Day 94
Despite my inability to put together travel plans for this weekend, I was able to get out of Rome, if only for the day. Trinity put together "A Day in the Countryside" at
€20 a head. Less than half of the students signed up, but everyone who did is part of my friend group, so it was a guaranteed good time even before we knew just what a deal we got.
We met bright and early this morning and walked down the hill to get breakfast at a bar. Once we got on the bus Francesco (one of our directors here and the one who put the day together. I think of him as a mix of a dean of students and social chair) got up and started describing our game plan for the day, and making some outrageous comments along the way. (I think the comments were a result of the cold medicine he was on and which were making him a little loopier than usual).
So we take the bus to Sermoneta in the Alban Hills south of Rome. We had a tour of a castle originally built by the Caetani family (Very interesting history there. Apparently they were the nemesis of the Borgia family. The Borgias is the #1 show on my to watch list when I get back home: they have so much interest in the history here). The castle was very pretty, and the town around it absolutely adorable. However, by the time we left, we were all ready for the lunch we were promised.
Hopping back on the bus we drove for about an hour and then got off at an olive grove. Here is where the day really gets interesting and fits in so nicely with my slew of food posts. So the main advertisement of this trip was the chance to try a kind of artichoke called Carciofi alla Matticella which you can only really get in this one area of all of Italy because of a certain herb it uses. We were told we would get this as lunch along with a few types of grilled meats. Okay, sounds simple enough.
Ha! that meal description was so inaccurate. More students may have signed up if they actually knew what they would really be getting. It went a little something like this:
It started out normal enough: we watched the owners prepare these artichokes and bury them in the grill. Before the artichokes were done though, we were called inside for our first course: a pasta with some kind of creamy and spicy tomato sauce. Not knowing what the full menu was (or at least thinking I knew the menu was small) I ate an extra half plate of pasta. Then we were served grilled chicken and potatoes marinated in rosemary, salt, and pepper. There were two extra plates of potatoes on each table. (I withheld this time, because I was starting to get wary of how much might still be coming). Next came the artichokes (which were appropriately delicious given how much hype they had) served with sausage and bacon. Then an extra artichoke (that Francesco said we were not allow to leave uneaten). The next course was a huge platter of the traditional Roman springtime snack of fava beans and pecorino cheese. (This was definitely my favorite. I'm going out to buy some tomorrow). Finally, when we didn't think we could stuff any more food into our stomachs, we got some sort of cream and pastry and fruit dessert.
So for the final count (keeping in mind we only paid €20 and part of that logically had to go toward the charter bus we were traveling in) we got 6 courses and 9 different kinds of food. Oh, and lets keep in mind that there was unlimited wine, and still and sparkling water.
When we were finally fit to burst, we went and laid outside in the grass. Our respite was not long though, because the professor who had decided to join us for on our day in the countryside had brought their kids along as well, and they wanted to play a game of soccer. I joined in on the girls team (made of all abroad students and one 6 year old), and we were soundly beaten by the prepubescent and middle aged (only 1 student). In our defense though, we were outnumbered almost 2 to 1.
We got on the bus a while later and immediately fell asleep in order to give our poor bodies a moment to focus on digesting the feast we had consumed.
Ciao,
J
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Saturday, April 27, 2013
The Most Adventurous Meal of the Day: Dinner
Day 93
My favorite places to eat and what I get there:
Insalata Ricca: Penne all'Arrabbiata (literally, "angry penne"), Avocado Salad, or a white pizza with artichoke plus a bruschetta with a truffle spread for starters.
Volpetti's: A panino with turkey and marinated artichoke with fried vegetables.
Ciao,
J
Dinner is the meal I go out and try to experience Italian food. Trinity gives us three meal coupons a week that can be redeemed for the amount to
€11,20 worth of food at two food markets (Volpetti's and Giacomini's), or a pasta or salad or pizza and a appetizer or dessert with wine, soda, or water at two restaurants (Insalata Ricca and Da Rino's).
So we have three meal coupons a week, but they give us the entire months worth at the end of the previous month. I usually spend them all before the last week of the month and then am left to fend for myself. Oops. But that means I just have to go out and find some new place to eat. I have yet to go somewhere that I didn't enjoy the food, which is usually pizza or pasta.
I usually don't snack during the day so I'm ravenous by dinnertime, which for Italians is late. 830/9 is the Roman dinner time. We usually go around 7/730 and the restaurants are always empty. Sometimes its a little weird, but it also means we don't need to make reservations. Most restaurants (at least the good ones) are small, family owned and run, and are about the size of my room in the convent: tiny. Its great. I love the homey atmosphere, the food, and the waiters/owners.
My favorite places to eat and what I get there:
Insalata Ricca: Penne all'Arrabbiata (literally, "angry penne"), Avocado Salad, or a white pizza with artichoke plus a bruschetta with a truffle spread for starters.
Volpetti's: A panino with turkey and marinated artichoke with fried vegetables.
Carlo Menta: Pizza Margherita (and its only
€3!) and I usually split the Gnocchi Carlo Menta (gnocchi with a tomato sauce with clams and mussels) with someone as well.
Taverna Cestia: Cacio e Pepe (spaghetti in a cheese and pepper sauce).
Ciao,
J
The Most Unexpected Meal of the Day: Lunch
Day 93
Twelve hours after I was delayed from getting on a train because my keys were MIA, I find the bastards on not my first, not my second, but my third reorganization of my closet. (The bed has been stripped and remade twice, and my notes and papers haven't been so organized all semester). Not only a perfectly good day gone, but likely my last Saturday in Rome. (*scowls*)
Anyway, Lunch. Trinity also provides lunch 5 days a week. And by Trinity I mean they pay for it and the nuns make it. And man, can those Sisters cook.
Lunch always consists of a meat (usually chicken, but sometimes pork or Italian lunchmeats), a veggie, pasta, salad, apples and oranges, and nun buns. The tables are set family style for six and the food is always good enough that people are scraping bowls.
When the semester started out, I was a little skeptical about having no real options for lunch (a take it or leave it deal if you will) since I usually stay away from the hot meals at school in preference of making my own salad or sandwich. (I have trust issues with food). How open I was to trying the food (mainly because I'm really hungry by 1 o'clock since 2 mostly hollow rolls will only hold you over for so long), and how much I enjoyed the food was an unexpected surprise.
Hmm... what else can I say about this meal without going overboard. My favorite meals are those with chicken saltimbocca for the meat, greenbeans boiled with garlic for the veggie, and risotto for the pasta. I don't think I've ever had this exact combo, but whenever one of these is on the table, I know I'm going to be asking for seconds.
Ciao,
J
Twelve hours after I was delayed from getting on a train because my keys were MIA, I find the bastards on not my first, not my second, but my third reorganization of my closet. (The bed has been stripped and remade twice, and my notes and papers haven't been so organized all semester). Not only a perfectly good day gone, but likely my last Saturday in Rome. (*scowls*)
Anyway, Lunch. Trinity also provides lunch 5 days a week. And by Trinity I mean they pay for it and the nuns make it. And man, can those Sisters cook.
Lunch always consists of a meat (usually chicken, but sometimes pork or Italian lunchmeats), a veggie, pasta, salad, apples and oranges, and nun buns. The tables are set family style for six and the food is always good enough that people are scraping bowls.
When the semester started out, I was a little skeptical about having no real options for lunch (a take it or leave it deal if you will) since I usually stay away from the hot meals at school in preference of making my own salad or sandwich. (I have trust issues with food). How open I was to trying the food (mainly because I'm really hungry by 1 o'clock since 2 mostly hollow rolls will only hold you over for so long), and how much I enjoyed the food was an unexpected surprise.
