Orvieto

For our last class trip (che triste!) we spent a day in Orvieto, a small town north of Rome, in Umbria. Kali and I took a bunch of pictures (more funny ones too of course) and I've got about half of them uploaded so far. This is my last weekend in Rome! In a week I'll be heading off to Spain with Michael and Mary, so this will probably one of my last posts for awhile. Enjoy the Orvieto pics!

A typical Laura Zanzig moment

Six of us went to Venice this past weekend, and I was in charge of the hotel reservations. I got into contact with a place that Kali and I found in her guide book, Hotel Rossi, which was along the Grand Canal, a short walk from the train station, and looked like a good place to stay. In making the reservations I exchanged several emails with the hotel administrator, confirming that we had two triples for Saturday, the 24th.

We arrived at Treviso Airport, where we took a bus into Venice. From where we were dropped off in Piazzale Roma, we found our way easily to the hotel, only about a five minute walk. Everything was going smoothly and we walked into the cozy albergo with confidence. As I told the concierge my name, his brow furrowed and he shook his head.

"There is no reservation by that name," he shrugged in apology.

"That can't be right," I replied. "I made the reservation, I got a confirmation the other day."

He looked back down at the book and I noticed he was looking at the 23rd, which his coworker then pointed out to him: "Ventiquattro, non ventitre." Relieved, I peered over the counter to look at the reservations on the 24th, but my name wasn't listed on that page either.

"I didn't print it out, but I have the confirmation in my email," I told him, positive that he was making a mistake. He beckoned to the computer and told me I was welcome to check my inbox. I pulled up the email and pointed to the screen.

"Yes," he began slowly, "but this is for March. March 24, not February."

I looked down and gasped in horror. He was right - the words were right there in front of my face. "Miss Zanzig, this is to confirm your two triples for the night of March 24th, Saturday." How could I be so completely scatterbrained?

The other girls forgave my stupidity, even though the concierge told us he had no vacancies. Luckily, we found several openings at other nearby hotels and after comparing prices, we decided on a good deal in a very nice albergo just a couple blocks away.

The rest of our stay was fantastic. The first day, we shopped for a few souvenirs and then wandered the city. I felt completely refreshed - for the entire afternoon, I had no idea what time it was or exactly where we were, either. Today we took a busboat ride down the Grand Canal and then spent some time around San Marco with the pigeons. This has been my best weekend yet, and I put pictures on Yahoo!

FOOD

I've had some excellent food in Italy, but I'm seriously missing stuff from back home. I want:
-tortillas and/or tortilla chips
-Mexican food in general
-Thai food too!
-real Diet Coke
-oatmeal (I think Kali and I ran out of our stash)
-Dick's hamburgers
-bagels
-my mom's smoothies
-chicken (I've had some here but definitely not as much as I did at home)
-Sour Patch Kids
-PANCAKES, waffles, other breakfast food
-Washington apples
-graham crackers
-Funfetti cake mix cookies
-American pizza. I know it's not authentic or whatever, but I like it better. Although, I did enjoy this pizza very much:
Brian took this picture of me at Pizza Re, a pizzeria that Lisa took us to after we went to Villa Borghese. It had excellent crust, but my issue with Italian pizza is the cheese situation - a lot of places do this "fior di latte" thing, which is like little pieces of mozzarella and then this weird liquidy stuff. Non mi piace.

Don't worry though - when my dad came and visited, he brought me another jar of peanut butter, so I'm still doing alright on that front.

Link to my pictures

Ok, so I finally got all my pictures loaded! They don't all have captions yet so a lot of stuff is unlabeled. Let me know if the link doesn't work for some reason.
(PS - to anyone with Facebook, the pictures are all pretty much the same, sorry to be boring!)

http://www.photos.yahoo.com/laurazanzig2005

Enjoy!

Che disaster.

Wow. What a few days. I just got back from Naples and Pompeii and even though I had a wonderful time, there were some pretty funny setbacks, starting with the very beginning of the trip.

I woke up on Thursday morning with a gasp, sitting straight up in bed as I scrambled for my alarm clock. I knew I was late - the sun was shining much too brightly and I felt way too refreshed for it to be only 7am. Just as I thought, the clock read 8:59, exactly 32 minutes after my train had left for Naples, taking my professor and all the rest of my classmates with it. How had this happened?!

