I'm going to be in Spain for part of Holy Week. I'm really excited!). We also have a trip planned to Granada in April and there are a ton of festivals coming up in May. I can't believe I've already been in Spain for 1.5 months and I've been in Cordoba for a little over a month (and only have about 2.5 months left)!
Hasta luego!
I finally have a class schedule (we didn't do final registration until March 3rd - talk about being different than Wellesley). With the program, I'm taking a class on image, gender, and sexuality in contemporary Spanish cinema (AKA, watching a lot of Almodovar films), a class on the history of Islam (with special attention to Andalucia), a comparative politics course on the political institutions of Spain and the United States. As a part of the program, I have to take at least one course of "direct matriculation" into the University of Cordoba. For that course, I am taking a course at the Facultad de Derecho (which I guess would be the school of laws/rights) on the Spanish constitution. I don't have class on Fridays, which is fabulous (although, I get really confused during the weekend because I'm not used to having 3 days).
This past month has mostly been me settling in, picking my courses, and finally having a regular schedule (of course, I didn't get this regular schedule until all of my friends in the states were heading into mid-terms, haha).
I've also started taking Sevillanas, which is a lot of fun. I can't wait to dance it at Feria in May! I've also been taking the cooking courses when they're offered. The classes aren't quite what I thought - a lot more watching than actual doing. I'd prefer to learn how to cook by doing. Oh well, at least I have recipes for a lot of Spanish food (and we go to a restaurant after class to try everything that we learned how to cook in class, so I guess I can't complain if they want to feed me).
I have also been watching A TON of TV in Spanish (American movies and TV series, Bob Esponja [Spongebob Squarepants], etc.). I actually watch a lot of American series here that I don't watch at home because it's difficult for me to watch my favorite series (I keep wanting to hear the original actors' voices). I did watch The Sound of Music the other day - that was pretty great. In the song, "Do-Re-Mi," my favorite Spanish line was "Fa es lejos en ingles" (Fa is "far" in English).
Yes, so, that's about all. I'm going to Sevilla next week, and Italy the week after (I'm going to Rome and Pisa for spring break & I'm going to be in Spain for part of Holy Week. I'm really excited!). We also have a trip planned to Granada in April and there are a ton of festivals coming up in May. I can't believe I've already been in Spain for 1.5 months and I've been in Cordoba for a little over a month (and only have about 2.5 months left)!
Hasta luego!
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