Leaving Siena was harder than I thought it would be. I hated saying goodbye to nonna. She was so sweet and apologized for giving us a hard time about being messy or using too much water, etc. which was funny. I am excited to see her again someday, if not in this life then the next.
Heather and I spent a night in Milan, where we felt like princesses staying at the Hilton. The duomo there was absolutely incredible. It was different from any cathedral I had ever seen. Instead of being incredibly opulent inside, it was actually very plain in comparison to many other churches I had seen. Everything was made of gray marble and there was limited sculpture. The church was huge and very well designed, but what made it so spectacular amidst all the gray and balanced art work, were the incredible stained glass windows. Every window was at least 40 feet tall and set with gorgeous inlaid glass depicting scenes from the bible. It was amazing. And free, which was awesome. Being in Milan, we couldn't help but shop a little bit too.
Out of Milan, we flew to Barcelona. I mistakenly miswrote the address of our hostel, so we spent about 3 hours with our massive suitcases trying to find the place. Oops. We met Hugo there, a Chilean trying to find himself in Italy. The owner of the hostel, he was very hospitable and friendly. He made us a variation of paella and taught us to salsa dance. Barcelona was very cool because there is so much modern art and architecture. It was a refreshing change, but I would still take Italy over Spain any day. Heather, my traveling buddy, lost/had her wallet stolen while we were at the beach which was a huge nightmare. Because her passport was inside, we had to file a claim with the police and just pray that we would be able to fly back to Italy with a copy of her passport. The heavens were smiling down on us for sure when they allowed her to, and we were able to get her a new passport in Italy.
Florence was a nice way to end our 2 month adventure. We did some last minute shopping and repacked and repacked. We were both very ready to come home after the exhausting week of traveling. Parting ways in Florence, I flew home via Zurich and New York, and I have decided to never fly through JFK again. The last leg of my flight was supposed to take off at 7pm. Instead, we boarded at 8pm and didn't get into the air until 11pm. It was a long night, and I am very happy to be home safe and sound.
This will not be the last time I go to Italy. It was truly an amazing experience and I learned a lot. I learned that I kind of like archeology. I learned that Italians hate it when people yawn without covering their mouth. I learned how to say "Where is the police station?" in Spanish. I learned how to use public transportation. I learned to like jazz music. I learned how to correctly eat pasta. I learned how to speak, teach, and pray in Italian.
Ritornerò a presto, Italia. Mi manchi.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Ciao, Siena!
This last week in Siena has flown. I can't believe that 2 months could go by that fast. Tomorrow morning, nonna kicks us out of her house and Heather and I head off to see the sites of Milan, Barcelona, and Florence.
Two months has not been long enough to explore the treasures that Siena holds. On Sunday, I joined my friends Matt and Kristen on their walk through the Oca contrada. In this one little section of the city, I saw 2 beautiful churches--San Domenico and Santa Caterina--and a gorgeous fountain that is actually mentioned in Dante's Divine Comedy. The goose lamps lining the streets are so much fun, and it was nice to see a part of the city that is typically unexplored by visitors.
On Monday, Heather and I were still on holiday, so we explored the city some more. Just outside of the city, there is a beautiful cemetery. Its relatively new but it was really interesting to walk through. There were so many other hidden beauties that made me sad to be leaving so soon.
Our nonna and her friend Carla took us to her country house for dinner on tuesday as a kind of goodbye present. It was the most stunning piece of property I have ever laid eyes on. That home has been nonna's life work for the past 35 years. When she bought the property, it was all wild. Now it is filled with beautiful gardens and passage ways, wonderful porches that come off the most adorable casale you have ever seen. Everything is covered in ivy and flowers, and there is planted lavender that makes everything smell wonderful. We had a delightful dinner with nonna, Carla, and nonna's grandson Valentino. Afterwards, nonna pulled me aside and took me on a walk in the moonlight. She showed me the trees she planted and how much they have grown. She explained to me that they were like her children. I could see how much this place meant to her, and it warmed my heart that she would share it with us. It was the best night I have had here in Italy.
We did work Tuesday, Wednesday, and today. It was so sad saying goodbye to our coworkers. They are such wonderful people who had so much patience with us over the last two months. I will miss Luca telling us "Buongiorno belle" o "Ciao stupendi" o "Its beautiful." I will miss Debora's duck run and her Senese accent. I will miss Nora's cute little wardrobe and smiling face. I feel so lucky to have worked with these people. I have to come back soon.
Two months has not been long enough to explore the treasures that Siena holds. On Sunday, I joined my friends Matt and Kristen on their walk through the Oca contrada. In this one little section of the city, I saw 2 beautiful churches--San Domenico and Santa Caterina--and a gorgeous fountain that is actually mentioned in Dante's Divine Comedy. The goose lamps lining the streets are so much fun, and it was nice to see a part of the city that is typically unexplored by visitors.
