Elyse Conquers Europe Like the Romans Did

I am a Latke and I am Waiting for Hanukkah to Come

2007-12-05T12:39:00.000-08:00

Ok, so quickly I just wanted to let everyone know that I have found the best thing in the world online in order to make the 8 days of Hanukkah feel...shall we say, a little bit more festive!

Head on over to XM radio and sign up for a free trial in order to listen to their Hanukkah station! This afternoon I was able to dance around my family room singing along to Noam Katz, Rick Recht, Danny Nichols, David Broza, and others. It pretty much made my life!

Also, last night I made a wonderful Hanukkah dinner complete with chicken, latkes, salad, and homemade applesauce with the help of the amazing Jessie Jacobson. The food was wonderful and the company was even better. We even played a rousing game of dreidel with there little Italian candies. (Alas, we could not find gelt).

But really, overall it was a great night. Sure, I wish that I had been able to be home with my family, or at school to celebrate with the gang, but I found a way to make being here special.

And, you want to know what the best part was? I somehow, by some Hanukkah miracle, managed to escape smelling like a latke.

Put on Your Yalmulka, Here Comes Hanukkah

2007-12-04T02:50:00.000-08:00

Alright, so I know that it isn't quite Hanuakkah here in Roma, or in the States, but I wanted to let everyone know that I am thinking about them!

This afternoon I am going over to Jessie Jacobson's apartment and we are going to make latkes and light our menorahs and celebrate the holiday to the best of our abilities!

Also, I want to apologize once again for slacking on the blogging. My homework has overtaken my life. But, I promise to do some updates just as soon as my papers are finished!

Music Shall Surround You

2007-11-26T12:25:00.000-08:00

Grammy and Papa packed up and went to Sicily for a few days while I got work done back in Roma. Sometimes I just wish that all of the work would disappear (or at least leave the back of my mind) so I wouldn't feel so bad about going out and doing stuff in Rome. I have no problems when I leave the city, but as soon as I step back into Rome I feel as if I need to be doing work....

But, I digress... When Grammy and Papa got back it was on a Wed, so I was able to meet them right after my Art in Rome class. We had lunch, and then spent part of the afternoon meandering through the area. I think after having them here, I have left no stone unturned in the Spanish Steps area. If you have questions about where to find something, I probably know the answer.

Wednesday evening the 3 of us went to a mini opera at the All Saints Church that wasn't too far from the Spanish Steps. I don't even know if you would call what I saw a mini opera, but it was wonderful. Instead of sitting through a full opera, it was only the most famous arias from the most famous shows. Now, before this, the only exposure to opera was the music that I sometimes played on my violin for class. Yet, after that evening I had a newfound love and appreciation for the music. I think that going to see a full opera is now in my future (provided I do some research before going in order to understand the plot line).

The next few days were a blur of happiness (and rain). It was just so wonderful to have Grammy and Papa around. We would go out, wander, go back to the hotel to rest and watch CNN, go out again, have dinner, wander around, have gelato... Life couldn't be much better. Not at all...

Cover it in Chocolate and a Miracle or Two

2007-11-25T13:53:00.000-08:00

Note: I am a bit behind in the blogging. Please bear with me while I try and update while still keeping up with all of my schoolwork. xo -e

The Friday that my grandparents were here we decided to go to Peugia - a small town that is about 2 hours by train from Roma. Perugia is the home to Perugina chocolate, which is a famous chocolate company that is famous for their small dark chocolates that have a hazelnut in the center - Baci. I had heard about this town from my roommates who had ventured to the Peugia chocolate festival while I was in Pompeii. So, what time is better than now to go?

It actually wound up being the perfect day to go because the public transportation workers decided that that day would be a good one to strike. Go figure. I had been told before that the Romans liked to strike, but I don't think that I fully realized it until this fateful day.

Getting to the train station was a piece of pie for Grammy and Papa, but it was a little less so for me (even though the strike wasn't officially supposed to start until 9AM). I got on the tram, as I usually do, with the intent to take it from my apartment all the way to the end, where I would then grab bus 40 that would take me to Termini. Oh no, that would have been far too easy. As the tram neared Station Trastevere, it just stopped. No, nothing was blocking the track, and the tram didn't die - the driver just decided to stop. Great. As I rushed off the tram I saw that the H bus (another bus that goes to Termini) was pulled over across the street. I hopped the fence and ran after the bus with another Italian lady. The bus driver was being an ass and wouldn't open the door for us. Strike 2! After waiting 15 minutes for another H bus to come, I was finally on my way. Thank goodness I left my apartment earlier than I actually needed to.

The train ride to Perugia was uneventful. I slept as per usual, and I believe that Grammy and Papa just read and enjoyed the scenery that was whizzing by us outside the windows. Once in Perugia, we had to take a bus to the top of the hill where the main Piazza, IV Novembre, is. The higher we climbed, the more beautiful the view was. It was quite a treat to be up on the top of a hill and to be able to look out over the countryside. Even though it was slightly overcast, it didn't much matter - it was just plain gorgeous.

After meandering for a bit and enjoying the charm of this small town, we decided to go and find this restaurant, La Taverna, that Grammy had read about in her guidebook. This restaurant was supposed to be famous for their famous traditional Umbrian cuisine. The restaurant is down the most narrow alleyway in town, and had it not been for the signs leading us there, I don't know if we ever would have found it. But, thank goodness we did, because it might have just been one of the best meals that I have had since being in Italy. Besides the fact that the restaurant was housed in this gorgeous house with vaulted ceilings that has been standing for well over 200 years. Each one of us had a truly fabulous meal - I had ravioli that was stuffed with truffles. It was incredible - out of this world. Never before have I had anything that compares. And, for dessert we decided to split this chocolate mousse-like thing that was covered with bits of hazelnut, just like a Baci candy. I think that I could eat that meal every day and die fat and happy.

On our way out the door, we caught a glimpse of one of the chef's assistants in the kitchen slicing open a brand new wheel of pecorino cheese. Man! What a job that is! The assistant was essentially pounding into the wheel with a knife one tiny bit at a time. The head chef (who looked like the typical stereotype of an Italian chef - complete with the potbelly) saw us looking in, and brought each of us a tiny bit of the fresh cheese. I think that it might have been a small slice of heaven, considering how wonderful that little bit of cheese was.

After some more meandering (and discovering this somewhat hidden underground tunnel), and stopping in the Baci store to buy - what else - chocolate, we opted to head back down to the train station to go back to Roma. The train ride back was somewhat hellish. We were stuck outside a train station for almost an hour, and the situation was made even worse because no one spoke enough English to tell us what was going on. After this trip it was decided that no one should ever take a train with me again - all I bring is bad luck.

Back in Roma, and at the hotel (where I spent the night because getting back to my apartment without public transportation just wasn't going to happen), the three of passed out after watching CNN, with our tummies full and our hearts happy because we were all together.

Aren't You Glad You're Not a Turkey on this Thanksgiving Day

2007-11-21T22:29:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving from Roma! I am up early so that I can get myself together and head off to Geneva for a weekend of good Thanksgiving food, fun, and good company. But, before I left I wanted to send a shout out to everyone to enjoy Thanksgiving. I also just wanted to express just how thankful I am this year, not only for having the opportunities that I do, but also for having such wonderful family and friends!

p.s. more updates to come soon - I know, I know, I have been slacking...

My Heart is Like an Artichoke

2007-11-13T12:50:00.000-08:00

My return to Rome on Sunday afternoon was quite welcome after being gone for 10 days. Yes, I had an amazing time, but that didn't mean that I was ready to keep living day to day - I wanted to get back into a routine. (And, I needed to rest my poor, tired, blistered feet).

Last Monday and Tuesday I spent catching up on work and relaxing. Wednesday, on the other hand, was a big day - my Grammy and Papa arrived from Chicago!!! This was the best treat that I could have gotten after my 10 day vacation - 2 of my favorite people in my "foreign" city. What more could I ask for? The first night we just wandered around Piazza di Spagna and had a quick dinner so that they could go back to their hotel and get some sleep and try to acclimate themselves to the right time zone. I decided to take the 44 bus back to my apartment from Piazza Venezia. Bad idea. The bus broke down right in front of AUR. By this point I had to go to the bathroom terribly, but the campus was already locked for the night. So, in a moment of genius I called Jessie who lives only a few blocks from campus and asked her if I could run up. Thank goodness she way home! But being there was great fun because I got to go through my bag of goodies that Grammy had brought for me. I got my Uggs, a menorah and candles in preparation for Hanukkah, chocolate chips, a pedometer, and a fabulous shirt from Urban Outfitters that reads "Friends don't let friends vote Republican." Amen!

