Reflections

Ciao Tutti,

I am currently crossing another thing off of my very long bucket list of things to do while studying abroad in Europe – ride the train through the Chunnel between Paris and London.  I parted ways with my fellow study abroad students about an hour ago and headed to Paris Nord train station.  I got there really early, as I always try to do, but was waiting in the wrong place.  I completely forgot that the United Kingdom is not 100% part of the European Union, thus I needed to report to the international travel booth for passport check.  Eurostar was great, though.  They popped me in a wheelchair and flew me through France Border Control, UK Border Control, Security, down the elevator, past a few train cars, up the ramp, and to my seat in less than 20 minutes.  I am seated in my own car – seats for people with disabilities are in first class and I suppose people do not want to pay for a first class seat for a two hour train ride.  I’m not complaining!

Now that I’m on the train, though, I have some time to reflect on the past week of traveling around Europe in an intense fashion.  It should be no surprise to you when I say that this was the best spring break of my life.  Please let me put it into numbers for you (excluding London):

• Four different cities (Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam, and Paris)
• Four of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been (Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam, and Paris)
• Seven different countries (Italy, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Holland, Belgium, France, and England)
• 40 hours on a bus (maybe that is not something to brag about)
• 2852 kilometers on a bus
• Four different hostels (Czech Inn, St. Christopher’s Berlin, St. Christopher’s Amsterdam, St. Christopher’s Paris)
• 24 new friends
• Six languages spoken (English, Italian, Czech, German, Dutch, and French)
• A countless number of stories to tell over the course of my life

I don’t think anyone could say that was a bad spring break.  I can now say that I witnessed the sun rise over the plains of Eastern Europe, saw the astronomical clock show in Prague, visited the wall that divided and then reunited the world in Berlin, sailed in the canals of Amsterdam, had a baguette and wine while watching the Eiffel Tower light up in Paris, rode the Chunnel from Paris to London, and it’s not over!

The tour company I traveled with exceeded my expectations immensely.  Bus2Alps put together a great travel itinerary to maximize our time in each city which enabled us to see all the important sights.  In each city they arranged for a walking tour which covered the most important sights of the city.  Our tour leader, Stephanie Savage, was phenomenal.  She was very knowledgeable and went above and beyond to help us out or point us in the right direction.  She knew each city very and was able to answer any question we had.  I have already booked my next trip with Bus2Alps (to Croatia) and would not hesitate to recommend Bus2Alps to anybody!

It was quite interesting going from Amsterdam to Paris.  In Amsterdam, everyone happily spoke English to us and random people came up to us to ask us if we needed help in finding something whenever we looked like we were lost.  Random people would wave to you and say hello as you passed them on the street.  I knew the Parisians would be different and went into Paris with this in mind.  I had the pre-conceived notion that French people were rude and hated Americans.  For the first 24 hours or so that notion was starting to break, but once we left our tour to do our own thing I started to see the “true Parisian.”  Whenever I asked anyone for directions in English, I got the evil eye.  I was shoved and my crutches were kicked out from under me on numerous occasions.  I somehow managed not to fall, though!  I know that New Yorkers do not have a stellar reputation either, but I personally think Parisians are worse.  

I believe that I grew on this trip as a person - I had my first major “I’m not in America anymore” moment.  I am actually surprised it took this long and that it did not happen in Italy.  In America, and I guess even Italy, I have never been told what I can’t do.  I have never had limits placed on me.  I have always been allowed to do anything that able bodied people are allowed to do if I am up to it.  This is why I was surprised when I was denied access to the top floor of the Eiffel Tower.  As I mentioned in my previous post, the staff of the Eiffel Tower told me that I could not do stairs if the elevator broke that goes between the top and middle part of the tower.  For the average person with a disability this is completely reasonable, but it is normally approached by the customer service agent asking the person with a disability if they are able to descend stairs in the event of an emergency.  If the person says no, then it should be explained to them that the policy is that everyone who goes to the top of the Eiffel Tower must be able to navigate stairs.  If the person says yes, they should be allowed to climb the Eiffel Tower.  After being denied access, I told the staff member that I could navigate the 1,000 stairs down the Eiffel Tower if needed.  She then said that all people with mobility disabilities are not allowed up to the top.  When I asked her if I could sign a waiver, she claimed she didn’t understand.  Then, I asked her to speak with a manager and, again, she claimed she did not understand.  At that point, I realized it was not worth arguing over and walked away.  As soon as I walked away, the staff member closed her window shade as if she was trying to deter me from coming back to argue.   It was very frustrating.  

I also will never get upset in America when someone starts speaking a language other than English.  I used to get annoyed when people would not speak English, but now that the tables have been turned and I know how it feels I will definitely try to be more tolerant.  I will not let the above experiences deter from my time in Paris, but instead I will take away the good things.  Other than the absolute beauty of Paris, I will take away a greater appreciation for the freedom I have in America and a greater toleration for people who do not speak English.  After all, I think one of the most important things one can do in life is taking the bad and turning it into the good.  

