Backpacking June21st-July 2nd

June 20th   Paris-->Amsterdam

It was sad departing with my parents in Paris because we were both nervous, anxious, and ready to start backpacking. Our first stop on our trip was Amsterdam. We took all the metros to get to the train station--got on the right train--and successfully made it into the city center. The only thing is we didn’t know how to get to our hostel. We find out that we have to get on tram #1 and headed for the #1 marked track. Little did we know about 15 minutes in that we were on train #12. That was a rocky first start but we quickly found the right train and made it to our hostel. Opening the front door to the hostel and seeing 60 steps to go up is a backpackers worst nightmare but we made it up and checked in. They didn’t accept credit cards so I had to use all my cash that my parents JUST gave me to pay for the hostel leaving me broke. our hostel, needless to say, was pretty gross. We shared a room with 6 other people. Three of them being guys and a old lady. It was quite the party. That day we went into the main square and had lunch at “Bulldog” which turned out to be a really nice hostel, and continued to eat there again on our trip it was that good. Tired from traveling we walked around, rented bikes for a bit and decided to call it a night because neither of us could keep our eyes open. 

June 21st 

I woke up that morning hoping my parents thought of me as soon as they got home and put money in my account. No luck. Thank god Molly had plenty of cash to spot me. We went shopping for the day, went to the Anne Frank house, the Heineken factory, and the “I am Amsterdam” sign. We had a busy day but had to because we were off to London the next day. The Anne Frank house was surreal seeing the actual place where she was held for years. That book is the next on my list to read. The Heineken factory officially turned me into a Heineken lover. It is really going to be hard returning to the states and not being able to drink until December :(. But the tour was really interesting finding out that the beer over here is way more natural because the United States add preservatives. That night we decided to go to a bar that was completely made out of ice. It was probably the coolest thing I have ever seen but it was so cold in there we had to wear full on snow gear so that was kind of odd. Being at the bar is when I realized I didn’t have my wallet :O I was sure it was at the hostel--but when we got there it wasn’t there and I had a minor panic attack. We went back to the restaurant, “The Bulldog” and it wasn’t there, losing hope I started o call my mom to start canceling my credit cards. She convinced me to call the reatuarant one more time, when I did it turns out that they did have it. Crisis Averted. Life was good. After that we decided to go straight to bed so we can get up early to head for London.

June 23rd  Amsterdam--> London

We arrived to the London Airport and had to take a train to the bus that we took for an hour then that dropped us off at the tube. We from there had to take the Tube that eventually landed us a block from the hostel. When we finally got to the hostel we got so excited. This hostel was a recommendation my one of the girls in the house so I had high hopes. Walking in, the 24 hour bar on the first floor was a great first impression. The rooms were a bit bigger, and the bathrooms were an upgrade. Getting there in the middle of the afternoon, we decided to do the bus on-off tours which really shows you the city if your there for a short period of time. Getting a feel for the city, and falling asleep to the sound of the tour guide, we went home showered ( which was MUCH needed) and went out to dinner. When we returned we decided to stay down in the bar for a little bit. The bar is open to the public until 11pm then it remains open for only the residents of the hostel. This is the night we met a lot of our friends. About 9 guys were there for a convention in London for their paint balling company. Not only did I meet these guys but also alot of the people that work with them that decided to come for happy hour at our hostel. I met people from Poland, Wales, and even South Africa! It was so cool meeting the people that we did. This is also the time that we met Andrew. Andrew is from Pennsylavania but moved out to Los Angeles to work for Sony Pictures. He just recently quit and decided to go backpacking by himself so he decided to tag along with us. 

June 24th

Andrew, Molly, and I all started off the day at the London Tower...after eating fish and chips for lunch that was so good!. This is where the Kings and Queens once lived before Buckingham Palace. Here we saw the torture chambers, crown of jewels taht almost look fake they are worth so much, and learned about how people lived back then. This is the day we took a boat tour that was a package with our on and off bus tour and got pictures in front a big ben. Successful Day! 

June 25th

Molly and I went to the Piccadilly market and decided to meet up Andrew at the square for lunch. Little did we know there was a Jesus fest going on--we had entertainment while we ate. We went into the Musuem that is located there and looked at art. I was not having it due to the louve, orsay, vatican, and all the other grand museums I have seen. This one just didn’t do any justice but Andrew was loving life there. We walked to Buckingham Palace from there and saw where the queen lives, snapped some shots, then peaced. After having a hearty Subway dinner we went to the green man for happy hour and then never left. It was sad leaving Andrew, who became such a good friend, and all the other people at the hostel...until we found out that half of them lived in Dublin! With no phone we made tenative plans to hang out.

