TravelStream™ news feed for member ailleagan on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/ailleagan en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Mon, 29 Oct 2007 06:50:37 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ailleagan/florence_-_2007/1193652840/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ailleagan/florence_-_2007/1193652840/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ailleagan/florence_-_2007/1193652840/tpod.html Mon, 29 Oct 2007 06:50:37 -0400 Study Abroad in Florence, Italy: my growth in both knowledge and sentiment of life.

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Glasgow, United Kingdom

I can't believe it. I'm finally in Scotland! We get to the bus to take us to the city center and the bus driver clearly hated his job. Of course, I don't picture anyone with a pink (yes, bright fuchsia)&nbsp;soul patch on his chin&nbsp;to actually work as a bus driver and enjoy it. Regardless, the bus ride was beautiful. Granted it was cloudy and dreary but the countryside was breath taking! Hills and fields of green &amp; tan rolled on for miles, dotted with long gashes of trees that managed to cut through the crops. The must have been 3 shades of green and tan each. Shortly there after I passed on our the bus and woke up in the city.Glasgow is a mix of modern and historical. It was an "in your face" contrast between the two. there would be one old building among four new ones. It was so different. We went to find the Hostel on another bus and walked around the street a few times and finally found it. We get to the room and it was actually really great for what we needed! It was like a mini-hotel room...the size of my bed room, maybe smaller (thats pretty small).We walk around the city for the day as it starts to spit a bit, got to love Scotland weather. We walked all the way over to the suspension bridges and looked at the conference center. I'm not going to lie, I wasn't really impressed with Glasgow. For dinner we headed back to the city center and ate at&nbsp;a bar called Lauder's. I tried a Guinness Red...don't try it, it wasn't that good. The bar tender recommended it as a light beer...didn't like it too much. But it's fine. Kelly and I both had the surf and turf for only 6.50 pounds (like $13 USD)...it was soo good. The we headed back to a bar near our hostel.Walking the door we hoped to find locals...well we definitely found some. Out of the 20 people there, there were three girls, the lady working and two girls who looked cracked out. So we put our stuff down at the bar next to the pool table and Kelly is about to get a Guinness and a guy, Thomas, comes up to us and asked if we wanted to play doubles. Of course Kelly immediately accepts the challenge. Super. All I wasted to do was let her have a Guinness and then go back to the hostel and pass out. So I hang by our stuff while she walks up to the bar with Thomas to get a drink. He comes back carrying a jack and coke &amp; Kelly goes, "I told him you and Jack were and item..." Super. I really&nbsp;didn't want to drink it. I would much rather had a water or even my bed. We have a long day at Edinburgh tomorrow. So I sipped it as he talked to us while playing pool.It was soo hard to understand him. We had to get him to repeat things 3 or 4 times. It wasn't that they spoke fast, <i>everythingwasstrungtogetherwithnosyllablesorbreaks. He told us to call him when we got back from Edinburgh...which was sooo not up my alley. Especially after what he said when one of his friends came over rambling and then walked away..."don't mind my friends, they're messed up. Would you guys like some cocaine? I have ecstasy if you prefer that..." Just nonchalant. At this point my mouth dropped, my eyes must have popped out of my head and I slunk back into my chair and said "No, No thank you, I'm not into any of that." As I'm packing my receipts into my purse (I organize things and clean when I'm pissed or nervous) and put my scarf and jacket on. I look at Kelly who's sipping on her beer to stay longer and say, "I'm ready to go Kell." And without skipping a beat he goes, "Oh, it's cool, I respect that, I have weed would you like some instead?" Are you KIDDING me right now? Crack, E, and weed, I mean hell, wheres the heroin and laced weed? I turn to Kelly and say, "Leaving. Now." Then he follows us to the bar and proceeds to give Kelly his number. Unbelievable. I told her on the way out that she could go out with them but I wasn't......I never thought a hard/stiff bed would feel so amazing.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ailleagan/florence_-_2007/1192247220/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ailleagan/florence_-_2007/1192247220/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ailleagan/florence_-_2007/1192247220/tpod.html Mon, 29 Oct 2007 06:49:31 -0400 Study Abroad in Florence, Italy: my growth in both knowledge and sentiment of life.

