Well, it's official!

As of five minutes ago, my travel-companion (Claudia) and I finally have all of our plane tickets booked for our trip in May! It's nice to have that checked off the list, but there's still so many things to do! We have to:

-Book hostels (we have them all picked out, now we just have to punch the numbers into hostelworld and make sure we have a room reserved)
-Finalize train times and travel directions to/from planes, trains, and hostels (least fun, by far)
-Research what sorts of fun things we can do, see, and eat in each of the 10 (!) cities we'll be visiting (most fun, by far)
-Send couchsurfing requests to hosts in the Italian cities we're visiting (we're hoping to stay with Italian people so that we can experience Italian culture from different areas as well as have a chance to practice the language)
-Print out boarding passes, itineraries, etc!

...Oh yeah, and study for finals somewhere in there :)

And in case you are curious, our official city-list is (in order):
Venice, Verona, Milan, Amsterdam, London, Bath, Bristol, Dublin, Nice, and Sicily

Whoopie!

Life is Busy

Just a quick update:

Man oh man has this week been BUSY! Time in Rome is running out and I find myself with more and more to do. Between final papers and projects for classes, last minute sight-seeing, and planning my trip for after finals, I feel like I barely have time to blink! I'm loving it though, and I feel like I am definitely making the most of my time abroad :)

This weekend, I have two all-day sight visits with two of my classes (one is to Garbatella - the modern "suburbs" of Rome for my urban history classes and the other is to the Roman Mosque for my Nation and Identity class). Even though they are for classes, it will be a nice way to see some unique things about Rome.

The big news though? On Sunday, I'm going to Easter mass at the Vatican! Even though I am not religious, I feel that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I cannot wait to see how the day will be. I am already anticipating crowds to rival the most lively of rock concerts as well as a warm sunny day that will require the copious use of sunscreen (15 euro for 100ml... don't even get me started).

Time to finish some homework, but I'll try to post again soon, especially Sunday evening after mass!

What I did today:

Today was Friday, and that means I had plenty of free time to explore Rome! Here's a quick run-down of what I did (I'll post pictures in a separate post in a few days, so just bear with me for now):

-Viewed the remains of the Ancient Aquaduct Appia (it was so deep! I can't imagine what it would have been like with water in it)
-Saw the apartment where Gregory Peck's character lived from Roman Holiday. (This sight required some stealthy doorbell ringing in order to get into the courtyard - I felt like a tourist ninja.)
-Iced tea in a cafe that had dozens of life-size sculptures all around the bar. It was so beautiful to drink tea amidst so many statues!
-Climbed castel san'angelo and saw a great view of Rome. The castle was free today, so I took advantage of it!

But the best part? My friend Claudia told me about this library she visited in class. We went at noon, but they told us to come back at 3. I wasn't so sure that any library would be worth that wait, but I'm SO glad we went back at three. Why? because at 3, we were greeted by a personal tour guide who led us into this room:

My jaw literally dropped open and I felt like Belle from Beauty and the Beast when he presented his library to her.

I got the chills because of how beautiful all of the books were and how perfectly the natural sunlight entered the room - not too much, but enough to read by and illuminate the splendor of the volumes.

The woman who was guiding us told us a lot about the library's history, and internally I was just marveling at the fact that I was having a private tour of what certainly must be one of the most beautiful libraries in Rome, and it was absolutely FREE! This is the kind of thing I wish I could do in all of the cities I visit - it's touristy and culture specific, but also very much off the beaten and and SO much cooler because of it. That's one of the advantages to being able to spend 4 months in a country, I suppose!

Last Day in Paris: Smiles and Heartache

On my last full day in Paris, I wrote little blurbs to myself throughout the day, so I will type those up here (hence the use of the present-tense):

Said goodbye to Yannick in the morning and then got an amazing honey croissant at a bakery nearby. We sat in a small park to eat and it was absolutely wonderful. Then, after getting confused in the train station, we finally started our journey to Versailles. Upon arriving we met Susan (a friend from Rome who happened to be in Paris, too) and got Starbucks. As much as I love black coffee and cappucini, it felt nice to indulge in the Americanness of a sugary white mocha (mocha blanc). We arrived at the palace and we're greeted by incredibly long lines, but after a few moments of dismay, we realized that the gardens are free!



