Wednesday, March 25, 2009

spring break pictures...

FINALMENTE! this only took me a year to do....here are my pictures from cork/kinsale. i know the album says "cork kinsale barcelona"...ignore it. also ignore the little fuzzy black squiggle on most of my kinsale pictures. there was something on my effing lense. GREAT. i'm not so sure this is the best way to share my pictures with the non-facebookers but we'll give it a try...more to come but enjoy for now!




xoxo

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

way too funky...

so i mentioned in my last post that i was going to an afrobeat funk show, seun kuti and fela's egypt 80 and just for starters i'll say that it was hands down the sickest show i've ever been to, EVER. i showed up ready to get down but sarah and hannah weren't so sure what they were getting into. having said that, all three of us were profusely sweating and smiling uncontrollably by the end of the show. from the second the band went on to the second they stepped off stage fwe were dancing, you just couldn't help it, although i'm not sure why someone would want to. it was absolutely incredible. most of the musicians have been with the band since fela, seun's dad, was the lead so alot of them are fairly old but regardless they were all having the best time too. sarah, hannah and i were at the very front right up against the stage and the whole time we were exchanging smiles with the musicians, just dancing and appreciating how fucking amazing they were.
italy, like every other country is extremely racist, but here it's particularly towards the african people. there are a ton of north african immigrants and the italians view them in a similar way to how most americans view mexican immigrants, not well. at this show however, everyone was just hanging out together, it was the first time i really felt like i was in a tolerant space here in italy. there were a ton of africans at the show but also so many europeans of all ages, and it just made for a better atmosphere because people were just being people. sounds stupid but here in florence there is very little diversity and those who are of a different race are pretty much shunned. it was just really nice to see everyone together and enjoying the ridiculously good music.
after the show a bunch of the musicians came out into the crowd to mingle, take pictures and just chill. one musician however, i'm pretty sure he was one of the guitarists, approached sarah, hannah and i asking us if we wanted to go back to their hotel! this guy was probably in his fifties and we were all dying laughing. we had all noticed him looking at us throughout the show but we just kind of thought it was because we were three white girls working it out haha...well, maybe that is why he was looking at us, but i guess he decided to see if he could take it further...? anyway, i told him we had to go home to our mamas that night and he said, "we'll see mama in the morning" !!!! we could not stop laughing, he had his arm around hannah looked pretty comfortable. we decided to decline though and hopped in a cab to eby's (quasi-mexican/south american food) for some late night quesadilla's. it was probably one of the most fun nights i've had here in florence. i'm so happy everyone enjoyed it too cause i was a little nervous sarah and hannah might not be into it. but like i said, it was amazing amazing amazingggg.

i will add pictures too, soon i promise. the internet has just been super slow here so it's been a little tedious...

xoxo

Thursday, March 19, 2009

BIG update!

so, i haven't updated in FOREVER. i kind of forgot i had this thing...it's the first week back at school after spring break and magically over those nine days the weather in florence went from shitty to gorgeous. when i left florence two thursdays ago it was freezing still, raining and gloomy but when i came back last saturday it was warm, sunny and amazinggg. i've actually just been wearing t-shirts and sweaters opposed to tank tops, t-shirts (long sleeve then short), sweaters, jackets, scarfs etc. basically, the days of eighty million layers are over! thank god.

so, spring break...i had the time of my life. the first half i spent in cork, ireland with my friend meg which was great. the weather wasn't amazing but cork was absolutely fantastic. the people there were sooo nice and welcoming to americans. i really enjoyed the nightlife there too, lots of little bars/pubs opposed to big clubs and stuff. and for once, i was able to dance without being molested, it was great. there was one pub called the brogue and it was sooo fun, they played great music and the scene was just really layed back but fun and dancey at the same time. one of the days we were in cork we decided to take a day trip to a nearby town called kinsale. it was so charming and beautiful, right on the water. i found that cork was also very charming and cozy. it's small but at the same time there is so much to do, you don't feel limited, or atleast i didn't. also, in cork there is this department store called penney's...it's amazing! like a ross but more hip and less messy. needless to say i went a little nuts there but only ended up spended about 40 euro total, not bad at all. it seemed much easier to dress cute in cork and pay less money than it is in florence. going other places abroad made me realize how expensive florence really is, it's kinda ridiculous. i also went to two movies, a luxury! i hadn't been to a movie in over two months and it was so nice to just get candy (of course) and sit in a theatre, i was so happy haha.

