And I'll be home in a little while, darling I'll be home

In approximately 10 hours I'm getting on a plane to go home. Home. I can't believe it.
  
I've been thinking about this last post from Europe for a long time. How I can sum up this four month experience in a few words, without getting too mushy or boring you with paragraphs on paragraphs. This experience has been so much more than words on a page, and I could not be more thankful.
  
Traveling this semester has taught me so much. The world is so much bigger than the stereotypes we hold of different cultures and countries, and there is so much more to a city than its museums and famous sites. I've fallen in love with so many vastly different countries that are right next door through one another, and there is no way to pinpoint how or why. Maybe it was through the dinners served with pride from a local family. Perhaps when walking on top of a frozen lake while locals ice skate past. Or hearing an organist practicing in a 300 year old cathedral. It could be finishing a pint with the locals who have finished two before you. Or laughing instead of crying when you have an awkward tourist moment and you realize that's just what happens. But maybe it's when you can't speak a word of someone's language but all you can do is smile at each other and understand sometimes it's ok to speak less and love more. Maybe it was one of those moments, but I'll never know.
   
I don't know how I'm going to answer people when they ask me "how was studying abroad?. I'll be honest, I'll never be able to answer that question well. But I can say with confidence learning to travel and hop from culture to culture has been eye opening and humbling, realizing how small I am in such a big and beautiful world.
  
Tomorrow I say bye to Florence, the place I've called "home" for the past four months. It was hard sitting in Piazzale Michelangelo today and gazing at the sunkissed city from above and knowing that I don't know when I'll be back. I just don't know. But I now know that no matter the trouble, traveling is so rewarding and so worth it and one day I'll sit on those steps with a glass of wine and the sunset again and gaze upon a place I love a lot. But for now, I'm going home, and I'm ready because I know one day I'll be back. And really, Dorothy couldn't have said it better when she said "there's no place like home".

Prague the Beautiful

The last two days have been too much fun! Briana was the perfect host for my time in Prague and we did a whirlwind tour as I only had one full day there! 
  
After a 5 hour bus ride from Vienna (which featured movies and internet, so spoiled), we arrived in Prague and dropped my stuff off at my hostel before a little exploring. Prague is fantastic and so charming, as it has been preserved over the years with its historic architecture especially in the center of the city. Another great thing about the city is food prices... we went to a nice restaurant and had a big entree, wine, and a huge piece of chocolate cake for the equivalent of 12 euros. I'm a fan!
  
Briana knew I had limited time so we blew through the touristy things that we could in one day. We climbed the Petřín Lookout Tower which is an Eiffel tower look alike, but is on a hill so the structure is shorter but the heights are about the same. The hike up the hill was just as bad as the steps to the Eiffel tower though! We also checked out the Lennon Wall, Charles Bridge and an awesome restaurant that delivers your drinks on an electric train.

After lunch we went Paddle Boating on the river which was way too much fun, and then hiked up to the Prague Castle, where we saw some sort of fancy event outside the church involving horse drawn carriages and Religious leaders... let's be real, we had no clue what was going on! We stopped by a park that was filled with peacocks on the way to the Town Hall clock tower, which we headed up right as the rain and wind showed up! Alas, it was perfect though because we were just in time to see the trumpeter, who plays a little song every hour from the four sides of the tower... and we got to see him up close! It was like a middle-grade celebrity sighting I'd say. 

note trumpeter in the background.

It was tough to say goodbye to Briana but we'll be seeing each other often as we're living together next year! This morning I caught an 8 AM bus to Brno, where I needed to take a city bus to the airport. Let's just clear things up about the Czech Republic. They speak Czech. And not too much english. I had no idea how to buy my bus ticket and basically wandered around for about 30 minutes, ending up in a mall at one point, a grocery store at another, and being asked multiple times in Czech if I wanted to donate to some charity. Somehow my tennis shoes and huge backpack didn't send a clear hint that I was not Czech! I did prevail as a solo traveler though because instead of pulling a classic overwhelmed tears moment, I found a ticket machine and got on the right train to the airport. Look at me go! 
  