June 26th  London--> Dublin

Having a late start in the morning--it did not start of the travel day good. We lugged our back packs all the way to the tube and the tube never came...Cutting it close to the departure time we decided a taxi would be best. We told the taxi driver to put the pedal to the medal and get going! He got us there in like 8 minutes and we threw money at him and darted for the train station. We bareley made our train but we made it. We took a train to Holy, Head then had to take a fairy to Dublin’s port, then take a bus from there to the city center, then a taxi to our hostel. This trip took from 11:15 am- 7:45pm at night. I was a little worried about this hostel because like Amsterdam’s, this hostel was in perfect location, and. cheap. We got there and this hostel was very contemporary and perfect. Located right in the middle of Trinity College and Temple bar a.k.a like the best location. Room for 8 people but this one had its OWN bathroom. I about cried for joy when I saw this one. Sooo tired from the trip in we had dinner then went right to bed. 

June 27th 

We woke up early and decided to do the on/off bus around Dublin. Here we got off at Christs church, St. Patricks basilica, and the Dublin Castle. After we did the sight seeing all day, we made an appearance at Doyle’s bar. After buying some souvenirs, we were walking home and ran into our friends from the London hostel on the street. What a small world. He invited us over to dinner to their “mansion” for dinner, we accepted but were a little skeptical was his definitions of a mansion was. Their house is owned about their paint balling company and actually was REALLY nice. We had dinner there, and had a few drinks and headed home. One of them played a guitar so we sat outside and listened to him play on their patio that overlooks their golf-course. They are cool kids and will be my excuse to come back and visit Ireland again in the future :)!

June 28

This is the day where we did everything that we didn’t get a chance to do. Because we did the Heineken tour in Amsterdam, we decided to do Jameson whiskey tour over Guinness so we get a different setting. Here we met a guy that lives in Manhattan, and went to West Point traveling alone. He was so nice but considering we don’t have a phone--never saw him again. We shopped around O’Connel street and this is where we ran into our paint balling buddies selling on the street. They were so funny and the people loved them. They would say things like “Ever wanted to have a chance to shoot an ex-boyfriend? Now you can!” It was enjoyable watching them. We had dinner at Elephant Castle in Templebar where we had 25 wings! Being in Ireland 5 years ago, I remember the food being a lot better this time around. I think being in the city center had a lot to do with it. We really couldn’t do anything this night because our shuttle for the airport was at 3:30 am. Never book a 6:15am flight. Awful choice on our part. Our plan was at 6:40am which put us in Barcelona at about 10am. Then we had to take a train that took us to the metro. I found that trains are a lot better choice in the long run. They are longer than planes but from a train station you can catch a taxi where an airport can be more than an hour away from the city. Anyways, by the time we reached our hostel it was about 1pm. This time we splurged and got a room to our selves with our very own bathroom. It was so nice. By the end of the trip we were not happy about sharing and locking our luggage every night. We did not do much this day due to the colds we both got and just needed a rest. We had a very nice dinner but that was about it for this day.

June 30

We went into the city and did yet another bus tour to see the city of Barcelona. Some how we ended up at a mall by the beach but I wasn’t complaining. After seeing the rest of the city, we went home, changed, and went out for a nice dinner. After we returned to our hostel we met more people staying that were really nice and hung with them for a while until we were tired then we headed to bed.

July 1st

We woke up, went to breakfast which consisted of toast and cereal, what all hostels serve, and sat with out new friends. They were from Germany, Amsterdam, and Denmark. We made plans to go to the beach and spent all day there. It was beautiful. There was a breeze, it was nice and hot, and we just listened to the Denmark guy, Paul play music all day long......well until 3:00pm, the time we had to head back to the hostel to get our things and catch our flight :( We had to take a bus to the Airport in which we made successfully and hopped on a flight from Barcelona to Rome where we had to fly out due to our Study Abroad agreement. 

July 2nd

I am currently sitting here at the 24 hour bakery writing this whole blog because I didn’t have time to do it during the trip. We flew from Barcelona at 7:00pm- Rome 9:00pm. Now we are pulling an all-nighter so we will be able to sleep on our 10am 10 hour flight back home to Chicago. I want to go to bed so bed right now, but I know I will regret it so we are trying the best we can to stay awake. I can’t wait to land in O’Hare and Mom and Dad and finally get to turn on my phone!! The little joys in life. 

A taxi driver in Dublin told me this and it is so true: Traveling is a joy but at the end of the day there’s no place like home. 

Things that I have learned while backpacking:

It’s great having smaller groups--you make more friends. I was in Rome for way longer and never made as many friends as I did when I was in a city for only two days. Even with my parents you never really get to know people on a level where they will join you in your plans for the next day.

Hostels--I will always ALWAYS get a room for only the number of people that I am traveling with. I am done dealing with rude people shhing me when I am trying to pack in the dark for my 3:30 am shuttle to the airport. I will only stay in a hostel again if I can’t afford a hotel. 

