[P] Berlin. December 2nd - 5th.

My roommate Shannon and I took a much looked forward trip to Germany to visit my long lost friend Übki. I met his two summers ago in Nashville through mutual friends. He now lives in Berlin and graciously offered up his home to us for the weekend and was the best host two gals could ask for.

 
Our time in Berlin was full of snow and festivities. We trudged through the powder to visit the sights hitting The Fernsehturm (TV Tower), the World Time Clock, Museum Island, Berliner Dom, Brandenburg Gate, and the Bundestag (German Parliament building) - though it was closed due to security reasons. We had to make frequent stops at cheerful Christmas markets to warm up where we sipped on hot wine and enjoyed specialties like currywurst. We got a late start the next day after staying out dancing the night before. Our missions for that day was to see Checkpoint Charlie and various parts of the Berlin Wall. Throughout our time there we also hung out with some of Übki's friends, picked up a few German words, and attempted to learn how to open a bottle with a lighter while sampling various German beers. 

[A] My time in Tuscany

Buonconvento, Colle Senese

My time in Tuscany has been wonderful and revealing about the region in which I’ve chosen to stay. Siena and its environs fall into the category of hill cities, perched up in their original medieval configurations on strategic crags. The towns I have gotten a chance to see, among others, include San Gimignano, Fiesole, Pienza, Mt. Oliveto, and Buonconvento.

San Gimignano

On average they are home to about 300 people, and they function as agricultural crossroads and banking hubs, much as they did in the middle ages, the Sienese golden age. Fiesole was actually the capital of the Etruscan empire, that which preceded the Roman empire and gave its name to the region.

Fiesole

Main industries are wine, olive oil, produce, and pecorino. But NOT bread. The bread is really bad- they refuse to use salt in the Sienese regions. The story has it that Pisa, a one time rival of Siena and ally of the dominant Florence, had a monopoly on the salt production in the region, and during wartime refused to ship to Siena. The Sienese, too proud for history, pretended to like the bread better without salt, and so on went the tradition.

Tuscans, San Gimignano

Tuscany does seem a bit stuck in the Renaissance, or in Siena's case the 1300s, but it is in a quaint, almost functional way. The Italian government props up what appears to be an advanced, semi-industrialized society with the appropriate grants, and Siena is rather rich because of its banking tradition. All the same, the sense is far from negative.

Piazza del Campo, Siena

[P]. Venice. November 25th - 28th.

 
For Thanksgiving, Alex and I decided to spend a relaxing weekend on the partly submerged islands of Venice. We stayed in an out-of-the-way hotel close to the original Jewish Ghetto. Our first day out, the concierge warned us that there was High Tide meaning, as we were soon to find out, part of the city's sidewalks and piazzas were underwater. After 20 feet I already had wet socks and went on the hunt for rain boots wondering why no one warns you about these things. Luckily, they had built raised platforms in the more touristy areas. Our next stop was Piazza San Marco, home to Saint Mark's Basilica and the saint's resting place. It is a jewel of a church with Roman, Byzantine, and Venetian influences. It is also a reminder of the time Venetians loots Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade. We spent the rest of the day strolling around the city, shopping, eating seafood, and watching A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.

The next day was much drier and the water levels were mostly back to normal. We took a gondola ride around the city, which was a little awkward since tourists would take your picture whenever you went under a bridge. (But hey, I totally did it too...) After we stopped by a Shabbat lunch at the restaurant of a nice, American Jewish man we had met the night before when we forgot that it was the start of Shabbat or Jewish day of rest.  That afternoon we visited the Peggy Guggenheim Collection of modern and futurist art.

[A] Colico

 Over the week I had off for fall break, I decided to take a trip within Italy, both to save money and to better know the country I was in. I had heard great things about Lake Como, and in fact a few of my Italian friends were from the area and were able to suggest a good spot to spend a couple days to "recover" from my actually incredibly light schedule, but really just to center myself a bit. After Pomai came to visit for the weekend, I took a bus to Milan, a five hour trip first through the hills of Tuscany and Emilia, and then through a thoroughly flat piece of Italy, the Veneto, which reminded me a bit of Illinois. In Milan it was freezing cold, whereas in Siena it was still and indian summer. I made my way from the bus station to the train station and took an hour up along the lake to get to Colico, a tiny little town at the Northernmost point of the lake. My hotel was right next to the train station, along with the rest of the town, and I settled in before grabbing dinner at one of two restaurants. It had a nice selection of teas.

 The next day I began to walk, first going as far up the mountain on the base of which Colico rests as I could, and then down to the shore where I found a network of trails that led potentially miles away, connecting around the entire lake. I walked for a ways then decided, as it was lunchtime, to save more exploring for the next day. I returned to town for lunch, did a bit of store browsing, found a bookstore where I got a Pirandello novel and a cafe where I began to read it. By sunset I was mostly finished.