Hmm... what else can I say about this meal without going overboard. My favorite meals are those with chicken saltimbocca for the meat, greenbeans boiled with garlic for the veggie, and risotto for the pasta. I don't think I've ever had this exact combo, but whenever one of these is on the table, I know I'm going to be asking for seconds.
Ciao,
J
The Most Important Meal of the Day: Breakfast
Day 93
So I vastly overestimated my abilities with my post last Saturday. Like so may of my other efforts this week, I failed to keep to my post-a-day promise about food.
However, I am now stuck in my room because I managed to loose my keys between the time I opened my room last night and the time I woke up this morning. After stripping my room and putting it back together, my keys have still not surfaced, so I am taking a break by doing all the writing I promised for last week and waiting for divine inspiration. Dear Saint Anthony, please come around, something's lost and needs to be found.
So, back to the subject. Breakfast.
I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before, but as a recap anyway: Trinity provides breakfast 5 days a week. It is available between 730 and 9 and then you're on your own.
I have never missed a breakfast. And every Sunday I go to sleep dreaming about waking up for breakfast the next day.
Breakfast is incredibly simple: They have a type of roll the students have affectionately dubbed "nun buns," cereal, coffee, and tea. To mix it up, there is a rotating schedule of eggs, cornetti (the italian croissant), yogurt and fruit. For the cornetti and nun buns there is also a wide selection of jams, spreadable cheese, and, the best, a chocolate hazelnut spread called Nocita. Some students will tell you that Nocita isn't as good as Nutella. They are wrong. It is better.
Every morning I grab my hot water with lemon, 2 nun buns and 4 of packs of this psuedo-Nutella spread. I only use 2 of these with breakfast, but I keep the others to take back to my room. You see, I'm stockpiling them to take home with me because I'm not convinced I can get it back in the States. The first thing anybody says when they come into my room is "Wow, you have quite a collection." They said that a couple of months ago too, but then it was because of the collection of Carnevale masks on my shelf. Now its because of my collection of Nocita. Its is so noticeable that it eclipses the six sparkly, eye catching masks above it. I'm not sure that I can ever go back to anything else for breakfast, though I haven't figure out yet how to preserve a nun bun for more than a day and goodness help me when I run out this summer.
Ciao
J
So I vastly overestimated my abilities with my post last Saturday. Like so may of my other efforts this week, I failed to keep to my post-a-day promise about food.
However, I am now stuck in my room because I managed to loose my keys between the time I opened my room last night and the time I woke up this morning. After stripping my room and putting it back together, my keys have still not surfaced, so I am taking a break by doing all the writing I promised for last week and waiting for divine inspiration. Dear Saint Anthony, please come around, something's lost and needs to be found.
So, back to the subject. Breakfast.
I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before, but as a recap anyway: Trinity provides breakfast 5 days a week. It is available between 730 and 9 and then you're on your own.
I have never missed a breakfast. And every Sunday I go to sleep dreaming about waking up for breakfast the next day.
Breakfast is incredibly simple: They have a type of roll the students have affectionately dubbed "nun buns," cereal, coffee, and tea. To mix it up, there is a rotating schedule of eggs, cornetti (the italian croissant), yogurt and fruit. For the cornetti and nun buns there is also a wide selection of jams, spreadable cheese, and, the best, a chocolate hazelnut spread called Nocita. Some students will tell you that Nocita isn't as good as Nutella. They are wrong. It is better.
Every morning I grab my hot water with lemon, 2 nun buns and 4 of packs of this psuedo-Nutella spread. I only use 2 of these with breakfast, but I keep the others to take back to my room. You see, I'm stockpiling them to take home with me because I'm not convinced I can get it back in the States. The first thing anybody says when they come into my room is "Wow, you have quite a collection." They said that a couple of months ago too, but then it was because of the collection of Carnevale masks on my shelf. Now its because of my collection of Nocita. Its is so noticeable that it eclipses the six sparkly, eye catching masks above it. I'm not sure that I can ever go back to anything else for breakfast, though I haven't figure out yet how to preserve a nun bun for more than a day and goodness help me when I run out this summer.
Ciao
J
Sunday, April 21, 2013
2766 And Still Looking Good
Day 87
Today Rome celebrated its 2766th birthday. Whew, and I thought I was getting old with 21 around the corner.
Do as the Romans do when it comes to celebrating birthdays, 'cuz the party today rocked. I made plans yesterday to go to the free and reduced fare museums in the morning, but when we set out today, we quickly changed our itinerary. We had to walk by the Circus Maximus to get to the museum, and what we saw there stopped us in our tracks.
Gladiators, Centurions, Barbarians, Oh my!
The costume parade that was set to start around noon was already gathering its forces with hundreds of people dressed in various (Ancient) Roman fashions. My first thought was that I wish I had a toga so I could join in the party. My second was if the nuns would mind if I used my bedsheets for the task. I'm not sure how you got to participate, but I want in next year. The only problem will be deciding who I want to be: the vestal virgin or the barbarian Briton.
After watching the assembly for about an hour we headed to the Campidoglio Museum with its reduced ticket price. The Classical marble and bronze statues were the perfect accompaniment to the party going on outside.
When we finally left the museum, we found that the parade that had started in the Circus Maximus was now making a loop around town and passing right in front of the square we were in. I found myself a good perch and watched the procession of Centurion Legions who marched in sync, Barbarian tribes who jumped out at the crowd unexpectedly, and Olympic gods who sauntered on their way as priestesses tossed petals in their path.
A bite for lunch in the Jewish quarter finished up our wanderings before we headed toward the convent, but the festivities didn't end there. Back in the Circus Maximus various ceremonies and contests (some of which I didn't understand) kept going until around dinnertime.
Unfortunately I missed out on some of the other festivities this weekend, including yesterdays Tango Party for Papa Francesco, and today's flash-mob style pillow fight in Trastevere. I can't always hit them all, but I'll take what I can get.
Buon Natale Roma! Keep on going!
Ciao,
J
Today Rome celebrated its 2766th birthday. Whew, and I thought I was getting old with 21 around the corner.
Do as the Romans do when it comes to celebrating birthdays, 'cuz the party today rocked. I made plans yesterday to go to the free and reduced fare museums in the morning, but when we set out today, we quickly changed our itinerary. We had to walk by the Circus Maximus to get to the museum, and what we saw there stopped us in our tracks.
Gladiators, Centurions, Barbarians, Oh my!
The costume parade that was set to start around noon was already gathering its forces with hundreds of people dressed in various (Ancient) Roman fashions. My first thought was that I wish I had a toga so I could join in the party. My second was if the nuns would mind if I used my bedsheets for the task. I'm not sure how you got to participate, but I want in next year. The only problem will be deciding who I want to be: the vestal virgin or the barbarian Briton.
After watching the assembly for about an hour we headed to the Campidoglio Museum with its reduced ticket price. The Classical marble and bronze statues were the perfect accompaniment to the party going on outside.
When we finally left the museum, we found that the parade that had started in the Circus Maximus was now making a loop around town and passing right in front of the square we were in. I found myself a good perch and watched the procession of Centurion Legions who marched in sync, Barbarian tribes who jumped out at the crowd unexpectedly, and Olympic gods who sauntered on their way as priestesses tossed petals in their path.
A bite for lunch in the Jewish quarter finished up our wanderings before we headed toward the convent, but the festivities didn't end there. Back in the Circus Maximus various ceremonies and contests (some of which I didn't understand) kept going until around dinnertime.
Unfortunately I missed out on some of the other festivities this weekend, including yesterdays Tango Party for Papa Francesco, and today's flash-mob style pillow fight in Trastevere. I can't always hit them all, but I'll take what I can get.
Buon Natale Roma! Keep on going!