This trip also confirmed my decision to return to Europe next summer to do a traditional “backpacking across Europe” trip.  A city like Prague was not even on the list of places I wanted to visit and I loved it.  How many places like that are jewels waiting for me to discover.  I feel like a more knowledgeable and cultured person already – imagine what a full summer can do.  I can’t wait to find out!

By the way, this was posted from London!

Ciao,

Michael

Firenze (A Bit Delayed)

Ciao Tutti!

I have had this entry written and ready to post for a week now, but the internet in my apartment was not working.  I apologize for some of the references which seem a bit late...

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I am sitting on the train on my way back from Florence, but before I get into that let me start with the first week of classes.

I am taking five classes (16 credits) in Rome.  IES requires you take one Italian class and four other classes called "area studies courses".  The area studies courses are anything from art to classes on the European Union.  My schedule went over a lot of revisions over the past week as I was in a few art classes that were over my head, but I'll describe the classes I am currently enrolled in.

"AH/US 230: Roman Architecture and Urban Design" - This is one of the classes I switched in to half way through the week.  I missed the first lecture, but the second class was great.  We started off with a half hour lecture on the history of the Castel Sant'Angelo which was very interesting and informative.  It is amazing that a monument I can see from my apartment was a part of some of the most important events that shaped Rome as it is today.  After our half hour lecture, we actually got to go to the Castel Sant'Angelo and see everything.  It was originally built as a tomb, but was transformed into a fortress because it was ideally situated for battle.  Then, the Pope made it his safe house when the Vatican was attacked.  He actually built a mini-palace within the confines of the fortress!  After the Church lost most of its influence, the Pope did not need a safe house anymore, so the Italian Government turned it into a prison for a period of time.  Now, it is a tourist site with great views of Rome from the top. 

"IR 341: Italy and the European Union" - This class is great!  It is basically an overview of the formation of the European Union from the Post World War II era to the problems that plague the rapidly expanding organization.  I love history, so I cannot wait to learn all about the European Union.  I think this will be very beneficial for me later in life when I am working in Finance.  I will know the basics of how the EU works and will be able to apply it to my job.

"FS 200: From Viewing to Making a Film on Rome" -  I absolutely love this class.  We are going to watch four Italian films that were filmed in Cinecittà (the Italian version of Hollywood).  The films were also filmed on site at Roman locations.  After watching all four films and learning the basics on Italian cinema, we are going to film two scenes from the films we saw on site.  We watch "Bicycle Thief" on Monday - I can't wait.

"CM 330: Memory and Conflict" - This is the other class I switched into.  It is a really interesting class which is taught by the director of my study abroad program.  It is basically about conflict resolution techniques, but uses historical events to put the things we are learning into context.  I would not be surprised if I use the techniques I learn later in life.

This brings me to Florence.  Two of my friends (Sam & McKenzie) and I decided to go to Florence earlier this week.  We left on Thursday night after class.  I found a bullet train from Rome to Florence for only 19 euro.  The train was so comfortable and the ride was so short. 

Picture of the inside of the train.

When we got to Florence, we met up with one of Sam's friends from her home school, Emory.  He took us to our hostel (which was in a great location).  The hostel we stayed at was running a special where you can stay three nights for the price of two, so I paid 28 euro for three nights at a hostel.  The hostel was called "Plus Florence" and probably the nicest hostel I will ever stay at.  It was very clean, had a nightclub downstairs with a restaurant/bar, game room, a pool, a sauna, and a steam room.

On Friday, we woke up early and hit the two big museums in Florence before lunch time.  We wanted to make sure we beat the crowds.  The people I traveled with are studying Art History I school, so I was the beneficiary of a free tour of all the important pieces of art.  We went to the Academia first and saw Michelangelo's "David".  It was absolutely amazing.  After the Academia, we went to the Uffizi.  This museum was huge!  We were in it for three hours!

After the Uffizi, we met up with some of Sam's friends from Emory who were studying in Florence and a few people from our program in Rome.  We had a quick bite to eat and then five of us headed over to the Ponte Vecchio.  They all bought leather jackets, I decided not to get one because I'm hoping to get a suit while I'm over here instead.

Over the past two days, we went to all the major churches in Florence - the Duomo, Santa Croce, San Lorenzo, and Santa Maria Novella. 

Here are some pictures from our trip to Florence.

The one thing that really surprised me about Florence was how small it is.  We walked everywhere we needed to go and were never walking for more than a half hour at a time.  Florence was a beautiful city, but I am happy I'm studying in Rome.  As a Finance major, I do not appreciate art as much as I should.  Now that I have seen everything I wanted to see, I am happy to be looking at the beautiful Tuscan countryside out of the window of my train back to Rome.

On another note, I planned our trip to Florence around THON.  I made sure the hostel had wifi and made sure our train would have me back in Rome to watch the final four hours of THON.  I may be 3,000 miles away, but I have been thinking about THON a great deal this weekend.  A lot of my friends are dancing and it kills me that I can't be there to support them.  Watching the THON Webcast makes me feel like I'm there and I lit a candle in the Duomo FTK!   I look forward to watching Family Hour from my room and, like all other Penn Staters, will go crazy when the total is raised tonight at approximately 10:00 PM my time.  

Always FTK,

Mike