Firenze

On Thursday we had to wake up around 7. We checked out and went to the train station and took the train to the airport. We got on our first quick flight to Frankfort and this nice old man sat next to me, but kept speaking Germany so I really didn’t know what he was saying. Then he showed me a book with his picture in it so I think he was telling me he was an artist. Anyway we got to Frankfort and walked 2934 miles to our next gate and took our flight to Roma. We just got on a train to Termini and then just got on our next train to Florence. We got into Florence around 5, it was a long day! We took a cab to our hotel which was very cute! We have a nice room with a computer (which is how I am typing this right now!) we went out and got some pizza and pasta and gelato and walked around, and then came back and did nothing, and loved every second of it! We went to sleep at a decent hour. On Friday We woke up around 10 and had breakfast at our hotel. Then we went for a walk and found a spa, so mom got manicure and pedicure and I got a massage and haircut! My haircut was awesome! I have side bangs now and love it! We were there from 1130-330, a long time! After we got some food and walked around and I got boots! I’m so excited! Then we came back here because it’s raining! We decided to go out to dinner, and we went to Angels, which is where Doug’s cousin works! So we finally found it and the hostess brought us to the room with the table with the wine, which was kind of weird, and I think he said something about how he doesn’t give that table to people usually? I don’t know, but anyway we both got steak and it was so good! After dinner we got some gelato and walked around for a bit and then came back here! We hit the sack! Saturday we woke up at 11am and the room was so dark we had no idea what time it was! We went out and looked for breakfast or lunch, but didn’t find much! I got a doughnut and we walked around and I finally ended up finding skinny jeans to wear with my boots! So I am excited about that! After we went back to the hotel and then went to the train station to go to Pisa! We got off at a sketchy stop, but we ended up finding out it was only 5 minutes from the tower. There were a lot of people there and it was hot so we didn’t stay long. I thought it was overrated, it wasn’t that exciting. We took the bus to the train station back to Florence and got a banana as a snack because we were dying! There were also a lot of people and we didn’t like that. So we came back and thought about trying to get into Michael Buble, but instead we decided that we would rather take a shower and get ready and go out to a nice meal. So we asked out hotel guy where we should go and he recommended a place. So we went to it, but it didn’t open until 730 and it was in this sketchy place. We walked in and they sat us at a table with other people, and people we didn’t know and they didn’t speak English. So they gave us water and I spilled some, so we left. We walked around for a bit and ended up going back to the place we went the first night which was very good! And we were able to eat outside which was really nice too! So we had a good dinner and got some gelato and walked around, and now we are going home tomorrow!

Red Light District

On Tuesday we were up early once again and took the train to the airport. So we get on a train that says it is going to the airport, and it’s the train we thought we should get on in the first place. But, right before this stop, a women asks if we speak German (no we don’t) and she told us that we had to get off and switch over to another train because the train we were on goes back to the center of town. She was so nice and when we got off she pointed to the train we were supposed to get on. So we did make it to the airport and then got on our flight to Amsterdam! Like most of our flights, we had to get on a bus that then drove it to the plan. So we get on the bus, and this man gets on (he was probably around 40) and he just stares at me. I wondered if I had something on my face (besides beauty of course!) but he just kept staring. I looked at mom because I knew she could tell, and she was like uh do you know him? And I definitely didn’t. He was so sketchy! He kept staring at me the whole time and mom said he kept looking me up and down. Yuck. Anyway we had a good flight and we managed to get on the train to the center, but had no idea when that stop was. When the train finally did stop, it seemed too early to be at the center, so we asked some people and they said the center was the next stop. So we got comfy in our seats again, until all of a sudden they yelled, “it’s this stop”, as they darted off the train. In a scramble we grabbed all of our 2348 bags and hopped off the train. Scary! So we got to the outside and went to take a cab to the hotel, but the man told us that it was just a 3 minute walk which was very nice of him. So we walked to the hotel (not using the cross walk) and I almost was killed by a tram! Luckily he beeped his little tram horn and I got out of the way. So we checked in and went and found a laundry place so we would finally have clean clothes! Yay! We walked around, everything smelled like pot, yuck! We had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe, typical, and it was very good! After we walked through the Red Light District! It was so weird! The girls just stand in their windows, sometimes bagging on the glass if guys walk by. I took pictures even though I am not supposed to. I’m a rebel. So anyway we did that and then came back and went to bed! So Tuesday night we went to bed around 12, and woke up around 12! It was the first time we slept that long in a while! And it was so nice! So I took a quick shower and then we went and got some pastries for breakfast/lunch! We did a little shopping (although there’s not much in Amsterdam) and then got on the internet to book the rest of our weekend, which we decided we will spend in Florence. After that we went to the Anne Frank house. We got on the tram to get there and the driver asked where we were going so he could stamp our tickets. So before the stop on his loud speaker he said “Anne Frank house next stop”. We didn’t know if he usually did that, but that was nice because we would have been a little confused. So anyway we get off the tram and have no idea where we are going and are looking all around, and as the tram is driving away we hear “Anne Frank house to your right!” We owe that tram guy big time. He was really nice. The Anne Frank house was good, but there were a lot of people which was kind of annoying, but overall it was nice. After we grabbed a quick snack, and then went through the Red Light District again, but it wasn’t too busy. We went back to the hotel to pack. My friend Doug from Perugia was coming to Amsterdam too! So I was able to hang out with him that night which was really fun!