Ciao,
J
Scenes from an Italian Restaurant
Day 86
As I haven't really written about food yet (at least not in its own right), I haven't included a HUGE part of my experience here. Today, I went to Eataly*, and was finally inspired to get a move on about it. I'm planning this as a five part entry, with an entry a day over the next week, but it may quickly fragment into 10 or more as picking and choosing my favorite foods and places to eat is a nearly impossible task and a work in progress.
I can't remember if I mentioned it somewhere at the beginning of the semester, but I am one of the pickiest eaters ever and in the worst way: I tend to say I don't like things before I've even tried them. At home, if someone said we were getting Italian food I would say great and then order fettucine alfredo no matter what else was on the menu. I like fettucine alfredo, but I've never really tried anything else (plus Italians don't really consider that Italian food. I know, I've asked). That principle pretty much goes for all types of food for me. I've loosened up a little since I left home for college, but not by much. This semester I was determined to try everything and not get stuck in the rut of ordering the same dish over and over again. This task was made easy as all of my friends here love trying to prove they ordered the best dish and therefore insist everyone try a bite.
To hopefully avoid some unnecessary entries and comments later, here is part one, where I will elucidate some quintessential Roman/Italian foods that make me smile.
Carciofi (artichoke) - I have always liked artichokes. Here, I love them. If something on the menu has carciofi in it, I automatically like it.
Blood Oranges - I've mentioned these before. So good. I'm not even sure they should be called oranges. Lately I've taken to juicing them at lunch. Yum.
Tartufo (truffle) - I had never (probably) tried truffle before I got here. Fortunately my friends forced it upon me and now I like it in just about anything: on pizza, in pasta, on bruschetta, you name it.
Olio (olive oil) - I didn't use the olive oil provided at every meal for the first month here. What a mistake! That is a month of good olive oil I will never get back. I use it in excess now. Just ask my little sister, she was appalled. (And I was appalled that she got to go to an olive oil factory and didn't enjoy it!)
Formaggio - Cheese! Add it to any dish or eat it raw. I'm definitely a hard cheese kind of girl when we're just buying it for snacks, but its impossible not to eat all kinds of cheese here. It just is.
Vino - ... Nope not gonna be able to summarize this one. It will need its own entry.
Pizza - Roman pizza is this super thin crust with just a little extra crunch around the edges. I love it. (Though maybe that's because LA doesn't really have a signature style pie). Plus you eat the entire pie by yourself every time and no one gives you a second look.
Pasta - Not to go into it extensively, but its just an art form here. Plus I don't think I'll ever be able to eat pasta that is anything but al dente ever again.
Ciao,
J
*Eataly is a chain restaurant/supermarket (kindof like the lovechild of Whole Foods and Panera) that features typical Italian cuisine and products. There's one in NYC, but not in LA yet.
As I haven't really written about food yet (at least not in its own right), I haven't included a HUGE part of my experience here. Today, I went to Eataly*, and was finally inspired to get a move on about it. I'm planning this as a five part entry, with an entry a day over the next week, but it may quickly fragment into 10 or more as picking and choosing my favorite foods and places to eat is a nearly impossible task and a work in progress.
I can't remember if I mentioned it somewhere at the beginning of the semester, but I am one of the pickiest eaters ever and in the worst way: I tend to say I don't like things before I've even tried them. At home, if someone said we were getting Italian food I would say great and then order fettucine alfredo no matter what else was on the menu. I like fettucine alfredo, but I've never really tried anything else (plus Italians don't really consider that Italian food. I know, I've asked). That principle pretty much goes for all types of food for me. I've loosened up a little since I left home for college, but not by much. This semester I was determined to try everything and not get stuck in the rut of ordering the same dish over and over again. This task was made easy as all of my friends here love trying to prove they ordered the best dish and therefore insist everyone try a bite.
To hopefully avoid some unnecessary entries and comments later, here is part one, where I will elucidate some quintessential Roman/Italian foods that make me smile.Carciofi (artichoke) - I have always liked artichokes. Here, I love them. If something on the menu has carciofi in it, I automatically like it.
Blood Oranges - I've mentioned these before. So good. I'm not even sure they should be called oranges. Lately I've taken to juicing them at lunch. Yum.
Tartufo (truffle) - I had never (probably) tried truffle before I got here. Fortunately my friends forced it upon me and now I like it in just about anything: on pizza, in pasta, on bruschetta, you name it.
Olio (olive oil) - I didn't use the olive oil provided at every meal for the first month here. What a mistake! That is a month of good olive oil I will never get back. I use it in excess now. Just ask my little sister, she was appalled. (And I was appalled that she got to go to an olive oil factory and didn't enjoy it!)
Formaggio - Cheese! Add it to any dish or eat it raw. I'm definitely a hard cheese kind of girl when we're just buying it for snacks, but its impossible not to eat all kinds of cheese here. It just is.
Vino - ... Nope not gonna be able to summarize this one. It will need its own entry.
Pizza - Roman pizza is this super thin crust with just a little extra crunch around the edges. I love it. (Though maybe that's because LA doesn't really have a signature style pie). Plus you eat the entire pie by yourself every time and no one gives you a second look.
Pasta - Not to go into it extensively, but its just an art form here. Plus I don't think I'll ever be able to eat pasta that is anything but al dente ever again.
Ciao,
J
*Eataly is a chain restaurant/supermarket (kindof like the lovechild of Whole Foods and Panera) that features typical Italian cuisine and products. There's one in NYC, but not in LA yet.
Hamilton Homies
Day 85
This week was uneventful in the abroad sense, but stressful in the study part. With barely three weeks left in the semester, I had to started buckling down my work here and had to look toward home with Hamilton's fall class registration period upon me. Fortunately I got into all the classes I wanted with little trouble and have an excellent schedule on top of it. Now all I have to worry about is housing lottery next Sunday (which is actually the most stressful day of any student's college career. A thesis presentation is a cake walk compared to this day.)
To round off my Hamilton featured week, my friend, Jenn, is visiting with her family. After tackling her in a bear hug, I stole her away minutes after she arrived and showed her my favorite places around Rome. I had more freedom than when I showed my sister around because we were on a looser schedule. I also noticed that most of my favorite places revolve around food: "Let's go see the orange grove, we'll have a panino picnic!" "Wanna see the Trevi fountain? There's a great gelato place nearby!" "The Spanish Steps? Lets pick up some awesome tiramisu on the way!"
It was a great day, even if we were both dead on our feet by the end of it. But we hadn't been together for 2 hours (even though we only just started catching up and hadn't even seen that much of the city yet), before we started planning on coming back together. (We're thinking graduation presents to ourselves. Tara Hansen, if you're reading this, be prepared. We're coming for you too.)
Ciao
J
This week was uneventful in the abroad sense, but stressful in the study part. With barely three weeks left in the semester, I had to started buckling down my work here and had to look toward home with Hamilton's fall class registration period upon me. Fortunately I got into all the classes I wanted with little trouble and have an excellent schedule on top of it. Now all I have to worry about is housing lottery next Sunday (which is actually the most stressful day of any student's college career. A thesis presentation is a cake walk compared to this day.)
To round off my Hamilton featured week, my friend, Jenn, is visiting with her family. After tackling her in a bear hug, I stole her away minutes after she arrived and showed her my favorite places around Rome. I had more freedom than when I showed my sister around because we were on a looser schedule. I also noticed that most of my favorite places revolve around food: "Let's go see the orange grove, we'll have a panino picnic!" "Wanna see the Trevi fountain? There's a great gelato place nearby!" "The Spanish Steps? Lets pick up some awesome tiramisu on the way!"
It was a great day, even if we were both dead on our feet by the end of it. But we hadn't been together for 2 hours (even though we only just started catching up and hadn't even seen that much of the city yet), before we started planning on coming back together. (We're thinking graduation presents to ourselves. Tara Hansen, if you're reading this, be prepared. We're coming for you too.)