Now I'm in my hostel in Milan and headed to bed soon... early tomorrow I'm catching a train back to Florence for once last hoorah! However, I would like to make a very serious announcement... today marked a special occasion in my life. That occasion is: I reached my 50th cup of Gelato abroad. I know, I know, no need to congratulate me. Most importantly though, it was a killer gelato. I went to a gelateria I spotted on my way to dinner where they literally pour melted chocolate into your cone before piling the homemade gelato on top. I KNOW, I'm drooling just writing about it. I got white chocolate and strawberry flavors, with milk chocolate inside the cone. And that, is how you celebrate 50 my friends. 

The Hills are Alive!

Hallo from Austria! If you know much about my travel dreams, you know that it's always been my dream to visit this beautiful country, and it has not disappointed! After a mostly uneventful (yet hilariously awful) overnight train, I arrived in Salzburg at 8:30 Friday morning. I explored on my own until I met up with Briana at the train station in the afternoon and we had a great time seeing the sights on an abnormally hot and sunny day in the city! We were staying at a bed and breakfast that we thought was near the train station... but it turns out it is near a tiny train station north of the city which requires a bus to get there! No big deal, we got on the bus, but found ourselves in the country with no clue where to go! A long hike up a mountain later, we found our Haus and it was debatably worth it for the stunning views and a pretty sunset over the hills! 
   
The next day we got up early to go on the Fraulein Maria bike tour and were a bit disappointed when the weather turned out to be chilly and raining. Fortunately, the tour goes rain or shine and we loved being shown all the sound of music sights... plus there really is no better way to see Salzburg than by bike! As if you didn't know, I LOVE the Sound of Music and we were happy to play typical American tourists and cheese it up at some favorite sights... see if you can recognize them! 

This morning we left early by train and are now in Vienna! Briana came here a few weeks ago with family, but she liked it a lot and was willing to come with me for a night so I'd at least be able to see it. I'm so glad she did! After arriving we headed to the Schonbrunn Palace to see where the Habsburg family frolicked around at their summer villa... it's definitely a big ol' house! We spent the rest of the day strolling around the old city which is super charming and enjoyable. 

It's been great so far and I'm excited to go to Prague tomorrow where Briana is going to be my tour guide (she has been studying there all semester) so we'll see what she has in store for me!

I burnt the garlic.

After packing my suitcases and a very hectic day, I finally got around to finishing my food in the fridge by making tomato sauce. I have been working on my tomato sauce all semester, but I could never get it to taste like Michele's. I try this and that, but my foods teacher always reigns supreme. So, I heat up my oil like I always do and crush my garlic and throw it in the pot. I chatted with Michele last night about the perfect sauce, and he said brown the garlic, but don't let it burn. If it burns, throw it out. So as I stand here in my apartment cooking, I look down and realize...

I burnt the Garlic.

Now normally, I would just dump it out and grab new clove of garlic. But when I looked in the community garlic bowl, there were no more cloves. Because it's the end. We don't need any more garlic because it is my last day cooking in our cramped little kitchen. Last night was my last night sleeping in my Florentine apartment. It is my last day hanging my head out the window and inhaling the city air as the Duomo's campanile rings in front of me. It's my last day.


I am so lucky to be here. I truly am. I could not be more blessed by this opportunity to really throw myself into a completely new world. I had never left the country or been away from home more than a month before I came here. Not only have I been away for four months, I am living and functioning in a city where I don't even speak the language. A culture that I will never completely understand but that I find beautiful in so many ways. A continent different than what I call home. I made myself as uncomfortable as possible, but have found comfort in the confidence I have seen grow in myself, and the faith I have in a great God that has not left me to do this alone.

I have laughed, I have cried, I have traveled, and I have stayed in bed. I have witnessed beautiful things  and seen discouraging things. But most of all, I have seen the world in a new way, and have a new understanding of things that are bigger than me. I have learned both sitting at a desk and just observing people around me. The phrase in Italian is la vita è bella, but each day I've been reminded, life truly is beautiful.