Munich and Salzburg

On Saturday We were up at 5am to take a cab to the airport! The line was so long to check in! So we checked in and went through security and on the other end I felt something dragging, my underwear! How embarrassing! Mom thought it was hilarious! We got on the plane and got into Munich and then took another train to the center. We could NOT figure out the stupid German train tickets, so we scalped tickets off some people (yeah Boston!!!). We met Lorna and it was soo nice to see her! So we went to her hostel to drop off her bagsand then went to the Glockenspiel show, it was a joke, but we got hot coco and went to Dachau which was really nice. I had been to concentration camps before, but they hadn’t. We went through a museum that was really long! But it was good! After that we came back and hung out and went to Hard Rock which was good! We also went to the Hofbräuhaus Beer Hall which was happening! Sadly, we had to leave and take a train to Austria. The train ride was fine and we took a cab to our hotel and the people were so nice! I felt like royalty checking in! The room was really cute too! I took a shower and did Internet and passed out! On Sunday we were up early and the hotel breakfast was great. We went on the sound of music tour which was really nice. We were able to see the houses where it was filmed and the gazebo and the church. After that we came back to relax and then went out shopping, but most things were closed. We did see a very pretty sign for a McDonalds. Then we went to the train station to get tickets for tomorrow and then we went to dinner at another beer hall, Auguftiner Brau, but just got snacks. It was sketchy to get there. It was kind of down a dark alley, but it was cool to go to. On the way back we thought we were taking the right bus, but all of a sudden we found ourselves in the ghetto of Salzburg, ALONE! Everyone had gotten off the bus, except for the bus driver of course, who ONLY spoke German! (this sounds familiar, Ancona?) So we tried to tell him that we got on the wrong bus and asked him nicely not to leave us in the ghetto of Salzburg to be murdered, and we somehow managed to understand he did the same loop back! So we finally made it back to safely! On Monday we decided to sleep in a little and we went to breakfast in the hotel. We took our time getting ready and packing which was nice! And then we went shopping! I got some cute shoes and leggings! (Dad keep working hard!!) Then we got a cab to the train station and had some Burger King for lunch! It never tasted sooo good! We got on our train for Munich and it was so nice! We wanted to go somewhere further than an hour and a half because it was like we had our own little apartment! We could lie down and shut the door and it was so quiet! So anyway we got back to Munich and went to our hotel which was nice! Then, a challenge was bestowed upon us. Scott had wanted a soccer jersey, so we went out around 5:30 to find the one he asked Mom to get. However, when the store clerk showed us, mom didn’t think it was right. The store closed in an hour, so we ran back to the hotel to get on the internet to get the email Scott sent to mom with the correct jersey! But, someone was on the computer! How dare they! So we asked for the closest not sketchy internet café! And we ran! I was in charge of maps and we found the place and got online! Good thing we did because the jersey the man showed us was not, I repeat, was NOT the jersey Scott wanted! (at this point we were pretending we were on amazing race, so we made a game of it) So we printed out the picture and asked the internet man where we could find it! He pointed down the street, and we ran some more! We made it to a sports store and asked the man if he had the shirt, and thankgoodness, he did! Success! We went to Hard Rock Café (obviously) and then went back to the hotel to pack because Tuesday we were off to Amsterdam! But, the hotel told us the train people were going to be on strike, which would mean we would have a very hard time getting to the airport! Fortunately, they changed their strike day to Thursday..suckers!!

Midterms = Yuck!