Thursday I had class in the morning, and then decided to be a bit of a rebel and skip my second class to go and meet Grammy and Papa in the Jewish quarter for lunch. Oh, and what a good lunch we had. Since I arrived in Rome I have been talking about going to the Jewish quarter to have their famous specialty - fried artichokes. Ok, so I wasn't exactly sure what to expect, but they were wonderful! We also had fried zucchini flowers and fried cod, but neither were as good as the artichokes. Then, each of us had a primi (aka a pasta or a risotto). It was a truly wonderful meal.

From the Jewish quarter, the three of us got on the bus and headed up towards school so I could show them the campus, and then we went to my apartment. I think that both Grammy and Papa were honestly impressed with A) how well I know the city and the transportation system B) how nice campus and my apartment are. I would have to agree with them on both of those counts.

After resting and doing some checking of the email accounts, we headed off for dinner back by the hotel. Another wonderful meal ( I can't think of a bad one that I have had since being in Italy, come to think of it). I had prosciutto crudo and fresh buffalo mozzarella. Yummmyyy! Back at the hotel we had a few logistics to work out due to the newly announced information that there was going to be a nation-wide transportation strike the next morning. Now, this wasn't going to really affect the three of us during the day, because we had planned to go to Perugia early in the morning, but it was going to affect us upon our return - when it came to getting back to the hotel and me getting back to my apartment (which is not exactly within walking distance). What was decided (and what we learned) was that in the morning, before 9AM we would be fine, but after that - there was no way of knowing. So, the plan was that I would stay at the hotel on a cot for a night upon our return so I wouldn't have to worry about getting back.

Does the Moonlight Shine on Paris?

2007-11-13T10:07:00.000-08:00

In the morning the camp counselor in me came out. We said that we wanted to be out the door by 9AM so that we could get into the Louvre without having to wait. Lo and behold, the 3 of us walked out the doors of Oops! Hostel (what an awful name for a hostel, by the way) at around 9:07AM. Not too shabby at all.

Thankfully, we got to the Louvre just as it was opening. In less than 10 minutes time we had gone through security, gotten our tickets, and were heading upstairs towards the one and only Mona Lisa. Ok, so I went into the Louvre knowing that I was supposed to feel overwhelmed and impressed by the masterpiece that is Mona Lisa. Not so much. Sure, it was nice, but I couldn't get close enough to admire her so-called beauty or see the technique or even get a semi-decent picture.

After getting crushed by all of the people who at this point (a half hour later) had entered the Louvre and gone straight to the Mona Lisa; Sarah, Angelica, and I all decided to split off because each of us had different goals and we didn't want to spend all day there. The Louvre doesn't really house "my type" of art - it just doesn't appeal to me, and I see enough of it in Rome. I hate to be what some call naive or ignorant, but there are only so many paintings of Jesus or the Madonna and Child that I can see without having them all start to blur together. In my wanderings I happened to have a really weird moment (that had nothing to do with the art) where I ran into one of my friends from AU, Sienna, who is spending her semester studying in Madrid. I love it when the world seems small.

Laura met us outside the Louvre after we all took a glance at the inverted pyramid that Dan Brown talks about in the DaVinci Code, and from there we took the metro back to the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur. the view was just as pretty during the day as it had been the previous night. We wound up wandering around in the little area, which I guess you could call Montmartre, that is by the Basilique, and we had an outdoor lunch. I had the most wonderful Croque-madame (a toasted ham and cheese sandwich with an egg on top). I once again felt like I just belonged in Paris. It was such a quintessential thing to be sitting at an outdoor cafe eating one of their traditional foods. The waiter was even really nice and tried his hardest to help all of us with our French - that almost never happens.

The 3 of us that were not studying in Paris had our heart on seeing the Moulin Rouge - so, that is exactly where Laura took us. The street that leads up to the famous nightspot is crazily sketchy, but equally as funny. Along the way we managed to find a Phi, as well as two fat statues that were outside of the erotic museum - so of course, we had to stop and take pictures. The windmill was impressive, but that was about the extent of the entire site. I don't think that we ever got closer than across the street from it. Yet, it is still pretty neat to say that I have been there - or at least close to it.

The 4 of us did a quick hour of shopping that turned into me sitting down and resting my tired feet. But, after that short break (and a cup of coffee to get the blood flowing), Angelica, Sarah, and I made our way towards the Eiffel Tower. We got off the metro right as dusk had fallen the clock had struck the hour. This was perfect timing, because as we rounded the corner to step into the shadow of the tower, the lights were once again sparkling.

Once down underneath the tower we choose what we had deemed to be the shortest line to go up to the top. After waiting 40 minutes (and being annoyed by the obnoxious German couple in line behind us), we come to find out that we were in the line that doesn't take you to the top in an elevator - we are in the line that you are supposed to be in if you want to climb the stairs to get to the second platform! By this point it made no sense to change lines, so we were committed to climbing those 700 stairs to make it up there. At least, though, we would be able to take an elevator to the tippy top.

The view from all 3 platforms were amazing. I was just so happy, I felt like a small child who's parent told them that they could go to the zoo to see the baby elephant. Many of you know the wide smile that I get when everything is perfect in my world - imagine that times two and you get me on top of the Eiffel Tower.

Once we came down, the three of us found a small piece of pavement and just sat and looked at the tower. It was as if I was starring in my own movie. The moment just felt perfect. The moon was out, the tower was twinkling for the 4th time in the 3 hours we had been there, and my dream of being in Paris had come true in the most magical way.

I Love Paris Every Moment

2007-11-12T14:26:00.001-08:00

The next morning I woke up too early and took the metro all by myself down to the Musee D'Orsay so that I could be one of the first people in line when it opened. I wanted to have the impressionist paintings all to myself for as long as I possibly could.

The museum is housed in the former railway station, the Gare d'Orsay. When you walk in you are just overwhelmed with the grandeur, especially since early in the morning the light is streaming through all the glass giving it is somewhat dream-like quality. All the sculptures that were housed in the main area looked as if they could come out of their marble shells and magically come alive.

Quickly I headed up to the top floor to go and see the impressionist collection that I had heard (and read) so much about. Upon entering the wing, I realized that the entire trip to Paris had been worth it just to see all of this great artwork. The first piece that I saw that I knew was Degas's "Tiny Dancer" sculpture. I just stood in front of the case absolutely mesmerized by the perfection and beauty of it. In fact, (please don't make fun of me) I started to cry. No, these tears weren't tears of sadness, they were tears of joy. Seeing all of these famous pieces of artwork that I had only seen in books for so many years was a dream come true. Yes, I know that this makes me sound like a small child in a way, but standing there I realized how lucky I was to have been raised to have an affinity for travel, learning, and for art (among other things).

From there that room, I went and spent some quality time with some of my favorite artists, including (but not limited to) Monet, Picasso, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec, and many others. I wish that I could do all of the pieces justice, but I can't (and you would get quite annoyed my post because it would go on forever. Instead, I am just going to post some of the pictures that I was able to take.

Following my enlightening experience at the d'Orsay, I killed some time until Laura could come and meet up with me. I took a lovely walk down the Seine, and eventually found myself at Notre Dame. Somehow, I accidentally went in the "out door." Oops. I felt like I was back at camp and I had to use the correct doors to go and get food in the kitchen. Except, at Notre Dame in Paris, there was no Jacob Pactor or Ilana Gildenblatt to teasingly scold me. Anyway... So, I went in the wrong door, which meant that I was going against the so-called flow of traffic. But, regardless... Even though it was crowded, and at times my claustrophobia kicked it, the structure was just amazing. And whenever I felt like I wanted to run out of there screaming, all I had to do was look up and see all of the space. I have always had an affinity for stained glass because my grandfather made on the side as a hobby. Yet, the glass at Notre Dame just radiated throughout the entire building. It was this light amongst the darkness and somber mood of the church.

