The David

Wednesday we visited the Academia right next to San Marco square where the original David, created by Michaelangelo, is held, along with hundred of other amazing peices of art work. It was ironic that the Academia is a building I have passed by many times and I didn't even realize its importance. The outside of the building doesn't seem like it would hold such historic beauty. When you walk into the museum there is a large room filled with paintings and in the center is a sculpture. To the right is the museum of musical instruments which was very interesting. The shapes and different materials that they used as instruments were so different from what we currently use. One of the instruments was a metal bowl filled with water that had two handles, one on each side. In order to play it, you dipped your hands in the water and then rubbed the handles back and forth. Eventually the same kind of sound that comes when you rub your finger around a crystal glass. If you played the instrument well enough, the water would start to bubble from the vibrations.
Off to the left of the initial room was a long corridor with different sculptures on the sides all the way down. At the end of the corridor, there it was, the original David. I had to do a double take the first time I saw it because I didn't process that, that was it! As we got closer, the statue got larger and even more amazing. It was incredible that something so large and intricate could have been created so long ago, and that they had the resources to make art like that so long ago. Every detail of the man's body was included, even the veins in his arms and hands. People seemed to be rushing through looking at it, but I could have stared at it for a good hour just noticing the details of the sculpture. It was truly amazing!

Petti Palace

Today we went to the Petti Palace as a group with Randal. I don't think there was a single person in the group who knew what the Palace was, but it ended up being one of the most extroardinary places we have visited thus far. It turns out that the Petti Palace is the most recent home to the Medici dynasty who ruled in the 17th century and the last descendents eventually died off in the 1940's. The tour guide told us that if someone comes up to us and says he is a Medici, we should tell him he is full of it, because they are gone. So it turns out, contrary to what he tells us, Andrew J. Magid is not a distant relative. Our tour guide was a unique guy. He wore yellow striped pants with a matching yellow watch. He was also brilliant, and knew exactly what he was talking about. When we entered the Palace, I didn't know what to expect. The art work and apartments used by members of the family were exquisite! In each room, there were about twenty to thirty peices of art work including a lot of Rafael's paintings. I was surprised that many of the peices he showed us were extremely dark and it was almost hard to make out the figure in the painting. However, he was able to give new meaning to them for us. After we went through the rooms with all of the art work we saw the apartments where the king and queen stayed. The queen's room was unbelievable. The bed was a queen size, ha ha, and a large intricate canopy hung overtop. There was a love seat that looked entirely comfortable and relaxing. Our tour guide told us that the windows, which are never opened, would let in so much light if they had been, that you wouldn't be able to see outside of the room. Seeing this Palace just made me want, once again, to be able to go back in time and see how it was when the Medici lived there and see how much they appreciated the art work that was their home.
The funniest part of the tour that cannot go without mentioning, was the quarrel between our tour guide and another one of his "collegues". We walked into one of the art rooms and he was about to begin telling us about the history of some of the paintings when this woman says to him "NO! I NEED TO DO IT!". Everyone was so confused because there were two separate tour guides with different groups. Before he could even respond, she rudely said "I am a guide! So I need to do it." Everyone was baffled and one of the woman working even came up and apologized to us. It was just hysterical and had to be mentioned.

Apiertivos

During our first week in Florence, it seemed that all the clubs and bars we had gone to at night were the same thing you would find in America. The boys even went around asking directions by saying, "Yes, the American club, with lots of Americans." And I just thought something about that was wrong. I'm in Italy, and I am looking for an American club? What? So me and the girls decided that we needed to find the Italian hot spots and see how they do it in Florence. To our surprise, we found a place right around the corner!! We were extremely stressed out one night after the electrician had torn our apartment into peices so we went out for a few drinks and found this place Apiertivos. We had no clue how the place worked, so the waitress explained to us that as long as you order one drink, you get a free taste of sushi and you get to eat as much of whatever is out on the bar as you want. "FREE?" I thought to myself. Um, hell yeah! The drinks were 8 euro each and were so good. 2 euro less than the awful drinks we had paid for the night before at a club we went to. On the bar you could get anything from bar nuts to vegetables to bruschetta and deli meat. The woman even brought us out free samples of pastas. And all only for 8 euro? Amazing! Another one of the best parts about the bar was that everyone there was Italian! It seemed like a place that they came to hang out after work and see friends. Everyone in the bar appeared to know each other, and for those they didn't know, they were more than willing to get to know and become friends with. We met the PR guy for the club we had been to the night before and the conversation with him was hysterical, as he told us about his impressions of the women that visit Italy and the American government. Each time we have been there since, he had been there and has come over and struck up conversation with us. The bartender and waitress also remembered us and were very talkative and friendly. It was so nice to experience an Italian bar, seeing as how we are in Italy and everything.