next i went to barcelona to visit maxie which was a whole different experience. i went from quaint coziness in cork to crazy busyness in barcelona. the city itself was amazing. the architecture is so interesting and diverse, it was like a european new york. i have to say that my favorite part of barcelona was the bocaria, a giant outdoor market with fresh fruit, veggies, nuts, dried fruit, meats, prepare foods etc. they even sold smoothies for a euro! everything was so fresh and delicious there, it was just nice to be able to eat some good fruit. it was super overwhelming though because all the vendors shout out at you and try and hustle you into buying their shit. the best part about my trip to barcelona was for sure my trip to park guell, the gaudi park. it was absolutely beautiful and so interestingly designed. the weather was perfect too and was so nice to just sit in the sun, relax and people watch. i would have liked to have seen more gaudi but there wasn't really enough time. i also went to the picasso museum solo while maxie was in class and that was just great too. it was so interesting to see the progression of his style. looking at his early work you would never guess that he had done some of his later pieces, very cool. the nightlife in barcelona is a different story though...i definitely couldn't keep up, atleast with how maxie and her friends do it. we wouldn't leave the apartment till around 1 and then we'd go to the first bar and then there was a club to go to after! we actually didn't end up going to a club more than once, but that's the schedule they're on. i couldn't imagine. they start going to the clubs when i'm usually thinking of going home here in florence around 3ish haha. i was a little overhwhelmed and felt kinda dorky but it's no secret that i'm not really the clubbin' type haha. it was still nice to see maxie and explore another part of europe, i'd love to go back eventually.

that brings me to present. this past sunday me, marah and sarah reunited and went to the boboli gardens for a picnic because the weather was so gorgeous. sarah's friend chelsea was also visiting from prague. she goes to school at williams with sarah but she's from palo alto so it was nice to meet someone else repping the west coast haha. tonight i'm going to a crazy afro beat funk show, seun kuti and egypt 80 at the FLOG auditorium with sarah and my friend hannah. i can't wait, it's going to be sooo sick, i've been waiting a month to go! i just want to dance to some live music,and i have a feeling there won't be any molesting types at this show, so i should be able to do it freely haha.

i will post pictures soon, either tomorrow or saturday. i'm thinking of making a flickr or something so you guys without facebook can just click a link and see all my photos.

i miss everyone so much, i can't believe it's been over three months since i've seen some of you :( but i'll be returning kinda soon, not really though haha so be in touch!

xoxo

Thursday, February 19, 2009

SPRING BREAK

I forgot to mention yesterday that I made my plans for spring break last week. I'll be going to Cork, Ireland from March 6-10 with my friend Meg. She has some friends from school that are studying abroad there so we'll have a place to stay and people to take us around. I was thinking that maybe it wasn't such a happening place but I looked it up and it actually seems like a cool place. I think it's a pretty big college town with a bunch of fun bars and clubs...should be fun!

From Cork I'll be flying solo to Barcelona and staying there from March 11-14 with Maxie. CAN'T EFFING WAIT. Seriously though, I can't. I'm going to stay with her in her apartment and we're going to have the best time ever AND she said there is a good burrito place she goes to...thank god! Soooo excited, just got to get through midterms the first week of March and I'm set. 

Oh ya, and like I said yesterday, tonight is the big Fiorentina vs. Ajax soccer game. Yes we got purple eyeliner to write on our faces, yes we got purple hair spray (not so sure about it though) and yes i'm still looking for some purple glitter. We're going all out and it's going to be sooo insane. Supposedly there was an article in the paper today about how it could get violent...great haha. I'll post pictures ASAP.

xoxo

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Visuals III

Alright, so this just took me a year to do. The internet has been HORRIBLE here the past week and a half which is why I haven't updated in so long. In fact, I just did this whole thing, went to post it and it wouldn't load...lost connection. I really almost cried.

Annyyywayyyy, things have been so great here. I'm still really enjoying myself and even more so now that I'm becoming more familiar with the city. On the home front, my host mama is still the cutest little thing in the world minus her love for the devil cat. This past Sunday, Sarah and I were eating dinner in the kitchen and she comes in and shows us her finger nails. Then proceeds to explain that while cleaning our room she came across my nail polish on my side table and decided to use it. Just for a good mental picture, my nail polish is such a dark navy blue that it looks black. So now my mama, 60-something years old, has navy blue nails like Sarah and I. Adorable.

In the past few weeks I've gone on day trips to Assisi and Ravenna, both were amazing. Sadly, in the St.Francis of Assisi Church they don't let you take pictures. Infact, the monks that work inside will throw out your entire group if they catch someone trying to snap one, serious business. Other than the church, Assisi was very mellow and very cold. The them of the day was "Assisi e' chiuso" which means "Assisi was closed" cause literally 75% of the town was closed and it wasn't even a Sunday. Ravenna was just gorgeous, a really cool place. The mosaics there were absolutely unbelievable. I had seen all of them in textbooks before but in person the color/technique is just awesome on a whole other level. I was really just so speechless and taking a million pictures of the same thing a million times haha. With both Assisi and Ravenna, going to all the churches, I really began to understand how one would have been a believer back then. Even for me, the images were just so powerful and awe inspiring. Don't worry though, I still retain my cynicism.

This Thursday, tomorrow, a bunch of us are going to a real Fiorentina soccer game. They're playing Ajax which I guess is Amsterdam's team. It's going to be sooooo nuts, I can't wait. Then this Friday I'm off to Arezzo, Monterchi, and San Sepulchro for the day with my 15th Century Art class. And then Sunday I'm taking a day trip with Sarah and Marah to Viareggio where they have their own little festival for Carnivale. Supposedly they work on their floats all year for each upcoming Carnivale so it should be pretty intense. I'll be sure to take a bunch of photos. Speaking of which, here are a bunch below from the trips I took to Assisi and Ravenna.