Ciao
J
Wishing Stones and Messages in a Bottle
Days 79-81
The second long weekend is upon us here at Trinity Rome and I, along with about half of the students here, decided to take this opportunity to explore the Amalfi Coast. That sounds much easier than it actually was. Originally I was supposed to travel with a group of girls as part of a preplanned trip. I signed up with them and happily paid the 180 euro for the trip. When we signed up it sounded like a great deal to me: travel and accommodations all taken care of? Great. A few days later I realized I could organize the trip for significantly less. I convinced another friend to buy out my spot and proceeded to organize a trip for 70 euros.
Though my trip was less extensive than the pre-planned trip was, the girls I traveled with agreed that we were going for the sole purpose of sitting on a beach. And that's exactly what we did. We weren't truly in Amalfi (I actually don't know where exactly we truly were. I think it was Sorrento, but we definitely weren't in the normal part of Sorrento), but we had a lovely little pebble beach and a beautiful mountain backdrop. (I am definitely turning into a beach snob though, because while my friends where oohing and aahing, all I could think was that it wasn't as pretty as Malta's beaches).
I had never been to a pebble beach before and the little stones scattered about were beautiful in their own right. My friend, Hannah, called them wishing stones because most of them had white rings around them. You're supposed to find them on the seashore, then stand by the water's edge, hold it in your hands, close your eyes, make a wish, and throw it as far as you can. Well, this must be the beach of a thousand wishes because there were tons of these stones lying around.
The majority of the weekend was spent uneventfully on sunbeds, but our final night we grabbed the bottle we had emptied of wine the night before and sat down with pens and junk receipts from our wallets and wrote dozens of messages that we stuffed into this wine bottle. Wishes, secrets, lyrics, and bits of nonsense went into this bottle, and this bottle went out to sea after I corked it and threw it as far as I could. I don't know if it made it anywhere, but it wasn't on the beach the next morning either. We're all pretending that someone, someday, will find it and pull out our messages.
Ciao,
J
The second long weekend is upon us here at Trinity Rome and I, along with about half of the students here, decided to take this opportunity to explore the Amalfi Coast. That sounds much easier than it actually was. Originally I was supposed to travel with a group of girls as part of a preplanned trip. I signed up with them and happily paid the 180 euro for the trip. When we signed up it sounded like a great deal to me: travel and accommodations all taken care of? Great. A few days later I realized I could organize the trip for significantly less. I convinced another friend to buy out my spot and proceeded to organize a trip for 70 euros.
Though my trip was less extensive than the pre-planned trip was, the girls I traveled with agreed that we were going for the sole purpose of sitting on a beach. And that's exactly what we did. We weren't truly in Amalfi (I actually don't know where exactly we truly were. I think it was Sorrento, but we definitely weren't in the normal part of Sorrento), but we had a lovely little pebble beach and a beautiful mountain backdrop. (I am definitely turning into a beach snob though, because while my friends where oohing and aahing, all I could think was that it wasn't as pretty as Malta's beaches).
I had never been to a pebble beach before and the little stones scattered about were beautiful in their own right. My friend, Hannah, called them wishing stones because most of them had white rings around them. You're supposed to find them on the seashore, then stand by the water's edge, hold it in your hands, close your eyes, make a wish, and throw it as far as you can. Well, this must be the beach of a thousand wishes because there were tons of these stones lying around.
The majority of the weekend was spent uneventfully on sunbeds, but our final night we grabbed the bottle we had emptied of wine the night before and sat down with pens and junk receipts from our wallets and wrote dozens of messages that we stuffed into this wine bottle. Wishes, secrets, lyrics, and bits of nonsense went into this bottle, and this bottle went out to sea after I corked it and threw it as far as I could. I don't know if it made it anywhere, but it wasn't on the beach the next morning either. We're all pretending that someone, someday, will find it and pull out our messages.
Ciao,
J
Monday, April 15, 2013
A Night At the Opera
Day 78
Tonight, after more confusion than is worth relating, I went off to the opera.
Dressing up is always my favorite part of any endeavor, and this night did not disappoint with a virgin-white dress, green suede heels, a black statement necklace, and harlot-red lipstick. Don't be fooled by the lipstick, I looked as classy as I always do and was fit to impress the octogenarians sitting next to me.
My outfit was just an added benefit to the night thought. The opera was the real draw. Don't ask me why, but I really wanted to go see an opera or ballet while I was here in Rome. I got my wish. One of our program directors here organized an opera night and all I had to do was fork over the cash and show up.
The opera was Samsone e Delila, a story I know well enough from my childhood Bible stories. This rendering, however was definitely way beyond what the Catholic-school version of me could have comprehended. The orchestra was wonderful, the singers were talented, but the performance was different. There is weird. Then there is Weird. Then there is WEIRD. This fit in the third category. So yes, it was quite odd. (Though it should be noted that I have never been to opera before, so I don't know how much of a judge I really should be). It was very modern in its use of technology and very obvious with its euphemisms. Nonetheless, I was enthralled with the production and appreciated the extra 10 euro I coughed up to be in the front row of the balcony.
Ciao,
J
Tonight, after more confusion than is worth relating, I went off to the opera.
Dressing up is always my favorite part of any endeavor, and this night did not disappoint with a virgin-white dress, green suede heels, a black statement necklace, and harlot-red lipstick. Don't be fooled by the lipstick, I looked as classy as I always do and was fit to impress the octogenarians sitting next to me.
My outfit was just an added benefit to the night thought. The opera was the real draw. Don't ask me why, but I really wanted to go see an opera or ballet while I was here in Rome. I got my wish. One of our program directors here organized an opera night and all I had to do was fork over the cash and show up.
The opera was Samsone e Delila, a story I know well enough from my childhood Bible stories. This rendering, however was definitely way beyond what the Catholic-school version of me could have comprehended. The orchestra was wonderful, the singers were talented, but the performance was different. There is weird. Then there is Weird. Then there is WEIRD. This fit in the third category. So yes, it was quite odd. (Though it should be noted that I have never been to opera before, so I don't know how much of a judge I really should be). It was very modern in its use of technology and very obvious with its euphemisms. Nonetheless, I was enthralled with the production and appreciated the extra 10 euro I coughed up to be in the front row of the balcony.
Ciao,
J
Painting on High
Day 76
Tuesdays mean that I must do something with my day because I have far too much free time. Today, that meant a trip to the Vatican Museum, to which all except one of my friends had already seen.
So off Courtney and I go to the Vatican Museum, not entirely sure of where we are supposed to go, but trusting those good old fashioned rust-colored signs to get us there. Soon enough we hit a line that seemed neither too far from, nor too near to the entrance for us to stand in. An hour later we were buying our tickets and riding up the escalator to see those Popes' fantastical art collections.
The sculptures were lovely, of course. (They could have been blank slabs of marble and I would say that, but hey, I'm a Classicist. Produce anything before the 3th century and I would love it. Though the art here really is great. After all, Popes took the time to collect it.) We spent the majority of our time in front of Raphael's School of Athens and below Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel. Raphael will stubbornly remain my favorite Renaissance painter because his work is just so pretty, though Michelangelo was undeniably a genius. In front of the School of Athens, I gazed from face to face admiring both his rendering of the individual philosophers and the hidden faces of his contemporary artists. I have way too much of an art history background to just glance-and-go this painting. To me, this painting sums up everything I love about art and the Classics, bringing together old and new, comparing one idea with another without dismissing either, and showing the roots of all modern thought. Next it was to the Sistine Chapel. You can see slide upon slide and picture upon picture of this fresco and never understand what it is truly like. I know I have. Courtney and I would have laid down on the floor and looked at the ceiling fresco for hours if we could have. Unfortunately, the mad rush of unappreciative tourists made that impossible and instead we settled for standing with our heads craned upwards for half and hour. No regrets. In photos I dismiss it. In person it is unbelievable, especially when you consider that is it was painted on a ceiling. (How did he even get up there?)