It's the Leaning Tower of Piiiiiisa....

Before we left for Amsterdam on Friday, the entire group visited Pisa. The first thing we did is visited the Synogogue. This certain synogogue stood out to be in particular because it had a very home-like feel. When I went to use the bathroom, I passed through the kitchen and dining room area and it felt like the people who owned the synogogue lived right next to it. After this visit, we went to the graveyard which is just outside the walls of the city because the Jews were not buried inside of the city unlike Christians who liked to be buried in the church. On the way to the graveyard we passed the leaning tower of Pisa. It sure was leanin! The most hilarious part of seeing the Leaning Tower was walking by and seeing all the tourists standing on the grass taking pictures of themselves pretending to be holding the tower up. We looked and there must have been 30 or 40 people doing it all at once and they all looked ridiculous.
We had to enter through a gate to get into the grave yard. You could tell that it was very very ancient, especially when we were shown the older section because the grass had grown high. Of course there were about a thousand more mosquitoes than usual inside so we were all getting eaten alive. However, the tombstones themselves were beautiful and articulate. One of them had a piano on it because the woman played when she was alive. The graves varied from being very elaborate to being just a few words. Another interesting grave was one that they believed looked like a cross, and a day after they declared that, a tree right next to the grave fell on it, and shattered the peices. Next, we each did a grave rubbing with charcoal and paper. I felt incredibly wierd rubbing someones grave. I don't know if I would want someone doing that to my grave when I died. However, it came out very well and was a sort of memento from our visit. Another increddibly unique aspect of the graveyard was the building in the center where they used to wash the bodies and get them ready to be buried. It was really creepy to go into that room and see where that was done.

Anne Frank House

During our free weekend, Lauren, Ross, A.J. and I ventured to Amsterdam. And what an adventure it was. After being ditched by the boys within the first hour of being there, Lauren and I realized it was just the two of us for the weekend. We wandered around a foreign city for two hours looking for their hotel in the dark and when we finally found it, they had left. Scary - I know. The entire city had a certain scary aspect to it. Or maybe it was just how different it was from anything I could have ever imagined and it came off very frightening to me. Lauren seemed to find it very amusing, including my reactions to everything because I was in such shock. Besides the unique activities the city has going on, it is also a beautiful place with canals running through it. There are pre-World War 2 boats in each canal that you can ride and tour Amsterdam.
The most interesting and cultural part of the city was the Anne Frank House. I guess in the beginning I thought that since I was Amsterdam, I couldnt leave without seeing the house. However, after I went inside - I was so happy that I had. The museum costs 7.50 euro and you walk through out the house. On every wall, there are quotes from Anne Frank's Diary. They strategically set up the house to have quotes from the beginning of her life during the beginning of the tour, and by the time you reach the attic where the family hid, there are quotes about the Nazi's envading Holland and being around her town. The entrance to their hiding point was hid by a bookcase that had been opening up. You have to climb up a 2 foot step to get into the hiding place. And then you climb two stair cases that rested on a 150 degree angle, very very steep. We saw the room that Anne Frank slept in, and her kitchen. Even though I have read her book, it made me want to read it again so that I could picture everything she is talking about. Though I would have never wanted to be alive in Amsterdam as a Jew during this time, like the Colleseum, I wish I could go back in time and just see how things really went on during the time that all of these important historical events happened. It was amazing to be in the same exact place that Anne Frank hid from the Nazis during World War 2.

Turns out not where but who you're with that really matters....