The love of pop--All over Europe that have Coke, Coke-Light, Fanta, or Sprite. I like the United States for the 2394080 types of pop they have on any given day for any mood that your in. I miss mountain dew and expect mom and dad to bring me a case when they pick me up from the air port. 

The love of cats--They are everywhere! I loved it. When I was eating in Amsterdam a cat came up and sat on the chair next to me. I was in heaven. 

Coffee--In hostels the lack of (they only had instant. ew) and the little cups that are served everywhere that cost so much. 

The amount of traveling that I want to do still int he future. I want to go everywhere! Meeting these people and hearing about their country just makes me want to go!

How much I hate public transportation with a backpack. Having a humungous backpack is bad enough but  hitting people on the buses, and metros is not fun.

June 12-20

June 12th  Rome--> Florence
It was my first time being out of Rome and I was excited to see what other parts in Italy were like. We boarded our train and headed to Florence. The train system was really easy to figure out but the most annyoing thing is is traveling with luggage. They expect us to lift our huge suitcases over our heads in a little compartment. Other than that the train ride went quite smoothly. When we get there, we were feeling a bit confident and decided to walk to our hotel rather than taking a taxi. After being lost for an hour we hopped in a taxi and he took us about a block to our hotel--fail. On top of us being lost the handle to the suitcase broke during the bumps and distance that we put it through. So now it is real fun lugging that thing around. We went to the Uffizi galleria which had Dvinchi paintings and paintings that I have only seen in text books so it was pretty cool standing in front of them. We had our Rick Steves download on our Ipods that really saved us and we listened through the tour at our own pace. Next we went to the Accodamia which hold the famous "David" sculpture that Michaelangilo is famous for creating. There were no photographs available so that was unfortunate but there was a replica available outside for pictures. The was probably one of the coolest things that I have ever seen. Oh wait, no it's not seeing Jersey Shore that day was! I was just shopping minding my own business and dad waves me to come. Little did I know Vinny and Pauly D would be standing there using the ATM right in front of us. Needless to say that made my day, week, year!! That night we went out for dinner and ate pasta and drank wine the waiter even gave us free shots of Limoncello(Italy's version of Everclear). Mom and Dad were troopers and tried it but didn't love it, I wanted more. We walked around then called it a day.

June 13th Florence--Venice
We woke up and headed for the Duomo early in the morning. While being there I ran into a boy, Colin, that was in my Rome program just got to Florence and said he was headed for Venice the next day. We were headed for Venice that day so we hoped to meet up. After the Duomo we went shopping down a market that lasted for miles. This is where I got some gifts :) We had lunch then boarded the train to Venice. When the ticket man came around to check tickets we didn't have a date filled in and got fined 50 euro. Italians have no hearts. The couple a-crossed from us had the same problem so Dad and his new friend went and complained but they didn't do anything about it unfortunately. To my surprise Venice was an island. We had to take a bus which was a boat to the section of the island our hotel is on. Hauling all our luggage trying to find the hotel--it starts pouring. In Venice cars are not allowed, bikes, scooters, nothing. The "streets" are more like alleys. It is very easy to get lost and to make it worse there are bridges all over where you have to go up and down steps numerous times. Definitely not luggage friendly. When finally finding our hotel were happy campers. We went and found somewhere to eat, checked out St. Mark's square then went to bed.

June 14th
We get up early to go to St. Marks Cathedral and the palace. We shopped around all the shops which I purchased a necklace made of color glass which is what Venice is known for then went to a nice dinner outside that included a bottle of wine. Mom says I'm becoming her little drinking buddy :) Me and Colin meet up to go get a couple a drinks along with his little brother ..it being his first time being in a bar. We stayed until bar close..which was 12:30am but mom was happy I was home so early. Now I am starting my online class which is a bummer but it is not too stressful.

June 15th Venice--Munich
We had a 9am train to catch to Munich so we were up and out of our hotel bright and early in the morning. Everything went smoothly except for one thing, when we had to switch trains in Verona, the train that we boarded had problems with their first class. They doors to the outside didn't work, which was known in Italy but once we crossed Austria they did not like that. Policemen and people who were in uniform were pacing back and forth and were making us feel very uneasy considering we ditched our first-class seats and moved up to business-class. We thought we were in trouble because they were speaking to us but it was our first time hearing German so we had no clue what they were even saying. Turns out in the middle of the train they tell us that we have to move all our belongings and go back to the back of the train which is more like an amtrak setting. Needless to say we a bit more luggage than the average person on this section of the train and was very hard to maneuver around everyone. I felt like I got a lot of stares and German whispers about us. I don't know why but I pictured Germany to be even more lacking on the modern side than Italy. It turns out that they have great shopping, great food (I've been eating Brats and Beer alot), and great people. Munich is definitely up there with Rome--I love this city and want to come back in the future for sure! We found a nice place to eat dinner when we arrived and called it a night.

