Croatia

Ciao Tutti,

I am on my way back from Croatia and the Dalmatian Coast.  I had a great time this weekend and met a lot of cool people.

We arrived at around 7:30 AM on Friday after a ten hour bus ride from Florence.  The bus was really uncomfortable and had no legroom.  I only got 2 or 3 hours of sleep.

When we arrived, we immediately went to our hostel to eat breakfast.  It came with two slices of cheese, two slices of meat, tomatoes, bread, and coffee.  It was good, but not very filling.

After breakfast, I met up with a few people and we walked around Split.  The downtown area is very small and quaint, but it has a lot of history.  1700 years ago, the Roman emperor, Diocletian, built his retirement palace in Split.  The town was built around and even inside his palace.  There were stores and restaurants on the ground levels of his palace.  It was a very cool concept.

One of the gates to his palace

I met Jesus Christ!  He even let me take a picture with him during the Last Supper.

The oldest bell tower in Europe

After about an hour, we met back up with the rest of our group to go white water rafting.  I had been looking forward to going white water rafting since I booked this trip a little over a month and a half ago.   I have always wanted to try it - doing it in Croatia was just icing on the cake!

We met our rafting tour leader and hopped on a bus for a 45 minute bus ride to the river.  Our guide, Stephon, gave us a tour of the important things we passed like a pirate's fort.  When we got there, we changed into wet suits (like scuba diving suits) and got waterproof socks, life vests, and helmets.  After putting our sneakers back on, we divided into four teams.  Our raft guide was the owner of the company, Stephon.  Then, we got in our raft and got a crash course in white water rafting.

We had a blast.  We rafted 30 kilometers down the river over the course of two and a half hours, went swimming, found fresh mint plants, submerged ourselves under a waterfall and drank it's fresh water, and they went cliff diving!  We rafted up to a level three rapid (out of six levels).  Our raft guide was great and told us all about Croatia.  It is truly an experience I will remember for the rest of my life!

We got back to our hostel at around 6:00 PM and checked into our rooms.  It was a very nice hostel and reminded me a lot of the hostel I stayed in in Paris - each bed had a privacy curtain on it.

After I changed, I met up with a few people for dinner.  We went to an Italian restaurant (as if I don't eat enough Italian already) and I had tortellini in a cream sauce.  It was really good!

The next morning, Bus2Alps arranged for a day on a boat to the island of Brac with lunch on the boat.  We met at 10:15 AM and were on the boat by 10:30 AM.  The boat had two floors, so we all climbed the ladder to the top floor to enjoy the ride - it was a cold trip!  We got into Brac at noon and waked around until 1:30 PM.  We went souvenir shopping, saw the beach, and went to a cemetery that had a mausoleum that looked like an ice cream cone.   Then, we went back to the boat to eat our lunch.  I had chicken, but we also had a fish option, too.  After lunch, we went back onto the island to explore a bit more.  At 3:00 PM, we left Brac and went back to Split. 

We arrived in Split at around 4:00 PM.  After changing at my hostel, I met up with two of the guys I met in Rome studying in Alicante and we walked around Split for a bit more.  We found a really cheap sweets shop and I had a cup of Chocolate Mousse for the equivalent of $1.80 US!

At 7:15 PM, Bus2Alps arranged for a free bus to the island of Trogir which is known for good food.  We stumbled upon a restaurant that had a four course meal for the equivalent of $14 US.  We had a beef broth soup, salad, marinated beef with gnocchi, and a crepe with jam.  It was so good!

Then, we went back to our hostel, packed, showered, and fell asleep.  I woke up this morning at 7:45 AM to eat breakfast and catch out 8:45 AM bus back to Florence.  We will have about a one to two hour layover in Florence and get back to Rome at around 11:30 PM.

This week is going to be awesome.  Tomorrow night, I'm going to see one of Rome's two soccer teams play to keep their playoff fate under their control.  Tuesday night, a few people from my Italian class, film class, and two Italian teachers are going to see a new movie by an Italian filmmaker, Nanni Moretti, and eat dinner afterwards.  It should be fun!