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Bologna, Italy

Well, FINALLY I'm on a plane to Scotland. Yes. I said FINALLY. You have no clue what I have just gone through...oh but you will...sit back and get ready to gasp in astonishment, sigh in relief, and laugh at my awful luck we all know I have...(which ultimately as always - it all comes out in the wash and everything is okay)...Our train was scheduled to leave at 6:20 from the SMN train station in Florence (the one we normally go out of). It was quarter of 6 and Carlo, my crit, hadn't even gotten to Erin and I. I was starting to get nervous...so Erin yelled at me to leave so I don't miss my train and that she'd take care of the desk crit (did I mention she's an angel?). So I practically sprint back to my apartment to meet Kelly, alternating between speed walking and actually running, in my boots mind you. Finally, winded I grab my jacket and scarf and we're back to marathon speed walking to SMN. After much frantic arm swinging and huffing and puffing, we make it to the train station at 6:15. Looking on the board for the train to Bologna Center Station...it is no where to be found on the one board so we run to the next and check that, no luck. So we manage to ask a custodian (since there were no train workers in sight of course)...and he told us that the Bologna Center stop was on the route to Milan Center (of course we didn't have anyway of knowing this)...and he told us in Italian. So luckily we understood it luckily and ran to track 10 (on the other side of the station) and got on the train.We managed to find a cabin with a girl our age in it and asked her in Italian if we could sit with her...she had her head phones on so she just nodded. Later in the ride she gets into her purse and pulls out a pack of gum, and yes, she offered us a piece...we were kind of shocked actually! It was nice of her, which we're not used to experiencing from Italian women (all of them here are very ridged, even to the Italian men as I mentioned in one of my early entries). So later she took off her head phones to get something out of her bag and I made an effort to make conversation so it wasn't just Kelly and I talking back and forth and her by herself (plus it was a good way to practice Italian). So Kelly and I actually held a decent conversation in Italian! She was headed home to Bologna to spend time with her family and friends, she's a student at Firenze Universita and lives in Florence during the week and returns home on the weekends...and how ironic? She's an architecture major as well! So we all talked back and forth and shared funny stories from Italian classes and what not.So we get to the station finally, the train was running a half hour late so we scrambled to find the bus to take us to the airport. We took the direct route and asked a security guard and he told us to go to "that" and pointed to a bus stop. We get on and it cost us 10 euro! Wow. But we're on at last...so we thought.We get out at the airport and start running to find our check-in location, we ran up and down stairs twice (they have 2 floors of check in). So not being able to find it, we go to ask at the information desk, "I'm sorry Ryanair doesn't fly out of this airport, you need to go to the other airport." Oh, right, because we were supposed to know they have two! We asked her how long it took to get there and she said 45 minutes. So we had an hour and a half to get there before our flight. Super.We hail a taxi, he's an older gentleman, very nice, grandfather-looking man. He tells us the trip will cost us 118 euro...SUPER. But we have no other choice. So we have to go...he managed to get us there in a half hour and reassured us the whole time "Va bene"...it's okay. So of course I have him a hug, especially after he only charged us 110 euro.So we check in and get through security and sit down at a cafe next to our gate. I reached in to get my wallet so I could buy something to snack on...my heart dropped. My wallet wasn't in my purse! It must have fallen out in the scramble of getting out of the taxi! I managed to hold it together and ran back to the security station and tell him the issue...but they spoke broken English and didn't know the number for any taxi service in Bologna. So now tears are beginning to develop in the back of my eyes...my throat feels like a golf ball is growing in it and tears start welting in my eyes...the security guard is repeatedly asking his peers, "telephono taxi di Bologna?" Tears are staining my cheeks as I start breathing deep shallow breaths trying to control myself as I slide down against the wall.I&nbsp;look up from squatting at the security desk with my head in my hands and I see the taxi driver running and looking around the desks frantically. I jump up and start legit crying for the first time in this entire ordeal (you'd be proud of how much I kept myself together) and&nbsp; he gave me the wallet saying, "Mi dispiace! Mi dispiace!" ("I'm so sorry!") and I was crying and bless his heart, he was crying too! He told me to check and make sure every thing was accountable for (using gestures since he didn't speak any English)...everything was there and I gave me a hug and told me "gracie mili!" and pulled myself together before going back to the gate. I was stunned. I said several Thank Yous to God the entire way back. Moral of the story (for those of you who tease me for being friendly): a bit of kindness can go a LONG LONG way! Thank God!We got to the London airport where we couldn't enter until we checked our passports in...we were in line for an hour and a half. Then we finally found Ryanair and a open cafe to get a hot chocolate at...so good! Finally we head back to check in and pass out on the floor at 2:00am...everyone was laying on their luggage. I put my scarf down on the ground to lay on (the floor was FREEZING), I looped my arm through my purse (as i used it for a pillow) and looped it through my book bag that I had turned upside down that way no one would get into it. I used my coat as a blanket and fell asleep shivering. I woke up FREEZING. Our hot chocolate and fried potatoes we had for breakfast hit the spot though!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ailleagan/florence_-_2007/1191196920/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ailleagan/florence_-_2007/1191196920/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ailleagan/florence_-_2007/1191196920/tpod.html Mon, 08 Oct 2007 11:10:30 -0400 Study Abroad in Florence, Italy: my growth in both knowledge and sentiment of life.

