In Bruges

It seems as the weeks go by, my weekends are getting busier and busier. I just realized on the train last night that I’ve been here for a whole month now. It’s hard to imagine my trip being almost one third of the way over! Three and a half months just doesn’t cut it.

If you look back at my last post, I mentioned I wanted to go somewhere, but I didn’t know where. Well about an hour after posting it, my roommate, Chris said he really wanted to go to Bruges and Paris this weekend. So we did! We planned our weekend that night and the next day, we had our flights.

We flew Ryanair, a low cost airline that many students and Europeans use to travel around the continent and parts of North Africa. The problem with this airline is that the airports they fly in and out of are way outside of the city. So we took an hour train ride to Pisa Airport where we were packed like sardines trying to get boarded. Apparently, Ryanair overbooks flights, so if you’re in the back of the crowd, there’s a chance you won’t get on the plane. Once on the tarmac, people literally ran to the steps of the plane to have first dibs on a seat. We got seats next to each other no problem.

We flew into Brussels, Belgium, or so we thought. It was a small town outside of Brussels called Charleroi. We had to take a 45-minute bus ride to actually get to the city Ryanair advertized. We had no idea where we were when they dropped us off at a train station. We picked the tallest church-like spire we could see, and walked towards it. About a half hour later, we were finally in Brussels. On the way, there was a bright yellow van that was selling fresh Belgian waffles. At only 1.50€ a piece, it was an offer I couldn’t refuse! I was in Belgium, eating a Belgian waffle. Let me tell you, I had never eaten a Belgian waffle that tasted so good!! It was a completely plain waffle, hot out of the iron, and it tasted like it was crusted with sugar. I don’t think I can ever order another Belgian waffle from First Watch again! 

We walked around for a few more hours, tasting the local cuisine and enjoying the beautiful mixture of architecture of both old and new. For dinner, we had another local specialty, French fries, (it makes you wonder why they aren’t called Belgian Fries!) and a type of chicken that looked more like fried potato wedges, and a local beer called Hoegaarden.

After dinner, we took a train to Bruges, Belgium, known as the Venice of the north. It’s also where the name of the film In Bruges took place, hence the name of this post. We walked through the streets of Bruges for a few hours, looking for hostels to stay in. At about 10:30 when we gave up, we came across a small hotel that had a bar on the first floor. For only 65 euro, we were able to stay in a really nice room that overlooked the canals and church steeples of the city.  After dropping our stuff on the bed out of exhaustion, we went down to the bar to try another Belgian beer. We asked for the darkest beer they had and he gave us what he said was voted Best Beer in the World in 2009. He was right. It was so good, we had to get two more to take back to the room and we saved the bottles.

The next morning, we went in search of the Basilica of the Holy Blood, a church that holds a relic of the blood of Jesus. It is said to be a part of the cloth that Joseph of Aramathea cleaned Jesus with after taking his bloody body down from the cross. It was brought back during the Crusades by a soldier from Bruges after the war and has remained there since. During certain hours, we are able to venerate the Blood of Christ by actually walking up to the altar and being able to touch the glass casing protecting the vial. A priest stands behind the altar, wiping fingerprints off the glass. Walking up to it, I didn’t exactly know what to expect. Would it be hard to see? Would it be covered in dirt after 2,000 years? When it became my turn, I was very surprised to see a completely intact white piece of cloth stained with the bright red Blood of Christ. The stains were so red and fresh looking, it looks as if the piece of cloth was used the day before the clean the wounds of Christ. It was truly an amazing experience.

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the small picturesque town, looking on as boat tours sailed by on the canals and horse drawn carriages took tourists on rides down the narrow cobblestone streets. We had lunch at a restaurant overlooking a canal and had the first piece of steak in over a month. It was so mouth watering juicy and came with fries, delicious vegetable soup and bread. We of course had another locally brewed beer that was as good as the one from the night before. 