Ciao,
Mike

And We're Off

Ciao Tutti,

I'm on my way to the Amalfi Coast of Eastern Europe - Split, Croatia and the Dalmatian Coast for a weekend of white water rafting, island hopping, and pure relaxation. We took the train from Rome to Florence and have a 11 hour drive to Croatia. It's a long drive, but I hear it will be so worth it.

We had a pretty ordinary week in Rome this week. It was very, very short. 2 days of classes for me to be exact. My classes on Wednesday were long and drawn out - a result of my excitement for this weekend. I honestly have no idea of what to expect.

The only other thing that is worth mentioning is that our power went out last night. We couldn't figure out how to get it back on until this morning, so our showers were a bit cold.

That's about it! Time for my 11 hour bus ride.

Ciao,
Mike

Reverse Culture Shock?

Ciao Tutti,

Today was a pretty ordinary day in Rome (which is not ordinary at all).  My architecture class met at Il Vittoriano which is also known as the Wedding Cake to tourists or the typewriter to Romans.  I suppose I am still a tourist as I still refer to it as the Wedding Cake.  Look at it and tell me it does not look like an over sized Wedding Cake!

We learned that it was built after Italy was unified by Victor Emmanuale and Camello Cavour in 1861 when they decided to make Rome the center of their new country.  It took forever to complete, however, and was not officially finished until 1930!  They destroyed some of medieval Rome while building it, kicked people out of their homes to make room for it, and dug so deep to make it that they found the remains of a mammoth.  No wonder nobody likes it!  My teacher also said it was too white for Rome as "Rome is not a white city."  That being said, it was still pretty cool.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Victor Emmanuale

 Inside the horse's belly (pictured above) - now you know how big everything was

After our field study, I had film class.  We filmed the scene that I am not directing, so I was able to relax and watch the process this time.

Then, we had our Italian class.  We had our second meeting with the director of the program who came in to talk to us about our return back to the USA.  He cautioned us that we would have "Reverse Culture Shock" when we returned.  He said we all may be a bit depressed because "noone will understand us".  I, personally, think it is a bunch of bologna, but he seems adamant that we will experience some form if it.  It is not just the director of my program that has mentioned this, though.  So far, my parents have received something from IES Headquarters and I have received an e-mail from Penn State on the topic.

I am still very skeptical of the whole term as I honestly did not have the "culture shock" I was told I would have when I got here.  I think it may be a product of traveling a lot when I was younger.  I have learned how to deal with other cultures from a young age.  I will, however, let you all know if I am "shocked" in any way when I come home.  Don't worry.

Tomorrow is my last day of classes for the week as I am skipping my Italian class on Thursday to go to Croatia.  I'll update soon!

Ciao,
Michael

Easter in Roma

Ciao Tutti,

My Dad and brother left the hotel early Easter Sunday morning, but I slept in until around 11:00 AM.  I was worn out!  At around 11:45 AM, I left the room and headed for Saint Peter's Square.  The Pope always gives a speech at noon on Sunday from his balcony above Saint Peter's Basilica and I decided I would try and go.  I figured it would be a long shot, but figured it was worth a try.

I have no idea how I did it, but I somehow got in!  There were lines of people waiting to get in, but I got lucky.  Around 2 minutes after I arrived, the curtains on the Pope's balcony opened and the Pope came out.  He gave about a 20 minute speech in Italian (yes, I actually understood some of it) before saying "Christ has Risen" in every language on Earth.  It gave me goosebumps then and I have goosebumps now just thinking about it.  One thing on my bucket list of things to do in Rome was to see the Pope speak, but I never imagined I would see him on Easter Sunday!  It is truly something I will remember for the rest of my life.

The view from my spot without zoom

The Pope

Afterwards, I walked with the crowd of an estimated 200,000 pilgrims back towards central Rome where my apartment is located.  When I got back, I continued my day of complete relaxation.  I didn't go anywhere for Easter dinner, but we ate in our apartment.  I slept Easter night into Easter Monday for a total of 11.7 hours (my iPad told me so).  That is definitely the longest I have slept over here.