Upon first sighting the gardens, my mind was blown - the greenery was boundless and beautiful in every direction! At first I was overwhelmed because there were too many directions to pick from, but I just closed my eyes and pointed. After wandering through dozens of meters of sleeping forests, we found ourselves at a glade with a pristine lawn and gorgeous colorful flowers.



I smiled in spite of myself. Eventually we wandered to a central area and I saw a bike rental stand! I hadn't intended to bike in Versailles, but the weather was so wonderful that I decided to pay the 1,60 euro/15 minutes and indulge in something that I've been sorely missing in Rome.



While my companions decided not to join me, my 30 minute ride was one of pure bliss and joy. Sunglasses on, coat off, wind in my hair, and sweat on my brow; I loved flying by images of serene woods, swans on the water, and families picnicking on the glade. I had been yearning for a Parisian life like nothing I've ever felt before, and this single moment of beauty and clarity made me realize it all the more. I can picture myself here, and not just short-term.





The rest of Versailles was also beautiful (Marie Antoinette's fake village was quaint and cute - I felt as if I had stepped into a French village).



The only part I didn't really care for was the palace itself, mostly because it was so crowded, but the gardens made everything worth it. Now, I am sitting in Amalie's coffee shop having an adventure by myself in Montmartre - time to go see what else Paris has in store!





(Cafe Amelie)

Part 2:
Nothing in Paris goes according to plan. This city has made me more frustrated than I've felt in a very long time. And yet... the inexplicable magic of this city has captivated me in a way that will never let go. Just now, my grand plan for a magical afternoon alone in Montmartre was shattered into tiny little pieces. I did successfully get coffee in Cafe Amalie, but afterward when I went to get a crepe from the alleged "best creperie in Paris", it was closed. I was disappointed, but I had other delights planned to I wasn't too upset. I then headed to the region's cemetary, which was beautiful and unlike anything I had seen before, but just as I was arriving the closing bells rang and the gates closed.

By this point, I was frustrated. This city makes it so hard to love with the poorly signed exits and the many disappointments, but as I sat in this local neighborhood watching families go by and being surrounded by greenery, I'm eating macaroons and I'm loving life. Everything about this city just evokes the best emotions in me, and even though it's most likely going to end in heart break, I can't help but fall in love.

As crazy as it seems, I really do want to come back and Au Pair here when I graduate. My only fear is that I have so many desires for after college that I just can't fathom how I'm going to make them all fit it. Maybe it's my brain's way of subconciously trying to never grow up, but I just don't know how I'll be able to life my life if I know I haven't lived all my dreams.

While education is a passion of mine, having it set on the back burner this semester has helped me discover what I really value in life. Now the only challenge is finding a way to sustain myself on what my passions are. I feel like I'm running out of time to make the important choices, but I hope that just like everything in else in my life thus far it will work out for the best. For now, I will say my heart-wrenching goodbye to Paris and vow to my new love that I will return someday.

Paris Day 4: Louvre Madness

Bright and early we booked it to the Louvre (after a quick and AMAZING apple confit pastry, of course). Being savvy about the entrances (there are two), we made it to the front of the line in a flash AND got in for free because we're students. It was awesome.



Right away we went to go see Mona Lisa, because I had a feeling that later in the day the viewing room would be even more packed. Channeling our inner-Italians, we elbowed our way past all of the little old ladies and seemingly unaggressive Asian tourists (don't let it fool you - they are the champions of shoving to the front of the line - it gets me every time) and got a prime spot right at the front of the barricade.