From Notre Dame, I walked along this small touristy shopping street in the hopes of finding a charm for my bracelet. Of course, I got the obligatory Eiffel Tower charm, and I also wound up with an adorable mug with Le Petite Prince on it. During this walk, I also decided to suck it up and get another crepe, because how could one pass that deliciousness up? I decided to have one filled with banana and chocolate...how much better could life get with that combination?

I met up with Laura at Hotel de Ville, and we walked the few short blocks to the Pompidou Center to go to the contemporary art museum that is housed on the 5th and 6th floors. Not only does this building house contemporary art, it is also functions as a piece of art. The building is somewhat sore on the eyes after seeing all the gorgeous buildings that are so well known in Paris. Yet, the tubing and "exoskeleton" that is visable from the outside makes the building unique and a true topic of conversation. Hey! I even remember talking about it in my French class when we were in middle school!

After we waited an hour in the line to get in, Laura decided that she didn't really want to go with me, so she went to a friends to do homework, and I ascended the many escalators to get to the museum. Being here was essentially love at first sight. The art collection leaves off where the Musee d'Orsay ends, so it is mostly contemporary art. Some of my favorite artists, like Worhal, Agam, Chagall, (late) Picasso, and others are housed here. Yet, the best thing that I saw was something that I had no idea was even in Paris, let alone the Pompidou. The Matisse cutouts from his jazz series were hanging on a nondescript wall in a gallery. And so, there I stood and had another bout of my "happy-tears."

Afterwards, I once again met up with Laura and we went first to the Basilica du Sacre-Coeur to see the sun set over Paris, then we found our way to the Latin Quarter in the hopes of finding dinner. After wandering for a bit we decided to have fondue. I started the meal off with French onion soup, continued with a 3 cheese fondue, and finished with chocolate fondue. I felt oh so Parisian. I also felt like a fat kid who just wanted to eat more and more and more. I even suggested to Laura that we ask for bread to dip into the chocolate fondue so that we could eat the last drops of it. She didn't even want to entertain that idea and just kind of rolled her eyes at me.

By the time dinner was over Sarah Butzer, and Angelica (two of my sorority sisters that are spending the semester studying in London) had called me on my cell phone to tell me that their plane had touched down at Charles de Gaulle airport. This was my cue to leave Laura to go and meet the girls at the hostel that we would be staying at for the next few nights.

After a bit of drama that involved me getting lost once getting off the metro, and the hostel not taking credit cards, the three of us found out way up to our tiny room and I proceeded to pass out. But, don't you worry, there would be plenty in store for the three of us the next morning!

I Could Wander Paris After Dark

2007-11-12T12:04:00.000-08:00

The first sight that I saw after arriving in Paris was the Eiffel Tower all lit up and sparkling as I passed it while riding on the metro to my hotel. Somehow, after all of my years of dreaming about the city of lights - I had arrived. Ever since I was small and in primary school and learning about Monet in art class, Paris has been on the top of my list to visit in this big world of ours.

Thanks to my Daddy and his gazillions of Marriott points, I was welcomed with open arms to the Marriott Rive Gauche when I arrived at 12:30 AM. Immediately I headed up to my room, watched a bit of CNN (!) in English (!!), and proceeded to pass out in the gigantic bed with all of the down comforters and pillows I could ever want. I wanted to take a picture of me jumping onto the bed like Carrie Bradshaw when she was was in Paris, but no one was there to take the picture, so this one of the room will have to do.

After an incredible night of sleep I woke up in the morning, showered, and went downstairs to ask the concierge where to go and get pastries. He sent me to a patisserie only a few blocks away where I proceeded to spend 8 euros on pastries and a can of apple juice. Not only did I buy the stuff, I ate every last crumb in the bag. Ever since Le Cezanne opened around the corner from my house when I was in middle school I was always partial to French pastries, now I really just can't imagine eating anything else.

Following my "piggy-ness" Laura, one of my pledge sisters who happens to be spending the semester in Paris, met up with me at the hotel. from there she took me to Jardin du Luxembourg where we met up with her friend Molly. After eating some warm chestnuts and frolicking through the park the two of them took me on a magnificent walking tour of Paris. We walked by the Seine, Notre Dame, the Louvre, Hotel de Ville, and we finally wound up in the Jewish quarter so that the two girls could eat some traditional Israeli falafel.

I wasn't hungry because of my earlier love affair with the pastry, but I was happy to sit and help eat the tomatoes out of Laura's Israeli salad while she and Molly enjoyed their balls of fried chick peas. It was almost like being back in Israel, you know, minus the who it being cold thing and everyone around me speaking French. But other than that, I could have been on Ben Yehudah street with all the black hats and orthodox women around me. It was my own little corner of Paris where I could feel perfectly at home. A big thanks needs to out to Laura and Molly for introducing me to this little corner of the city.

From there, the three of us got on the Metro and headed for the Champs Elysee to see what all the fuss was about. Sure, it was a very nice and wide street with lots of shops lining it, but overall, it failed to impress me. I guess it had a lot of live up to after talking about it so much in French class when I was in middle school and high school, but it just didn't make my heart go pitter patter like I thought that it would. The best thing about the entire road was making it to the end and seeing the Arc de Triomphe. No, we did not climb it, but I certainly took my time and walked all the way around it. What Napoleon was trying to say when he built this massive structure is quite apparent - he wanted to be perceived as the head of the next great empire, or equivalent to the former rulers of Rome. The arc is very skillfully designed after the Arc of Titus and the Arc of Constantine. This is when my newfound knowledge about the Art of Rome comes in handy...

The next stop on our tour was Les Tuileries, the garden that stretches for a number of blocks outside the Louvre. It was such a beautiful fall day, so the three of us chose to sit outside at one of the cafes and treat ourselves to some cappuccino, and I decided that I had to try my first crepe in Paris. Done and done. It was a great snack, and there was some enjoyable people watching that went along with it. I don't know what it is about Europe, but no matter what the weather is, I always seem to be willing to sit outside, and this was no exception.

From here the three of us took a nice leisurely stroll along the Seine, and I had the chance to cross over the famous Pont Neuf bridge for the first time. At this point, Molly went home, and Laura and I found ourselves a seat on the bridge where we sat and talked until the sun went down. From there, Laura had to go back to her host family's house to eat dinner, and I went back to the hotel to take a bath, a nap, and watch some more CNN.

By the time Laura finished dinner, it was too late for her to come back into the city to stay with me, so I once again asked the concierge for some advice as to where to go to dinner. They sent me to a cute place no more than 3 blocks from the hotel called Alouette. I had the most wonderful salad that had chicken, sweet corn, olives, hard boiled eggs, and a melody of other ingredients. It was probably the best salad that I have had since being abroad!

I decided to turn in early so that I could be up early for a long day of sightseeing. I came in knowing that my time in Paris was limited, and I needed to do as much as possible in the little time that I had available to me.

Deep within the Emerald Isle

2007-11-06T14:32:00.000-08:00

The next morning, I slept quite a bit longer than I had intended to. But, I guess my body needed the sleep, and who am I to argue with my body? When I finally got myself out of the apartment (around eleven), after having a proper cup of English tea and a kit kat, I headed down to the city center of Dublin to do some exploring. Marthe had been kind enough to loan me her Dublin book so I would at least have a basic idea of where I was going.

When I got off the tram that took me into downtown Dublin I chose a direction and set off exploring. I wanted to get my bearings before I actually chose something to do or see. After wandering down Grafton Street (and stopping every two seconds to window shop) I found myself at Trinity College and in the middle of the Dublin Marathon. Trinity is just gorgeous. I throughly enjoyed wandering through the campus and admiring the gorgeous buildings and the perfectly kept lawns (which are probably partly due to the signs all over the place warning people to keep off the grass).

From Trinity I wandered around for a bit. I had planned on going to St. Patricks cathedral, but due to the impending darkness, I chose to wait for another day. Instead, I wandered back down Grafton and found myself in an English book store. Now, I never ever thought that sometime like that could have made me as happy as it did. I have been a crazy reader since coming abroad, and hence, I have run out of books. So, I chose to curl up in a leather chair (just like at Barnes and Nobels!) and browse through some books.