Assisi:

St.Francis of Assisi Church


















This guy is outside of the Church on the grass. He's having a hard day haha.














A little cheese shop that was actually open in Assisi...so much Pecorino...














Ravenna:

I could kick myself for not remembering the name of this church, it's right oustide Ravenna and textbook staple...














Outside of San Vitale...


















Inside ceiling of San Vitale...














Apse mosaic, it was unbelievable.














More from apse...


















Even more from apse...














And even more from apse...haha, it was just so amazing.


















Outside of Galla Placidia...














Self explanatory...














Inside of Galla Placidia...this looked so modern to me and the colors were gorgeous.














Another from the inside, we couldn't use flash so it's kinda shitty quality but cool none the less.


















Snapped this running to the bus, no clue what it is but I thought the feet hanging over were great.


















Marah with what looks like condoms shaking hands. Va bene, allora.














The pictures above don't do the any of the mosaics justice but I thought I would share anyway. Miss you all, send burritos please.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Visuals II

so i spent the weekend in Rome and it was great. the weather was beautiful and for the first time since i've been in Italy i wasn't freezing. i got there friday morning and spent the day at the vatican. we went into the museum and st.peter's basilica and even though i'd already been, i think it had even more of an effect on me. just so ridiculous, so beautiful and decadent. that night we went out to a really fun dinner at some random restaurant. the food was soooo yummy, really legit italian. they gave us limoncello on the house (shit is strong) and then we went out to some bar called the drunken ship which was super fun. the next morning, saturday, we went to the colosseum and the pantheon which was also pretty great for the second time. then we all decided to stay an extra night so we booked a hotel and did it. we went out that night and then woke up sunday morning to take a train back to Florence...some pictures:

the Laocoon was beautiful.

detail of the foot...seriously?

Belvedere torso. not gonna lie, i got choked up. it was just too insane seeing it in person.

my friend Annie taking a picture in a hall with a bunch of random sculptures.

i love this. it looks like these guys are just having a casual convo about something in the paper.

a detail of the above...

school of athens, no biggie.

st.peter's basilica. it's so huge, look at how tiny the people are in the background.

outside st.peter's basilica.

the outside of the colosseum...

inside of the colosseum...

annie and i inside the colosseum...

coffee granita with fresh whipped cream, kinda dorky but i'm thrilled.

outside the pantheon...

this was in a church, forgot the name, but i thought it was so beautiful the way she's holding her head.

this one's for all you santa cruz beezies...

sarah being silly, annie and alex before going out saturday night...

me and sarah a couple drinks later that night...


very fun weekend. having an effing blast. miss you all.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

La Prima Vacanza

going to Rome tomorrow morning for the weekend with Sarah, Marah and Annie. i have to be at the train station at 7:30 am! yikes...should be a good time though. I'll post pictures Sunday/Monday.

also, i had the BEST almond gelato today from a place called Grom. it had actual little pieces of almonds in it. i guess they have a bunch of locations, even in the U.S...they have seasonal sorbetto too so all of the fruit they use is super fresh and it looks like it's from they're own organic farm? check out the website http://www.grom.it/eng/index.htm ...yum yum yum.

ciao!

Monday, January 26, 2009

Visuals I

This is Piazza Signoria at night, the shadows are pretty dramatic.














This is the Arno, kinda murky but pretty none the less.














This is Santa Croce, it's huge inside, much bigger than you would think.


















This is a statue of Dante that's right to the left (our left) of Santa Croce when facing it. Pretty intense.


















Last Thursday-Sunday there was a chocolate festival in Piazza Santa Croce (infront of the church). All these chocolatiers and venders from around Italy came to Florence to showcase and sell their goodies. It was incredible and gave me the best stomach ache I've ever had.

The view from the vender tents up at Santa Croce, that's me and my friend Marah...I stole this one from my friend Meg.


















Yummmm














How cute are these?














And these...little chocolate mice on chocolate cheese.














Me, very happy and very full.


















On another note, this is my school. It's pretty, but it doesn't beat Baskin Engineering.















These are EVERYWHERE and becoming quite a problem for me. Haribo=heaven.


















This is the devil cat I live with, Canaponne. It's super senial and tries to attack me on a daily basis. Look at it's devil eyeballs. In front of it is a vegetable torte that my host mama Luigina made. Delish.














This is me and my roomate Sarah...














And this is me and Marah...she's actually ridiculous...convinced 5 Italian guys to "get low" during that song when we went to some dance club/bar...it was amazing.














Evidence of project "get low" even though it's hard to tell,they all did it. She had them wrapped around her finger. Never would have happened in America...stole this from Sarah.


















Found this store on a random street Sunday, hence why it's closed: "Who Jah Bless. Jesus is the Winner"...I'll have to go back.


















Another store...racist much?















Well this took my forever so I think that's enough for now.