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Barcelona, Spain

Oy, well here goes the second novel on Barcelona...this will probably be a shorter one than the last one (luckily for those of you who are pressed for time when you read these)! Today we ran around like chickens with our heads cut off again today! But it's okay! It was worth it! I have so many more pictures! I know, a lot huh? We packed everything up and stored it in our lockers so we could swing by before we leave tonight. It was raining when we got up this morning...luckily by the time we were ready to head out it stopped and started to clear up. So we decided to head over to Starbucks and grab something to eat on the go and map out our course again. We set out to find Parc Guell, the park Gaudi designed everything in, they even had another museum there as well. Except Gaudi actually lived in this house for a period of time, so you could see his own personal furnishings he surrounded himself with. The gardens surrounding it were beautiful. But upon arriving at Par Guell, we looked up a HUGE hill and noticed that they actually had escalators going all the way up the hill, of course Kara and I opted for the stairs as always...what a work out! I felt like I was in the movie Sweetest Thing, this hill was massive! Walking around the paths following signs that read "Parc Guell" with arrows we passed some amazing sculpted rock formations lined with palm trees. I felt like I was in some tropical place! Then breaking the green and brown we saw Gaudi's swerving mosaic seating around the piazza, soo many colors, such intricate work! Someone had a LOT of patience! I walked down the stairs to a "natural" loggia that was pretty neat...to the left of it down another set of stairs there were large columns holding up half of the piazza, they looked like huge concrete tree trunks! Walking into them made me feel sooo incredibly small! When I finally looked up at the top of them the entire ceiling was decorated with white mosaics with large vibrantly colored circle designs, they even had mosaic squids reaching down from the ceiling. It was kind of peaceful in a way, to feel so small surrounded by simple things that represented natural elements of structure. Walking back up the stairs to the piazza there were vendors scattered everywhere, I managed to haggle down the price for a necklace and a bracelet...I only had a two 10s and (it was 13 euro) but the lady didn't have change enough for it so she gave them to me for 8 total!!! How great is that! Haha you know me, always the bargain shopper! I also bought a black and white panorama of one of the rock formations...I know, the avid Panorama Girl buying one? Well people were everywhere and I didn't want them in my Panorama! Yes! I was being selfish! So, I bought a beautiful one instead :) In case you didn't know, in order to go to Barcelona we had to leave studio early on Thursday, so our professor Carlo let us leave early as long as we agreed to document a large market called Mercado di Santa Caterina designed by Tagliabue, a woman architect from Milan. The market was pre-existing, but Tagliabue had to modify the design because the residents and offices didn't want to look at a market in the piazza below them. Walking up to this market was verrryyy interesting. Walking down the street we just keep seeing normal building after normal building, an existing Roman fortress, and more normal buildings...then the perspective is broken by colorful waves made into a canopy with exposed structure twisting up to meet the waves. Walking into the market and looking up you could see all the wood and steel structure mixed it was insane! Walking past all of the stands you could smell everything! Both pleasant and not so pleasant! The fish stands were so funny to look at, I have a few pictures of them, there were places with pasta hanging next to garlic and other spices, the fruit stands were exploding with vibrant colors, meat stands had started packing away their products. To close the stands a lot of them would pull down a steel cover from the top of the stand, they cleaned up the entire market in about an hour. The back facade had wood planks made into panels, this was to mimic the crates that all the food would come in. We sat down at one of the bars and sketched the structure and grabbed a bite to eat. Down the street we could see the water, we set out to find Frank Ghery's fish that was to be out on the coast. Erin, Kara, and I walked on to find the fish while the others browsed the vendor stands. We finally got to sand! So we all took off our shoes and walked on the sand down the beach to the fish! You couldn't miss it once you got on the beach...it was a HUGE copper and gold mesh looking fish. As you got closer, you can see that a "fabric" of crisscrossing copper strips created the fish, in two bends of the fabric the fish was shaped. Below the fish there were restaurants and cafes...and a wood island in a shallow pool, it looked so serene Erin and I had to go check it out. When on the same level of it, you could see the natural appearance of the wood and its planters, but behind it you could see the steel structure of the corresponding bridge past it. And once my last picture was taken since I have a small memory card (for now...luckily I'm getting a new one...THANKS Aunt Deb!)...we set back to grab our things from the hostel and head home. Once we got to the airport we found out that our plane was delayed 2 hours, the flight was supposed to be at 10:10 or something...so once we got in the terminal we all took shifts going to the bathroom and changing into comfortable clothes to lounge in. Ashley, Kelly, and I were the first ones out and we had been bonding and decided to write down Kelly's "How tos" for dating...which we were all laughing hysterically. Ashley wrote them down and a man sat down right next to her with his wife and brother in law (I'm guessing) and started peeking over her shoulder and making jokes (though he couldn't understand it)...it was kind of weird...we waited it out and decided to go get some food. So we had an hour before the flight and thought we had enough time to sit down at the small snack bar, Kara bought us all a bottle of bubbly and we sat down to drink it. No sooner did we sit down and fill our glasses a man came on the intercom, "Flight to Florence is now boarding" so we all chugged our large cups of bubbly and packed our food in our bags and ran to the terminal. Luckily, we had "priority" seating so we got to go in front! Always a plus! On the way back from Pisa airport we took a bus back to SMN train station. The train we were supposed to take wasn't supposed to run until 4:00 in the morning but we managed to catch a bus instead and we were able to get back into Florence at 2:00 in the morning, compared to 5:30. Which was so great :) More sleep! So on the bus everyone was able to get their own seat and laydown...I had finally gotten situated with my ipod and had JUST fallen asleep...and this is what happens: <i>scenario: 1:00am on a bus from Pisa airport going to SMN Bus station in Florence, everyone is passed out, I have finally fell asleep ...suddenly the bus comes to an abrupt stop where everyone is jerked forward <i>...I jump up and say "holy shit!"...apparently a little loud since I had my music still playing in my ears... <i>next morning on the way to studio: erin: "so yeah, can we talk about how when the bus came to an abrupt stop you yelled 'holy shit!'&nbsp; and then gave the bus driver a death stare?" me: "yes, we can talk about it...when she slammed on the brakes while I was alseep on my side, I got LODGED between my seat and the one in front of me, face down suspended over the floor....that is why" erin: "no shit! really?! OMG that is hilarious!" <i>...erin continues laughing hysterically all the way to studio, un able to walk across the arno as she was laughing so hard she couldn't breathe
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ailleagan/florence_-_2007/1191122040/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ailleagan/florence_-_2007/1191122040/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ailleagan/florence_-_2007/1191122040/tpod.html Thu, 04 Oct 2007 16:49:40 -0400 Study Abroad in Florence, Italy: my growth in both knowledge and sentiment of life.