After that we took a quick tour of a gallery of ancient statuary and tried one last time to see the Augustus of Prima Porta (which is currently unavailable for viewing) before calling it quits and grabbing some tiramisu and returning to the convent for lunch. Overall, an excellent morning adventure.
Ciao,
J
Tuesdays mean that I must do something with my day because I have far too much free time. Today, that meant a trip to the Vatican Museum, to which all except one of my friends had already seen.
So off Courtney and I go to the Vatican Museum, not entirely sure of where we are supposed to go, but trusting those good old fashioned rust-colored signs to get us there. Soon enough we hit a line that seemed neither too far from, nor too near to the entrance for us to stand in. An hour later we were buying our tickets and riding up the escalator to see those Popes' fantastical art collections.
The sculptures were lovely, of course. (They could have been blank slabs of marble and I would say that, but hey, I'm a Classicist. Produce anything before the 3th century and I would love it. Though the art here really is great. After all, Popes took the time to collect it.) We spent the majority of our time in front of Raphael's School of Athens and below Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel. Raphael will stubbornly remain my favorite Renaissance painter because his work is just so pretty, though Michelangelo was undeniably a genius. In front of the School of Athens, I gazed from face to face admiring both his rendering of the individual philosophers and the hidden faces of his contemporary artists. I have way too much of an art history background to just glance-and-go this painting. To me, this painting sums up everything I love about art and the Classics, bringing together old and new, comparing one idea with another without dismissing either, and showing the roots of all modern thought. Next it was to the Sistine Chapel. You can see slide upon slide and picture upon picture of this fresco and never understand what it is truly like. I know I have. Courtney and I would have laid down on the floor and looked at the ceiling fresco for hours if we could have. Unfortunately, the mad rush of unappreciative tourists made that impossible and instead we settled for standing with our heads craned upwards for half and hour. No regrets. In photos I dismiss it. In person it is unbelievable, especially when you consider that is it was painted on a ceiling. (How did he even get up there?)
After that we took a quick tour of a gallery of ancient statuary and tried one last time to see the Augustus of Prima Porta (which is currently unavailable for viewing) before calling it quits and grabbing some tiramisu and returning to the convent for lunch. Overall, an excellent morning adventure.
Ciao,
J
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Parks, Picnics, and Daisy Chains
Days 73-74
The remainder of the weekend did not disappoint.
With the promise of beautiful weather Saturday, my friend, Bridget, proposed a trip to the Italian countryside to a town called Orvieto. Bridget has an internship at a gelateria this semester, and the girls she works with say that Orvieto is their favorite place to take a day trip to. I didn't know what might be there, but I agreed to go along for the ride.
An hour train ride later and a tram up a mountain and the five of us who joined in on the adventure were enjoying a spectacular view of the surrounding countryside. We walked around for a bit and enjoyed the quaintness of the town before lunch. After we ate, we had an hour to kill before a tour of something Etruscan. To help pass the time, we grabbed a couple bottles of wine and headed to the park right at the edge of the mountain for a picnic. Four bottles of wine later, we no longer cared about the Etruscan underground tour when we were having so much fun above the ground in the park. It was a glorious day and we behaved like silly girls in springtime making daisy chains and braiding them into each others hair.
It was one of the most laid back, yet still fun days I've had this semester. No, I didn't spend hours on end looking at art or soaking up history or culture, but I still spent a beautiful day unlike any before in a new town with a idyllic Italian view.
Today the perfect weather persisted, so I decided to keep on with the park theme. After spending the morning walking around the historic part of Rome running errands (which is so crowded now that it is officially tourist season. Goodness, I couldn't stand it, so I can't imagine how the Italians make it through the day), I grabbed my go to out-door read (hi, Ovid), and went to the Parco Savello (aka the orange grove) next to the convent and spent the afternoon sitting in the sunshine and reading.
A very low-key weekend, but I am no longer upset that I couldn't convince anyone to travel farther with me. Day trips to the country might be the way I spend the rest of my weekends.
Ciao,
J
The remainder of the weekend did not disappoint.
With the promise of beautiful weather Saturday, my friend, Bridget, proposed a trip to the Italian countryside to a town called Orvieto. Bridget has an internship at a gelateria this semester, and the girls she works with say that Orvieto is their favorite place to take a day trip to. I didn't know what might be there, but I agreed to go along for the ride.
An hour train ride later and a tram up a mountain and the five of us who joined in on the adventure were enjoying a spectacular view of the surrounding countryside. We walked around for a bit and enjoyed the quaintness of the town before lunch. After we ate, we had an hour to kill before a tour of something Etruscan. To help pass the time, we grabbed a couple bottles of wine and headed to the park right at the edge of the mountain for a picnic. Four bottles of wine later, we no longer cared about the Etruscan underground tour when we were having so much fun above the ground in the park. It was a glorious day and we behaved like silly girls in springtime making daisy chains and braiding them into each others hair.
It was one of the most laid back, yet still fun days I've had this semester. No, I didn't spend hours on end looking at art or soaking up history or culture, but I still spent a beautiful day unlike any before in a new town with a idyllic Italian view.
Today the perfect weather persisted, so I decided to keep on with the park theme. After spending the morning walking around the historic part of Rome running errands (which is so crowded now that it is officially tourist season. Goodness, I couldn't stand it, so I can't imagine how the Italians make it through the day), I grabbed my go to out-door read (hi, Ovid), and went to the Parco Savello (aka the orange grove) next to the convent and spent the afternoon sitting in the sunshine and reading.
A very low-key weekend, but I am no longer upset that I couldn't convince anyone to travel farther with me. Day trips to the country might be the way I spend the rest of my weekends.
Ciao,
J
Sunday, April 7, 2013
I Want to Ride My Bicycle
Day 72
Despite my best efforts, I am in Rome this weekend. (Apparently all my friends are all traveled out for now because that had very active spring breaks. I told them they should have come to Malta with me.) However, so far it is turning out well.
After lunch today, some girls and I decided to brave the dubious weather and head toward the Spanish Steps. Once there, we remembered that one of our program directors said the best tiramisu she had ever had in Rome was in a shop nearby. So there we headed, and it did not disappoint. That treat alone was worth staying in Rome for the weekend. Yet the day did not end there!
One of the girls had not been to the Piazza del Popolo yet so that was our next stop. Though the square itself is only somewhat interesting, and that mostly from a historical point of view, the church at the back of it has yet another incredible Caravaggio that I hadn't seen before today. Since we were there, we decided to walk up to the neighboring Borghese gardens. After walking around for an hour or so we were at the point of heading home when two things happened that changed our plans: the sun came out and we came upon bikes for rent. How could we say no?
We each hopped on a bike and spent the next hour seeing more of the villa than we could in 3 hours on foot and having way more fun in the process. I've been to the gardens several times before, but this time was undoubtedly the best because of the bikes. The sun has made such a rare appearance in the Roman skies in the last month that it was impossible not to find everything extra beautiful while riding down the avenues.
I've got high hopes for the rest of the weekend now.
Ciao,
J
Despite my best efforts, I am in Rome this weekend. (Apparently all my friends are all traveled out for now because that had very active spring breaks. I told them they should have come to Malta with me.) However, so far it is turning out well.
After lunch today, some girls and I decided to brave the dubious weather and head toward the Spanish Steps. Once there, we remembered that one of our program directors said the best tiramisu she had ever had in Rome was in a shop nearby. So there we headed, and it did not disappoint. That treat alone was worth staying in Rome for the weekend. Yet the day did not end there!