Taking the train back to Brussels, we took a high-speed train to Paris, which only took about two hours. The ride was so smooth you wouldn’t even know you were moving at over 100 mph. We arrived at Gare du Nord and went straight to the Eiffel Tower via metro. This was my third time in Paris, but I didn’t want Chris to miss the beauty of the tower being lit up at night. Paris by night is a must for all visitors to the city!

The next morning we walked a few blocks from our hotel to climb the Eiffel Tower. We turned the corner expecting to see the tower, but it was gone! Well, half of it anyway. It was so cloudy and foggy that morning, you could only see up to the first observation deck. We decided that we would go up anyway in hopes it would clear up by the time we got to the top. It didn’t. It reminded me of when I was on a mountain in Switzerland seven years ago and all you could see was white clouds. An occasional gust of wind would clear away some clouds to give you a brief glimpse of the city, but that was it. 

The next stop was Notre Dame Cathedral. The magnificent bell towers rose high on the Parisian skyline, but not nearly as tall as Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame makes them seem. A quick walk though of the cathedral was all we could afford with a tight schedule.

On our way to the Louvre, we stopped at a side café to get crepes. Neither of us had eaten, so the big egg, ham and cheese crepes were at the top of the list. It was a great snack to hold us over in line at the Louvre. It went surprisingly fast and before we knew it, we were going down the escalator in the giant glass pyramid that has become an icon in Paris. As international students, we were able to get free admission, so we didn’t feel bad that we were only there for about an hour. We walked in, followed the signs for the Mona Lisa (La Giaconda in Italian), saw the Mona Lisa, took pictures of it, and left. It was almost a sinful thing to do, but we didn’t have a choice. The airport where our flight left from wasn’t actually in Paris… it was in Beauvais, a town that took us over an hour by train and a ten-minute bus ride to get to.

Overall, it has been the greatest weekend I’ve spent here. I ate a Belgian waffle and drank Belgian beer in Belgium, ate a crepe in France, touched the Blood of Jesus, went up the Eiffel Tower, passed through Notre Dame, and visited the Mona Lisa. I’d say it was a pretty successful trip.

A lot of you are telling me I need to write more, and I’d love to every other day if I could, but internet is hard to come by and I’d spend every second of my free time writing. I’ll try to get another up before my trip to Budapest!

Ciao for now!

Duomo, Pisa, Siena and more!

I’ve had a busy couple of days consisting of more than just the usual schoolwork.

Tuesday’s art class brought us to Santa Croce, a beautiful church that was virtually destroyed during the 1966 flooding of the Arno. One of the more famous works of art that was damaged and has since been restored, is Cimabue’s cross that once hung above the altar. Santa Croce also happens to be the final resting place of Michelangelo and Galileo.

After our church tour, we visited an attached leather factory and had a demonstration on gilding gold on leather. It was pretty amazing to watch as the leather worker gently placed the gold leafing on the leather and meticulously stamped it with the hot tools that were sitting inside a desktop furnace. It was strange to think that the small offices and storerooms that lined the hallway were once cells for the Franciscan monks that lived and prayed at the church.

Wednesday brought more adventures in this Renaissance city. With other students belonging to the Society of Saint Thomas More, I climbed the four hundred and some odd steps to the top of the Duomo. It was definitely worth the gasping for air and sore legs once I got to the top. I had climbed St. Peter’s dome in Rome a few years ago, but Tuscany is not Lazio. Tuscany’s rolling green hills and hilltop towns and church steeples rose up all around. I could see where I stood in Fiesole the week before, I could see my bedroom window, and snowcapped mountains in the distance. Juniper trees shot up in the sky like missal silos and red tiled roofs covered the city like a lava flow. It was a sight not to forget!

On Friday, some friends and I took a day trip to Pisa to see, what else, the leaning tower. This is my third time in Italy and not once have I seen the infamous American icon for the country. After a long walk from the train station to the Campo dei Miracoli, the Leaning Tower of Pisa was a little… small. I thought we’d be able to see it from the train station. Nope!

One thing that was really neat was eating pizza outside at a little café and being able to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa at the same time. Admit it. We all know it’s really called the Leaning Tower of Pizza.