It would be completely ignorant of me to talk about my experiences in Italy without mentioning the people I am sharing them with. We joke around that coming here has been like living on the show "The Real World" on MTV, but we truly are the cast of The Real World Florence. CET and Maryland have put together the most diverse group of people I could have ever imagined living with. We have been thrown together as strangers living on top of each other and experiencing Florence together. The eleven students that I am here with have completely made the experience everything that it is. We have everyone from the frat boys, the very religious Jews, the non Jews, the people you would never imagine yourself hanging out with in college park and the people you cant believe you didn't find until now. Despite the little quarrels and mini-dramas, we are experiencing this as a group, as the twelve of us, and if anyone of us weren't here, the entire trip would be changed. For me, everyone has added a little somethin' to the adventure to make it as amazing as it has been. Whether it be dancing with the boys at the club, or listening to HRH talk about how he rules the world because he works for the state department, or listening to Joe and Ilana bicker in Hebrew, not having a clue what they are saying, or just spending time with Lauren and Michael and wondering how I've gone the last twenty years without havin' these girls in my life. I guess I have just realized all of this because Michael is going home for the weekend, and we REALLY hope, coming back on Monday. Lauren and I have been with her all day and have kind of just been bummed that she is leaving because this experience has especially been so amazing because of how much the three of us have clicked and I can't imagine the rest of the trip without her. Everything that we have gone through, especially the three of us, has been together. Whether it be the fun times dancing at the club, or riding the train together, or sleeping in the same room - we have literally done everything together. Even the frustrating times when the electrician tears the apartment apart or when our laundry turns purple, we have been frustrated together. I can't imagine what the experience would be like without the other eleven individuals that are here, and especially without these great ladies who are making this trip the time of my life.

Rome

If I hadn't hiked two mountains for four hours the day before, I probably would have had a lot more energy for Rome and been able to soak it up more. However, I still found the city truly riveting. It was unbelievable that any of the architecture that existed so long ago was still standing. Like many other people, I have seen the movie Gladiator, so I thought I knew what to expect from the Colleseum. Also, many people who have been to Rome told me that it was just another city, and that the Colleseum was much smaller than it is made out to be. But when I got inside and saw the ruins of one of the most historical venues in the world, I was taken aback. The inside of the Collesum is unbelievable. You can see how the stadium was separated depending on which class you were a part of. Randall pointed out to me where each class sat and why. I was curious as to why the floor part of the Colleseum went down furthur and it turns out it is because the actual floor part had deteriorated and you could see where the prisoners were kept. Randal also pointed out where the royalty sat and that even though the established people in the society sat down low, they had to build the first level up because sometimes the lions and tigers would jump up above the walls and hurt the people. After we left the Colleseum, we walked through the Forum and saw the remains of the historical town. The architecture was just unbelievable. We all agreed that we wish we could have gone back for a day and lived during the time that this city flourished and just see what it was like. The next thing we did was to visit the Chevy Fountain which was my favorite!! I have a little fountain fetish and seeing this unbelievably elaborate fountain was amazing. Lauren and I threw a penny over our shoulders because apparently that means you will definetly return to Rome.
The train in Rome was a lot different from here in Florence. In general, the entire city was much more touristy and crowded. Randall mentioned that he thinks that Rome just doesnt know what to do with all the tourists. But the train was incredibly crowded and clostrophobic and apparently the easiest place to get pick pocketed. We all held our bags tightly to us. However, a woman told us the day before that her mom had been robbed on a train.

Duomo

Last Wednesday we climbed the Duomo, the highest point in Florence. The outside of the building is painted white, green and red and the design of the outside of the building was unbelievable. It is so amazing that we live only 10 minutes away from such intricate architecture. Not to mention right in our back yard is a beautiful church. I had no idea what the climb was going to be like when Randall told us we were going to the top of the Duomo. It started as regular stairs and we reached a platform that went along the circumfrence of the bottom of the actual dome. From this point, we were able to see the art work on the inside of the dome. The painting was unlike anything I have ever seen. The bottom consisted of paintings of devils and it went up each class until it reaches the angels. It was unbelievable. The most stunning part was that the people who painted it stood on latters and painted it upside down. After climbing to the beginning of the dome, we climbed up to the top of it. The stairs were incredibly narrow and went up like a spiral. It was also incredibly clostrophobic. It was like climbing the statue of Liberty. However, once you got to the top of the duomo and stepped outside and looked at the view of the city, it was completely worth the climb. The city of Florence was so much bigger than I has imagined. You could see the synogogue that we visited and the river and even how far away our apartment was! It was amazing.