P.s. they charge 80 cents to go to the bathroom in the train stations. If you don't have exact change..don't bother to go to McDonalds, they won't help you out until you buy something.

June 16th
We got up and met our tour at the train station to go to the Dachau concentration camp tour. All I can say is Wow. I will never to go to one again. It would be very hard to go to if a relative or friend that I knew actually had to go through that because the information they tell you and the pictures you see are very graphic and horrifying. It was sureal standing in the same place that almost 40,000 people died and Hitler once walked. I had goosebumps the whole time. I wanted to get a picture in front of it and for once in my life I felt so wrong to smile in front of a sign that says "Work will set you free." It was interesting to see though and you feel for it more when you actually visit rather than reading about it in a text book.  We had lunch at the Hofbrauhas which is a beer hall that was used way back in the Napolean time. Here we saw men in traditional german gettup drinking beer or playing in the band. The waitresses were serving humongous pretzels and we ordered things we have never heard of. Of course we all got a beer, and dad won the chugging contest. Later that night we decide that we need to do laundry before my backpacking trip so we looked in the Rick Steves book and discover there is a laundry mat near-by..or so he made it seem. We took the subway to the trainstation and started walking. As it always seems to happen to us, we ask someone for directions that they tell us the wrong way. We finally stop in a hotel and they say that it closed at 8pm. We just decided to find it so we know where to go the next day and they end up being open. So we had a nice relaxing time at the Laundry mat that night.

June 17th
We got up early and headed on a walking tour around Munich. The guide was very sarcastic and sometimes though that his jokes were more important than the actually history but we all had an enjoyable time. After that me and mom went shopping than we were scheduled to have a bike tour at 4pm. The bike tour was awesome. Mom and Dad loved it--the tour guide was funny and very knowledgeable. Of course, the tour ends at a beer hall so we all sat together and enjoyed dinner and drove our bikes back to where we met. Some of the things we saw was a nude park and river surfing. Some of the things we learned is it is very hard to dodge a crowed of people on a bike when your in a huge group. It was beautiful weather and we all had a great time.

June 18th Munich--Paris
We made the train ride safely to Paris and showed up at our Hotel Leveque, one that Rick Steve recommended. It is on a quiet little street that has a market in the morning than nightlife at night. The elevator can barely fit one person in it so the amount of steps that I have gone up this trip is beyound me.  Molly successfully met us at the hotel and we had dinner right across the street then headed over to the Eiffel Tower for a photo-shoot. Surprisingly it is sooo cold here! We knew that it would be cold starting in London but we didn't expect the coldness here.

June 19
We got up early then headed to the Notre Dame Cathedral where we also stayed for mass. It was all in French but still an experience..Dad said he understood the priests' sermon better than he can understand Father. To my surprise I did not see Quawsimoto at the cathedral which was quite a let down but I got through it. After that we headed to the Orsay Musuem, then went up the Eiffel tower just before dinner. Me, Molly, and Mom went out for a couple of drinks and got crazy jk but it was a fun night. We are pros at the metro but not pros on reading maps.

June 20
Today we started off at the Louve Musem which is one of the largest musems in the world. We used the Rick Steves tour again and made it around ending with the Mona Lisa. It is not as big as I thought it would be but the crowd was. You couldn't even get close to it. Without the Rick Steves guide you could be looking at artwork for hours. We shopped a little bit, had lunch at Mcdonalds which had a kiosk where you ordered food instead of telling a lady(I thought that was cool), and then went to the arch of triumph.Today is my last night in Paris and the last night with Mom and Dad. It's sad but that means it's time for my backpacking trip which I have been waiting for months to go on! I am so ready to be home and not wake up at 7am every morning and walk all day in big crowds. I just want to lay in bed with Jack and Chloe :). I think the backpacking trip is going to be a bit of a wine down and not Dan Doyles version of a vacation. We are going to have dinner around the Eiffel Tower tonight then Mom and Dad go back home early in the morning and me and Molly go to Amsterdam.
I don't know what my internet access will be there but hopefully I will get better at posting!