Easter celebration, however, was not over.  In Italy, we need two days to celebrate Easter.  Easter Monday is a national holiday called "Pasquetta" or "Little Easter".  Normally it is celebrated with a BBQ in a park with family and friends.  My ISC, Silvio, decided to have a bunch of his friends over for a lunch/evening party.  We had penne with pesto sauce, chocolate Easter eggs, and played lots of board games.  I had a great time and some of Silvio's friends complimented me on my Italian.

One of my friends, Tahli, talking to one of Silvio's friends at Pasquetta

Then, one of my friends, Tahli, came over and Zach, Tahli, and I went to Monte Carlo Pizzeria (again) for dinner.  It was great!

Ciao,
Mike

Family Visit: Day 5

Ciao Tutti,

Saturday was the last day of my Dad and brother's trip to Italy.  We spent most of the day in Florence and traveled back to Rome in the evening.  We woke up around 8:30 AM and had breakfast in our bed and breakfast's kitchen.  It wasn't bad and consisted of coffee, pastries, and cereal.

After breakfast, we walked to the Accademia and we saw Michelangelo's most famous sculpture, the David.  I was able to point out that David's look changes from confidence to fear depending on how you look at him.  We also saw an exhibit on musical instruments, some medieval art, and half-finished sculptures by Michelangelo which were started for a Pope's tomb, but Michelangelo got fed up with the Pope and stopped working with him.

After, we went to the famous Duomo, but the line was too long to get in.  We did, however, see the famous "Gates of Paradise" of the Baptistry.

Gates of Paradise

Duomo

Then, we walked to a gelateria that is supposed to have the best gelato in Florence, GROM.  It was pretty good.  Afterwards, we walked down to Piazza della Signoria and saw a few famous statues.

Then, we went to the famous Mercato Nuovo where the wild boar or Porcellino resides.  Matt and I rubbed the boar's nose which ensures our return to Florence one day.

Afterwards, we went to see the Ponte Vecchio and take a few pictures.

Then, we grabbed lunch at a restaurant on the other side of the Ponte Vecchio.  After lunch, we went back to Piazza della Signoria and listened to an amazing guitarist.  Then, we went to Piazza della Reppublica to attend an Olive Oil Festival.  We wanted to buy a few bottles of olive oil from Italy for back home, so this was the perfect place for us.  We tried about 15 types of olive oil and picked our favorite.  My Dad bought a bottle for my Mom, my brother bought a bottle for himself, and I bought a bottle for my apartment in Italy.

Then, we headed to the train station to catch our train back to Rome.  We took a taxi back to our hotel and packed our bags.  Then, we took a taxi back to my apartment to drop my bag off and went to our favorite restaurant in Rome, Monte Carlo for the third time.  It was great, as usual, and served as a phenomenal ending to a phenomenal vacation.  Then, we all went back to the hotel and fell asleep.

Ciao,
Michael

Family Visit: Day 4

Ciao Tutti,

We woke up very early on Friday morning (around 5:30 AM) and caught a taxi to the Rome train station, Stazione Termini.  From there, we caught a 6:45 AM bullet train to Venice.  We all slept a lot on the train and Matt loved the whole concept of the bullet train.

We arrived in Venice at around 10:45 AM and were greeted by long lines for the vaporetto station (ferry station).  Since there are no subways and no cars in Venice, this was the best way to get around.  We decided to walk down to the next vaporetto stop and catch the boat from there.  My brother and Dad saw a part of Venice we did not see when we were there seven years ago.  We eventually hopped on a ferry boat and saw the most famous bridge in Venice, Rialto Bridge, before getting off at Piazza San Marco, the most famous piazza in the world.