On Thursday I had my two final exams! Yuck! I am glad to be done with those! After my second class, I took a quick nap, and then Mom and I went and hung out at the chocolate festival for a while. I went back to her room to take a shower, probably the best shower of my life! That’s one of the things I miss the most, good water pressure and a shower where you can actually move. After that I went back to the apartment to get ready for dinner. Both Jeanette and Kate’s parents and mom were all here so we all went out to dinner at Ristorante Del Sole. We had a really nice dinner! After we went back to our apartment and cleaned out our kitchen! We had an intense cleaning party! It was fun! Kate went to bed and the 3 of us stayed up and gave each out back rubs. It was so nice! We almost all feel asleep. Jeanette has taken a massage class before, so hers hurt, but at the same time it felt really good. Finally around 2am we called it a night. Friday morning I woke up around 11 and showered and went to the computer lab. Then we all got sandwiches at Parma and Jeanette and her parents came back to the apartment and ate with mom and I. After that mom and I went to Assisi which was really fun! We dropped off our bags, which we seemed to have some trouble finding and got on the bus and took it to the top of Assissi. We walked a lot but it was really pretty and nice. We saw St. Frank but we were just kinda like eh and kept going. We went back with the nuns we saw on the bus. They were really short and funny. Then took the next train to Rome. We got to Rome and grabbed a snack before we took the train to the airport and then a cab to the hotel. We got in late and took a hot shower and went to sleep but we couldn't fall asleep!

Study for Midterms? No thanks, I think I'll go to Budapest

Kate and I had an amazing time in Budapest this weekend! We left on the 3:20 bus and got to the train station, grabbed our ticket, and hopped on the train as it was basically pulling out of the station. We had a layover in Foligno, where we both enjoyed the delicious yogurts. After, we took the train to Roma Termini and then had a little bit of time before taking the Leonardo da Vinci train to the airport. When we got to the airport we knew we were a little pressed for time, so we followed the signs for terminal C. We finally found where we needed to check in, but the check in man was hitting on us, and he was wasting time. He kept saying how his mom was calling, and he would pick up the calls and talk to her. So finally he gave us our tickets and was like wow you are late. Thanks buddy. So we got in line for security, which took forever. Kate went through first, and I followed. After our bags had been screened, a man came over to Kate and asked if she was the one “with the liquids”. So he asked both of us to follow him, and we took out our 3-1-1 bags, properly done like the airport asks. He looked them over, and said “are these all the liquids you have” we politely responded “yes sir”. He then asked for our boarding tickets, and when he saw them he goes “oh you are late”. Thanks buddy. So we ran a little and then hit passport security. We had to wait in another long line for them to check our passports. After making it through, we sprinted to what we thought was our gate, only to find that we needed to take a shuttle to our gate. Of course. At this point it was about 8:02, our plane was going to leave at 8:15. I started picturing what it would be like to sleep in an airport. We jumped on the next shuttle and sprinted (once again) off the shuttle and up the escalators. I was first, and after running up the escalators, a women at the top says “Budapest”? I was winded, but managed to say yes, and she pointed us to the left. Kate was behind me, and as I sprinted, we heard people yelling “girls” and Kate told me to turn around. When we got to the counter, the employers told us to give them all our documents and we threw everything we had at them, ran down the terminal, and hoped on our plane. We literally got on the plane, sat down, and took off. They definitely held the plane for us. We had a quick trip to Budapest, and when we got there Dan and his roomie Claire (who goes to Bowdoin and knows Maria) picked us up. Claire had a friend visiting too that landed about the same time, so then we went back to their apartment to relax. Their apartment was very nice and big. I was really tired, so I took a shower and hit the sack. Friday morning Kate woke us all up early! Dan made eggs which we really good and we were off! I don’t even want to think about how many miles we ended up walking on Friday. We walked to a church, which was beautiful, and there was a funeral for an Olympic athlete going on! After that we walked some more, and went to the post office to get stamps. We then got some icecream, and walked along the Danube River, and then crossed the river to Buda. We walked up a very big hill to Castle Hill, and it was weird because we saw buildings with bullet holes. We went to the church but they were doing construction so there wasn’t too much to see. After that we had lunch at this excellent place, and had Goulash which was VERY good. It was almost like beef stew. The man asked if we wanted to eat or have drinks, and I said to eat, and he goes “black teats?” It was weird. Also, there was recorder music playing, like music from the 80’s and 90’s recorder style. After lunch we were very tired and went back to the apartment and changed into our suits to go to the Turkish baths. It was sooo cool! It was like a resort, but all the water was fresh and hot! Everyone was in their bathing suits and it felt so good to relax in the hot water. One of the pools had a type of whirlpool which was fun, but out elbows got beat up. So we hung out there for a while, and then took the metro back and got some food for dinner. Dan cooked “chicken”. It didn’t turn out to be chicken, but whatever kind of meat it was was delicious. We had dinner and then Claire had a bunch of friends over, so we just relaxed. On Saturday we slept in a little, I made eggs, and then we had an “American Day”. We went to a torture museum which was interesting, and walked around and went to the first McDonalds behind the Iron Curtin. We came back and crashed, so we decided the best course of action was to order Pizza Hut pizza. They delivered, and we curled up to watch a movie! We hit the sack and then were up at 5:00 to go to the airport and caught our plane back home! We had an amazing weekend!