June5-9 Parents June10-11

Sorry I have been terrible at updating my blog! The last week in Rome with the group was a lot of working on our final project that we presented on Thursday. Really not much to write about. A couple things we did that week that were my favorite is we went to a TV station and got to see behind the scenes how producing and editing a show really works. Then we got to go on the set of Mattia cooking show and met the most gorgeous cook I have ever laid my eyes on. I did not like when the camera zoomed in on what he was cooking and showed his wedding ring tho :( Look to the left for a picture of him! Right after the TV station we headed to Leo Burnett--Rome (advertising agency) which was my favorite thing yet on the trip, besides the cat sanctuary of course. We got to talk to the manager of the company that told us how advertising works in Italy and what the differences are from the United States. Let's just say they are not risk takers; however, showing nudity or controversial pictures are not unheard of. We were a little confused by this but he explains that it is just accepted in Italy. The tour of the agency was really something that I enjoyed and would like to see the Chicago office now.  Thursday we gave our presentations that went really well, but really long then headed home to pack, clean the apartment, then head to our farewell dinner. Another four course dinner was served as we talked about how we can't believe the term is already over. On the way home, our group was walking along and we heard I-L-L and we respond I-N-I. No one was talking about school or wearing anything Illinois..Mystery is still unknown..Mom and dad now being in Rome at this point, with no phone we just kinda winged it and I showed up at the hotel by cab around midnight. Mom just so happens to walk down because she was getting worried so it really worked out well. Sleeping on a bed that is not a stiff board is great along with showering in a shower that doesn't go ice-cold after 5 minutes. Needless to say I was ready to get out of the apartments--I'll stick to hotels :) Friday morning we headed to the 5 hour Vatican tour as my classmates were headed home. The tour was very interesting covering Michealangilos famous pieces, to the Sistine Chapel, to St. Peters Basilica. After the tour that really lasted almost 7 hours we decided to go back to the hotel and take a nap. We headed to dinner around 8 to an Ancient Roman Restaurant which we sat on the rooftop. We splurged and got wine and dessert with out meal then made our way to the Trevi fountain. For being 11 at night, the Trevi Fountain is full of people. After the fountain we called it a night--after we got our gelato.

Saturday 

We had the same tour guide that we had for the vatican that we were going to have for the Colosseum so we were pretty excited. We went to the meeting place and stumbled upon a gladiator so we stopped to take a picture. Little did we know those pictures are not free--and not cheap! We need to make sure Rick Steves puts that in his next edition!! Our tour took us through the Roman Forum where the market place once stood in Caesars time. Then we headed to the Colosseum where we saw the ruins on the inside and learned about the types of games that played. Let's just say that Lizzie McGuire did NOT hold a concert in there after all. I was deeply disappointed. We ate paninis not too far from where we were then ventured to the Pantheon. Our Rick Steves guided tour on our Ipods saved the day there. We wanted to make sure to the Spanish Steps before we left so we headed there stopping at the Trevi to relax. We got to the Spanish Steps and it seemed everyone had the same idea. Mom is the entertainment over here using dad's new camera zooming in and out and making us smile for 10 minutes. I have never laughed harder, I was in tears today watching her try to take a picture of me and dad at the steps. P.S Dad loves his new camera and they really do take beautiful pictures. After we saw the steps were ate dinner around our hotel (pizza of course for our last meal) then headed home.

We hit Florence tomorrow so I am really excited to see another city besides Rome! Let the traveling begin!

June3/June4/June5

Friday
Started off the class with a class on how to make suppli, pasta, and gnocchi  with a professional cook. We all know that cooking is not my forte and let's just say I was trying to cut a tomato with the wrong end of the knife so the cooking instructor had a laugh and made sure the whole class knew. Even though I warned them they had no idea how bad I am in the kitchen. The suppli was really good--it is mozzarella cheese cooked in a ball in fried rice. I rather just eat someone else's food then what I cook, so I am sure that other students were better. After class we went to the Borghese gardens. Half of the class rode bikes around and half went to the zoo. I wish I went to the zoo because after we got on the four person bike we realized ours doesn't have a motor. Everyone zoomed at us pointing to their motor and yelling at us in Italian. The people that rented us the bike just wanted a laugh I think. Going down hills were fun but going up the hill was torture. If I go on that with Mom and Dad you bet I am requesting a motor.
Friday night we headed over to Testaccio again and went to a new bar. We wanted to go to a different bar but there was a dress code so we didn't expect that at all. We met some people from London so it was pretty nice talking to someone who spoke English. They bought our entire group drinks because they just got back with something associated to the army so I didn't spend money that night which is always a plus! Little did I know the taxi ride coming my way....
Saturday
We got up early and headed out to the beach Saturday morning. Usually we catch a cab to the train station, take a train to Ostia (where the beach is), then take a bus to the beach which usually takes about 45 minutes but sooo worth it. We asked the cab driver to take us to the train that takes us to the beach and there was a slight language barrier. He heard the word beach and took us straight to the beach which was a bit pricey of a trip. It helped that there were 6 of us sharing a cab. There goes all my spending money for the day. To save money I have been eating grilled ham and cheese sandwiches--I think it's ham anyways. I am never eating one again, I have had my fair share.
Saturday night we headed this upscale bar called "Babel." We were waiting in line but it turns out that none of us could get in...except me and two other girls. The group just looked at us with jealousy so they asked the guy working why they couldn't get in. The bouncer told them that they were in the VIP section. So here we are in the VIP section of the most well known bar in Rome--never thought I'd see myself here. We were mixed with people who pay a lot of money to reserve a table for the night. We could have been rolling big that night but decided to head back with the group. After not agreeing what people wanted to go, I ended up just going home that night. But the club was nothing that I have seen before--wish I had stayed.
Sunday
We woke up early to hit the market for a bit where I bought some gifts then headed to the Vatican for the pope's blessing.  It turns out that the pope wasn't in Rome this weekend so we just saw a huge T.V that was televised so we got to witness that instead. We ate lunch then shopped around the area. Later Sunday night me and my roommate headed out with some of the girls and a brother visiting with his friend and showed them a night on the town. We took them to Scholars, an Irish pub that I have previously mentioned which was karaoke night so they had a great time. Monday nights here aren't anything special so I think we may just walk around and get some gelato. I can't believe 3 weeks are already over-- I had the time of my life with my class, I'm a little bittersweet about them leaving but can't wait to see the rest of Italy!
Getting closer to Mom and Dad's arrival!