Eventually, I met up with Marthe again, and we headed back to her apartment so that she could do some shopping for a Halloween costume. Appearantly Halloween is a HUGE deal in Dublin, so she needed a costume that would allow her to live up to the hype. She and her friends eventually decided on dressing as if they were from the 80s - complete with cut off sweatshirts and large plastic jewelery and ugly as sin make up.

After shopping Marthe and I went for dinner at this place called Mao. Even though by this point I had been out of Italy for more than a few days, I was still thankful for a meal that didn't have pasta in it.

The next morning I woke up, had a cup of tea, and then headed out into the city center. My first stop was the National Gallery of Ireland. I had such a hard time finding the place because the streets in Dublin change names about every 5 blocks. Most natives don't even bother with the street names, they just direct you by telling you to turn left at this pub, or right at this pub. Yet, for me, that wasn't even a possibility because I don't know any of the pubs!

Eventually, with the help of a map, I was able to make it to the museum. The most impressive thing there was the Yeats gallery. Jack Yeats was an expressionist painter whose favorite subject was the circus and horses. The amount of emotion that came through in his work practically blew me away. It was just wonderful.

From the museum, I tried to find my way to the Cathedral, and once again failed - big time. Instead, I got lost almost on the opposite side of Dublin. That was the downside. The upside was that I got to see a beautiful part of the city that I never would have gotten to otherwise. I especially loved the different colored doors and all the beautiful trim around the windows.

and Marthe and I were supposed for dinner once again. She wound up taking me to the Temple Bar area, which is right around By this time, it was once again getting dark, so I asked for directions, and headed back to the main area. There, I found myself walking through St. Stephan's Green park. I think the thing that I enjoyed most about the city was the sheer amount of green space. Now, it was getting late, to meet up with to goher internship. She and I opted to go to the restaurant that her boss always has lunch at - so we knew it was good before we even sat down. I had the most wonderful Irish stew that was made with Guinness beer. Yummmm!

The following day was my last day in Dublin, so I was determined to make it to St. Patricks. I had it in my head that a trip to this city was not complete without a stop at this famous landmark. But, first, I had to get a mocha (per Marthe) at Butler's chocolate shop. Now, I have had many a mocha in my day, but this one wins the prize for being the best. After stopping and asking for directions more than once (I won't tell you how many times), the cathedral finally came into view. It was just gorgeous inside, and there was a lot of history there, so I was glad that I made it. My camera and I also had quite a bit of fun...aka I took too many pictures.

From St. Patrick's I went back to Grafton Street to meet Marthe so that we could go to the Guinness factory. Now, I am not at all one for beer, but I just couldn't leave Dublin without doing something that has to do with Guinness - it is a staple of life in Ireland, they even say that it flows like water. We got a wee bit lost on the way there, but we did make it. And oh, was it worth every step to get there, and every penny that I paid to get in. I actually learned a decent amount, got to take some really neat pictures, tried the first Guinness I have ever liked, and I got to have an incredible view of Dublin.

From the Guinness factory, we had a quick lunch at a pub, and then I ran back to the apartment to grab my stuff so that I could head to the airport to go to PARIS!

You Say Goodbye I Say Hello

2007-11-06T13:13:00.000-08:00

Once back in Vienna and at the Wombat, we went straight to Mozart to get another wonderful serving of schnitzel and french fries, and of course - a radler. After dinner the two of us decided to be completely lame and go to bed in the hopes of waking up early the next morning to see the famous Vienna Boys choir.

We woke up the following morning, quickly got dressed and packed, and headed downstairs to check out. After giving back our keys and everything I look at the clock and realize that it isn't ten minutes to 8, it is actually ten minutes to 7 because the night before we had fallen back, and I had completely forgotten about it. We then come to find out from the front desk that the Vienna Boys choir aren't even singing that morning, they are on holiday. They then go on to tell us that nothing is really going to be open because it is a holiday weekend and Sunday, because, and I quote "Austria is a Catholic country." Ok, I understand that, but Rome is the home of Catholicism, and things are at least open in the city center on Sundays. The museums were still going to open, so at least we would have something to do!

Jessie and I took our dear sweet time walking down to the Museumquartier stopping along the way for a cup of coffee and a good excuse to get out of the rain. As soon as we got there we ducked into the first museum that we could find, which happened to be a childrens museum that literly had nothing for us big kids to do. So, with our heads hung low, and our umbrellas up, we went to the Leopold museum and spent a good 3 or so hours there. There was some really fabulous art there, including stuff by Gustav Klimt, which is one of Jessie's favorite artists.

After the museum, we headed back to Stephansdom in the hopes of finding some restaurant that was open. Low and behold, the restaurant that we had gone to on Friday was open once again, so back we went. The food was once again fantastic, and this time the two of us even went out on a limb and tried a dish that we didn't know what it was. I can't remember for the life of me what it was called, but it was some sort of meat that was in this broth with potatoes and you put this horseradish-y stuff on it. We topped off our meal with our final dose of strudel. I miss it already...

By this time, Jessie and I were cold and wet, so we headed back to the Wombat to hang out for a bit before we would have to go to the airport. Because Jessie and I are crazy about making sure that we have enough time at the airport, we wound up there far too early. Which wound up being ok, because we had enough time to sit down and have dinner and rest before we had to leave each other and board our respective planes. When I went through security I got a stamp in my passport, which I was SO excited about!

My plane to Dublin was easy as pie. Took off, landed, and everything else that planes are supposed to do without an issue. Once at the airport, I got onto the bus and met Marthe (my friend from G.U.C.I.) in the city center without a problem. We cabbed it back to her place (she lives with her roommate out in Dundrum, which is about 20 minutes from downtown Dublin), and spent some time hanging out and catching up. Her apartment is gorgeous and beautifully furnished. I was blown away by their kitchen. I kept repeating over and over again "I am so jealous of your oven with numbers on it!"

So, around 2:00 I finally crashed on the couch, more than just a little bit happy that I was in Dublin.

The Hills Are Alive With the Sound of Music

2007-11-06T11:59:00.000-08:00

Our train ride to Salzburg was awful. I am sure that you are asking how in the world a train ride can be awful. Let me give you a small bit of insight - 4 small children all speaking German and behaving very badly does not equate to a pleasant 3.5 hours in a small compartment while moving across the Austrian countryside.

Anyway, by the time Jessie and I finally made it into Salzburg and to our hostel the two of us were starving. We asked at the front desk where we should go, and were informed that because it was bank holiday very few things were going to be open. So, off we went, in a random direction. Luckily, we stumbled upon a Chinese restaurant that was open, busy, and smelled delicious - always wonderful signs. I had been craving Chinese food for weeks, so no complaints escaped from my lips.

The next morning, after a yummy breakfast at the hostel that was called "the Austrian backpackers special" - aka scrambled eggs with bacon and veggies mixed in - Jessie and I were picked up in a van that took us to the starting point for the SOUND OF MUSIC TOUR! Please excuse our dorkiness, but the two of us were beyond excited for a day of reliving the memories from the movie. The website for Panorama tours gives the following description for the tour "All you ever wanted to know about this timeless classic. "The Sound of Music" starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, the Movie, the Broadway Musical, the sights were filming took place, both in the city of Salzburg and surrounding area, the true story, facts fiction and trivia."

The tour was essentially everything that I could have ever asked for and more! Our tour guide was really funny and seemed to know practically anything that you could ever want to know about the filming of the movie. The first stop on the tour was the lake that the Von Trapp fell into while they were out boating behind their house. From there, we were able to see the Abbey (which is actually the Abbey where the real Maria Von Trapp was from). One of the best parts of the day was when we were taken to see THE gazebo. Yes, the one that Liesl and Rolf danced around during the singing of "I am Sixteen Going on Seventeen." Be jealous - very jealous.

From there, we had a bit of a ride into the hills of Salzburg to see some of the views that were used in the movie. The bus was able to stop right on a the hill that overlooked Wolfgang lake. This was the view that was used for the last scene of the movie. The view was really something right out of movie - it was one of the most beautiful things that I had ever seen. Because it had just snowed, there were still bits of it in sight, and the colorful fall leaves were still showing their colors on the trees. It was essentially perfect.