One of the girls had not been to the Piazza del Popolo yet so that was our next stop. Though the square itself is only somewhat interesting, and that mostly from a historical point of view, the church at the back of it has yet another incredible Caravaggio that I hadn't seen before today. Since we were there, we decided to walk up to the neighboring Borghese gardens. After walking around for an hour or so we were at the point of heading home when two things happened that changed our plans: the sun came out and we came upon bikes for rent. How could we say no?
We each hopped on a bike and spent the next hour seeing more of the villa than we could in 3 hours on foot and having way more fun in the process. I've been to the gardens several times before, but this time was undoubtedly the best because of the bikes. The sun has made such a rare appearance in the Roman skies in the last month that it was impossible not to find everything extra beautiful while riding down the avenues.
I've got high hopes for the rest of the weekend now.
Ciao,
J
Sempre Sorelle
Days 67-68
Most of the students here have had the pleasure of having some part of their family come visit them this semester. Today and yesterday, I joined this club with my sister, Tori, coming to Rome as part of her high school's spring break trip.
Though I only got to see her for bits and pieces of these two days, (and to say it was difficult to find each other is putting it lightly), it was great not only to see someone from home, but also to share this city that I love so much.
Now Monday evening came along, and I knew only roughly when she would be arriving in Rome. Rather than risk missing her, I got to her hotel half an hour before she was expected and sat waiting in the lobby, earning more than a few quizzical glances from the bell boys. My hyper-cautions were not in vain though, as I was ready and waiting to grab her the minute she walked in the door. Though we didn't have much time between her arrival and dinner, we managed a quick walk to the Piazza della Republica and Baths of Diocletian/Basilica di S. Maria degli Angeli. I party crashed her program's dinner and made her friends pity that she has such a crazy sister to deal with. After dinnerwe ditched her group's tour, and I gave Tori the express tour with extra history and points of interest between Santa Maria Maggiore and the Spanish Steps where we reconnected with the program. After a quick stop at one of my favorite gelato places we said good-bye for the night with plans to meet again the following afternoon.
Today, I set out from the convent a few minutes late and rushed over to the Colosseum and Roman Forum, where she would be getting off for her afternoon's free time. Though I knew what gate she was supposed to get out of, after I couldn't find her the in the first 10 minutes I was there, I then started moving between the 3 entrances that I knew about trying to find my sister. While this isn't a huge distance, its not small either, and I am out of shape having just come off of spring break where I sat on a beach/pool deck for multiple hours a day. 45 minutes after I thought I was supposed to meet her, I was about to give up and head back home when I spied the two girls who were at our table the night before, and not far behind was Tori. Right before that point I felt so bad that I was late and my little sister was on her own in a strange city, but luckily I had just got the meeting time wrong. Another tour of different parts of the city with another dose of extra history and POI and we were back at her hotel to so she could go off with her group to dinner. However, due to an unfortunate incident of miscommunication, she missed dinner and got to eat with me! I was so excited to take her out to one of restaurants I thought was worth eating at that I had trouble deciding exactly where to go. We just got pizza (but very good pizza in my opinion) and I think Tori was a little shocked that we each got our own and had no trouble eating what we were given (the only way to do it). After that, it was a quick tour of the convent I call home and then back to her hotel for an early curfew.
Unfortunately she got some horrible weather to see the city in, and was not able to see half of what there was, but what she did see I hope she enjoyed, and I hope I made the experience a little bit more special.
Ciao,
J
Most of the students here have had the pleasure of having some part of their family come visit them this semester. Today and yesterday, I joined this club with my sister, Tori, coming to Rome as part of her high school's spring break trip.
Though I only got to see her for bits and pieces of these two days, (and to say it was difficult to find each other is putting it lightly), it was great not only to see someone from home, but also to share this city that I love so much.
Now Monday evening came along, and I knew only roughly when she would be arriving in Rome. Rather than risk missing her, I got to her hotel half an hour before she was expected and sat waiting in the lobby, earning more than a few quizzical glances from the bell boys. My hyper-cautions were not in vain though, as I was ready and waiting to grab her the minute she walked in the door. Though we didn't have much time between her arrival and dinner, we managed a quick walk to the Piazza della Republica and Baths of Diocletian/Basilica di S. Maria degli Angeli. I party crashed her program's dinner and made her friends pity that she has such a crazy sister to deal with. After dinnerwe ditched her group's tour, and I gave Tori the express tour with extra history and points of interest between Santa Maria Maggiore and the Spanish Steps where we reconnected with the program. After a quick stop at one of my favorite gelato places we said good-bye for the night with plans to meet again the following afternoon.
Today, I set out from the convent a few minutes late and rushed over to the Colosseum and Roman Forum, where she would be getting off for her afternoon's free time. Though I knew what gate she was supposed to get out of, after I couldn't find her the in the first 10 minutes I was there, I then started moving between the 3 entrances that I knew about trying to find my sister. While this isn't a huge distance, its not small either, and I am out of shape having just come off of spring break where I sat on a beach/pool deck for multiple hours a day. 45 minutes after I thought I was supposed to meet her, I was about to give up and head back home when I spied the two girls who were at our table the night before, and not far behind was Tori. Right before that point I felt so bad that I was late and my little sister was on her own in a strange city, but luckily I had just got the meeting time wrong. Another tour of different parts of the city with another dose of extra history and POI and we were back at her hotel to so she could go off with her group to dinner. However, due to an unfortunate incident of miscommunication, she missed dinner and got to eat with me! I was so excited to take her out to one of restaurants I thought was worth eating at that I had trouble deciding exactly where to go. We just got pizza (but very good pizza in my opinion) and I think Tori was a little shocked that we each got our own and had no trouble eating what we were given (the only way to do it). After that, it was a quick tour of the convent I call home and then back to her hotel for an early curfew.
Unfortunately she got some horrible weather to see the city in, and was not able to see half of what there was, but what she did see I hope she enjoyed, and I hope I made the experience a little bit more special.
Ciao,
J
Monday, April 1, 2013
The Voice of the Sea
Days 58-66
Spring Break - A Reflection
So my island retreat is over, and while I've only just started talking with other students about their breaks, I really think that I had the best one. I've traveled a lot since I've gotten to Italy, but this is the only trip that I consider a vacation. If was awesome. I would recommend everyone go to Malta. But looking back, there are some things I would do differently:
First my baggage. I usually pride myself on being a economic packer. To say I over packed for this trip is like saying the Sahara is a little dry. I packed for a week on the beach. I should have brought 1 pair of short, 3 shirts and a skirt. Instead I brought 2 pairs of shorts, 3 skirts, and 10 shirts. Oops. Mora, who spent the first 5 days of her break in the arctic circle in Norway before joining me had a smaller bag than me. (She was dog sledding and snow shoeing and chasing northern lights) . She packed for 2 completely different climates and still had less than me. Mad props to her, shame on me.
What I did like about my packing was I opted for the free backpack I got at the Rome Marathon the week before rather than a purse. Between the rocks I was clambering over and the sea air, my cheap one shoulder backpack was perfect because it fit everything I could want for a day and I didn't give a damn how dirty it got. (That's a bit of a lie because it was a plain white backpack when I got it. Some pens and the delusion that I'm artistic changed that part though, and then I didn't care how dirty it got.)
My favorite bits/what I would change: If I knew then what I know now, I would spend the entire week at the Kappara Court in Xlendi Bay on Gozo. While the 4 star hotels were nice, that flat was so comfortable and the area so relaxed it was worth the loss of a bath tub. It was easy to access, and a beautiful backdrop for days when I would have wanted to do nothing. I would have possibly spent a couple days on Malta (as day trips only) to see what was what, but could have been equally comfortable only doing the day I arrived and the day I left in Valletta.