June1/June2

Wednesday
We had class at 10am and one of the activities that we had to do is after receiving a specific restaurant watch them make a food that is assigned to us and see what their target audience is and ask them questions. Our group got two restaurants and we decided just to ask around where the restaurant is. We were pointed in the direction of 30 different ways so finally we just gave up. We find out that one  was by the Vatican and one was by the Colosseum so I don't know how she expected us to do it. To say the least, we did not win the scavenger hunt..We walked back to our school in defeat, but I saw a lot of shops that I wanted to go in so the assignment wasn't an entire fail. Around 5pm we went to a beer tasting and tasted uncommon beers which was a really cool experience. I had "Dushessa" and I give it four stars.
Wednesday night we went out with the whole group to a bar that we have perviously went to. When having 20 people in the class, its hard to go out with the whole group all the time, so my favorite nights are when we go out together. We didn't have school the next day so it was nice to not have to get up!

Thursday
Today was a national holiday in Italy so we had no class so that was super exciting not having to wake up and be in class by 10am. Waking up at 11am definitely feels like more of my kind of living style. Me and three other people hopped on a bus and went to Ostia beach right outside Rome which was probably one of my favorite days here. We have a free weekend starting tomorrow and we are considering staying at one of the cheap hostels over there instead of traveling to Venice or Florence which is what a couple people are going to end up doing. As the days are winding down we are just kinda taking it an easy because we have to work on our projects so my blog will be lacking a bit until June 10th. But today was definitely my favorite day :)! Getting a little homesick so can't wait until Dan and Linda come!!

May 31

Last night we found a little bar by where our school is and went out with the group. An italian boy bought us all roses from a street vendor so that is a first!

Today we had a lecture about advertising in Italy like usual then went to Campo Di Foire-- a big street market that sold jewelry, purses, and food. I found some great things for a cheap price! I am a pro at bartering now which is great. A got a wallet that was 30 euro and got him down to 10 euro :)! Around 5pm we headed to our wine tasting which we took a tour of the vineyard. I felt like I was in the parent trap. We had a four course meal and headed home.  Instead of natural water they had water with gas, I think it is like soda water which I do not enjoy, so I had learned to love wine even more. I found like I like sweet white wine that is usually served with deserts. Not really an exciting day to blog about, but I managed to have a lot of success shopping so I can't wait to show everyone what I got!

Staying in tonight to catch up on some rest.

Colosseum tour tomorrow--Super excited.

May 30th

Monday
We started off our morning with breakfast at a caffe and had the most delicious cappuccino. The guy even knew how to make designs on it! We went to a two hour italian language lesson which was interesting--don't worry Mom and Dad, I wrote down everything just in case we need it. For lunch we went to an American place to have a cheeseburger and fries--Thank God! I haven't had red meat a week! That was a great way to start the day.
Then a group of us went to the Vatican for the day. What a beautiful city. We went into St. Peter's basilica and thought it was a good idea to go to the top of the dome. It was 5 Euro to go all the way to the top using stairs and 7 Euro to use the elevator. Of course I payed 7 Euro and still died going up the stairs. I missed the sign that said that there was an additional 300 steps after the elevator. People were having to stop and take breaks on the stairs because there were so many. The view from the top was worth it though!
After the vatican we walked home, went to the grocery store, and now cooking dinner.
We are hoping to go out so I will let you know how it goes!

May 26/27/28/29

Thursday morning

We did something different today than spend a day in the city. We went to a farm to see how Ricotta  cheese is made and spent a day on the lake. People swam in the lake, layed out, or just hung out. It was a really nice break from the horns honking and noises from the city. I never knew how relaxing just sitting out in the country can be. It was much needed after all the organized visits and lectures that we have. However for lunch there was a meat and cheese platter which I thought was an appetizer but turns out it was our meal..I love meat and all but not right after I snap shots of pigs on the farm.