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Barcelona, Spain

So finally we arrived at the metro station at 11:00 at night. The hostel we were staying at gave us directions from airport to the metro (bus) and walking directions from the metro station to the hostel. On the directions it says "Passo Gracia" but on the metro map there is no street called that, the only one close to it was "Passeig Gracia." So we follow the directions on the map from the hostel...taking a right out of the metro and walking down what looks like 5 streets. However, we have no clue if it's 5 major streets, or 5 minor streets. We walk around for a good 45 minutes. We stopped a taxi driver and asked them where "Passo Gracia" and they told us "cinco" and point to the way we just came. So we walk back and then walk up the street to find 116 (the street number for the hostel) and only found a "Hotel Catalonia" but no sign for "HOSTEL Catalonia" So we walk back down to use the directions...we ask another 3 taxi drivers...walk back and look for it near the Hotel, with no luck and walk back down and try random streets that may run in with it. So Kelly and Erin stop and ask for help in an Irish bar. Luckily the bartender and another girl who was like 2 years older than us, who was from California and living in Barcelona, both spoke English. They sat there for for 25 minutes helping us, letting us use their phones, and calling the hostel for us and speaking in Spanish to them, but still no help. The girl told us that most hostels don't have signs in Barcelona and that you have to ring a door bell for them to let you into a business looking building and walk up stairs to get to the hostel. So she gave us her number and we should go back and look for a door bell that said "hostel" on it at the Passeig Gracia 116 (which apparently Passo and Passeig is the same thing...but why not just use ONE?!), and if we couldn't find it we could call her and she had plenty of space in her apartment if we needed a place to stay. So we go back...and FINALLY we find it. Why can't establishments just give you cut and dry details and correct directions?So we finally get into the hostel at like 1:30 in the morning and are given our keys for our lockers. We stayed in a room designated for 8 people, so we have two other girls from Hong Kong who spoke good English and were studying in England (Erin asked). So they weren't weird so thats good! The hostel also failed to tell us that we needed to bring blankets and towels...so we all slept in whatever clothes we brought....and still froze. So we're still drenched, cold, and exhausted. No wonder 3 of 6 of us are sick! So we all went to freshen up, mind you the shower was a mess...so we kind of avoided that situation, plus we had no hot water (yet the lady informed us that her room and the others had it and didn't know why we didn't...our luck). So we all climb into our bunk beds and attempt to pass out. Sooo cold.This morning we woke up at 9:00 and set out for breakfast to sit down and eat while planning our day and navigating on the map. We stopped at a really cute and cheap brunch place, I had a breakfast sandwich with some meat and a tomato mixture, sooo good. I had a hot chocolate too...amazing! So we point out all the places we wanted to go to on the map and create the traveling strategy.First on our list was Casa Mila by Gaudi which was sooo amazing! We paid to get in and we walked through the entire building! They gave us headsets with our entry fee and we could press the number of the exhibit and it would tell you all about it. When you entered the building you walked into his courtyard which was beautiful! The building on the exterior and interior ungulates, giving opportunities for balconies and light for every room. The use of color was simple, playful, and amazing. We walked through the rooms he created that were furnished with all of his furniture that he designed. Gaudi loved to customize the interior and furniture to go with his buildings and this was a clear example of that. In the attic they had an exhibit that showed drawings and models of all of his projects that he worked on and designed. It was so amazing to see everything. I swear this man was insane or on crack when he designed! We walked up to the roof where he made various sculptures out of the vents and chimneys and you could get an amazing view of Barcelona. Not including some hilarious pictures!On the way to Sagrada Familia we stopped at Starbucks, so good. We stopped and sat at a small park, yes, I did get on the swings...of course I did! I'm still a little kid at heart! The entire walk we could see the steeples of the church. Now Sagrada Familia was started in 1882 while Gaudi was still alive to control his design for the Church, however when he died the church's building was provided for by private money which is why it is STILL being built today. The finished date is scheduled for 2026, the 200th anniversary of Gaudi's death. Even unfinished the church was&nbsp; nothing short of BREATH TAKING. The reliefs on the facade of the church were amazing in themselves portraying many of the major biblical stories. Walking up to the front doors, there were words extruding from panels and the doors, all were names found in both the Old and New Testament with Jesus, God, and Holy Spirit in gold on top of all the names. Of course, I had to touch it, like everywhere else feeling the textures of a new place. Walking into the vestibule, the ceilings weren't AMAZING, but till beautiful. Once you step through the threshold into the naves, yes naves, there are more than 3 of them. In the central nave they're storing all the molds and castings, but you could walk around the lateral naves. I only remember three stained glass windows being fully completed, but with the others open air (like the rest of the church since it wasn't fully closed in yet). Light spilled into the space, just the thought of all the stain glass was AMAZING.Jean Nouvel's building was an interesting one! You could see it from all over the city. Barcelona's Business Reps asked Nouvel to design the main building to front the new business district. Nouvel excepted the commission and decided that the building would be in the shape of a, I'm sorry to say it, penis. He felt the building would best represent the predominately masculine business scene if it were in the shape of a male attribute...and why not a penis? The building had a screen system around it with red, white, and black panels...at night the building lights up in different colors depending on the lights and panels they're using.We then walked over to check out the site for the World Fair that was held in Barcelona in 1929...in the beginning of the walk, before you went up the grand stairs, if you looked to your right you could walk over to the Barcelona Pavilion designed by Mies. The only issue was, we couldn't walk in! They had to closed for setting up for a concert! We were so angry! We tried to sweet talk the stage crew, but that didn't work. So we just played paparazzi and took pictures over the barriers. So then we continued up the walk of the World Fair, past fountains and gardens...lots of stairs...lots. They had escalators that took you all the way up to the top. But, as always, I just sprinted up each flight of stairs and caught my breath on the landings and then sprinted up the next flight...and so on and so on...did I mention there were a lot of steps? Once on the highest point, you could see the entire valley, so amazing. And yes, I do have panoramas. I just have to work on them. I sat on the stairs for a while and listened to a man playing the guitar, he was very good. I actually recognized some of his songs. I even walked down and gave him a euro as we were walking around the building to go over to the Olympic Grounds.The Olympic Grounds were designed for the 1992 Olympics. They figured, if you have a spot for the World Fair, where the exhibits once were before they were sold across the world, you might as well use the space for something else! Why not the Olympics?! So we walked through the park to Calatrava's Communication Tower which was stunning against the blue sky. We walked over to the Olympic Stadium and tried talking the guy into letting us in to take a few pictures, but apparently there was a practice going on and we weren't allowed in.Deciding that we were exhausted, we went back and took a nap and then got ready for dinner. Of course we had to go down to the Harbor for dinner. There was a carnival! But we didn't go. So we ate at a restaurant that over looked the harbor...the six of us shared two dishes - one seafood and one seafood/chicken. It was soo good. The white wine was AMAZING. After dinner we walked and talked a lot and then passed out when we got hommmeee. More to come tomorrow!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ailleagan/florence_-_2007/1190943420/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ailleagan/florence_-_2007/1190943420/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ailleagan/florence_-_2007/1190943420/tpod.html Sun, 30 Sep 2007 17:18:44 -0400 Study Abroad in Florence, Italy: my growth in both knowledge and sentiment of life.