Kate turns 21!

Kate and I are going to Budapest! Yay! So this week was pretty good. Monday was long and I was very tired. I pretty much fell asleep in Italian, that’s never good. I gave my presentation for photography which actually went really well. We were able to develop some prints. Then I went to Abnormal Psych, which was so boring like always! After that I went to the computer lab to do a little work, and then I came back and had dinner and then Kate and I got ready to go out for her birthday! We went to the Rock Club because it was Karaoke night and we had a lot of fun! After we came home and had cake! Tuesday we woke up and I decorated the house for Kate! I went and dropped off my laundry and went and did the whole class thing. After I went came back to take a nap because I was so very tired! Then I went to the computer lab to do some work, and then we went out to dinner with Kate’s parents, which was really fun and yummy! After dinner I did a little homework and then went to bed. Wednesday I woke up and had class. I went and tried to print some things for photo, but they came out awful. I tried to do more work on my psychology paper, but I was so tired! We made chicken and pasta and it was very good! I tried to do some more work, but I was too tired, so Kate and I packed, I read a magazine and went to sleep. We leave for Budapest tomorrow!

Under the Tuscan Sun

I went to Tuscany last weekend and it was so much fun! On Friday I had a very relaxing day. I woke up and went and did some errands and ended up at the computer lab. Doug called me and asked if I wanted to have lunch, so we met up for pizza. We went to the computer lab to see if we could get tickets to see the Celtics play in Roma! But we were already going on the Tuscan trip, so we didn’t end up following through with that. Erica and I went out and I got my ear pierced and she got her lip pierced, it was fun! We picked up our laundry and I got a pair of pink shoes! By the time I got to sleep that night it was like 3:00, and I woke up at 6:30 for Tuscany! So we got on the bus and Erica and I sat together. We went to the Villa which was nice, and there were 3 people to a room so Erica, Doug and I decided to room together. So then we went to Volterra which was nice, but small, and we (the 3 of us) went to lunch and got pizza and my first cappuccino! It was ok, but I needed the energy! We walked around for a bit, and then went to San Gimignano which was cute but touristy. We took a tour and then had time to walk around. I went to the place that won for the best gelato in Italy, it was good! So we walked around some more, did some shopping and then went back on the bus. We went back to the villa, and took a quick nap and showered and got ready for dinner. We had a really nice dinner, and then everyone hung out for a while and hit the sack. The next morning we were up early and had some breakfast and got on the bus. I felt really sick (I had yogurt, and then the motion sickness from the bus) so we get to Monteriggioni and it’s really cute, but I ended up in the bathroom throwing up. I felt better so we just hang out for an hour. Then we left and went to Sienna (I almost got sick again) we had extra time when we got there, so everyone hung out at the park, and I layed down and had some crackers. We had lunch at this place that overlooked the main square. Then we wanted to go to the top of the tower, so we waited in line for like, 15 minutes (Erica backed out) and Doug and I went to the top. It was a long walk, but very pretty at the top. When we came back down we all hung out in the piazza for a while. Everyone was laying out in the sun which was really nice. We got on the bus and came back home. I was so tired when we got home, and I had a huge project to do, but we got some pizza and just ended up hanging out and I did some of my work but finally had to crash. It was an amazing but tiring weekend!

Too tired to think of a title...

