This weekend I traveled to Siena and Cinque Terre. Siena is another Tuscan town, about an hour and a half train ride away. The food and views (per usual) are unbelievably beautiful. However, the real highlight of the weekend was Cinque Terre. Literally translated as "five towns", Cinque Terre is a collection of five towns along the Italian Riviera: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. The day consists of starting at the first town and hiking the coast, stopping at each town along the way. The landscape and ocean is incredible (as is the pesto, it was created near here). Quick update for now, more to come later.
P.S. my skype name is chris.mario6 if you want to chat
P.P.S. While at Cinque Terre we were hiking on a remote mountain trail. Upon seeing my Boston College t-shirt, a lady stopped me to remind me that they had lost to Notre Dame. A mere 9 hours earlier. Thank you kindly.
P.P.P.S. I could not be more excited for NBA season to start
I have officially survived a weekend at Oktoberfest, a fair (the world's largest) in Munich, Germany! I took a bus at 10:30 pm from Florence, heading north for nine hours through Italy, up around the Australian Alps, and finally into Munich. Our hotel was in prime location and we wasted no time in heading to the tents. I have never seen anything like it before. All the Germans dress up in classic Bavarian clothing, which makes the feel of the festival all the more genuine. The food, the beverages, everything is unbelievably delicious. Singing and dancing is also at the heart of the fun. Who would have guess that "Take Me Home, Country Roads" and "Hey, Baby" would be big in beer tents in Germany?
Oktoberfest
We enjoyed Oktoberfest on Friday and Saturday, and ventured out into Munich on Sunday. The city has a more American feel than other European cities I have been to, but certainly has its own flare and I loved it. In the afternoon we headed back on the bus, and after many movies and uncomfortable naps, which brought us to Florence around 2 in the morning. Yay for waking up for class! Yes, Mom and Dad, I really went.
Two weekends ago my friends and I took the train to Milan, the business and fashion center of Italy. It was interesting to get out of touristy Florence and be back in a real, working city. We went to an AC Milan game, which was incredible. The fans wave gigantic flags and burn flares in the team colors in trash cans throughout the game.
Milan!
Aside from traveling, life in Florence is amazing. I love every minute of it. My Italian is improving and I could not ask for better people in my program. Bye for now.
So first thing's first. I have to apologize for being terrible at updating this blog. I am starting to settle into a routine and will be much better about posting in the future.
I landed in Florence safely and without trouble. The NYU campus is on the edge of the city, and we checked in during the day. Finally I was able to get my apartment - an eight person suite on the top floor of a building in southern Florence, about a block from the Arno River. I live with six other guys, come from NYU and Duke. The program is mostly NYU students, a fair amount of Duke kids, some Wake Forest, and scattered others. BC makes its presence with a whopping four Eagles.
My apartment!
My roommate could not come, which leaves me with my own room. On top of that, I somehow got the only double with its own shower and bathroom, so I basically am living in a hotel. After living on Newton and Coro, it seems the housing gods have finally granted me mercy. And I love it.
We spent the first week learning about living in Florence and doing orientation on campus. I learned a few survival Italian phrases, my favorites being - "Auito!", "Sono Americano...non capisco...." I also learned a few lessons the hard way, like the fact that cabs in Italy do not stop when you flag them down, you have to call ahead of time. Or that if you try to go big (before actually learning Italian) and order from a restaurant in Italian, you may accidentally order a pizza without cheese. Just dough and sauce. Cooked.
NYU Campus in Florence
My favorite class so far is called Renaissance Apprenticeship. It is designed to literally learn how to draw and paint the way that apprentices did during the Renaissance period. We only use tools that were around then, like feathers and quills and such. After learning the techniques, we travel to a part of Italy each class and draw famous pieces of art. For example, one class we will go to the Vattican and draw all day. I sure don't know anything about art, but hey if this worked out for Michelangelo then count me in.
The clubs and bars in Florence are a lot of fun and I love the international aspect of it. It covers the whole spectrum, from packed American-like clubs to Spanish sangria bars. Last night, two of my friends and I were pulled on stage in a crowded bar and we sung "I Want It That Way" on karaoke. Thank you, Camp Coniston.
Tomorrow I am doing a day trip to Lucca, a famous ancient city nearby. I am so happy to be living in Florence. I miss my family and friends a lot, but I know that I will see you soon.
For those of you who do not know, I will studying abroad in Florence, Italy for the next four months. I am currently sitting in Logan airport, missing BC and Cape Cod, and trying to rationalize not learning Italian before this trip.
It's been real, America. In the words of Brad Pitt, "Arrivederci."