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Barcelona, Spain

Well today was our first dose of the rainy season to come. I had an Italian test today...ha, bombed. Oh well. So then we had to pack for Barcelona! We decided to leave from our site visit in studio...when we went to the apartment it was sunny and clear on our side of the Arno...but as we were leaving with our backpacks stuffed with clothes...it stated raining. By the time we got to the site we were soaked. Of course, I don't own a raincoat and my umbrella was not going to fit into my luggage to come to Italy. So my feet are soaked along with my roof and scarf.Finally we got to the train station after ducking under as many overhands as possible. The train we got on took us directly to the Pisa airport. There was a woman on the car with us who had a winter jacket on and apparently felt hot, but didn't want to take her jacket off, so she opened the window instead. So we're soaked and having cold air blowing in on us...SUPER...sounds the the formula for getting ridiculously sick to me! Final she got off two stops before the airport and I walked over after she got up and stepped into the area between cars to talk on her cell phone waiting to get off....so I could shut the window as she was whooping and hollering in Italian or Russian, whatever she was, to the person on the other end of the phone.The best luck happened to me though...she left her umbrella! Granted it looked like one that cost 5 euro, but hey, it's 5 I didn't have to spend! So since it was the last stop on the track I asked the girls if it made me a "bad person" to take it and then told me "look at how soaked you are...she left it and is long gone, NO! Take it!" So that was that. I now have an umbrella!Now I'm sitting on a flight on Ryanair to Barcelona. We're all so excited because we get to speak Spanish! Which we're all soo much better at than Italian! Lana you should be jealous, I just wish you were here to help translate! Alright I'm going to go doodle!Until t'mar, ciao!ps. there's a emergency card in front of me that says:In Case of Emergency Landing:no glasses or denturesno shoesno jewelry (necklaces &amp; earings)I'm taking pictures of this card and captioning the ridiculous rules they have! (with help from Kara)
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ailleagan/florence_-_2007/1190467500/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ailleagan/florence_-_2007/1190467500/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ailleagan/florence_-_2007/1190467500/tpod.html Tue, 25 Sep 2007 10:49:08 -0400 Study Abroad in Florence, Italy: my growth in both knowledge and sentiment of life.