Thursday night

We headed to a "Disco" ( a club) in Testaccio (Right next to our neighborhood) with the whole class. It was a blast being out with everyone. American music was being played, and not really different than the American party scene except they had a dress-code and wouldn't let many guys in. We were lucky that the two guys in our group were let in with no problem. The clubs are open until 4am so our bus that left at 7:15 the next day was brutal, but it was worth it. The walk is only 15 minutes so I am loving the area that we are located. Now I know where to take Mom and Dad!

Friday 

We boarded a bus at 8am and headed to Cilento which is on the coast of the Mediterranean and about a four hour drive. This again is different from the city and what you would picture Italy to be. Narrow streets, clothes hanging out on the line, and seafood everywhere. The only problem--once you leave big tourist cities like rome, nobody speak English in little cities. Here we saw how coffee is made which is the strongest coffee ever and what fresh Buffalo Mozzarella taste like. Which is the best!! I will never eat string cheese again.  I also learned how to make pasta from scratch. Basically I learned that everything in Italy is made fresh and they take great pride into what they do. We then went down to the shore and talked to fishermen and saw what they caught that day. He insisted on giving us a ride on the boat. With all 20 of us on a fishermen boat we go over a rocky patch and get stuck. Our instructor was freaking out and it was quite an experience. (I uploaded a video of it on facebook so check it out.) We were so happy when we were all back on land once again. That night we went to a little restaurant which was included and had about a 8 course meal (or at least it felt like it.) The waiter didn't speak english but managed to host karaoke as well as cooking the food. He did everything. Our hotel that we stayed at was really nice and way more modern than our apartments at Rome however; we were only there to sleep and that is it. 

Saturday

We went to a place where they produce olive oil. We tasted different kinds of olive oil and had probably one of the best meals there. We ate our meal outside which look like a wedding could be held here. We then went down by the Mediterranean and sat by the beach all day just to relax. The beach was much needed. The water was cold but it felt so good and I didn't even burn!! I experienced my first cup of gelato and wish I hadn't because it is going to be addicting. After the beach we went back to the hotel to clean up then went to a pizza factory which we had a pizza tasting. I am never eating pizza again. The food was so good but they kept coming out of the kitchen with more types of pizza before I could finish the slice that I was eating. The wine is great here--but the only pop they have is Coke, Coke "Light" and Fanta. I miss my pepsi! Cilento had a Buffalo Mozzarella festival being held in their village so we all went out and explored that. I have never got so many stares, all of us stuck out like a sore thumb in a little town like that. The teachers went out with us and it was alot of fun. These bars did not play American music so we just made our own. 

Sunday

Today we went to Salerno and toured the botanical gardens which every plant in Italy can be found here. We had a tea tasting that included herbs and spices. The garden was 5 stories high which overlooked Salerno with a beautiful view. After that, we walked along the sea and shopped at the local market. We ate lunch at a sea food place all together then headed back to Rome. As soon as I got to the apartment I got on facebook because I had with-drawls! Small villages like that have awful internet connection, I don't know what they do. Tonight we are taking an easy and staying in. It's nice being back in Rome but it was a nice break from the city.

Tomorrow 

We are going to learn a little bit of Italian and then sight-see the vatican then hopefully hit the town tomorrow night!

Mom: I don't know why you can't get through to me on our phone. Lets just plan on you calling around 7pm noon your time tomorrow. I will give you a call to let you know I am home.

arivaderchi!

May 23/24/25

Monday night we decided to venture off into a different area that we have previously gone to for a farmers market. We found this Brazilian bar due to the fact that many places aren't open on Monday nights. We made friends with the bartender and she recommended many places around the area so now we kind of know where to go next time we head that way.

Tuesday morning

We had class Tuesday morning that started at 10. From 10-12 we watched a powerpoint about the Mediterranean diet (The italians eating patterns from the past) that was given by Dr. Laura Rossi who works for the National Institute of Research for Food and Nutrition. From 12-1 we had lunch which consisted of a panini with tomatoes buffalo cheese and lettuce for only 2 Euro. We are definitely going back there again soon. From 1-4 professor Carlo Alberto Pratesi who is the Director and Professor of Economics and Management at Rome University. He talked about some of the advertising strategies that works with Italians and the difference between U.S and Italy marketing which was very interesting...for an hour. We had to take a break because so many students were starting to drift off. Since there are only 17 of us  you can definitely tell. On our break we went and got an espresso which I am learning to love. It is just a little tiny drink and it will do one wonders. After that I was ready to get back in the classroom. Tuesday night we went to a pizaria that cooked all of our pizza in a brick oven. The pizza was delicious! Then a group of us went to an American bar for karaoke night which reminded me of KAMS. Bars here are filled with people drinking but eating more. They look down upon public intoxication so I feel classy going out here! :)

Wednesday Morning

Today we got the opportunity to cook a Ancient Roman meal. We were in the basement of the restaurant that we had the four course meal at the first night and worked directly with the chef. The meal consisted of soup (that was gross), bread served with either anchovie spread or honey (I picked honey), Salad that was eaten with only the hands, and wine that was diluted with water. We tried to do everything that they did back then so there was a person that came around after each course to wash our hands. The meal was lit by candlelight and was very nice. We walked around the city, had dinner with the students in our program then took a nap. That is when you called--I'm sorry again I was still sleeping when I was talking to you! You will have to try again soon!