I stuck my head in the frame just to prove I was actually there and then we sped out of the chaotic room at light speed. In all honesty people told me to be prepared for disappointment when seeing the Mona Lisa, but I was quite pleased. Yes it is a small picture, but it's also quite beautiful. My only complaint was that it was behind 3 inches of bulletproof, fireproof, moistureproof plexiglass so any intimate connection with the painting was entirely impossible. Oh well.



What I loved about the Louvre was that even the most trivial of objects that would have been completely mundane in other museums were so perfect and beautiful in the Louvre collection that you couldn't help but stop and look anyway. I spent a good 20 minutes looking at Greek pottery alone. It's a good thing we went into the museum with a game plan, otherwise we never would have been able to see everything that we wanted to.



At the top of my "To See" list was The Code of Hammurabi" because I studied it in a class at Berkeley. When I finally saw it in person, I geeked OUT. I was so stoked by being in the presence of such an important (and beautiful) text that I literally got giddy. No shame.





When I stumbled upon the Mesopotamian Lamasu courtyard, I giggled with glee and then proceeded to run around the plaza pointing things out to Laurie. I was like a kid in a candy shop - each way I turned I saw something even more amazing! I think that this section of the museum was my favorite, perhaps because I had studied the pieces in class so I recognized a great deal of them. It was pretty exciting, let me tell you.



Of course, all good thing come to an end, and after viewing this gorgeous blue tile mosaic, Laurie and I decided that we were Louvred out and wanted to go unwind with a nice cup of coffee somewhere.

Then the Louvre decided to turn nasty.

We tried and tried and TRIED to reach an exit, but it was as if the museum wanted to keep us trapped in there forever! We found ourselves inadvertently walking in circles (we wound up in front of a sphinx more times than should ever be allowed) for half an hour. Mind you, Laurie and I are both very capable and intelligent Berkeley students, so unless we missed a map insert with clearer instructions, I pity the patrons less adept than ourselves. They might still be in the Louvre.

Anyway, after breaking into near hysterics, we finally found our break: a couple ahead of us had accidentally pushed open an emergency exit door. I knew it lead to a stairwell, so without even thinking I said to Laurie, "GO GO GO!" And we pushed our way through the alarming door.

We finally escaped, and I was beyond mentally and physically exhausted (do you know how many flights of stairs we climbed over and over again trying to get out of that place? too many.).

All throughout my time in Europe, I have scoffed at the presence of American chains such as McDonalds and Starbucks, but after such an ordeal, the only thing in the entire world that I wanted was a freaking Starbucks frappuccino. They don't have starbucks in Italy, so when I sipped my first frozen, mocha sip, sitting in a coffee shop flooded with American music and paraphernalia in the Starbucks near the Louvre, I was in heaven. I enjoyed those 15 minutes of sellout-Americanness more than I care to admit, but there you have it - I guess I am an American at heart.



Anyway, after the Louvre ordeal, we met our couchsurfing host for a boat tour of the Paris river. It was a nice change of pace from all of the walking I had been doing, and seeing the beautiful river on such a nice and warm day was just perfect. To top it off, I got this great shot of the Eiffel Tower!







In the evening, we decided to wait for the Eiffel Tower light show to start, and while we were waiting we snapped some gorgeous pictures of the Eiffel Tower and Arch de Triumph at sunset. I think it's proof that Paris makes everything better - even the sunset is more amazing than usual :)



The tower at night is really a sight to see. A beacon of glowing lights shining up from a bluish-black canvas is indescribable even in the best of pictures. Then it starts to sparkle. Every hour on the hour for 5 minutes, the tower sparkles like a strobe light. It wasn't what I was expecting, but it was still absolutely spectacular! I sat picnicking in the grass by the tower, eating some delicious French bread and drinking some French red wine and just enjoyed the evening around me.



Funnily enough, while we were watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle, we met a group of American students who were sitting next to us in the grass. As we introduced ourselves and made small talk, we learned that they were studying in Rome as well! Even more than that, they were studying at the school across the hall from ours! Small world, right? It was a nice way to end the evening, and I went to sleep with a smile on my face for how wonderful the day had been (despite the labyrinthine Louvre).

