and thus it begins...

So Fall break is almost half over and with the knowledge that I am halfway through a little homesickness has started creeping in.  So I came up with 2 ways to deal with it. 

Step 1: Carve a pumpkin for Halloween

This is Leonard's Innards

This would be Leonard 

(to whom the innards belonged to)

Isn't Leonard cute all lit up with his unibrow??

This is Leonard from our apartment window

(he's on the left)

Step 2: Throw the 10 Euro weekly food budget out the window 

and fix a 5 course dinner over a 3 hour period

Course 1: Egg drop soup

Course 2: Refried beans

Course 3: Steamed Veggies and Pasta

Course 4: Peach Jello

Course 5: Chocolate Pudding 

(Jello brand from home!!)

Mom, you would be proud...I've taught these girls several dishes to cook (ones that I've learned from you) and Luisa loves your life lessons dad such as...if you have to ask how much it is, it's too much and you can't get fat off of free food.  

But enough reminiscing, it will only make me more ready to come home and I have not yet finished here yet.  I wanted to go to Fiesole today but due to inclement weather, I was unable to so I will try again tomorrow.  

My friend from Paris is coming Wednesday and we will be touring Florence of course as well as Rome, Assisi (I've been waiting about 10 years to go back there), and possibly Venice this weekend before she leaves Sunday.  I can't wait to see her!!

Fall Break

So I survived midterms.  Wednesday, after my last portfolio presentation, I came home around 10 slept til 3 and went back to bed around 4 and got up again around 7 for dinner and went back to bed around 9.  The following day was very similar but I did manage to make it to Fiesole to get away from the city life.  This is a church that was there.  

Fiesole is a mountaintop village that overlooks Florence.  It is about a 20 minute bus ride away.  Of course I had to be the typical tourist and get my picture made with the city in the background.  Sadly, it was very overcast when we went but it was still amazing.

This is downtown Fiesole.  It was so quiet and peaceful.  I could actually cross the street without having my life flash before my eyes from crazy motos (mopeds)

Here is one of the many overlooks in the city.

And of course one artsy one...

So this week is fall break and I'm excited to actually have time.  I am going to stay around Florence catching up on the touristy things because I haven't had time to see most of the sites and plus I don't really have the money to travel so I will just enjoy the touristy spots of town this week.  Next weekend, my friend studying abroad in Paris is coming to see me.  We are going to Rome and Assisi for sure and possibly Venice depending on finances.  

I plan on going back to Fiesole to take some pictures on a more sunny day.  They also have an "American" grocery store there.  I say American because it has aisles, organized shelves, and buggies.  Plus they had pretty cheap stuff so me and Luisa bought a bag full of groceries.  I splurged on some salami and provolone cheese.  Both of which is already gone.  I did fry the salami in hopes of having it taste similar to bacon.  I failed.  It tasted more like bologna but it was pretty good.  That is the first fried food I have had here.  

So more pictures will be here soon after fall breaking!

Pronto

I have been frequenting Villa Bardini just to get away from the city (plus to take pictures for class.  It is one of the many gardens and has a nice view overlooking the city.

The other night, Luisa and I were walking and came upon this band traveling through playing in the street to get their name out.  They are very cool.  I love them.  They are the Cyclown Circus.  They have a very big band type music with a jazz feel and the girl sings and has a very 30sish sound.  I bought their cd which is the best purchase I've made here.  I was listening to it and imagine my surprise when I heard the Tiger Rag (Clemson's fight song).  Which made me love them even more!

The trumpet player had a mullet but dreadlocked

Elizabeth and I were sitting in the living room when we hear water running.  Our sink has been dripping for a while but this was a different kind of drip so we run to the kitchen to find the sink overflowing and running into the floor which already had standing water.  The drain declogged itself and went back down (we've been having drainage problems) but me and Elizabeth had to clean the floor and hallway where the water went.  Most of it seeped through to the floor below us before we could get it all up.  The neighbors downstairs didn't say anything about a leaking ceiling so I guess we are safe for now.

Elizabeth cleaning the floor

You can't see it well but there is like a half inch of standing water

The gardens are on the other side of the river so I pass the Arno frequently as well.  Everything is much less crowded over there and much much quieter.  I like it better.

Oh and this is for dad...

Oh and Italian bars are the same as our coffee shops!

I also went to check on the fort again.  This is right outside the entrance.

And then a little old man walked by...so sad and alone 

in the picture anyway not in real life!

And this is the outside of the fort which the police randomly closed for who knows what reason.

Or the "Old Fort" as Amy said :)

So Megan went on a trip this weekend and brought me back a surprise.  You know how hotels have like the little mini butter tubs (for like 1 or 2 slices of bread)?  Well they had them...of Nutella!!! and she brought me back some!!  They are awesome!

So I'm pretty sure these are individual serving sizes but they are definitely NOT the serving size I use!  Megan snagged some honey for herself though!

This is our last week before midterms and being the perfectionist I am, I am reshooting for an entire class this week plus developing so I definitely have my work cut out for me this week.  But I come to expect it because I never follow through with my original plan for projects.  But it'll be totally worth it in the end!

The Little Things

Things I took for granted at home:

--Reliable People

--Dad and Mom to buy me a little somethin somethin on occasion ;)

--The touristless streets of Old Fort

--Walking on smooth concrete and not tripping every few steps

--Free water (like at restaurants)

--Preservatives (the fresh produce is so much healthier here but it only lasts a few days since they don't use preservatives)

--Walmart

--Public tennis courts 

--Mountains

--Not having to pay for all my own food

--Sleeping an entire night without waking up

--Goldfish

--Friends and family who were my support system

--Notebook paper (their "notebooks" have graph paper inside)

Up Up and Away

The masses are starting to get to me.  I can no longer roam the streets of the center because there are just way too many tourists.  I take many side streets to get out of the center and away from the crowds.  Luckily, with photography class, we've been going to different more secluded places to take pictures so I went back this morning to get out of the apartment and away from the center (plus I had to reshoot 2 rolls but I just won't mention that).

We went to an exhibition which was amazing.  They were definitely the best black and white photographs I have ever seen.  They were taken by George Tatge, all within Italy.  I especially enjoyed them because they were all of the country.  

The musuem where the exhibition was held was also connected to the Boboli Gardens.  Apparently, I only made it to the Pitti Palace but never to the actual Boboli Gardens (there are about 50 million entrances to the gardens and that is only a slight exaggeration).

We also walked up toward the top of the city to take architecture photographs.  Coming back down today, I took a different road that followed the old city wall back down to the river.  It was very relaxing and pretty.

And for those of you who don't usually see in black and white...

Tomorrow I'll be taking more pictures of course!  Most of what I shoot is film though since 3 of my classes are film.

My Italian is still struggling.  Instead of spanglish I guess you could call it Spalian.  Although I did win the tongue twister contest in my Italian class.  The other little slackers didn't even practice it so I was the only one.  Oh well I won a chocolate egg with a prize inside!  It was a little face that goes on the top of a pencil.  Yes I'm basically awesome.

I've also gotten Luisa to translate some of my catchphrases for me. My favorite (and one I use most) is:

You wish--Stai Fresco (Sty Fray-sco)

The Arno

The Arno at night

(the picture does not do it justice)

After seeing that, what can I say?