In my imaginary world, sometime in the future after I've become a wildly successful author with the first 3 or 4 books of my 6 part novel published, I will return to Malta to write the 5th or possibly 4th book (or maybe both), and spend the month of April in a flat on Gozo overlooking Xlendi. I would spend my mornings on the balcony writing, make my own lunch in the flat, head to the Azure Window in the afternoon, and return to Xlendi to eat at one of the waterside restaurants for dinner. I would go to Comino when I'm in a rut. Oh, and I would have some sort of scooter or bike to get me around and let me explore more. (And just in case you thought my fantasy is only half-baked and only semi-unrealistic, I would then go and spend the month of May in Venice before returning to my Strand house in California for the summer. This cycle would preferably happen every year.)
Apart from that, I wish I had tried to see the west side of Malta (the Golden Bay area) rather than doing St. Paul's Bay (which I was overall just not impressed with). While seeing the temples were a nice touch, again I could have been happy not seeing them, or to only see one. I think I saw 4 because I felt guilty that most of my friends were off in Spain, France, and Germany seeing museum on museum, culture on culture. Malta has plenty, but I was there for the landscape. I love the water. I grew up by the ocean, and I'm gonna grow old by an ocean. It calls to me, and I always answer. My little sister is currently on a school trip and in an email said she wasn't upset she hadn't seen the beach in Barcelona because "it's just a beach, we see it everyday." I never, ever feel that way. Ever.
So I will end my island adventure with this quote from L.M. Montgomery which sums up how I felt about this trip: "Look at the sea girls - all silver and shadow and vision of things not seen. We couldn't enjoy its loveliness any more if we had millions of dollars and ropes of diamonds."
Ciao,
J
Spring Break - A Reflection
So my island retreat is over, and while I've only just started talking with other students about their breaks, I really think that I had the best one. I've traveled a lot since I've gotten to Italy, but this is the only trip that I consider a vacation. If was awesome. I would recommend everyone go to Malta. But looking back, there are some things I would do differently:
First my baggage. I usually pride myself on being a economic packer. To say I over packed for this trip is like saying the Sahara is a little dry. I packed for a week on the beach. I should have brought 1 pair of short, 3 shirts and a skirt. Instead I brought 2 pairs of shorts, 3 skirts, and 10 shirts. Oops. Mora, who spent the first 5 days of her break in the arctic circle in Norway before joining me had a smaller bag than me. (She was dog sledding and snow shoeing and chasing northern lights) . She packed for 2 completely different climates and still had less than me. Mad props to her, shame on me.
What I did like about my packing was I opted for the free backpack I got at the Rome Marathon the week before rather than a purse. Between the rocks I was clambering over and the sea air, my cheap one shoulder backpack was perfect because it fit everything I could want for a day and I didn't give a damn how dirty it got. (That's a bit of a lie because it was a plain white backpack when I got it. Some pens and the delusion that I'm artistic changed that part though, and then I didn't care how dirty it got.)
 | |||||
| I started the night before I left with the goal of finishing in 2 days.. | . |
| My new goal is to finish before my trip to the Amalfi Coast |
In my imaginary world, sometime in the future after I've become a wildly successful author with the first 3 or 4 books of my 6 part novel published, I will return to Malta to write the 5th or possibly 4th book (or maybe both), and spend the month of April in a flat on Gozo overlooking Xlendi. I would spend my mornings on the balcony writing, make my own lunch in the flat, head to the Azure Window in the afternoon, and return to Xlendi to eat at one of the waterside restaurants for dinner. I would go to Comino when I'm in a rut. Oh, and I would have some sort of scooter or bike to get me around and let me explore more. (And just in case you thought my fantasy is only half-baked and only semi-unrealistic, I would then go and spend the month of May in Venice before returning to my Strand house in California for the summer. This cycle would preferably happen every year.)
Apart from that, I wish I had tried to see the west side of Malta (the Golden Bay area) rather than doing St. Paul's Bay (which I was overall just not impressed with). While seeing the temples were a nice touch, again I could have been happy not seeing them, or to only see one. I think I saw 4 because I felt guilty that most of my friends were off in Spain, France, and Germany seeing museum on museum, culture on culture. Malta has plenty, but I was there for the landscape. I love the water. I grew up by the ocean, and I'm gonna grow old by an ocean. It calls to me, and I always answer. My little sister is currently on a school trip and in an email said she wasn't upset she hadn't seen the beach in Barcelona because "it's just a beach, we see it everyday." I never, ever feel that way. Ever.
So I will end my island adventure with this quote from L.M. Montgomery which sums up how I felt about this trip: "Look at the sea girls - all silver and shadow and vision of things not seen. We couldn't enjoy its loveliness any more if we had millions of dollars and ropes of diamonds."
Ciao,
J
A Fragrant Breeze
Days 65-66
Spring Break Part 4
Saturday I said goodbye to my pretty flat and the prettier Xlendi and Gozo and hopped on the ferry back to Malta. All morning I traveled, trying to get from Xlendi in the west of Gozo to Mgarr Harbor in the south, arriving in Cirkewwa on the north-west point of Malta, going to Valletta on the western coast, and then finally getting to Zurrieq in south. (total travel time about 4 1/2 hours)
Once we finally hopped off the bus, I realized that we were nowhere near our destination of the temples of Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra and the next bus didn't come for an hour. Mora and I strapped on our bags (we're carrying all our luggage all day today) and prepared to walk rather than just sit around. Turns out we made a most fortuitous error as the walk was gorgeous. This part of Malta was very like Gozo with its lovely stepped farmland, and the winding road we walked was picturesque with the sea cliffs as its background. About 2 km along our walk we noticed a bunch of stopped cars and decided to check out what all the commotion was. It was Malta's Blue Grotto (a rock formation as equally impressive as the Azure Window on Gozo, if a little less accessible), which was on my to-do list though I was sure it wasn't getting done. I love it when I accidentally stumble upon things like this.
After we were cruelly shot down by the bus that finally showed up, we walked the last kilometer to the temple complex. The temples were cool. I was finally getting bored of rocks though. And my feet hurt. We finally caught a bus and headed to our hotel, ordered some pizzas and watched a movie before tucking in to bed. Though a bit anti-climactic, the walk made the day a success.
We woke up this morning, slightly frantic about the time, because it was the European Daylight Savings Time hour change. From what little we saw of the town the night before, we were unimpressed and decided to scrap anything planned (which wasn't much) and head back to Valletta for an Easter breakfast before Mora had to go to the airport (her flight was a couple hours earlier than mine). We sat at an outdoor cafe and enjoyed hot chocolate that came in every possible flavor and was thicker than pudding, chocolate croissants, and fruit smoothies. We then headed to the Archeological Museum in which we found that everything we had looked at at the temple sites was a copy, and that all the really good stuff was currently on loan in New York. Oh the irony.
After I sent Mora off to the airport, I slipped into the first Church I came to to find that mass had only just begun. (Its good to be a country with over 365 churches. The church density of the island is slightly more than 1 church/sq km. When you consider how much of Malta is farmland, it makes finding a Church really easy.) After the service I decided to just sit by the waterfront and soak up every last bit of vitamin D I could before heading to the airport and going back to Rome. Addiju, Malta!
Addiju to you too,
J
Spring Break Part 4
Saturday I said goodbye to my pretty flat and the prettier Xlendi and Gozo and hopped on the ferry back to Malta. All morning I traveled, trying to get from Xlendi in the west of Gozo to Mgarr Harbor in the south, arriving in Cirkewwa on the north-west point of Malta, going to Valletta on the western coast, and then finally getting to Zurrieq in south. (total travel time about 4 1/2 hours)
Once we finally hopped off the bus, I realized that we were nowhere near our destination of the temples of Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra and the next bus didn't come for an hour. Mora and I strapped on our bags (we're carrying all our luggage all day today) and prepared to walk rather than just sit around. Turns out we made a most fortuitous error as the walk was gorgeous. This part of Malta was very like Gozo with its lovely stepped farmland, and the winding road we walked was picturesque with the sea cliffs as its background. About 2 km along our walk we noticed a bunch of stopped cars and decided to check out what all the commotion was. It was Malta's Blue Grotto (a rock formation as equally impressive as the Azure Window on Gozo, if a little less accessible), which was on my to-do list though I was sure it wasn't getting done. I love it when I accidentally stumble upon things like this.