Very eager for a much-needed break from Rome, I had gotten completely packed the night before, even bagging up my breakfast so that I was all ready for the trip to Napoli. Kali had already fallen asleep - unlike me, she functions better in the morning and decided to finish her packing and homework early on Thursday before we left. As I climbed into bed around one, I set the alarm for 7am, checking it twice before turning out the light. I knew that Kali was leaving at 6:30 to post her assignment, so I was on my own to wake up and get to Termini Station to meet Lisa and the rest of the gruppo at 8 for our train. I vaguely remembered hearing Kali rise at the ungodly hour of 4:45, but I had fallen right back asleep to the sounds of her shoving clothes into her duffel. Now it was nine, and I was running around my apartment, shouting and swearing as I frantically got dressed and out the door.

I sprinted down the three flights of stairs to our entryway and as I stepped outside, I saw that it was absolutely pouring. At home in Seattle I never carry an umbrella, but this was ridiculous. There was no way I could make it more than a block without getting drenched, so I ran back up the stairs and grabbed one of the awkwardly huge umbrellas that Kali and I had found in our closet.

As I ran to the tram a couple blocks away, I considered my options. Kali had taken our apartment cell phone that morning, so I had no way to reach Lisa unless I went to the Rome Center first (a side note: even if I did have the phone, I couldn't have called Lisa anyway - Kali and I have been too lazy to add minutes to our cell, so we currently only have emergency call capability). Even though going to the Rome Center would add an extra fifteen-ish minutes onto my trip to the train station, I decided it was the best plan, especially seeing as how I had no idea where the hotel even was in Naples. I exited the tram and jogged to the UWRC where Kate the ever-helpful intern let me call Lisa and looked up the hotel address and train times for me. By this time it was about 9:30, and Lisa was relieved to hear that I wasn't dead, just a complete idiot who somehow turned off her alarm instead of getting up on time. I told her I would catch the 10:25 fast train (27 euro out of my pocket!) which got me to Napoli Centrale a few minutes before noon. I thanked Kate and headed back towards the bus stop, where the #40 bus was pulling away just as I ran up onto the platform. Luckily another bus arrived only a few minutes later and I climbed on and settled into the first empty seat.

After I sat down, I looked around for the ticket stamping machine. Both the 40 and 64 buses are prime targets for ticket checkers because they see such frequent use, and I wasn't about to be caught without a valid ticket, which gets you a 100 euro fine (unless you have enough cash to pay on the spot - then it's only 50). I didn't see the machine anywhere so, grumbling to myself, I made my way up the bus to the machine in the front. Once I stamped my ticket, I realized that I had forgotten my umbrella in my seat in the back, which of course had already been taken by another passenger. I reached across her, grabbed my dripping umbrella, and as I straightened back up, I saw the bright yellow validation machine which had been 6 inches from the back of my head the whole time. Perfect.

We pulled up to Termini at 10:05, giving me 20 minutes to buy my ticket and board the train at a somewhat leisurely pace. The first biglietti machine I tried was dysfunctional (of course), but I had my ticket in hand and was standing in front of platform 9 by 10:15. I looked down the platform and didn't see a train, which I thought was odd for a departure time that was only ten minutes away. I decided I'd just hang out there until it arrived, but after a few minutes of standing and waiting, I felt a little impatient. I looked up at the clock and back at the platform, ready to roll my eyes at the tardy train, until I realized that it was already sitting where it should be, at binario 9. The empty track was platform 8, one to the left. At this point, I began to wonder if I had lost my mind.

The train ride itself was pretty relaxing. I listened to my music and read a little of "Holidays On Ice," the David Sedaris book that Jane got me for Christmas, which, by the way, is hilarious. For some reason, we made a couple random stops in the middle of the countryside, the reason for which I never learned, but other than that it went smoothly. We arrived in Naples around 12:15 (20 minutes late! After I paid an extra 13 euro to get there in an hour and a half!) and now it was time for me to decide how to find Albergo Degas, where we were staying that night. When Kate and I had looked up the address, we found directions on how to take the Metro or the bus to the hotel, but since I had arrived 20 minutes later than I planned and I didn't have a map, I decided to just take a taxi, even though it was undoubtedly much more expensive. I was hoping to make it to the hotel by 12:30, when the gruppo was meeting for lunch at a pizzeria called Di Matteo.

I ended up at Albergo Degas at about 12:35 - the pouring rain worsened the already intense traffic in Naples. The hotel wasn't exactly easy to find, on the third level of an apartment building tucked back in a corner of Piazza del Gesu, but once I made it up the three flights, the woman at the front desk was there to greet me.