We then found the hotel we stayed at last time we were in Venice, but more on that later.  We were absolutely famished after our journey, so we went to the restaurant I went to last time in Venice with my friends, Vini di Pinto.  I had the same thing I had the previous time, gnocchi, and it did not disappoint.  I love the restaurant because the waiters are hilarious. 

After our meal, we went back to the hotel we stayed at seven years ago and caught a gondola ride from the dock next to the hotel.  My brother, Matt, ran into one of the kids he played baseball with in the fall the bridge by our old hotel.  Talk about a small world!  Back to the story, we decided to use that specific gondola dock because they gave us a great tour of historical Venice last time including Mozart's house.  They did the same thing this time and we had a great time!

Mozart's House

After our gondola ride, we grabbed a gelato in Saint Marks Square.  Then we headed for Murano to see the glass blowing demonstrations.  We made it to Murano in time for the last demonstration of the day, it would have stunk if we did not make it!  Afterwards, we walked around Murano for a bit and I bought Matt a pair of souvenir glass dice.

After Murano, we headed back to the train station and headed for Florence.  We caught a bullet train again, but this time it was actually cheaper for us to buy first class tickets instead of second class tickets.  Trenitalia has discounts based on seat availability and the discount was sold out of second class, but the base rate for the second class was higher than the discounted first class fare.  We were not complaining!  We got free soda, snacks, and candy!

We arrived in Florence at around 9:30 PM and walked towards the Duomo in search of something to eat. 

The problem with Florence is that it is so small.  Everything is in a touristy area, thus everything is going to cost a lot.  That being said, we were able to find a rather economical hostaria about a block from the Duomo.  It wasn't that bad, either!  I had gnocchi again because the first thing I ordered was not in stock.

Then, we took a taxi to our bed and breakfast, Leone X.  Because it was so late, they left our key at another hotel and we had to get it.  The directions they gave us to the hotel were pretty poor, but we eventually found it.  The room was nice - a king bed and a small cot.  We fell asleep right away after traveling to three different cities in one day!

Ciao,
Michael

Family Visit: Day 3

Ciao Tutti,

Thursday was my last full day in Rome with my Dad and brother.  We made the best of it, though, as we booked a tour to see the Colosseum, Palentine Hill, and the Roman Forum.  We started off the day with breakfast on our hotel's rooftop terrace.  Then, we caught a taxi to our tour's meeting point near the Colosseum.

I booked a tour with Dark Rome tours because they received great reviews on TripAdvisor.com, but was very disappointed with the quality of the tour.  That, however, did not detract from how amazing the sites we saw were.

We started off by going into the Colosseum.  It was my first time in the Colosseum since I arrived in Rome at the end of January.  It was a long wait, but was so worth it.  We learned a great deal about how the Colosseum worked and where everyone sat (rich people in the front, ordinary people in the middle, and women in the nosebleeds).  We also climbed up to the middle level of the Colosseum which provided a great view of the interior of the "performance area."  We saw where the elevators were and how they worked.  It was a very informative tour.

After posing for a few pictures, we headed over to the Palentine Hill.  I didn't know anything whatsoever about the Palentine Hill prior to the tour, so it was nice to learn so much information.  Palentine Hill was essentially where the city of Rome was founded and where the Emperors of Rome resided.

After the Palentine Hill, we took a very quick tour of the Roman Forum.  Our tour guide showed us the path that war heroes and other important people took when they were on their way to meet the Emperor.

By this point, we were all absolutely exhausted and decided to go to our favorite restaurant, Monte Carlo, for lunch.  After lunch, we grabbed a gelato and I headed off to take an Italian exam.  While I was taking my exam, my Dad and brother took a hop-on, hop-off bus around Rome.  Matt was able to enjoy Rome from a different perspective.

After my exam, I met my family back at my hotel and we went up to see the view from the actual roof of the hotel.  It was pretty cool and you could see the top of the dome of Saint Peter's Basilica.  Then, we took a taxi to the Trevi Fountain to see the Trevi Fountain at night.  We walked back towards my apartment from the Trevi Fountain and went back to Antica Taverna for dinner.

Ciao,
Michael