After we were cruelly shot down by the bus that finally showed up, we walked the last kilometer to the temple complex. The temples were cool. I was finally getting bored of rocks though. And my feet hurt. We finally caught a bus and headed to our hotel, ordered some pizzas and watched a movie before tucking in to bed. Though a bit anti-climactic, the walk made the day a success.
We woke up this morning, slightly frantic about the time, because it was the European Daylight Savings Time hour change. From what little we saw of the town the night before, we were unimpressed and decided to scrap anything planned (which wasn't much) and head back to Valletta for an Easter breakfast before Mora had to go to the airport (her flight was a couple hours earlier than mine). We sat at an outdoor cafe and enjoyed hot chocolate that came in every possible flavor and was thicker than pudding, chocolate croissants, and fruit smoothies. We then headed to the Archeological Museum in which we found that everything we had looked at at the temple sites was a copy, and that all the really good stuff was currently on loan in New York. Oh the irony.
After I sent Mora off to the airport, I slipped into the first Church I came to to find that mass had only just begun. (Its good to be a country with over 365 churches. The church density of the island is slightly more than 1 church/sq km. When you consider how much of Malta is farmland, it makes finding a Church really easy.) After the service I decided to just sit by the waterfront and soak up every last bit of vitamin D I could before heading to the airport and going back to Rome. Addiju, Malta!
Addiju to you too,
J
Breathe the Wild Air
Days 63-64
Spring Break Part 3
Though this happened on Wednesday, I'm including it in this section's post since it took place on Gozo. Just when you thought my day couldn't get any better...
On the bus heading to my hotel, what do you know but our bus is stopped and basically shut down. In front of us is one of the many Passion Week (aka Holy Week) processions. Just like back in middle school how we did live action Way of the Cross, these kinds of processions are taking place all over Malta (and Gozo) all week, and we just happened to roll into the middle of one. (It was the 6th station for those curious. Mary Magdalen had just wiped Jesus' face.)
Now, I know that I left Rome of all places for Holy Week and Easter, but apparently, I chose a good substitute. Religion - of the Catholic variety mainly - has dominated the island ever since 60 AD when St. Paul accidentally ship-wrecked here and converted all the populace from paganism to Christianity. And they've never looked back. I've received pamphlet on pamphlet of events of every kind taking place in every city from Palm Sunday to Easter.
Anyway, this third stop of my break takes place on Malta's second-largest island, Gozo. Gozo has long been associated with Ogygia, Calypso's island in Homer's Odyssey, aka the place that Odysseus sat on a beach crying for seven years while a beautiful nymph tried to seduce him (and he held out until the last night. Right.) The island itself is certainly beautiful enough for me to believe Calypso made her home there, and there is a certain wildness to the air that corroborates it.
I booked what I thought was a hotel in Xlendi (pronounced Shlendi), but turned out to be a fully stocked two bedroom apartment with a breathtaking view of the bay below and the hills across. I spent most of Thursday morning sitting on the balcony reading and writing (and finally caught up on some of my posts here) while I waited to my friend Mora to join me from the main island. Once she got there, we had lunch at one of the many restaurants on the bays boardwalk, then headed off to see the Ġgantija temples. They were huge and impressive. That was the only activity on the books for Thursday though, and when a cloud cover started to roll in in the afternoon, I wasn't interested in finding another. A delicious dinner at an outdoor waterside Italian restaurant finished off the day.
Friday came along and I convinced Mora that she absolutely must see Comino and the Blue Lagoon, so we headed straight for the harbor and were in those turquoise waters by 11 am. (Told you I'd be back.) I was able to get over my fear of jellyfish and once again swam to the opposite side of the lagoon (though I looked much funnier this time as I used my sandals as hand flippers (1) to protect from accidentally brushing a jelly and (2) because I wanted to hike around that small island this time.) After swimming and sunbathing for a few hours we went back to Gozo and caught a bus to Dwerja and Gozo's iconic Azure Window. While the window was cool, perhaps even more interesting were the giant sand-dollars (sand-euros? if their that old are they sand-drachmas?), that were embedded in the stone. Beyond the sand-dollar graveyard their were these giant pools cut out of the rock that looked like they'd be a refreshing place to dip in in the summer months - that is until we noticed a man taking a wizz in one and the idea suddenly became extremely unappealing. Another waterside dinner at a different restaurant rounded off this glorious day. Tomorrow we're heading back to Malta, but I doubt I'll like anything as much as my time here.
Addiju,
J
Spring Break Part 3
Though this happened on Wednesday, I'm including it in this section's post since it took place on Gozo. Just when you thought my day couldn't get any better...
On the bus heading to my hotel, what do you know but our bus is stopped and basically shut down. In front of us is one of the many Passion Week (aka Holy Week) processions. Just like back in middle school how we did live action Way of the Cross, these kinds of processions are taking place all over Malta (and Gozo) all week, and we just happened to roll into the middle of one. (It was the 6th station for those curious. Mary Magdalen had just wiped Jesus' face.)
Now, I know that I left Rome of all places for Holy Week and Easter, but apparently, I chose a good substitute. Religion - of the Catholic variety mainly - has dominated the island ever since 60 AD when St. Paul accidentally ship-wrecked here and converted all the populace from paganism to Christianity. And they've never looked back. I've received pamphlet on pamphlet of events of every kind taking place in every city from Palm Sunday to Easter.
Anyway, this third stop of my break takes place on Malta's second-largest island, Gozo. Gozo has long been associated with Ogygia, Calypso's island in Homer's Odyssey, aka the place that Odysseus sat on a beach crying for seven years while a beautiful nymph tried to seduce him (and he held out until the last night. Right.) The island itself is certainly beautiful enough for me to believe Calypso made her home there, and there is a certain wildness to the air that corroborates it.
I booked what I thought was a hotel in Xlendi (pronounced Shlendi), but turned out to be a fully stocked two bedroom apartment with a breathtaking view of the bay below and the hills across. I spent most of Thursday morning sitting on the balcony reading and writing (and finally caught up on some of my posts here) while I waited to my friend Mora to join me from the main island. Once she got there, we had lunch at one of the many restaurants on the bays boardwalk, then headed off to see the Ġgantija temples. They were huge and impressive. That was the only activity on the books for Thursday though, and when a cloud cover started to roll in in the afternoon, I wasn't interested in finding another. A delicious dinner at an outdoor waterside Italian restaurant finished off the day.
Friday came along and I convinced Mora that she absolutely must see Comino and the Blue Lagoon, so we headed straight for the harbor and were in those turquoise waters by 11 am. (Told you I'd be back.) I was able to get over my fear of jellyfish and once again swam to the opposite side of the lagoon (though I looked much funnier this time as I used my sandals as hand flippers (1) to protect from accidentally brushing a jelly and (2) because I wanted to hike around that small island this time.) After swimming and sunbathing for a few hours we went back to Gozo and caught a bus to Dwerja and Gozo's iconic Azure Window. While the window was cool, perhaps even more interesting were the giant sand-dollars (sand-euros? if their that old are they sand-drachmas?), that were embedded in the stone. Beyond the sand-dollar graveyard their were these giant pools cut out of the rock that looked like they'd be a refreshing place to dip in in the summer months - that is until we noticed a man taking a wizz in one and the idea suddenly became extremely unappealing. Another waterside dinner at a different restaurant rounded off this glorious day. Tomorrow we're heading back to Malta, but I doubt I'll like anything as much as my time here.
Addiju,
J
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)