On Monday, Heather and I were still on holiday, so we explored the city some more. Just outside of the city, there is a beautiful cemetery. Its relatively new but it was really interesting to walk through. There were so many other hidden beauties that made me sad to be leaving so soon.
Our nonna and her friend Carla took us to her country house for dinner on tuesday as a kind of goodbye present. It was the most stunning piece of property I have ever laid eyes on. That home has been nonna's life work for the past 35 years. When she bought the property, it was all wild. Now it is filled with beautiful gardens and passage ways, wonderful porches that come off the most adorable casale you have ever seen. Everything is covered in ivy and flowers, and there is planted lavender that makes everything smell wonderful. We had a delightful dinner with nonna, Carla, and nonna's grandson Valentino. Afterwards, nonna pulled me aside and took me on a walk in the moonlight. She showed me the trees she planted and how much they have grown. She explained to me that they were like her children. I could see how much this place meant to her, and it warmed my heart that she would share it with us. It was the best night I have had here in Italy.
We did work Tuesday, Wednesday, and today. It was so sad saying goodbye to our coworkers. They are such wonderful people who had so much patience with us over the last two months. I will miss Luca telling us "Buongiorno belle" o "Ciao stupendi" o "Its beautiful." I will miss Debora's duck run and her Senese accent. I will miss Nora's cute little wardrobe and smiling face. I feel so lucky to have worked with these people. I have to come back soon.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Domenica
Questa mattina è stata l'ultima domenica nel ramo di Siena. Era molto triste. Mi mancano già i membri e loro fede. Il presidente mi ha detto che non mi dimentica mai. Mi piace la nostra chiesa perché è uguale in tutto il mondo. I membri sono i miei fratelli e le mie sorelle sebbene che parliamo lingue diverse. Il vangelo porta felicità ai tutti. Sono fortunata che lo abbia nella mia vita.
Today was my last Sunday in the Siena branch. It was so much sadder than I thought it would be. I will miss the members here. I will miss their testimonies and their faith. They have been such wonderful examples to me over the course of these last couple months. The branch president took my hands in his and told me that he would never forget me. I held back tears as I looked at this man who has done so much for the tiny branch of Siena, who does so much for the church. I will miss him calling us his "sheeps."
After church, I said goodbye to my jazz festival friends and then had lunch with Matt and Kristen McCullough. We went on a walk through the Oca contrada's territory, including the stunning Chapel and home of Santa Caterina. I was amazed at the mosaic floors. They were seriously so beautiful. We ended our walk by going to Mass in the Duomo. The cathedral is stunning. Seriously. Google images. The black and white stone is so cool, and the entire floor is covered in mosaics. Apparently I'm really into mosaic floors these days.
Today was my last Sunday in the Siena branch. It was so much sadder than I thought it would be. I will miss the members here. I will miss their testimonies and their faith. They have been such wonderful examples to me over the course of these last couple months. The branch president took my hands in his and told me that he would never forget me. I held back tears as I looked at this man who has done so much for the tiny branch of Siena, who does so much for the church. I will miss him calling us his "sheeps."
After church, I said goodbye to my jazz festival friends and then had lunch with Matt and Kristen McCullough. We went on a walk through the Oca contrada's territory, including the stunning Chapel and home of Santa Caterina. I was amazed at the mosaic floors. They were seriously so beautiful. We ended our walk by going to Mass in the Duomo. The cathedral is stunning. Seriously. Google images. The black and white stone is so cool, and the entire floor is covered in mosaics. Apparently I'm really into mosaic floors these days.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Più Vacanza
Un altro giorno sul vacanza. Heather ed io abbiamo visitato Edie al suo lavoro al Museo Civico nel Palazzo Publico. Ci ha mostrato la galleria delle arte moderne. Mi ha piacuto molto. Poi siamo andate su le scale al museo civica. Perché Heather ed io lavoriamo alla Santa Maria della Scala. siamo potuto entrare gratis. Siamo voluto scalare le scale della torre e abbiamo ricevuto trattamento speciale. Siamo andate tra le porte segrete e abbiamo preso un ascensore impiegato quindi non aspettavamo. Il panoramico sopra la torre era incredibile. Siena è una città bellissima.
Thursday Heather and I met Edie at her work and got hooked up since our museums like each other. We got to go through the galleries for free, including an awesome modern exhibit that they currently have up. Then, since we wanted to climb the tower of the Palazzo Pubblico, Edie's coworkers lead us through a series of secret doors and elevators that allowed us to completely skip the 45 minute line. It was AWESOME. The tower was lots of fun to climb (considering I don't get claustrophobic) and absolutely beautiful up top. I got some awesome pictures of Siena and I am starting to dread the day I leave here.