The next stop was a small town called Mondsee where the church that Maria and Captain Von Trapp got married in at the end of the movie. We had a bit of time to wander around there, so besides seeing the church (and walking down the aisle like Maria), we were able to stop into a famous pastry shop called Braun's for some strudel and coffee. We also had the chance to go and "climb" the trees that the Von Trapp children climbed up in the movie. I would have loved to act like a monkey, but I know that I am too much of a klutz to even dream of doing that...

Back in downtown Salzburg our final stop was the Mirabell Gardens where the scenes for "Do-Re-Mi" were filmed. We marched around the Pegasus statue like the children, and we ran down the hedge arcade just like Fräulein Maria. Jessie and I took pictures with the gnomes, and jumped up and down the stairs just like they did at the end of the song. If you want to relive the movie version - you can watch it here.

After we had our fill of acting like our favorite Von Trapp children and enjoying Mirabell gardens, Jessie and I wandered for a bit and then headed back to the hostel to get our stuff so we could once again get on a train and go back to Vienna to spend our final day in our new favorite country - Austria.

Vienna Waits For You

2007-11-05T01:32:00.000-08:00

WARNING: This blog post (and the ones to follow about my travels) may be farr too long.

Last Thursday night Jessie Jacobson and I got on a plane at Fumincino airport and headed off for the land of crisp apple strudel, schnitzel, and silver white winters that melt into springs - otherwise known as Austria! A few weeks ago when the two of us met up for dinner we decided on a whim to head to Austria on a weekend that both of us happened to have free. I am so beyond happy that we made the decision to go. Austria was so much more than I could have ever expected it to be. The food was wonderful, the people were friendly, the sights and sounds were breathtaking. What more could a girl ask for?

Upon arriving in the city center and finding our hostel, The Wombat (highly recommend it!) Jessie and I went out for our first meal in Austria. The guy at the front desk sent us to a small restaurant around the corner that was named after Mozart, who might as well be considered Vienna's patron saint because it seems like everything has a name that has to do with him. The second we left the hostel we see this HUGE Croc store. Yes, I am talking about the "too ugly for words" shoes that have infiltrated campers and the lives of badly dressed people everywhere. Jessie and I got such a kick out of it, because who would have thought that there would be a store devoted to them in the middle of Vienna?

And I digress... We had the most amazing meal. We both had schnitzel, french fries, enough ketchup to last a life time, and this incredible beer that was essentially mixed with lemonade called a Radler. I never thought that I would EVER refer to a beer being incredible, but both of us really enjoyed it. After sitting a wonderfully long time in our tiny far too intimate booth we walked the few blocks back to the hostel to head to bed. When we walked into our room we found 4 Koreans that barely spoke a word of English (and we spoke not a single word of Korean between us). At least we were planning on going straight to bed, if not, making conversation would have been just a bit difficult.

The next morning we woke up early to head to the Vienna Museumsquartier. We were told that at 60 square km, it is one of the largest art districts in the world. On our walk down the main street, Mariahilferstr, we noticed that something weird was going on. It was 10:00 in the morning and nothing seemed to be open besides the little grocery store where we picked up the most wonderful fruit, and no one was out and walking around. The two of us just chalked it up to the Austrians being lazy, but later we came to find out that it was their bank holiday. Good timing on our part... But, at least the museums were open! We decided to go to the Museum Moderner Kunst (MUMOK) first. Some of the art was quite odd, but on the whole I enjoyed most of what we saw. The main exhibit was called China: Facing Reality. Some of the art was really strange, but a lot of it was very though provoking and gave insight into the daily tug-of-war that the Chinese go through resulting from capitalism and communism. On the bottom floor we were able to see some really fabulous and famous art work, including some Andy Worhal and Love: Black and White Rising (that was done for Martin Luther King Jr.).

From the MUMOK, Jessie and I decided to delve into our Jewish roots by heading to the Judisches Museum. We easily figure out what metro (or as it is called there - The U) stop that we had to get off at, but from there we had a few issues. At first we went the wrong way out of the U station and wound up wandering around "one of Vienna's most treasured symbols," the Stephansdom until we finally figured out the right direction to go. Then, somehow Jessie and I managed to walk right past the sign that pointed us in the right direction of the museum. shows how good we are with maps and street names that we can't read or pronounce.

We finally found the museum and were greeted by a warm building and free entrance. The museum was small, but interesting. There were these strange, but cool holograms that told the history of Jewish culture and history around the world and in Vienna. We also discovered a room the showcased Jewish culture for small children. This included fun things such as yarmulkes with cartoon characters and the aleph bet done in legos. By far, though, the best part of the museum was the special exhibit that they were having about Jewish women and there role in Vienna in the past, as well as their role currently and in the future. This picture of me is pretty horrible, but we couldn't take it again for fear of getting yelled at. Yet, the question is a good one, and I think that we all know the answer for it!

We left the museum incredibly hungry from our morning of walking around. An incredibly nice guy from the museum walked us down the street to another traditional Austrian restaurant. The food there was also great! Jessie and I had goulash, which might as well have been called brisket. Yummy! The atmosphere in the was I guess what I would have called "very Austrian." Everyone in there seemed to be a local, which essentially meant that we had fond ourselves some good food! At the end of the meal, we decided to treat ourselves to apple strudel and fell in love with it before we even took our first bite.

By this time it was getting late in the afternoon and Jessie and I needed to get ourselves back to the hostel so that we could pick up our bags and head to Salzburg.

A Photo Can Say a Thousand Things

2007-11-05T00:12:00.000-08:00

The link to my pictures from my fabulous fall break can be found here.
Posts to follow...

So Say Arrivederci, Toodle-loo, and Ciao

2007-10-24T13:33:00.000-07:00

Just for everyone's information as of tomorrow I am going to be on my fall break with little to no internet. My schedule goes as follows:
Oct 26 - 28: Vienna and Salzburg with Jessie Jacobson
Oct 28-31: Dublin to visit Marthe, a friend of mine from camp (G.U.C.I.)
Oct 31 - Nov 4: Paris to see Laura (one of my pledge sisters), and on the 2nd, Angelica and Sarah Butzer, my two sorority sisters studying in London, will be coming to meet us.

Have a wonderful week! I can't wait to come back and share all of my fun stories and pictures with you all! xoxo

Mamma Mia, Here We Go Again

2007-10-24T12:49:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday marked the second time that I tried to get to Pompeii on the school trip. Even though last time didn't work out quite as planned, this trip almost went off without a hitch. Sure, there was the 45 minutes that we sat at a rest stop while the bus driver had to remove a mental panel from underneath the bus (it was flapping around and hitting the road - can you say fire hazard?). For that 3/4 of an hour I was wondering if God was trying in some way to prevent us from going to Pompeii, but we did eventually make it!

Pompeii was everything that I expected in an extremely good way. I wasn't expecting a dazzling city, great food, or incredible people watching. But, I was expecting lots of history and that is exactly what I got.

Our tour guide was Carm (as he said "Car with an M on the end"), and man did that guy know his stuff. I felt as if there wasn't a question that I could ask him that he wouldn't know the answer too. I don't know if the things that I saw can really be described in a way that can be understood without actually seeing the sites. But, I will say that it is just mind blowing how well everything was preserved. I was able to see original frescoes, walk on the marble that the residents of Pompeii walked on, sit in the amphitheater that they sat in (and hear my voice echo in it too!), and see their ovens and wine bars.

One of the most interesting things that I learned about were the casts of many of the people that were killed by the carbon monoxide that was released alongside the soot and lava that faithful day when Mt. Vesuvius erupted. It was one of the people doing the excavations who realised there were spaces left by the decomposed bodies and so they devised the technique of injecting plaster into them to perfectly recreate the forms of Vesuvius's victims. What I got to see in Pompeii were the creepily accurate forms of the residents of Pompeii's last moments before death. In some of the casts their faces are quite clear, and you can see the signs of terror - in fact, one of the casts was slightly bigger than it should have been because the victim died shaking back and forth.