I may not have done everything right, but all's well that ends well. And by the way, it was the best tomato sauce I've made to date.

Running out of creative ways to say "the end is near"

I have two more nights in my apartment, I'm done with classes, I can successfully order gelato in Italian. I've lived in Italy. And yet, I can't believe it won't be long till I leave here. 
  
Yesterday I finished seeing all things Duomo and I'm glad I did. I FINALLY went inside the Baptistry which was way more impressive than I imagined. The battistero and I's relationship has been kind of like the relationship everyone has with those "incredible" sights in the tents of the state fair, like the goat with five legs or weird things like that. You see it, you're intrigued and try to peak inside, but you can't make yourself pay for it. Each day I walk by the gilded bronze doors of the baptistry and have never willed myself to go in. But finally I went through the turnstiles and...there's not much going on in there. But the ceiling is what's incredible. Mosaics with brilliant gold tiles-- the scenes above your head are intricate and beautiful. 

Ceiling--all mosaics!

Jesus looking pretty huge up there

The weather here has also been idyllic, so Anna and I seized the day to climb the campanile and take in the view of Florence in the afternoon sun. What a treat it was. I loved seeing the detailed work of the Duomo from above-- I forget how huge it is! We spent about 45 minutes at the top pointing out the sights we recognize, mapping our path to school, showing where we've gotten lost, and just admiring this city we've called "home" for the last four months. The finale of yesterday though was a delicious dinner at Acqua al 2. After the pasta and dessert sampler, I was quite stuffed but SO happy-- I'm missing this food already!

The open window is my apartment! 

I'm currently supposed to be studying/packing/planning/or cleaning but can't will myself to do any of it because that just means that I have to accept the fact that I: a. have exams tomorrow b. am leaving Thursday. Neither of which I'm ready to commit to yet!
  
In case you're wondering here's my agenda for the next week:
Leaving Florence Thursday Night-->Salzburg-->Vienna-->Prague-->Milan-->Florence...HOME! You can look for me at the RDU international airport on May 19 at 7:41. I'll be the haggard blonde with the huge suitcase and the big smile on my face. 
  
I should be able to post before/during this big adventure...what a great way to wrap up Europe!

The "last minute" list continues

Fortunately Saturday had some pretty beautiful weather so I was able to continue the last minute things I needed to do/see in Florence! On that list, seeing all things Duomo related. It's mildly embarrassing that I haven't explored all the things there is to see in the church outside my window, so I went for the combo ticket to see them all. First, I went to the Duomo museum to see one of Michaelangelo's Pieta statues. There are four in existence, one of them being in St. Peter's at the Vatican. This one is unfinished, as there is an imperfection in the stone and Michelangelo got quite huffy about it and quit working on it. The museum also houses many original statues and panels from the Cathedral and campanile which were neat to see up close. They even had some relics, one of which (after coming home and google translating the caption) is the jaw of St. John the Baptist. Whether you believe it's real or not, it's kind of neat!

Michelangelo's Pieta

St. John's jawbone?

Panels from the campanile 

Next I went to the Crypt underneath the cathedral, which was kind of a bust, as it's just a basement with lots of foundations of stones with no explanation so you have no idea what they are... but, just outside the ticketed area is the grave of Brunelleschi, the architect of the Duomo's famous cupola (dome), which I was excited to see (the guy is kind of a big deal for Florence!).

I was pretty exhausted after running errands that morning, but I did go eat gelato and people watch in Piazza Signoria, as well as have a 20 minute conversation completely in Italian with the man sitting next to me... ok, he did most of the talking but I did understand some of it by some miracle!

Today, I spent my last Sunday morning abroad at St. James Episcopal church, which was just as welcoming and lovely as it was last time I had the chance to attend. Probably the most entertaining moment was when I realized the couple in front of me had their puppy in the pew with them! He was just chilling in his carrier and didn't make a peep the whole service. I didn't know he was there until they let him walk out of the church at the end... the things you see here!