Saturday took me on another day trip to the neatest little town called Siena. Siena is famous for many things such as the obvious, St. Catherine of Siena. It was humbling to be present with her relics and pray before the crucifix that she prayed in front of when she received the stigmata. Of course, holy cards, medals, and plaques were among souvenirs to be brought back to friends who carry her name.

Siena is also famous for the Palio, a horse race that takes place twice a year in the summer, on a track made in the Campo. The city is divided up into 17 condrade, each of which submits a horse and jockey. Horses are blessed in the morning in the condrada’s church, and if he leaves “something” behind, then it is seen as good luck. The entire city is shut down and becomes a ghost town except in the center where the Campo is. After the race, no matter who wins, a huge potluck is shared with the whole town in the winning contrada.

Next weekend’s activities are not yet planned, but the following weekend, I’m going to Budapest, Hungary with one of my friends from CCM who is studying in Sweden. The following weekend is our program’s trip to Rome! I’m looking forward to both of these trips!!!

Video of my apartment

My apartment!

The past few days

It’s been a short time since my last post, but I figure I’d write out things as they happen.

Monday we had a pretty sweet Art History class. We met in front of the Baptistery “Gates of Paradise” La Porta del Paradiso, the famous golden doors made by Ghiberti. Renaissance Art History is so much more interesting when you’re visiting the actual art and not sitting in a lecture hall looking at a PowerPoint slide, listening to the professor talk about it. We walked around to the back of the Duomo to the Duomo Museum where all the works of art in the Basilica are kept. If you’ve ever been in the Duomo, you know that it’s pretty bare compared to the multicolored façade. You see, the façade that we see today, wasn’t always there. The original façade was taken down after being deemed too old fashioned. The original statues and reliefs that once covered the front of the Duomo are now housed in a modern museum behind the museum. Then our teacher took us to the crypt of the Duomo where we explored the underground museum of protected artifacts, frescos and the skull of the original patroness of the church, St. Reparata. 

 

Since I’m really involved in my Campus Ministry, I had to find something that would supplement my spiritual support that I relied on so much. Our Student Campus Minister, and good friend of mine, went on the same study abroad program in Florence that I’m attending. He became involved in the St. Thomas More Society, which is an organization for English speaking students in Florence to gather and practice their faith. To kick off the start of the new semester, the bi-weekly dinner was held on Wednesday night at a little trattoria about a five-minute walk down the street from me. I arrived at the trattoria and was greeted with the same hospitality I was first greeted with coming into CCM. Altogether there were about nine of us at the table.

For only 7 euro, we had an amazing dinner of a primo piatto, bread, and wine. I got the best pesto gnocchi I’d ever had and the best chianti I’ve had since coming to Italy! I felt right at home like I was at the chapel. Don Mario couldn’t make it that night since he apparently has the flu. Hopefully I’ll get to meet him this weekend! They announced that next Wednesday, they were organizing a trip to climb to the top of the Duomo for free. Usually it’s 8 euro. I’m so excited to climb the stairs between the two shells of the infamous Duomo! Also announced, and very tempting I might add, was a pilgrimage to Paris the last weekend in February. Unfortunately it’s the same weekend as our program’s trip to Rome. But luckily I’ve been to Paris twice before. Actually I’ve been to Rome twice before, but I have to go, so it doesn’t make any difference!

I’m so fortunate to have four-day weekends, so on Friday, I took a little bus trip to a small hilltop town called Fiesole. I had been there three years ago, but I didn’t get to explore around as much as I would have liked. I went into the beautiful church called St. Domenic that has a bell tower that could be heard echoing all around the town. The plain exterior is an understatement compared to the inside. Large concrete columns held up the exposed wooden ceiling covering the nave and sanctuary. Stairs leading down behind the alter, led to the tabernacle and the crypt.

I then continued to venture around the small city exploring all the steep streets and alleyways, looking for the best views of Florence. The best part of this town is that it’s on the top of the hill, so it had views on two sides! One side was Florence, the other, the rolling hills of Tuscany, spotted with juniper trees and small vineyards.