 That night I went to the other restaurant, Voglia, which turned out to be fantastic. Eating alone can be awkward, but it seemed that every one in the restaurant was also alone, giving it a sort of silent comraderie. I had quite a meal, then turned in early.

 The next day I returned early, after hotel breakfast, to the trails and walked, with my notebook and pencils, away. I found a fork about three miles down the trail the led me up to a Spanish fort (?) on top of a small hill. I sat there, read and drew, and enjoyed the brisk air and the mountainlake view. I saw no one the entire morning. I returned for a lunch at restaurant number one, and afterwards went for a much needed haircut, which has since received the following reviews:
"Best haircut of your life!"
"This is why you shouldn't go to Custom Cuts!"
"Why is this a revelation for you?"
I, resentful of the common disdain for all other haircuts I've ever had, resignedly agree.

That night I returned to Voglia, and this time I brought my kindle. It was a very nice addition, and I quickly finished a book and resumed another. My reading production skyrockets when I have a) free time b) no human contact. By the end of my Colico trip, amid the stunning nature and quaint mode of existence I had developed a new fondness for the people and tasks that fill my day. In other words, I accomplished exactly what I wanted to with the trip! Batteries recharged, I returned the next day by train to Siena.
-A

Soundtrack to Europe II.

_
Barbra Streisand - Duck Sauce.



Gettin' Over You - David Guetta & Chris Willis ft Fergie & LMFAO.



The Time (Dirty Bit) - Black Eyed Peas.



Loca - Shakira.

[P] Paris. November 12th - 14th.

I had been to the Windy City, The City that Never Sleeps, and to Sin City. I was living in the Eternal City. It was about time I made it to the City of Light and Love. For some reason, I never had much of a desire to go to Paris. I was sure it was overrated and dirty. Instead, when I made a weekend trip with some of my best girlfriends in Rome I fell head-over-heels for it just like everyone else.

We started with a visit to the Musée d'Orsay and all of its Impressionist glory. Housed in a former train station, highlights included Monet, van Gogh, and Renoir. That night we had the biggest salads we had ever seen, a cheese plate, and went out in the Latin Quarter. The next day we went on a walking tour of the city and hit up all the major sites. We took a break for an Eiffel Tower photo shoot and some crepe eating and then headed to the Montmartre district. We saw the famous Moulin Rogue, van Gogh's house, Sacré Coeur, and both the studio of Picasso and the restaurant where he would trade paintings for food. We ended the night by each trying some escargot, which actually reminds me of a giant porcini mushroom in a good way.

 The next day was devoted to the chateau and gardens of Versailles. It was also a great day for eating: macaroons for brunch, (French) onion soup and a croque monsieur for lunch, a chicken-cheese-egg crepe for lunch, and a nutella, banana crepe for dessert below the Eiffel Tower as we watched the light show. That night we headed out again to the Latin Quarter making new French and British friends. The next morning we woke up early and split up. I made a mad dash to the Louvre and actually managed to see most of what I wanted to see and still hit up Notre Dame before our flight back to Rome.

[P] Tuscany. October 22nd - November 1st.

I had two wonderful weekends in a row under the Tuscan sun. I took the train to Florence and tagged along with a few friends for their art class. We had a lot of fun just walking around the city, exploring, and stumbling upon scenes from history and art books. Our first day we went to the Uffizi Gallery which was absolutely amazing. They have a fantastic Botticelli collection. I then met up with Alex and we took a bus back to Siena for a home made lasagna dinner with his roommates and Italian friends. The next day we headed back for more. We went to the famous Duomo (which is better on the outside than the inside), contemplated the Bonfire of the Vanities, saw David at L'Accademia di Belle Arti, found the church where Dante met Beatrice, and sat outside the Pitti Palace. The sweet boy also indulged me in going boot shopping, getting a much needed hair cut (see ya, eight inches!), and eating Tuscan specialties like wild boar prosciutto.

The next weekend was a very special one - our one year anniversary! Alex met me in Rome and we had great fun roaming the city during the day and having romantic dinners and walks around Piazza Navona at night. By far the best thing we did was rent a two person rickshaw bike at Villa Borghese. I can now check it off my life goals list.

On Sunday we returned to Siena with the addition of his mom, Cassandra. We braved the rain and took advantage of the long weekend for sightseeing, shopping, and more delicious dining experiences. While Alex was in class, Cassandra and I visited the duomo (far better than Florence's) and climbed the tower in the main square, Piazza del Campo, where the Palio horse race takes place. It was so wonderful to get out of the city and enjoy some great fellowship time with the hilarious Claman-Weaver clan.