So anyway Monday was my typical long day. I woke up and had Italian which went well. Next was photography, and we were able to print out our negatives in the darkroom, which takes some work, but its fun! I have my project due next Monday for that class, so I’m a little nervous just because I feel like I have a lot to do, and I’m the first one in my class to go. After photography I had abnormal psych, and I’m bummed because I was really looking forward to that class, but it’s a disappointment. I don’t really like my professor. We were suppose to have a debate, but one of the boys got stuck in Germany because of the train strike! So we didn’t really do too much. After that I came back and did a little organizing. I went to wine tasting which was fun! I didn’t like the wine, but we learned about how to order it and what to look for and how to taste it and things like that. I felt very cultured. After that I came back here and we had a HUGE cleaning party because we had our next inspection Tuesday! I went to town on the kitchen. It was gross. I pulled everything out and got rid of all the crumbs, it was actually nice because now I feel like its really clean. So after that I did a little homework and tried to go to bed, but I could not fall asleep which was very frustrating because I am still not feeling well. Finally at 230 I put Laguna Beach it, but I don’t think I feel asleep until 4. On Tuesday I woke up and took a shower and got my laundry ready! Jeanette broke the peanut butter in the kitchen, so we had to clean up the glass before our inspection (our kitchen is so small that stuff falls a lot..not ok) so then I brought my laundry over and dropped it off and went to Italian. After Italian I had to take pictures for my photography class. We had to take 2 rolls of film of an object. I chose a Fanta bottle because I love the Fanta in Europe (its orange soda for those of you not as culturally aware as I) I must have looked silly because I was bringing my Fanta bottle everyone and taking pictures, in front of the statue, in the center of town. People probably thought I had some weird obsession, which hey maybe I do. Then I went and picked up my laundry and came back and put it all away. After that I grabbed some pizza and headed off to Leonardo Di Vinci, which wasn’t too bad, but that’s when my sleepiness hit me. Luckily I sit next to Jeanette so she was there to wake me up! I then took the bus down to the lower part of town, and did a little birthday shopping for Kate! I can’t say more because I know sometimes she reads this. I also did a little grocery shopping, which was good, but the whole process is tiring. I miss swinging by “the Pic” and getting a few things. None of this lugging your bags on a bus and then walking a mile home. Geeze. Anyway I got back and put everything away, and then got ready with Jeanette and Kate to go to the Opera! It was fun! We went with other Umbra students and got appetizers first, and then went to the opera. Our tickets were cheap so as you can imagine we didn’t have the best seats, but we could see everything! obviously I had no idea what they were saying, although I did pick up on a couple of words, but I ended up leaving early because I’m still not feeling well, and I think my medicine makes me a little dizzy. Luckily I’m finished with it tomorrow. So anyway, I need to get back to homework, that’s all for now folks.

Relaxing Weekend!

Thursday night my friend Becky from Stonehill and her roommate came over and we all made dinner! It was really really fun, our first official dinner party! We had chicken and pasta and bread and appetizers! Yum! Except for the fact that I was feeling AWFUL! I literally thought I might die. I felt bad because right after dinner I had to go and lay down. I decided that Pisa and Cinque Terre were not happening this weekend. I was bummed because I was really excited to go, but I knew it just wouldn’t be worth it and I would probably be miserable. Plus Erica had a field trip Friday but was then going to be home all weekend so I wouldn’t be alone. I had a hard time falling asleep Thursday night but finally managed to! I woke up around 10:30 on Friday and took a shower. Then I went out and did a little grocery shopping. It was nice to walk around and get some fresh air! I did a little interneting and then came back to relax. I ate a lot of food in the afternoon, and just kind of did nothing which was really really nice. I called Kate and Jeanette to make sure they had made it to Cinque Terre ok, which they had! Erica came back around 8 and did not feel good at all! We got a pizza to go and then watched the Italian Job which was fun. After we made tea and broth, and then boiled hot water to take in the steam. We know how to have fun on a Friday night! After that we listened to some music which was fun. And then hit the sack! Saturday I slept until about 11:30, it was so nice! I woke up and took a shower. Erica wasn’t feeling well at all. Becky called me, and her friend was visiting from Florence so we went and got some pizza and gelato. He is really nice so we had fun. After I came back and cleaned a little and did some homework. Erica took a nap from like 2 until 7. I feel bad because I know exactly how she is feeling. Around 7 Doug called and wanted to know if he and Rob could come over to cook us dinner. It was really sweet. So they came over and we had pasta and the sauce was AMAZING! It was really fun and after we decided to watch Shawshank Redemption. So the movie was over and the boys stayed for a little and then Kate and Jeanette came home so the boys left. All in all it was a fun night even being sick! I didn’t get the best night sleep Saturday night. I woke up Sunday morning, took a shower, and then went to internet. Kate and I spent a long time trying to figure out our trip to Budapest because we also wanted to go to Croatia. But after countless hours of researching, we decided it just didn’t make sense for a weekend trip. So I came back to the apartment and layed down for a bit because I had a really bad headache. Jeanette made a really good potato soup, which felt good for my cold. Sunday night I went over to my friend Robs because he had a church sermon on his computer so we listened to that!