Another interesting thing that Carm showed us an ancient brothel. There were erotic frescoes all over the walls. Carm said that most likely men would come in, point to what they wanted on the wall, and, well, go about it. We were told that Pompeii was quite famous for their so-called red-light district, and when tradesmen would come into port, they would make a beeline for this location. The people in Pompeii did not speak the same language as most of their visitors, so there were phallic shaped arrows pointing them in the right direction. Lovely, right?

I'm happy that I finally was able to make it to this lovely little part of Italy. As we were getting ready to board the bus I was lucky enough to find the perfect charm to add to my charm bracelet. This part of Italy is known for making cameos, and I found one that depicted Mt. Vesuvius and a bit of Pompeii. Perfection.

Never Such Devoted Sisters

2007-10-24T03:51:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the slacking on my part in terms of updating. It’s midterm week, and things have just been a little crazy over here on this side of the pond. I’ve been meaning to update, it is just that it normally takes me somewhere between 30 minutes and an hour and a half to write a blog post, I haven’t exactly had that time.

Last week on Tuesday, Sarah Butzer (one of my pledge sisters), came into visit from London. It was her fall break, so it was the perfect time to come to Roma. Her trip over here was quite an adventure, but that isn’t my story to tell. After she spent the day at the beach with another one of our sorority sisters who is studying in Rome, I met up with the two of them at the Trevi fountain. Sarah wanted to make sure that she had a chance to throw a coin into the fountain, because the legend says that if you do that you will be sure to return to Rome. I brought Sarah back to our apartment and we sat outside on our balcony for a good hour or so just talking. Then it was time for sleep!

In the morning I had class, but Sarah wanted to see my neighborhood before she set out on her day of sightseeing. So, I took her to our open-air market that is just down the street from us. I think she enjoyed it. I love it there – seeing that many fruits and veggies in one place is just a little slice of heaven for me. After that we both had out first bite of cannoli. So good.

In the afternoon after class I met up with Sarah at the pantheon so that we could spend a few hours together, eat gelato, and go to the Spanish Steps. Sarah remembered this gelato place that she had gone to when she was here in Rome a few years ago, so we set out to find it. Oh my goodness – I think that this place (Caffe Giolitti) had the best gelato that I have had thus far in Rome. My cone consisted of chocolate, raspberry, and lemon. YUMMY!

That night I had a make up class for Art of Rome because it is too difficult to try and go see the Sistine Chapel with a class. Apparently you aren’t allowed to speak in the actual chapel, so it would be quite pointless to go there. Instead, all 4 sections of Art of Rome had to gather in the AUR auditorium at 6:30 at night for 3 hours to hear about the chapel and the Rafael rooms. All in all it was quite interesting, I was just getting antsy. I wanted to get out of there and go meet up with Sarah and Lauren one last time. I was eventually able to meet them for a drink, and then I dragged myself reluctantly back to my apartment because I had class yet again the next morning – and a quiz no less!

On Saturday once again I woke up at the crack of dawn and headed to AUR in the hopes of actually reaching Pompeii. But, that is another post. So, moving on…

When I got back on Saturday evening I was lucky enough to have yet another one of my pledge sisters, Laura, in town. Although I wasn’t able to spend quite as much time with her, it was still nice to have her here.

The first night I met her and Lauren out in one of the piazzas and spent some time with them. The night was going beautifully until I went to get back on the tram to go home and discovered that one of my wallets and my phone was missing. This is what I categorize as a “lo tov” (or no good) situation. I don’t want to go into the details of the rest of that evening, but believe me when I say that everything turned out ok, and all was not lost.

After that crazy evening I woke up the next day with plans to meet the two girls at Bocca della Verita, or the Mouth of Truth. If you have ever seen Roman Holiday you know what I am talking about. Because I at this point had no phone, I made plans to meet them on a bridge right near the church where it is located. Yet, each of us wound up on the wrong bridge and we never were able to find each other. Finally I was able to get a nice shop keeper to let me use their phone and contact Lauren. Which was great, but by that point they had gone somewhere that I didn’t know how to get to on foot. An hour later, 2 buses and a cab later, I finally found them.

It was well worth it, because we went to San Pietro in Vincoli. This is where the chains that were supposedly used to shackle St Peter are housed. But, the more interesting thing for me was that this is the church where Michelangelo’s Moses statue is. This statue is the one that started the rumor that Jews have horns. This happened because of a mistranslation of the Hebrew word “ray (as in ray of light)” for the word horn. Good job whoever did that! You have condemned many generations of Jews to be asked where their horns are.

From there we headed to Trastevere to have dinner. Lauren said that she knew of this traditional Italian restaurant with good food. Oh, and man was it wonderful. I had fried zucchini flowers and spaghetti carbonara, two very traditional Roman dishes. When I said goodbye to them I left with a happy tummy.

I know that some people are always going to be skeptical of sororities and say that you are just paying for your friends. I don’t know how to convince them otherwise, but all I know is that I am thankful for the friends and the “family” that it has given me. I know that I am part of something that has helped to create generations of strong Jewish (and non Jewish) women. This is something to be proud of. This is all especially relevant because today is the 98th anniversary of the founding of Alpha Epsilon Phi. We are, no matter where we are in the world a part of our motto “many hearts, one purpose – multa corda, una causa.”

Feels Like Home to Me

2007-10-17T05:22:00.000-07:00

My class this morning was canceled. Believe me, I am not complaining, but it has left me with quite a bit of time on my hands that just wasn't expected. So, what do I do when I have too much time (besides putz around the kitchen and play on the internet)? I of course get to thinking - because that is just how things seem to work.

I was thinking about how much this place has become home in a strange and somewhat surreal way. No, it isn't Cincinnati, Cleveland, Chicago, or DC, or even Jerusalem - but it is a place that has somehow grown on me. I still don't fully understand the culture and I am still frequently baffled at the way things are done here in Rome and in Italy - but I like it. Sure, some days I would kill for a hamburger or even some food besides pasta - but I know as soon as I leave I am going to be craving the Italian cooking that just isn't the same back on the other side of the pond.

The other night on my way back from Florence I made the mistake of taking the local train. So, a train ride that was only supposed to be about 2 hours turned into a 3 and a half hour ordeal. The later and later it became the more antsy I became to return "home." I just wanted to climb up the stairs of Gianicolense 309 and turn that skeleton key to get inside the apartment so I could go jump into my too-low-to-the-ground Ikea bed.

Next Thursday, the semester will be half-way over (I am trying not to think about it). But, my time here is limited. My job here is to go to class, do my homework, explore, and travel. I can't forget that and spend time online or sleeping when I could be out seeing a part of the city, country, or continent that I haven't had the chance to see yet. Every day I still have to pinch myself and remind myself that I really am here - and making the most of it is the only way to live la dolce vita - the sweet life.

Now You're Stuck in a Moment

2007-10-15T01:07:00.001-07:00

My day-trip to Florence on Saturday was far from planned. I believe that I had the idea to go sometime around 8:30 pm the night before, and I didn't fully decide to go until I was outside my apartment waiting for the H bus to take me to the train station.

I truly had no real plans for Florence. All I knew was that I wanted to see as much of the city as possible, and that I wanted to go and see Michaelangelo's David. Yet, my day turned out to be so much more exciting than just that.

When I got off the train in Florence I was still slightly groggy from my nap that I had taken on the train (in true Elyse fashion I woke up only a few moments before pulling up to the station). And, I had no real idea of where I was in the city. The only map that I had accessible was the hand drawn one from Rick Steves' Italy. As I came to find out throughout the day - Rick is good for many things, but not so much when it comes to figuring out where things are/how to get there.

I had been told that the Duomo wasn't all that far from the train station, so I picked a direction and walked in the hopes of finding it. I had no issues doing exactly that due to the noisy tourists that were congregated outside. The humongous dome was also a dead give away that I had made it. I made a quick decision not to go inside because the line wrapped all the way around the block, but I did take the time to admire the beautiful outside - which is covered in pink, green, and white Tuscan marble.