The weather was a little rainy so I didn't venture out as much as I should have today, but we did have our final apartment dinner at Coquinarious, a restaurant near our apartment which we hadn't been to before. Their menu was very unique and I had an awesome ravioli with potato and orange (?), covered with an asparagus sauce and melted pecorino cheese. Basically, I had no idea what would come on my plate upon ordering this dish, but I really liked it! Something a little less traditional but delicious nonetheless! There's no better way to reminisce on the last four months than with the ladies I've laughed and cried with in our tiny apartment. Plus, we got Grom gelato afterwords which is always a treat!

Exam studying starts today... oh boy, we'll see how that goes!


Also, Here is the link to my Picasa site, where you can find my complete London and Switzerland picture albums: Mary's Picasa

Last weekend in Florence: time to play tourist

For a Friday without classes, I'd like to give myself a little pat on the back for being surprisingly productive and ambitious today! After eating my breakfast consisting of dipping strawberries in my Nutella jar (I'm trying to use up all my food, don't judge), I set out to conquer some of the things on my "I should do this before I leave Florence" list. So, I set off to Florence's Synagogue.

I've been to dozens of churches since coming to Europe... you have no idea. So, it was a little refreshing to go to a place of worship that doesn't display classic examples of Medieval architecture or early Renaissance frescoes. I love the part of town the Synagogue is in... next door you'll find Ruth's kosher vegetarian restaurant, and inside the grounds of the Synagogue is a preschool with construction paper cut-outs all over the windows. Inside, I actually stumbled upon a tour being led for a class from my University, so I kind of hopped in and got the scoop on the history of the building. The synagogue is the only one in Florence, which has an estimated Jewish population of about 900 people. It's an Orthodox Jewish synagogue, so the men and women are separated during services (the balcony upstairs is for women, or behind the screens downstairs).
Here are some pictures from online... you aren't allowed to take any of your own pictures inside.

http://www.museumsinflorence.com/foto/sinagoga/image/16.jpg

http://www.museumsinflorence.com/foto/sinagoga/image/1.jpg

Upstairs was the Jewish Museum of Florence, with a history of the synagogue and the Jewish community over time in Florence. I really enjoyed my visit!

After stumbling upon a market and strolling through the Santa Croce neighborhood, I set off for the Gelateria Carapina. My friend sent me a list of the top gelato places in Florence (found online) and we're trying to see how many we can get through with one week left. This gelateria was on the list and I am so disappointed I didn't know of its existance before! I had strawberry and pear and they were divine. This store is like Grom in that they use all organic/fresh ingredients, except it was 50 cents cheaper. Perfection.

I'm hoping to have an even more productive day tomorrow with all my sightseeing, we'll see how that goes!

la Notte Bianca

I apologize for being MIA this week... it's been a little busy with papers and tests and the like, but other than that this week has been pretty nice! The highlight for sure though was Monday night, or as it became known in Florence, La Notte Bianca. The phrase "passare la notte in bianco" means more than its literal translation "to pass the night in white", in english, we'd say "to stay out all night". Basically, it was event put on by the Commune di Firenze which filled the city with live performers in every piazza, free events in the museums, food vendors, and more. To kick it off, I went to Santa Croce to see a children's choir perform, which was basically just me, a ton of parents, and some confused tourists. They were precious though and I enjoyed it!

I just loved this picture of the children playing in the puddles in front of Santa Croce

That night, we walked around hopping from piazza to piazza, encountering all sorts of bands and TONS of people. It kind of felt like Franklin street on Halloween, minus the costumes, plus a foreign language and a very high ratio of wine bottles per person. One of my favorite parts though was at midnight they released paper lanterns off the bridges which were not as spectacular as in the movie Tangled, but still beautiful.

The lights on the right are the lanterns... very difficult to photograph!

In other news, Florence has treated us to perfect weather this week and I hope it continues for my last weekend here... WHAT? I have to say, it kind of feels like the apocalypse, but for food. We're all frantically trying to go to restaurants/gelaterias as much as possible as the days left grow shorter and shorter. I know, such a difficult problem, having to eat out at delicious restaurants... I'll try to carry this burden as well as I can. We'll see what I can accomplish this long weekend!