Thursday night was a wild one. We went to another contrada party and were up all night dancing with Fabio and Silvio, two saxophone players here for the jazz festival. It was a lot of fun, but I was dead tired the next day. I'm just not as young as I used to be. Luckily, since I didn't have work, I could sleep in a little bit. There's another contrada party tonight and I am half-excited for how fun it will be, half-dreading the after-effects tomorrow. Ugh, my life is so hard. Sleeping, partying, and eating. Oh and I also spent all day at the pool today.
Thursday Heather and I met Edie at her work and got hooked up since our museums like each other. We got to go through the galleries for free, including an awesome modern exhibit that they currently have up. Then, since we wanted to climb the tower of the Palazzo Pubblico, Edie's coworkers lead us through a series of secret doors and elevators that allowed us to completely skip the 45 minute line. It was AWESOME. The tower was lots of fun to climb (considering I don't get claustrophobic) and absolutely beautiful up top. I got some awesome pictures of Siena and I am starting to dread the day I leave here.
Thursday night was a wild one. We went to another contrada party and were up all night dancing with Fabio and Silvio, two saxophone players here for the jazz festival. It was a lot of fun, but I was dead tired the next day. I'm just not as young as I used to be. Luckily, since I didn't have work, I could sleep in a little bit. There's another contrada party tonight and I am half-excited for how fun it will be, half-dreading the after-effects tomorrow. Ugh, my life is so hard. Sleeping, partying, and eating. Oh and I also spent all day at the pool today.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Vacanze in Vacanze
Il nostro capo non sta lavorando questa settimana, quindi, Heather ed io non stiamo lavorando questa settimana. Siamo in vacanza, in vacanza. Che incredibile. Lunedì una ragazza che abbiamo incontrato a Cinqueterre è vinito a visitare Siena. Viene d'Australia e ha portato un'altra ragazza con lei. Noi abbiamo mangiato al ristorante nella Piazza del campo e loro hanno provato pere e formaggio per la prima volta. Iere, martedì, Heather ed io siamo andate alla piscina d'Aquacalda per il giorno. Finalmente, è caldo di nuovo. Oggi, siamo andate al mercato e abbiamo spesso più soldi. Abbiamo mangiato focaccia con nutella con Amanda fuori il banco maggiore nel mondo.
There was a mix up at work. My boss thought that our last day was Friday, July 30, when in fact it is NEXT Friday, August 12. As such, she planned her vacation to visit her family for this week. Hence, Heather and I do not have work this week at all. We are on vacation....on vacation. Unfortunately, I am also trying to save my money for Barcelona in two weeks, and all day in the city is not good for my spending habits.
On Monday, one of the Australian girls that I roomed with in Cinqueterre let me know that she was coming to visit Siena for the day. Heather and I met Naomi and her friend Catalina (also from Australia/Colombia but who she had just met at her hostel in Florence) for lunch in the campo. We introduced them to the amazing plate of pears, cheese, and honey and they thought it was magical. They were so cute, and I now have places to stay if I ever want to visit Sydney or Perth.
Yesterday Heather and I had a pool day because the weather is finally hot again after two random rainy weeks. We walked the 45 minutes there and back so that we wouldn't be so lazy, but then we came home and slept until dinner. We were really lazy. Dinner was delicious as always. We had a minestrone instead of pasta, and the second course was meat and vegetables. Edie, Heather, and I walked to a near by bar "Re Nudo"--"The Naked King"-- for some amazing pistacchio gelato.
Today was another market day. I don't want to talk about it.
There was a mix up at work. My boss thought that our last day was Friday, July 30, when in fact it is NEXT Friday, August 12. As such, she planned her vacation to visit her family for this week. Hence, Heather and I do not have work this week at all. We are on vacation....on vacation. Unfortunately, I am also trying to save my money for Barcelona in two weeks, and all day in the city is not good for my spending habits.
On Monday, one of the Australian girls that I roomed with in Cinqueterre let me know that she was coming to visit Siena for the day. Heather and I met Naomi and her friend Catalina (also from Australia/Colombia but who she had just met at her hostel in Florence) for lunch in the campo. We introduced them to the amazing plate of pears, cheese, and honey and they thought it was magical. They were so cute, and I now have places to stay if I ever want to visit Sydney or Perth.
Yesterday Heather and I had a pool day because the weather is finally hot again after two random rainy weeks. We walked the 45 minutes there and back so that we wouldn't be so lazy, but then we came home and slept until dinner. We were really lazy. Dinner was delicious as always. We had a minestrone instead of pasta, and the second course was meat and vegetables. Edie, Heather, and I walked to a near by bar "Re Nudo"--"The Naked King"-- for some amazing pistacchio gelato.
Today was another market day. I don't want to talk about it.
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