While I was standing in the crowd taking pictures (and holding onto my purse for dear life), I realized that I needed coffee - and I probably should have had it about 10 minutes ago. My sleepiness was starting to catch up with me, and I wasn't going to let that spoil my wonderful day in Florence. On my search for a place to get coffee that wasn't going to charge me 1.50 euro for a cappuccino (it should be around 1 euro) I stumbled upon the San Lorenzo market where I found all of these little vendors selling pashminas, t-shirts, jewelery, and leather abound. I have been wanting another pashmina for myself (and they are entirely too expensive in Rome), so I bought a few - one for myself and the rest for gifts.

After caffeinating my body I set out to find the Accademia so that I could stand and admire Michelangelo's greatest and most famous sculpture. Somehow, I managed to get myself incredibly lost. I had to stop and ask for directions numerous times. The last time I stopped and asked for directions I asked 2 girls who were also toting Rick Steves' Italy guide. They had no idea where they were going either - but we wound up finding it together - and in the process I made two new friends! After finally finding it (I had walked right by it originally!!!) we only stood in line for about 45 minutes - which wasn't too bad at all. Once we finally made it in and walked into the long hallway that David stands at the end of - I was in awe. I wish that I could accurately describe how I felt when I was in his presence, but two days later I still can't find the words.

I believe that I stood gazing up at him for well over a half an hour. I really was stuck in a moment. Michaelangelo carved him from the marble with such perfection. His muscles are so well chiseled, and each vein is viable. His eyes are mesmerizing - you just can't take your own gaze away from his. I am so thankful that I was able to see this famous piece of art. It was a dream come true in so many ways.

From there, Shelli, Danielle (my two new friends) and I headed back towards the Duomo to get some food and to rest our feet. I had my first panini that was warmed up in the microwave. I think I prefer the press - actually I know I do!

We wound up wandering around the city for a bit to try and find Shelli and Danielle their first taste of gelato since being in Italy. How anyone can be in Italy for almost 5 days and not have had gelato yet is beyond my comprehension. During our wandering we wound up at a few of the famous sights in Florence completely by accident. the first one we came across was Porcellino - a statue of a wild boar. People rub his snout and give coins in order to ensure that they will return to Florence. The next place we stumbled upon was Ponte Vecchio, which is Florence's most famous bridge that has been traditionally lined with gold and silversmiths. I didn't buy any gold when I was there, but I finally found silver charms for my charm bracelet! I got the Florence fleur de lis and the she-wolf that is the symbol of Rome.

Also on the bridge I noticed large bundles of padlocks that all had things written on them in Italian. Later on I was reading in Rick Steves and he explained the significance of them. Apparently the bridge is a romantic spot late at night and guys demonstrate their enduring love by ceremonially taking their girlfriends here, locking a lock, and throwing the key into the River Arno. Go figure...

By this time it was about 5:15 in the afternoon, so the three of us decided that we would at least try to get into the Uffizi gallery. Previously there had been a line that we would have waited in for at least 2 hours. Yet, because it was about an hour and 15 minutes before it was supposed to close, we were able to get right in. Even though the admission was 10 euro and we only had a short period of time in there - it was so worth it. I didn't realize this going into the museum, but this is where Botticelli's Birth of Venus is housed.

Oh. My. Goodness. I was in love. I was in awe. I think that my encounter with this famous work was made even more special because I wasn't expecting to see it. I hope that I am able to go back one day and spend more time admiring this amazing painting.

The gallery was filled with many more notable pieces of art that are world-renowned - including the only surviving Michaelangelo easel painting. This is a must see! But, in order to get the maximum amount of time, be sure to make a reservation. I would have done that if I had decided to go to Florence more than 12 hours prior to leaving.

I had dinner with Shelli and Danielle at this cute place right by the Uffizi. It was a recommendation from Rick and it is called Osteria Vini e Vecchi Sapori. You an get there by facing the bronze equestrian statue in Piazza della Signoria, going behind its tail into the corner and to your left. My meal consisted of a glass of red wine, a small plate of mixed crostini, and this amazing ravioli with ragu sauce. If you are looking for a good dinner in Florence, I would highly recommend this little hole-in-the-wall.

Overall, it was a great day in Florence. I am so happy that I decided to bite the bullet and just go by myself. It was a day for exploring, good food, amazing art, and new friends. Florence is a place that I want to return to one day to explore the city more throughly. But, for now I am more than content with my memories (and the blisters on my feet from walking so much).

They Had Style They Had Grace

2007-10-14T13:52:00.000-07:00

Elegance is the balance between proportion, emotion, and surprise.

- Valentino

That is Valentino's signature quote, and all of those elements of elegance certainly showed themselves when I went to the Ara Pacis on a very rainy afternoon to see "Valentino a Roma - 45 Years of Style."

It is no secret that I love and adore fashion. I don't worship trends or rules, but I do take great pleasure in looking at beautiful clothing. It is a firm belief in mine that clothes do have the potential to make people feel better about themselves. Judging from the brilliance of the 300 couture ensembles, Valentino believes in the same thing that I do.

The exhibit was shown as I mentioned, at the Ara Pacis. The Ara Pacis is an alter that is among the most significant evidences of art in the age of Augustus. Holding this retrospective here wasn't something that was done with haste, in fact, it was extremely deliberate. The Ara Pacis is a place that is extremely important to Romans because it reminds them of Augustus and the peace and prosperity that he brought. Hence, holding the exhibit here connects Valentino to Rome and Rome to Valentino.

I believe the my jaw was open with awe throughout my entire two hour visit. Each gown was more spectacular than the next. The amount of detail and work that goes into each gown, coat, or top is really quite incredible. Through seeing the handiwork up close, I was able to gain a new respect for the reasons why couture is so coveted (and pricey).

In the basement, underneath the actual Ara Pacis there was a display of Valentino's sketches (starting from the 1960s!), and a breathtaking display of gowns worn by famous actresses, princesses, and other personalities (i.e. Reese Witherspoon, Princess Diana, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lopez). I have many many pictures that I took of each gown, but probably the most notable for me was a gown that Audrey Hepburn wore! She is absolutely my style icon, so seeing a piece of her clothing up close was just an amazing experience.

I wish that I could tell each of you to go and see this exhibit, but alas, it closes on October 28th. Heck, I would even go back a few more time and just sit on the Ara Pacis and admire each of the gowns for as long as they would allow me. But, because that isn't possible I am just going to have to stare longly at all of the photos that I took, and maybe wish that one day I too will be lucky enough to own something as unique and as beautifully handcrafted as a Valentino original. Actually, on second thought, I just want the sketches - they last longer and paper never goes out of style.

Hurry, Get Your Cootie Shot

2007-10-10T13:51:00.000-07:00

My bug bites by the numbers:
Right hand: 4
Left hand: 2
Tummy: 2 (one on my belly button!)
Right eyelid: 1
Neck: 1
Right leg: 4
Left leg: 3
Back: 1

Sound like fun to anyone? I wish I could tell you that it was, or that I had found some way to give myself a cootie shot to protect my poor body from being subjected to more of this pain and misery. Yet, I think that I will just have to deal with it. The tiger mosquito is apparently quite a problem here in Rome, and we have been told that there is a large campaign going to on to combat them. I guess it isn't working too well!

I don't wear perfume, I stopped eating bananas (we were told that they are attracted to that scent), and I try not to leave the windows open in our room at night when they would be tempted to fly in. I'm not even at Crane Lake! ;-) But no, these things haven't made a difference. I am still walking around itching every part of my body (and looking slightly silly while doing it).

The really cold weather doesn't appeal to me because I still want to leave my apartment when it gets to that point. Yet, I wouldn't complain about 2 days of cold in the near future to bring on a freeze that would get rid of this pesky little bug.

Anyone know where I can find anti-itching cream in Rome. Or maybe some meat tenderizer?

Some Have Gone and Some Remain

2007-10-09T14:07:00.000-07:00

The past two days have been wonderful – a time of good food, great wine, and incredible conversation; and this is all thanks to the one and only Adrienne Levy, and her best friend from home, Ashley.

Just as a bit of background – Adrienne was NFTY Membership and Communications Vice President two years before I held the same position. So, essentially I have known Adrienne for a little bit over four years (!) - since my first summer of debauchery at Kutz way way back in 2003.