Paris Day 3 (Part 2)

Paris Walking Tour:
After lunch, we had a tour to catch. It was conducted by the same group that did the Madrid tour we enjoyed so much, so we really wanted to give it a shot. Only problem? We had SO much time finding the starting point! We were really worried we wouldn't find it, but in the end, it worked out just fine.

The tour itself was wonderful, and even though I didn't take that many pictures on the actual tour because I had seen a lot of the sights already, the information our tourguide shared with us was great (and I've tried to intersperse it with the proper pictures in other posts).



We did see the Louvre pyramid for the first time, though, so I enjoyed getting a picture with it! Fun fact: Some of the windows of the Louvre complex (not the pyramid) have orange dots in the panes. Apparently, these windows are the only ones firefighters are allowed to break during a fire, otherwise they get fined. I'm glad I'm not a firefighter in Paris!





The weather was beautiful, and after our tour finished, we were going to head to a second tour (I'm such a good tourist). On the way to the starting location in Montmartre, we passed the Eiffel Tower (again). Despite the dozens of pictures I took of the tower, every single time I saw it I got a smile on my face because it was so pretty and it seemed so surreal.

Montmartre:


Montmartre is a district of Paris that is atop a large hill, and it has a great personality because it's a lot more residential than the rest of the city. This is also where the infamous Moulin Rouge is! I didn't go inside, but it was fun to take pictures out in front, especially because I got to stand on this huge air vent that made me feel like a more modest Marilyn Monroe.



We also spotted this awesome shiny apple, so of course we took an artsy shot! While waiting for the tour to start, I also spotted this crepe hut that had a HUGE line. I vowed to go back and have one later. My instincts turned out to be good, because our tour guide pointed to the hut once the tour started and said they had the best crepes in Paris.





Once the tour started, we began heading up the Montmartre mountain. Luckily we stopped often to hear stories, because otherwise I think we would have all been very out of breath! One of the first stops we made was at an apartment where Vincent VanGogh used to study. It was cool to see how the famous artist used to live as well as hear his story. (Apparently, he liked to eat paint. His favorite color to munch on? Yellow.)



Next I saw the last-standing windmill in Paris. Since up until this point, I hadn't seen many windmills in my life unless they were on a minigolf course, I was pretty stoked. (My mind would be blown when I got to Belgium.)



The place we were meandering to was the Sacre-Coeur church at the top of the hill, and all the while there was an increasingly beautiful view of the the church peaking out through the streets. The tour was in the evening, so the daylight was beginning to fade, and it brought out a sense of magic along with it (but it also made it harder to take pictures - bummer).



We saw a cafe that Van Gogh liked to freqent. Also very cool (and super cute! I want to drink coffee there!).



Right near Van Gogh's cafe, there was a restaurant that Picasso liked to dine at. The story goes that because he was so poor, he offered to paint a picture on the side of the building to pay for his meals. Now the lucky owners have a Picasso mural outside!



Our Paris couch-surfing host helped teach us a lot about regional French wines, and before this I hadn't realized that a part of the interesting thing about wine is that where it is from helps tell its story. This is a picture of the only vineyard remaining on Montmartre. Apparently the wine is absolutely horrendous, but because it is a rarity, collectors will pay an arm and a leg for the Montmartre label. Go figure!



This has to be my absolute favorite photograph of mine. My camera just decided to be astoundingly cooperative in the fading light, and I got this gorgeous shot of the back side of the Sacre-Coeur. It was a moment where I was glad to have a tourguide, because he showed us the backside that tourists don't often get to see, but is much prettier than the front!



Our tour stopped at the church to go inside for a few minutes and take a break. The interior of the church was gorgeous because there were intricate mosaics everywhere. The view outside, however, was even better. Night had fallen, and from our vantage point I could see the small twinkling lights of the city below me. It was warm out with a nice breeze and there was a singer performing on the church steps, and it was really just a perfect moment.