"You are room 304," she said with a smile. "You call this number." She handed me a piece of paper with Lisa's cell number before turning down the hall and leading me to my room. I set down my luggage and thanked her, then picked up the phone to call Lisa. The laminated sheet next to the phone told me to make an outgoing call, I was supposed to dial "41" and then the number, but I was answered only with a strange beeping. After a few unsuccessful tries, I went up to the front desk where she told me that I was unable to use their line.

"You have no phone?" came her incredulous question as I shrugged and shook my head. I told her that I wanted to just try to find the pizza place instead and asked her if she knew where it was. She made a call to a coworker who told her it was on Via Tribunali, a street that she told me was close by.

Here's how the conversation went in her attempt to explain its location to me:
Clerk: Go out of here and to...to... [gestures to her left]
Me: The left?
Clerk: Yes, yes! Left. And then the street, it goes [gestures both up and to her right]
Me: ...Right?
Clerk: Uhmm no, it is..you go down and then you go [gestures up]
Me: Up?
Clerk: Yes! Up. That street, to the Duomo. Not far.

I didn't feel like these directions were quite sufficient, so I asked her for a map. For a few minutes, she dug around in her drawers before finally pulling out a Naples guidebook, which she flipped through for another several minutes looking for the correct page. Finally she pointed out Via Tribunali to me, so I thanked her and headed back out into the downpour.

For an hour I walked up and down Via Tribunali without success. It's not too long of a street, maybe only 10 blocks length, but once I had made it from the hotel to Tribunali, then down to where the street ends at Castel Capuano, around the castle, and finally back up again, it was almost a quarter to 2. I knew the class was reconvening at the hotel at 2:30 for afternoon class, so I grabbed a slice of pizza from a street vendor and went back to Albergo Degas. [Later I found out I had passed Di Matteo twice, but the restaurant looks just like a little vendor from the outside so I had overlooked it.] No more than ten minutes had passed when Lisa and the class arrived back at the hotel and I ran out to greet them. Everyone felt much better; I wasn't dead or mugged! Kali felt horrible for leaving me, even though it really wasn't her fault at all, but she summed up the morning with one phrase - "che disaster." Luckily, I had made it there in time to see the Museo di Capodimonte, which I have decided is going to be my summer home. It's a beautiful palace in northern Naples that used to be the Farnese family's hunting lodge but has been turned into a great art museum. I'll post pictures of it when I upload them - Lauren and I were enchanted.

The rest of my stay in Naples was great - good food and good sights, including an awesome view of Mt. Vesuvius across the water down by Castel Nuovo (also more pictures I will post later). Like Rome, the city could be overwhelming. There's tons of honking and it's much dirtier than the other Italian cities I've been to, but overall I really enjoyed Napoli.

Pompeii was incredible. I knew it was huge but I didn't realize I could spend 5 hours walking around it and still miss tons of stuff. I took lots of pictures there as well. I'm hoping to get all my pictures uploaded onto Yahoo or something, but our internet here is so ridiculous that I've had trouble. I'll post the link when I do.

It feels nice to be back but I really liked being in a different place for a few days. I wouldn't say I've gotten sick of Rome, but I've been wanting to see new things and this trip was an excellent way to do that. Hopefully I'll be in Venice next weekend with Kali and whoever else wants to join. Pictures soon!

A little on Florence

I just realized I said earlier that I would post another blog about our trip to Florence, so I'll give you all a brief synopsis of how we spent our time.
We stayed at the Albergo Firenze, a cute little hotel that was perfectly comfortable and clean, a surprise to us since Lisa had warned us more than once that the place really earned its two star rating. Florence feels very different than Rome - its streets are wider, as are the cobblestones, which makes for easier transportation. Instead of the constant barrage of motorini, the preferred mode of transportation is by bicycle, complete with carrier basket in the front. Florence is much smaller than Rome as well. On most days we walked from one end of town to the other more than once. We spent our mornings in class, focusing on Renaissance art and the Medici family, and had afternoons generally free, giving us time to do our readings and daily assignments (as well as spend a hefty amount of time in the leather market, as you can see on my Italian wardrobe blog). Over the week, we visited several important Florentine sights, including the Uffizi, which holds one of the most impressive collections of art in the world, the Museo dell'Academia, where Michelangelo's "David" is located, the famous Duomo, Santa Croce, a church which holds the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo, Dante and Machiavelli,and the Palazzo Vecchio, which housed the Medici family during their years of power in Florence.