Anyway, Adrienne and Ashley just graduated college in the spring and they decided to plan a three-week romp through Europe, spending about two days in each city – and spending a lot of time on the train getting from place to place. The two of them popped into my life last night, and left me today, but it really was a great few hours with them.

Yesterday evening I met the two of them at the Pantheon because it was a nice and easy place to find. (Rome can be really confusing if you don’t have a good map, or you don’t know where you are going. A grid system is nonexistent here). I was given the honor of choosing the place where we went to dinner. My choice came right out of the guide books. It is called Cul-de-Sac, and it is the oldest wine bar in Roma. They are famous for having an incredible selection of pates, cheeses, smoked meats, and other small plate. But, what they are most well known for is having close to 4,000 different bottles of wine from Italy and beyond (the wine book looked like it was a huge frickin’ novel!). The walls are just lined with bottles - and they have this cool cherry picker thing-y that the waiters use to take down the wine.

The three of us ordered a bottle of the house red as well as a cheese, a plate of in season veggies, lasagna, and meatballs with mashed potatoes. Oh goodness. The food was out exactly what I needed – especially the meat. And although the portions weren’t heaping, they were a good size, and filled the three of us up quite nicely. We were even able to save room for desert and a bottle of the house white. Totally worth it! The nice thing about restaurants like this is that once you sit down, the table is yours – you can sit for as long as you want. It is great to feel like you have the time to sit and linger over that last glass of wine and finish your conversation without feeling like you are being rushed out.

Today after class I met up with Adrienne and Ashley again so that I could play tour guide for a bit, since they had done all the major sights before the morning. I took them to Compo di Fiori to see the reminisce of the flower market that is there every day. I also showed them around some of the back streets of Trastevere, so that they could get a better feel for the way that the Italians live.

Once their legs started to fall off, we set off on a quest to find a place where we could have some bruschetta and a glass of wine (no, I am not turning into an alcoholic – they wanted to make themselves a bit sleepy before their overnight train to Paris). The place that I had in mind was closed because it was a weird in between dinner and lunch time. So, we walked to the place a few doors down that had tables outside. We tried to order exactly what I said we originally wanted, and they told us they wouldn’t serve us because we didn’t want to have a full meal. It was SO strange. I have never had anyone be that rude to me since getting to this city over a month ago. We eventually found a place that had what we wanted, and would serve us, thank goodness. I just can’t believe that we were treated the way that we were. I was even trying my best to speak Italian to the waitress. Who knows? I guess they didn’t want our business.

Overall, I am so happy that I was able to spend this time with Adrienne and Ashley. Ashley and I discovered that our families have a lot in common, and Adrienne and I love to reminisce about old times, before we got to be old. Although I was sad to see them go, I admire what they are doing so much. I don’t think that I have the guts to pack a backpack up and go travel Europe for three weeks. But, I am glad that they did and came here! If you guys happen to be reading this, thank you for an awesome time! I hope that you will come and visit sometime this year in DC!

Sunday Morning Rain is Falling

2007-10-08T14:48:00.000-07:00

For some odd reason, on Sunday morning I was up and about beginning around 8 AM. This was a huge surprise because I was exhausted from our non-Pompeii day trip. I had been hearing and reading lots of things about the Porta Portese market, which is this huge market that only occurs on Sunday mornings (I have been told that it is comparable to Portabella Market in Notting Hill). Even though all 4 of my roommates were still asleep, and Molly had gone to meet her dad and stepmom at the airport, I decided to venture to the market all on my own. I knew from what I had read that this would be an experience, but nothing could have prepared me for the actual act of going there.

First of all, many of you know that I am incredibly claustrophobic. Talk about having the issue come to light at the least convenient time! I think that I have discovered where the entire city of Rome goes on Sunday morning when all the stores and restaurants are closed - they all go to this 10 block area. Everyone is running into each other while pushing and shoving in hopes of getting the best price on that cashmere sweater of that antique that they just have to have. And this Sunday it was drizzling, so the crowd was even more fun to navigate due to all the open umbrellas!

The items that can be found in this market certainly run the gammet of things. I spent a grand total of 2 euro on an old gold skeleton key (which will be put on a chain and worn around my neck as a necklace), and a felt flower pin that reminded me of something that I bought during my first trip to Israel. Yet, these were only the two things that I decided to buy! I saw everything from bras and underwear to a mini tuxedo for an infant, to old Barbies without their heads, to wooden marionettes, to paintings, to entire booths that only sold buttons. If you were on the hunt for something - this would probably be the place to find it!

So, if you are ever in Rome on a Sunday morning, be sure to join the Romans in their quest for treasures in Porta Portese! You might just find something that could put you on antique roadshow, or make you the talk of your friends (because you bought something funny or something incredibly valuable). Or maybe, this could be the perfect place to find that white elephant gift for the winter season. Whatever your reason for going (people watching included), this is an event that should not be missed!

Let Us Sing This Song for the Healing of the World

2007-10-08T08:49:00.000-07:00

Check out this very interesting perspective on the tension between all of the different religious groups that cohabit in Jerusalem and the rest of Israel. Brought to you by the letter C in honor of cheese, Brian Immerman's (the blogger's) favorite food!

And I Think About Pompeii

2007-10-06T10:24:00.000-07:00

Today did not turn out as expected, but in the end – it wound up being a decent day considering the considering the circumstances.

My alarm woke me up at 6:00, and by 6:30 Sarah, Ali, Molly, and I were all out the door. The apartment building was still pitch black (I managed to slip down the last few stairs as a result of that), and outside you could still perfectly trace the outline of the sliver moon with your pinkie finger. Oh yes, the 4 of us were heading up to AUR so that we could catch the bus to head to Pompeii for the day.

Now, for those of you who don’t know Pompeii used to be a commercial port with a population of about 20,000. In 79 A.D. Mt. Vesuvius erupted and covered the city with about 30 feet of lava and ash. The entire city was preserved under all the muck, so this is the place to go to see what Roman life was during this time period.

But, surprise! We didn’t ever make it to Pompeii! The bus pulled away from school at 7:30AM. The ride was supposed to take about 4 hours, and we were going to have a break at a rest stop about half way through it. Great idea in theory, but alas, not all things can be planned for. When we stopped, our bus drivers received word that a truck had jack-knifed on the highway, and as a result it was shut down. The back roads that we would have had to take would have been quite difficult for the bus drivers, and it probably would have taken upwards of another 5 hours. So, there was no way that we were getting to Pompeii anytime soon. On to plan B (or maybe it was plan C, I am unsure…)

The first stop was an outlet center called The Fashion District. It wasn’t a bad way to spend 2 hours, but it wasn’t at all what I expected. When someone says outlets in Italy – I think of the big name outlets (i.e. Prada, Fendi, etc) that people talk about when they come back to the states. Nope, this place was nothing like that. It was much more like the outlets that people tend to have about an hour away from their major cities. It was a good experience, but I of course walked away with nothing. There was nothing that caught my eye, and things were overall still kind of expensive. Probably the most exciting thing that happened during those two hours was I got to pet an ELEPHANT! There was an elephant that was just kind of chillin’ next to the parking lot. It looked like people were setting up for a circus, but it was still really random.

Another 45 minutes on the bus brought us to one of the hilltop towns outside of Rome called Frescati. It is a cute little town that is well known for its villas, pork sandwiches, white wine, and cookies of three breasted women. Everything was quite wonderful, except for the cookies called the pupazze frascatane – even though they were really funny looking. They were so hard that they wouldn’t break without dropping them on the floor.

“The "pupazze frascatane", typical for their three breasts, they are simple flour, water and honey-based biscuits. The Frascati three-breasted puppet is an amusing iconographic reminiscence of the Goddess of Plenty, who had a third breast producing wine instead of milk. The third breast derived from the ancient belief that children born in the Frascati area – notorious for its wine production – were also fed wine.”

When we returned back to Rome it was pouring as well as thundering and lightening. The busses were nice enough to drop us off by the tram so we wouldn’t have to walk to the 44 bus from school and then take it to the tram and then ride the tram. So, now Molly, Ali, Sarah, and I are back in the apartment in our pajamas and talking about making warm cookies. Which to me, sounds like the perfect end to this day.