The last stop of the tour was the Artist's Square on the mountain, and this is where aspiring artists gather to sell their works. It was really cute, and it was also interesting to see that the legacy of Montmartre being an artist's quarter still exists (Picasso and Van Gogh would be proud). Our tour ended with a glass of wine, and because this was the artist's district, our guide said there were a lot of great but reasonably priced restaurants around.

French Dining:

Laurie and I found a suitable restaurant with a cozy-looking interior and a cheap but delicious menu, so in we went!

First up was the appetizer: pesto mussels!

I've been trying to develop a liking for seafood, and I'm happy to say that I thought these mussels were absolutely delicious!

Next was my entree: steak with steak-cut fries. Not as good as bistecca in Florence, but I don't think anything ever will be (sigh...). Still quite good though! And I loved having french fries.

I have to say that the highlight of the meal for me though was definitely my FLAMING creme brulee! I was so shocked when it arrived at the table still on fire that at first I looked around for a fire extinguisher. Then I mentally panicked, because I wasn't sure if I was supposed to wait for it to stop flaming or what (don't worry, I didn't dig in until the flames subsided). It was very interesting to see the sugar caramelizing before my eyes, and when I finally got to crack in to the crispy crust, it was sooooo good. I was stuffed when I finished my meal, but it was worth it!

After that, we headed back to our host's apartment and had a well-deserved night's sleep! And the next day was the impending "Louvre Day", so we needed to stock up on as much energy as we could!

Beautiful Weather, Bummed Mood

Note: This post is mostly a way for me to vent, so if you prefer my posts with pictures and interesting stories about my adventures, please feel free to skip this one.

This song makes me homesick. I've been listening to it on endless repeat.

While I am enjoying Rome and I am really excited for my travel plans once school ends (I'm traveling by rail around Europe for 3 1/2 weeks), I've just been feeling really disconnected. My program here has allowed me to meet many great people and make several good friends, but recently several little things have all added up to leave me feeling sad.

Maybe it's the changing weather, maybe it's that a large chunk of my heart is still in Paris and Rome has lost some its charm as a result, and maybe I just really am craving a talk with someone that I can just my complete self around. I think it's a little of all three.

In any case, I hope that this melancholic state I find myself in ends soon, because there is so much to be grateful for. The weather in Rome this week has been absolutely BEAUTIFUL. At this very moment I am wearing shorts and a short sleeved shirt, typing on the patio outside of my apartment, enjoying the light Italian breeze and muted sound of cars on the street, and while this should be a perfect, picturesque moment, I still can't help but feel down.

However, one thing that I did appreciate today was a walk to the Vatican with a girl from my Italian class. After a cappuccino at the cafe near school, we went in search of the Vatican post office to buy stamps for postcards (we heard rumor that stamps there were cheaper than stamps from Rome - not the case, but it was worth a shot). Through our conversation, it came out that we were both feeling in a funk, and our funks were induced for similar reasons. By venting about these issues to a sympathetic ear, I think we both walked away feeling a little better. Even though I'm still not my usual, optimistic self at the present, I think that if I keep in mind that everyone is probably feeling this way to a certain degree and that this too shall pass, I'll be back on my way to smiling.

In the meantime, I think I'll go for a run. I went running on Friday morning, and I felt so free. My adrenaline was pumping, my music was blasting, and my pace was sustainable to the point that when my friend wanted to turn back, I was disappointed that I couldn't keep going. Hopefully if I go out by myself I'll be able to keep an even pace (my friend really helped me not burn myself out too early) as well as avoid the mobs of tourists that are bound to be out and about at 4pm on a Monday (they aren't such a problem at 7am).

After my run, I'll try to post some more about Paris so that you can understand why exactly a part of my heart is still there. I'm hoping to catch up on all of my blogging before I have too many new grand adventures!