Lakes and Alps galore

Alas, here goes my post of my last weekend trip of the semester, wow! We hit the road early Saturday morning en route to Como, Italy, for which Lake Como is named. Lake Como is where the wealthy go to play on vacation. With its historic villas, ritzy hotels, and far too many private airplanes in the water, it's no wonder George Clooney has a house here (he wasn't in town... yes, we checked). There are many towns on the coast of the lake, but Como is probably one of the larger ones. We spent about 3 hours exploring the town (which really is not all that large), but we enjoyed delicious focaccia for lunch followed by excellent people watching in the park situated by the lake. Plus, the weather could not have been more idyllic-- 80 degrees and sunny!

We drove on the bus down the shore of the lake to catch a ferry to the town of Bellagio, which is one of the posher cities on the lake. Really, the highlight of this expedition was the ferry ride... we were like small children again enjoying the wind in our hair and being on the water with the mountains in the distance. Lake Como is in the shape of a Y, and Bellagio is where the two top parts intersect with the center of the Y. The views are awesome there because you can see the three "wings" of the lake. However, the views were also awesome where we sat in the shade and enjoyed a glass of white wine and snacks by the water... this was a vacation after all!

http://www.zellix.de/motorrad/maloj.jpg

After enjoying the sights of Lake Como, we set off for Switzerland. The roads there were winding and beautiful, and after driving across the border we got to drive up the Maloja pass. Here is a picture of said pass. It was absurd! I felt like I was ascending on a roller coaster and trying not to look down! We were instantly rewarded though when reaching the top by spectacular views of the Alps around us. We stopped by a frozen lake to take pictures and acclimate to the twenty degree temperature drop! Upon arrival in St. Moritz, we realized the city is dead. And by dead, I mean deserted. Except for a few locals dressed in traditional garb walking down the street (yeah, what?) there was nobody around! Apparently peak seasons there are from November to March, then June to September-ish... not at all in late April! We did have dinner at one of the only restaurants, which happened to be one of the worst meals I've had in Europe (dramatic yes, accurate, also yes). Somehow we managed to survive the awful service and food though and had a great night's rest.

The next morning we were greeted with huge gusts of wind and rain for our walking tour of St. Moritz, yippee! I was happy to battle the elements though to see this city. Our guide, Rudy, owns a local travel agency through which he teaches skiing and other mountain sports. St. Moritz is definitely a town for the wealthy. Situated by a lake in a valley, the town became a popular resort destination in the early 1900s, and continued to grow. Now, the town has reached capacity for buildings (it's still tiny) so real estate will cost you a pretty penny (A 3 bedroom house for 1 million sounds good, right?). Don't worry, if you can't afford a house you can stay in one of the 5 five star hotels in the one town, with the best room costing you 12,000 a night. Did I mention that the Swiss currency is about 1.10 USD, but that everything is ridiculously expensive? (a small train station sandwich for 7 Franc, bottle of Coke costing 5 franc, etc.) Oh, Switzerland, at least you're beautiful. And forever Neutral.

Squinty eyed at the lake of St. Moritz

To leave Switzerland, we took a train through the Bernina Pass back to Italy. The three hour trip was breathtaking as we weaved our way through the Alps. As we started descending we were even able to put down the windows and take in the fresh Alpine air as the scenery went from white to green. It was a great way to enjoy the mountains without having to put on snow boots!

View from the train, not too far from the clouds!

I'm really glad I got to see Switzerland--I'm sure the country has so much more to offer than the one town we explored, but it really is beautiful! If I ever go back I know it would be in the summer though-- give me some sunshine for some Alpine hiking and I'm game!

Sunshine and class don't mix

Well, Florence has finally started showing off how beautiful she can be. Todays weather was in the 80s and it was phenomenal. And of course, since we had nice weather, we also had a make-up day for the classes we missed on Wednesday (can I get a collective aww from the peanut gallery?). After attempting to feign intelligence during a philosophy presentation and learning another verb tense in Italian class (but really, what is this, five tenses now?) I made it to my Foods of Italy class, which is the one class I don't mind leaving the sunshine for. Today was our last real day of cooking (I can't believe I'm hitting the "lasts" of Study Abroad) and we talked about Sicilian foods. Oh boy were they delicious.