The Supermarket

Going to the supermarket in another country has certainly been a unique experience. To start, Italy uses a completely different metric system. Rather than using lbs they use kgs - which of course I have no idea how to convert. Also, no one in the supermarket speaks English, and everything is in Italian, so if you are confused about anything - bring your Italian dictionary. All of the fruit and vegetables are fresh daily and cheap!! Its fabulous. However, you have to put on a plastic glove to touch any of the fruit. I guess this prevents people from spreading the germs on their hands. However, it just makes me wonder why we don't do that in America and what in result, my fruit and veggies have on them. I noticed that in Italy, they do not drink a lot of milk. At home there would be half an isle of different sizes and kinds of milk. However, here, the milk containers are small, and each different kind is a different color. They don't sell skim milk, the best you can get is 1%. This has been difficult, as I usually have a glass of milk before bed every night. Buying ground meat was also quite an adventure seeing as how I don't speak English or have a clue how much a kg is. I just pointed to what I wanted and told the man "si si" and he packaged it up while laughing at me. Another thing that I must say I hate about Italy is that you cant use the tap water. I have definetly spent a good portion of money buying water bottles here. I can only imagine how excited Italians are when they come to America and realize they don't have to pay for a bottle of water. One thing I like about Italy is that there is essentially a liquour store IN the grocery store. Most of the stuff is rather cheap compared to what you would get if you walked into a cafe and asked for a drink. I also love that the drinking age is younger....not that I drink at all. The last challenge was the check out line. First I had to figure out what the woman was sayign when she told me the final price. And then I realized that you have to bag things yourself, and you have to ask them if you need more than one bag. It was incredibly confusing. But overall, I love the supermarket here - because EVERYTHING is fresh and cheap!!

Cinque Terre

Saturday Lauren, Michael and I went to Cinque Terre. We spent the night in La Spezia at a hotel and then took a bus to the train station in the morning which brings you to the first town of the five in Cinque Terre. Getting off the train was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen in my entire life. The towns are built upon gigantic cliffs that overlook the coast. I immediatly thought that I couldnt believe how anyone could travel to Italy and not see Chinque Terre - it was gorgeous. Ontop of the mountains between the towns were acres upon acres of vineyards and grasslands covered with trees. Through the entire set of five towns is a coastal pathway in which you can walk, or should I say hike, from town to town. Another option is that you can take the train from town to town. However, had the girls and I not hiked the first four towns, the experience would have been COMPLETELY different. The hike is essential. We started out not having a clue what we were getting ourselves into. Three girls in flip flops, jeans skirts and bikini tops. Everyone else was wearing hiking gear, sneakers and some even had walking sticks. I really didn't know if the three of us would make it. I knew how much I was used to exercising at home - but I had no clue about the girls. However, the two of them really impressed me. We took breaks when needed, but other than that, we really powered through. By the end of the hike, if you stopped - your legs would spasm, so we spent the last hour simply staring at the ground where we were stepping and trecking through the mountains. The view the entire time was heavenly and it truly got us through knowing that everything ahead of us was going to be even more beautiful. When we got to the end, the three of us connected in celebration that we had completed the vigorous hike! We sat down and had margaritas and enjoyed the rest of the day at the beach. The experience would have been no where as near as incredible without having hiked through the mountains for 5 hours. Sure, I can sit on a beach anytime and get a tan. But to do something like we did gave us all such a sense of accomplishment that we had really gone out and seen the world!

Differences

Since coming to Florence, there have been many culture shocking differences that I have noticed between being here and being home, some more intense than others. One drastic difference that I have noticed are the "courting rituals" that the Italian men use towards American women. For example, we were out to dinner one night and Michael got her hair stroked by an Italian man. Also, there was one day when we were walking home from the train station and a guy straight grabbed for her crotch. Other instances like this have occurred from bystanders when we walk down the street. Telling me I look like Barbie, or commenting on whether my roommates breasts are artificial or original. Although I am told that this is just Italian culture and to roll with it, I really wonder what the men who are making this gestures are thinking. American men barely ever even come up and talk, or say hello, nevertheless yell sexual inuendos at you. It makes me wonder whether they are solely doing it to be obnoxious or whether they think that by yelling at us, it makes us feel flattered and appreciate them more. I also wonder how they act towards Italian women and if those women put up with this behavior.
Another difference that has stood out to me has to do with money in Italy. Personally, money isn't something that I throw around freely. I know when I get losen the purse strings, but I also am very concerned about where I spend my money and making sure I am getting what I pay for. I have noticed that in Italy, money is less crucial to the people who are making it. When I work, I want to make sure I get every cent for what I did. However, in the markets, you are able to bargain with sellers for merchanidise. Also, I have rode in two taxi's in which it was taking the girls and I a longer time to gather our change and figure out what we owed the driver. One time the total was $15.75 and the other time it was $11.50. In both instances, the driver rounded down. The first time, Lauren was truly upset that we couldnt find the change and eventually found it, and he still didn't make us pay. It just seemed like this would never happen in America. If you got in a cab and werent able to pay for it, youd probably be driven right back to where you came from.