Tonight we stayed in to relax because tomorrow we leave at 9am to go to a buffalo farm to watch how cheese is produced. 

At 8pm tomorrow we are going to a Museum designated for advertising. Then maybe go out for a few drinks. 

arivaderchi! 

May 22nd/May 23rd

Our second day in Rome--
Sonia, our tour-guide, took us around the Trevesvere area which is where all the clubs and restaurants for young people are located. She's really good and recommending where the go--the only things is we can never remember where everything is once she is gone. After we went to dinner at Antica Biblioteca Valle which consisted of a four course meal as a welcome dinner. (pictures below) It was so fancy and nice but I rather chicken nuggets or corn dogs because of the mysterious meat that I consumed. The dinner took about two hours because they wait 20 minutes in between meals. Two hours of unlimited wine so after dinner we went ahead to the bars as a class. Not sleeping for 36 hours at this point, it was definitely brutal so we all agreed to go out earlier so we can go back earlier. We quickly found out that no one goes out until midnight.... 10 pm is when people were eating dinner so finding somewhere to go was a challenge. We found an empty bar so we just went in to start the night. We missed Aperitivo, so we ordered drinks at full price and convinced the bartender to give us Aperitivo discounts and he agreed. Aperitivo is the Italians' version of "Happy Hour" except it works a bit differently. You pay for one discounted drink and get to eat a buffet for a pre-dinner. We have yet to try it so I don't know exactly how that works. Aperitivo goes from 7-10 pm then they eat dinner at 10pm so everything is just a bit later and I find it hard to adjust because  I tend to eat at the same time everyday.When we walked in the bar--music was playing songs that none of us ever heard of --they soon started playing American Pie and chanting USA by the end of the night. Every drink that we bought came with a free shot of Rumplemints so we have plans of going back there soon.. Definitely a good way to start the trip.

The next day we were awoken up at 8am from a farmers market that was setting up RIGHT outside our apartment (below) which varied from cute clothes to jewelry, to power tools. Some things were so neat and other parts I felt like I was at a garage sale. There were thousands of booths and definitely overwhelming. It happens every Sunday, and I am hoping to hit up the next one! We got back from the market about 2pm then it started to rain so the beach was out of the question. We all took naps then headed for the Colosseum to eat dinner walk around ect by using the Metro and get there, no problem. We soon found out that the restaurant that we agreed to go to did not have a server that spoke English so we had to talk to the cook. We decided to not rely on the metro but to walk back and try to meat our other friends at the bar because it looked like a short distance on the map. It took us two hours to walk back but we happened to run into the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon so the night turned out okay! My feet are definitely feeling it today.

Third day in Rome--
Today was officially our first day of class. We were lectured about the history of Roman food from 10-1 then had an hour break from 1-2pm for lunch. We then had a tour around Rome visiting the most popular and authentic restaurants. We got to meet the chefs-- visited a wine cellar that had a bottle of wine for 15,000 Euro, had an espresso, and topped it off with gelato. For tonight we are going to make pasta in our apartment then head out later!
arivederchi!

May 20th, 2011 --Arriving to Rome

Finally arriving at the airport made the trip that I just talked about for months actually seem real.
Our plane left at 3:30 pm on May 20th and we arrived in Rome on May 21st at 8am. Staying with the Lannons, it made it very easy to get to O'Hare because it was just a quick 10 minute drive. Everything was going smooth until I had to go through security. Since I am backpacking after this trip is done, I was going to check my backpack--but the lady working the counter insisted on me carrying on the backpack to save $55--so I agreed. I did that without thinking about all the liquids that I had in my backpack that you are not supposed to take on a plane. Security had to pull my bag aside and not check it once, but three times due to hairspray, body wash, and toothpaste that had to be thrown away. The worried faces of my instructors and fellow classmates were priceless. The flight did go as planned but a very long 10 hour flight that consisted of free unlimited wine. :) The 2 hours of horrible sleep that I managed to get during the flight is starting to catch up with me am not going to bed until tonight so we will see how that works out.
Our apartments are very cute and we are located in a great area filled with young Italians. Grocery shopping is what we accomplished today with the group. 87 cent wine is what we purchased along with meats and cheeses that I can't pronounce. I had salad, but failed to find the salad dressing so just gave up. One thing to not--Rome does not carry Tequilla or Burnettes :O. We are going to a four course dinner tonight and have plans of possibly going out so we will see where tonight will take us.
Arivaderchi!