I was freezing the entire time in Florence. On our first day, it poured on us as we walked back from Santa Croce, and when we got back to the hotel, Katie and I soaked our feet in the tub to regain feeling. This is a picture Lauren took of our feet-warming endeavor. The water wasn't even that hot, our feet were just such icicles that it was pretty intense trying to warm them up. It didn't rain much more that week, but the temperature up north was significantly lower than back home in Rome.

We had some amazing food in Florence, and in Tuscany in general. One night at dinner, Lisa ordered this steak that was coated in balsamic vinegar and it was one of the most fantastic things I've ever tasted. We even got a picture to remember it by. YUM. Every meal was delicious though, way more flavorful than the overpriced, touristy restaurants that dominate the area around the Campo de'Fiori.

My favorite part of Florence was the Arno River. Its color is a little strange, this unnatural, murky shade that I guess I would call turquoise? But it's still beautiful, especially because of the gorgeous building facades and the rows of bridges visible when you glance up and down the river. Underneath is a really cool picture that Katie took of the Arno. I love this shot! Well done, Furia.


It was a really fun week and I loved Florence, despite the fact that I was plagued by a prickly cold feeling the whole time. I solved that problem with my new gloves and scarves anyway. Oh, one more notable thing to mention about Florence - the gypsies. On our very first day, within an hour of arriving, we were seriously harassed by a teenage gypsy in Piazza della Republica while Lisa attempted to give us a intro lecture on the Medici. Let me tell you, this girl was persistent. She wove in and out of our gruppo, shaking her cup of coins and asking each of us for money at least twice, probably more. I'm pretty sure Lisa was contemplating physically removing her from the area, with good reason.

So that was my trip. It was a lot of fun, and I was really glad I got to take my dad back to visit these places last weekend. Naples next week! I'll try to post something about that in a more timely fashion.

Halfway

Today is February 9th, which means that my program is already halfway over. In a month, I’ll say goodbye to Rome - my one bed apartment in Trastevere, fragola gelato, weaving through cobblestoned alleys between catcalling Italian men and ceaseless motorini. There are some things that I’ll be glad to bid arrivederci, and others I know I’ll pine for once I get home (mmm, fresh squeezed blood-orange juice).

I don’t think I could ever live in Rome. It’s an amazing place to study, with ancient ruins or ornate basilicas at every corner, but it’s not somewhere I would exactly call inviting. Walking through the city is a constant game of strategy – if your path isn’t blocked by another pedestrian, it’s surely obstructed by a tiny Euro-car that created its own parking spot, an impatient motorist, or, worse, a pile of dog droppings. Romans aren’t overly friendly either, especially the pushy, hostile old ladies who insist that they should be allowed to cut me in the supermercato line just because they only have one item.

Despite the drawbacks, I really have loved my time in Rome so far. I’ve had some experiences here that I couldn’t have anywhere else. A couple weeks into our program, Makyia and I got lost on our way home one night. After wandering ten minutes in the opposite direction of the Campo de’Fiori, we finally got our bearings and headed back the correct way. Soon, we rounded a corner and stumbled upon, strangely enough, the Pantheon. This monument is somewhat hidden - a couple blocks length off the closest main drag, without any major indication of its presence until you’re actually in it - so it’s pretty surreal the first few times you just happen to come across it. Even weirder is the fact that once we found it, we knew exactly how to get home. Another thing I’ll miss once I’m back in Seattle is using two thousand year old ancient monuments as reference points.

At this halfway point, how I’m feeling is perfect. I’ve started to find comfort in things here, like my apartment, the Campo, or the friends I’ve made through this program. Two weekends ago, at the end of our hectic return from Florence, Katie and I stepped out of Termini station and felt relieved to be back in this city that has become our pseudo-home. I’ve started to form little routines too – how I get ready in the morning, where I keep my keys, what time of day Kali and I stop by the smiling vendor who has become “our guy” at the fruit and veggie market a block from our apartment. And that’s not saying I’ve gotten bored at all. There’s always something else to discover here, and the more that I go running, the more I get to know the city outside of the main arterials that we frequent. Yesterday’s jog took me up a hill in Trastevere to an impressive lookout point where the lucky Spanish Embassy has some prime real estate.

I have started to feel a little homesick at times. I miss my friends and family, free water at restaurants, real Diet Coke. [For the record, Coca Cola Light is a joke.] I also miss grocery stores that are open past 8pm! But for the most part, I’m quite content where I am. Next week we go to Naples, probably Pompeii that weekend and Venice a few weekends later. Then it will be March and our program will be over, although I’ll be traipsing around in southern Spain with M&M for a couple more weeks before finally heading home. I’m not sure if I’ll be ready, but I will be very happy to see everyone again :)