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Florence, Italy

So I was on the fence all night about going out last night, but, I went ahead and decided to go. We were supposed to meet up with the boys at the beginning of the night, but apparently they were primping a bit too much, so we left and went to the bar without them. We were all kind of exhausted so we didn't dress up too much to go out. So we started walking towards the Duomo and went to JJ's (an Irish pub - yeah, we like them). The people and the service were really good, did I mention cheap drinks?So the girls got their normal Vodka and Gin &amp; Tonics, Kelly had her usual beer, and I had an obnoxiously named drink - a Sexy Motherf*cker (southern comfort, lime, ginger-ale, and brown sugar). So due to the fact the bar was packed, we took our drinks outside and walked (yes, in Italy you're allowed to walk outside with open drinks, etc) over to the stairs of the Duomo and sat down to people watch. We bonded for a while as we always do when we people watch. It didn't really hit me until today that we were sitting on the steps of a CHURCH, while DRINKING (shame on us!). So when we were done we decided we just wanted to stand in a circle around our shoes and purses and just dance. Haha (Dane Cook skit for those of you who don't know it).We went to Astro (a discoteca) which was pretty neat upstairs, but a little sketchy downstairs where you danced. No one was there and once they turned on the smoke machines we had enough and decided to ditch it.So we meandered to a bar/apertivo 2 blocks from our apartment. Apparently Kara, Arod, and Dana had already been there before. The place was cozy and dim and we stopped at the bar to get our first drink. We all decided on the "House Special" shot which was a fruity-tasting one, then we grabbed our snacks and sat down at a high table. At an apertivo once you buy a drink, you can grab sandwiches and snacks set out on the end of the bar (like a buffet). So then Kara asked everyone what their least favorite shot was. Dana's was southern comfort, Kelly, Kara and Arods were Tequila, and mine was Bacardi Vanilla and Lemone (damn senior week...). So she walks up to the bar and we're like "shiiiittt" thinking she was going to get us our least favorites. But, she grabbed something she thought no one had had before. However, I have, it's just been mixed, I could tell what it was by the smell of it...good ol' Jim Beam. So we took it and washed the burn down with our sandwich chasers Kara had picked up. Later, we were discussing shots everyone liked, and I mentioned that I had never tried a Naughty Girlscout and really wanted to but doubted they had one. So the girls had never heard of it and I told them it was a shot that tasted like a Girlscout Thin Mint cookie. So Kelly was set on trying something like it and went up to the bartender to see if he knew how to make it. Well after talking to him for about 5-10 minutes she comes back with 5 caramel colored shots. Before telling us what was in it she made us all take it. So with another cheers, we all took it, it was AMAZING. Apparently he made up the ingredient based on her telling him "chocolate and mint" and he made it with Bailey's Mint and some other mint liquor...it was absolutely amazing. I would have gotten it again if I wasn't already feeling the first two and my tall sexy motherf*cker.The boys met up with us there and we all laughed and joked and decided to go get kabobbs, well, the place ended up being closed so we all parted and went back to our apartments. It was a pretty good and laid back night. It was fun! Well we're going to watch movies tonight after everyone gets home from doing their own thing so I'll talk to you guys tomorrow!Ciao!!!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ailleagan/florence_-_2007/1190566020/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ailleagan/florence_-_2007/1190566020/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ailleagan/florence_-_2007/1190566020/tpod.html Tue, 25 Sep 2007 10:24:12 -0400 Study Abroad in Florence, Italy: my growth in both knowledge and sentiment of life.

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Florence, Italy

Ciao! Come vai?! Good I hope! So as mentioned, we stayed up and watched movies last night. We watched some old ones we hadn't seen and hadn't watched for a while: Marie Antoinette and Sweetest Thing. Over all it was a good night! But! I didn't get to mention that Erin and decided to go shopping after we had breakfast!Erin and I made out way out to the San Lorenzo Market located past the Duomo, thats all we knew. So when we came up on the beginning of stalls we knew we were in the right place. The best thing about outdoor markets is that you can haggle down prices! We did it all day! We were in desperate need of some retail therapy! Besides, I hadn't shopped much at all since I got here! I deserved it! I'll just jump to what we got...Erin bought a few t-shirts for her little cousins. Then she had her mind set on getting shoes and a purse. So she managed to get a pair of slip-ons for 10 euro, and a purse for 25, and even a wallet for 20 euro. She also bought two scarves to use for when it starts getting cold. I then talked her into getting a few shirts and a dress it took a little bit of twisting her arm, but when we got home she was VERY happy with her purchases!I bought t-shirts for some gifts too, but I won't tell who for! I also bought a black and olive green belt for 3 euro (they didn't have brown small enough or I would have gotten that too!. I bought of total of 4 scarves (I love them!) to wear with my peacoat and just shirts in general, each one is unique! I looovvveee them. I managed to buy two shirts and a dress as well...a black shirt with a turtle neck and a plunging v at the chest, and a brown shirt that folds over my shoulders...the dress is a dull-iced violet color. I'm so excited for them! I promise to send you pictures when I wear them allll!Today I've spent majority of the day in studio. Booo. I really haven't done much work, just recently. I was uploading travel pods, writing them, and uploading pictures on various sites. I got to talk to mom, dad, and Lana on skype today so that was good! Welp! Back to work!Miss youuu! See ya'll in about 2 months and 3 weeks!!!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ailleagan/florence_-_2007/1190416260/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ailleagan/florence_-_2007/1190416260/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ailleagan/florence_-_2007/1190416260/tpod.html Tue, 25 Sep 2007 09:24:54 -0400 Study Abroad in Florence, Italy: my growth in both knowledge and sentiment of life.