Yep, that's what you think it is: calamari fritti. They are surprisingly simple to make... just a little flour and salt and a lot of frying oil! And I ate a lot of them, because they were also tasty.

I got a big job today of grilling the vegetables! Of course, Michele never says whether I'm doing something right or not but I think they looked pretty good! 

Looking rather festive after seasoning with salt, olive oil, and parsley.

Penne alla Norma: Penne pasta with tomato sauce and fried eggplant. This was a hit and super easy to make!

Lastly, the dessert I've been waiting for-- cannoli. Literally, I've been waiting for this dessert since I saw it in the syllabus months ago. And I was not disappointed as I took 3 leftover ones home with me after class!

We used pre-made shells and the filling was easy too! What an excellent Italian treat to wrap up our semester with!

I'm off to Lake Como and St. Moritz, Switzerland this weekend... hopefully the good weather will follow us on my last trip before exams! It should be one of my prettiest yet!

That's Amore

As the end is in sight for my time abroad, I'm trying to take of advantage of the fact I have limited time left living in Italy. After being here for so long, I forget about the romance and beauty people paint in their minds about what Italy is like. When I was in London, people would sigh when I said I lived in Italy... there's just something magical about this place that's contagious!

It's easy to forget how wonderful it is though, because living here is just like living anywhere else, you just do everything differently! I forget that this is a destination for tourists because I'm too busy rushing to class or dragging my groceries home from the store. Trust me, a city becomes much less romantic when you have to take your garbage to the urine-smelling alleys with the dumpsters.

This week though, I've been reminded of how awesome Italy is. On Monday, our class went to the Medici Chapels for a field trip. But really, how cool is it that we get to go to the places we learn about in class?  And the thing is, we just walked in the room and BAM there are statues by Michelangelo. And the thing is, I'm not even phased anymore, but it's SO COOL. I have to remind myself that some people have not nor may not ever see a sculpture or painting by this Renaissance master... and I just went on a rainy Monday morning for class.

After class today, Anna and I went to the "slow food" festival (I have no idea why it's called that) which just happens to be going on by the Santa Maria Novella Church. Wandering through the stalls, I was surrounded by local cheeses, mouthwatering desserts, and panini with tons of different meats. Bring on the food. I had a pork sandwich (I watched the woman carve it off the pig!) and a cannoli, and just ate it in the sunshine. Just another Thursday afternoon in Italia.

Finally, tonight I went to Gusta Pizza, got a Margherita pizza to go, and went and sat on the Ponte San Trinita and watched the sun shine on the Ponte Vecchio as it was setting. It was just beautiful. And as I sat there eating that entire pizza by myself (never underestimate my capacity to eat Italian food), I was amazed at how comfortable I was being by myself and eating in this beautiful city. I then went and got gelato (just because I could) and enjoyed it on the next bridge over as the sun continued to set... what will I do when I can't cross the Arno each day back home?

As I strolled back through town, I passed a young couple dragging their suitcases down the street, clearly just arriving from the train station. And I saw the woman's face as she looked down the street and saw the Duomo's dome for the first time. Her mouth went agape and she couldn't take her eyes off it as a smile spread upon her face. And I just couldn't help but smile, because I remembered my first day here three months ago and feeling that way, just astounded by the beauty of it all, because it's nothing short of incredible. Yet, I walk past the Duomo multiple times a day, and I forget to stop and stare. And as I sat by the San Lorenzo Market listening to an accordion play nearby it really hit me I'm going to miss Italy.

Each day now, we get more excited about going home--seeing friends, eating burritos and biscuits (preferably not together, but at this point I'd do it), and scratching our dogs behind the ears. But I want to be sure to be careful not to leave this place in a hurry. Who knows when I'll be back, and in the end when it comes down to it what I feel for this city right now is nothing short of amore.