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Florence, Italy

Okay, the Boboli Gardens definitely are no secret by any means. But, while walking through I felt like I was in the book "Secret Garden." Elenora, Cosimo's wife originally bought Pitti Palace and invested into the gardens, she wanted to use it to house her court. Since her investment, as planned the gardens have been used for major events such as theater, art expositions, festivals, and other gatherings. However, over the years of Medici rule, as well as the current owner's family rule (since the Medici died out), the gardens have changed with their owner's tastes. So the original garden is no longer preserved. But regardless, it is still beautiful. Now the the city owns it, it's not as well kept as it was under a private owner (hedges aren't trimmed and kept to shape). But you can still imagine what it would have looked like and how it felt to be there during Elenora's rule.The main axis is dotted with fountains and is a pretty steep climb, but you wouldn't know until you went to the side of the properties towards the exhibitions, then looked up the straight-shot hill they have going to the top of the main axis. What a hike, let me tell you. The exhibition that we went into was a recreation of the Babylonian Gardens and Pompeii. Unfortunately I was only able to take two pictures inside the exhibit before the burly security woman yelled at me and told me "No Photo!" (there was no sign saying this, but I listened anyways). I got a ton of pictures of the light going through the trees and what not (such a photography nerd). I plan on going back and taking my time to take some pictures and sketch some.For Arch Context we all piled onto a coach bus and went to Certosa del Galluzzo (right next to Pazzi Palace). This castle looking building is where the Hermiters (monks) lived in solitude. They were only allowed to speak at meals, and really someone was reading scripture to them at dinner so they couldn't talk much during it. Sunday dinners were when they could talk the most. There was another hall filled with beautiful stained glass that they where permitted to speak in on certain occasions.There were four courtyards, two were paved and two that were beautiful. The one was smaller than the other, but we saw people coming up and down stairs in suites and dresses. Later in one of the paved courtyards we luckily came in at the right time because we saw the Bride and her Father walking into the church. She was probably pissed, 25 students at her wedding location. Then we saw some ridiculous women dressed in MAJOR slutgoth clothes! They looked at us like "I will set you ablaze right now..." hahaha!The quarters for the monks (we saw a vacant one) were so small and lonely. They even had a cubby in the wall where two small doors accessing it (one from the outside and one from the inside) but they were off center of each other by a door length so the resident monk would reach around the corner and get his food without seeing the other monk. I don't know how they do it. I need interaction (as you all know....sometimes too much haha).There were a few rooms with paintings and sculptures everywhere. Several portraits of the Evangelists, and carvings from quartz and stone, so cool. The sculptures were amazing, the paintings were twice my size! So then we went into the major courtyard and sketched, a monk came out and clapped at us several times (apparently we missed the memo that clapping means to scurry away).As we were getting off the bus, Franco (our professor) invited us out for "juice and sparkling water." But I think everyone took him literally, minus Erin and I. So we met him at the Irish pub in the Santa Maria Novella square. We were waiting for him and then we see him roll up on his vespa, tooooo funny. So he ordered a beer a head of us, and then Erin had a water, and I ordered a so-co and cranberry, but as her and I went to pay Franco interupted and paid for them all while we were reaching in our wallets. So, we sat there and talked to him at the same bar he would sit at having a beer and writing/designing his thesis project when he was in college. John and Andy met up with us later and we talked about sooo much about architecture, firms, Franco's experiences and friends he's going to con into coming to class for a "surprise" lecture (as in, they don't know they're lecturing).Well thats all for my trips! They were relatively short and hard to take notes during since we were always on the move! We're going out tonight so I'll probably have some stories from then!Ciao!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ailleagan/florence_-_2007/1190347080/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ailleagan/florence_-_2007/1190347080/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ailleagan/florence_-_2007/1190347080/tpod.html Sun, 23 Sep 2007 07:39:29 -0400 Study Abroad in Florence, Italy: my growth in both knowledge and sentiment of life.

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Florence, Italy

Buenosera! I apologize for not writing lately, it has been pretty boring during the week. Thank goodness it's Thursday (last day of classes for the week). Tonight we ventured out to a chocolate diner called Hemingway's. Yes, they had pictures on the walls of Hemingway. Two stipplings were done of him at an early age and middle age. It was a cozy place that Carlo, our crit recommended to us. So at 10:00 at night we all decided to sate our chocolate cravings.I didn't know there were so many ways to mix chocolate and liquor/alcohol! Bur, apparently there is! Kara, Kelly and Arod had a coffee, hazelnut and chocolate creme (thick) drink that was served hot (it also had rum in it - a lot). Dana had an espresso with amaretto and a spoon made of chocolate. Erin has to be different and get a Tequila Sunrise. I chose to buy the fratte (milkshake) called "e tutto chi?", it had: chocolate ice cream, milk, hazelnut, southern comfort and some other citrus flavored rum, it was sooo good (as long as I sipped it slowly, stirred it often, and sucked it up fast at the bottom). Kelly, Dana, and Arod all ordered crepes. In case you don't know, crepes are like a very thin pancake (about 1/16" if made well - which these were). Kelly ordered one with chocolate ice cream and dark chocolate chunks; Dana had a vanilla ice cream with with white chocolate chucks; and ARod had one with vanilla ice cream and strawberries. Now normally crepes are laid out flat on a plate and if you get ice cream it's just scooped on top, but this place served it so different! They lay the crepe flat on the plate, scoop a heaping pile of ice cream on it, pour amaretto on it, and pull the sides of the crepe (a crepe is larger than a dinner plate), swirled/twisted the edges together like you do a bread bag, tucked the edges together and stuck two wooden sticks into the top of the large looking sack. Oh, and most importantly, they drenched it with amaretto again so that the crepe soaks up the pool of amaretto at the bottom. Erin had a chocolate cake (a slice) and Kara chose 4 different pieces of chocolate (milk chocolate,&nbsp; dark chocolate, a chocolate truffle, a truffle covered in espresso dust, and a chocolate "slate" with nuts, pistachios, hazelnut, and almonds on top). I got a little oval cake with hazel nut shell, vanilla moose, chocolate bottom (cake type), adorned with slivers of white chocolate lining the sides and a sliver of chocolate with a hazelnut on top.This place was simply amazing! If you go to Florence you must go to Hemingway's! Okay, even though I hadn't eaten dinner or anything since 11:20 this morning until the chocolate place, i still feel fat. Now it's off to bed. I have to be at Piazza Pitti for a Villas and Gardens field trip into the Boboli Gardens! I'll be sure to take tons of pictures and write you about it tomorrow! Later at 3:00 we go on another field trip to the Certosa del Galluzzo for Arch Context!Buena notte! (good night)A domani! (see you tomorrow)
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ailleagan/florence_-_2007/1189903320/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ailleagan/florence_-_2007/1189903320/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ailleagan/florence_-_2007/1189903320/tpod.html Wed, 19 Sep 2007 10:04:37 -0400 Study Abroad in Florence, Italy: my growth in both knowledge and sentiment of life.

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Siena, Italy

Buenosera!After going out lastnight and getting in at about 1:00, I was up this morning at 7:30 to catch a bus for Siena. The school had originally organized a trip to go to Siena and San Gimignano, however, the trip filled up to fast and we were unable to sign up for it. So, instead, we decided to catch a bus and meet up with the group there.We bought our roundtrip tickets for a coach bus near the train station and started our hour and a half ride to Siena. We decided to&nbsp; get off the bus a stop before the central stop, which worked out because we had a great view when we walked around the corner of the Church of San Domenico. Church of San Domenico. Walking down the street (mapless mind you) we passed side streets that made huge dives down hills, looking like 20 foot drops in the span of 15 feet! Flags were hung everywhere. Luckily the road we were on took us straight to Piazza del Campo.I have&nbsp;studied Piazza del Campo every year I've been at Roger Williams. The information I did absorb while I managed to stay away in class was that it is one of the most famous and successful Piazzas in Europe. The P.za is shaped like a semi-circle (some say a bell), with buildings lining the perimiter. It serves a great shape for a theatre, however, there are no stairs. The P.za is just a single slope, very comfortable actually. This makes it ideal for people sit and lay down comfortably. Everywhere we looked there were couples and families sitting or napping in the Campo. The Campo was the center of the citys social scene, shows were preformed here, they even had&nbsp;the&nbsp;"Run of the Bulls" all meet into the center, branching from all of the side streets. Now, instead of Bulls, there are horses. The Palio, a large and famous horse race that happens twice a year is actually held in this P.za! Yes! It is that big! The spectators actually sit INSIDE the track and the racers and horses circle around them!In the P.za we ran across our school group without even calling them. We followed them to their next destination, which was the Duomo (of Siena). It was so beautiful on the outside! Part of the school trip was to actually go inside the church, so we thought we'd try sneaking in with the group. We scurried to the back of the student line (the teachers had already gone in with the "master pass") and just like that, for free, we were in the Duomo (another cathedral we studied)! So I took tons of pictures from inside, but only half of them came out (you can't use flash, and once again w/o flash my camera can be very blury). We actually lucked out because the floors are only open from August to October. By floors, I mean that there are paintings/murals on the marble floor. They had them roped off but there were walking paths available to get around the entire floor of the main Duomo. The Duomo itself was designed in parts with different artists in control of each part: Michelangelo, Pinturicchio, Bernini, Pisano, and Beccafumi all contributing to the Duomo.We ate lunch at a small restraunt where I got a HUGE pizza and fries for like 7 euro. Not bad at all. We then met up with the group to see where they were going next, but they were headed to San Gimignano next. So we stayed in Siena and walked back down to the Piazza del Campo. On the way we saw a Tourture Museum, apparently Arod is determined to go into one. I'm a little sketched about it...but whatever, it's all about the experience and trying new things right?We walked around the P.za and looked up at the huge Tower. We all decided it was a must to climb to the top of it. We had to climb up small narrow stair way to even get to the ticket booth. It costed 7 euro to climb the tower, but we had no time limit. The stairs were often really tight and it was hard going up when people were coming down. As you got closer to the top we were able to step into little cubbies and permit people to pass or we'd take pictures (often each cubby had a window with it). The views were absoulutely amazing. At the 3/4 point of the tower there were platforms with large bells that you could climb onto. Obviously we took some pictures there (both serious and goofy). At the top the view was simply breath taking. You could see the entire P.za, the crowdedness of the city below, and on the back side of the tower you could see where the city bleeds into the countryside. There was another bell above the permitted area (obviously you couldn't go up there). But I hung off the steps reguardless (always goofy you know me).On our way down we took more pictures and then decided to sit in the P.za and hang out. Erin sketched, Kelly people watched, Kara people watched, and Dana, Arod, and I looked around and then passed out and took a nap for about an hour. How amazing is that? Who can say that they took a nap in the P.za della Campo, one of the most famous P.zas in Europe?! I cannnn!On the way back we stopped at a small shop and I got a ring that has a silver band wrapping around my finger and a copper stone. It's really neat. I want to get "Siena" engraved on the inside. We also stopped at a small gelato place (we had to have some). I&nbsp;tried the chocolate and blue mint (didn't know how the blue mint would taste)....but it was soooo good. Probably the best I've had here yet! The mint wasn't too overbearing, it was a soft cremey mint. If that make sense? Reguardless, I enjoyed it and tried to savvor it as much as I could (it was sooo good it was hard to slow down!).Now I'm just relaxing and uploading some pictures. I'll have ones from here uploaded later on this week. I hope all is well in the States! Please e-mail, I always enjoy hearing from you all (whether it be a "hi" or comments about my trips/photos).Ciao!
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