I finally found the perfect spot to watch the sun slowly set over the city. I probably stood there for a good 30 minutes in both amazement and revelation as to why so many artists flocked to this city. It gives you the chills to think that so many infamous artists, sculptors, architects, and influential people once walked the streets below and passed by the exact same buildings. Yes, what used to be a Medici palace is now a leather shop or a cell phone store, but it’s still the same. So beautiful, so untouched by modern culture, and totally a place I could live. 

(Pictures to come, I'm having formatting problems.) 

I'm here!!!

Wow! Words cannot describe the excitement I've had the last few days living in Florence. It has been one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had in my life. And it's just the beginning!

I flew into Philly and Munich successfully and had an awesome flight over the Atlantic. We left a little later than we were supposed to but arrived on time. As soon as we got to cruising altitude, dinner was served; a tasty meal of rice and chicken, salad, a roll, and carrot cake which was surprisingly good. I watched "The Social Network" and "Salt" to get me though the rest of the evening before I attempted to go to bed... no such luck. I was smart and picked my seat a few days before my flight so I could see where there are empty seats on the plane. Since this was the third time I've flown over the Atlantic, I knew I didn't have to get a window seat and be squished by a fat German man, so I chose a seat in the middle where there were two other seats between me and another person.  It didn't do me any good though since I couldn't sleep!! Not soon after I tried to lay down, did the lights come on in the cabin and the flight attendant came on saying, "Good morning ladies and gentlemen." So much for sleeping on the plane.

It was great to get to see familiar faces when I got to the airport in Munich. There were about eight of the thirteen of us on the same flight to Florence. It was so amazing to fly over the Alps!

We were picked up by the school and taken to our apartments. We are right on Via Calzaiuoli, the main drag between the Dumo and Piazza della Signoria. We live on the 5th floor of a super old building above a Disney store, and two hotels. Luckily we have an elevator. Even better is our terrace:

There is a bedroom on the street side that has a massive window that overlooks the crowded street below. Great big gray shutters close to cover our window and helps block the noise, or open to see the beautiful view of the Campanile and the top of the Duomo. To the right, you can see the tower to Palazzo Vecchio.

Everyday for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I have something Italian. Whether it's a cornnetto all crema and a cappuccino in the morning, pizza magharita in the afternoon, or pasta al forno for dinner, it's pretty much the same thing everyday. We even cooked in our apartment the other night! We didn't have a ton of ingredients so we just made a simple penne rigate with a can of red sauce. Then a few nights ago, I made a full dinner for ten of our classmates at one of the girl's apartments. I made chicken parm with roasted potatoes and crostini. The girls bought all the ingredients and my flatmate, Chris (and my sous chef) and I cooked. It was a hit! Some of the girls went out and they said they could smell it three blocks away. All you could hear during dinner was the cling of forks and knives on plates. It was definitely interesting to improvise to the max. And yes, I did bring my chef outfit so I can feel all special when I'm cooking Italian food in Italy, as the bells are going off and the people are bustling outside.

Classes started last Tuesday and we started off with Renaissance Art History. It's actually not as bad as I pictured it. We only meet in the classroom once or twice during the semester, and the rest is on sight at the Uffizi, Accademia, or some other world class art museum which seems to be everywhere.  In the morning, we meet in front of the Gates of Paradise to start class with visits to the Baptistery, Duomo, and Duomo museum. Italian was great! I signed up for Italian 210, a continuation of 110, and we took a test to see where we are at. Well the director of studies called me into her office the next day and said I scored the highest of everybody and there's no way I should be taking 210. I'm skipping 210, 250, and I'm moving up to 330. (Thank you Signora Lucchin!!!)

Mass was so fun! I went to noon mass at the Duomo Sunday morning and it was freezing!! My friend told me it would be cold, but it was more cold inside than outside! A little old priest who looked like he was about to fall over any second, motioned for us all to move forward and sit up closer. He then gave a little talk before mass began, in Italian. He came up to one of my friends and I and started talking to us in Italian. I was happy I could understand as much as I did. He was so happy to see young Americans at mass! He asked us where we were from and he told us all about the first time he went to America. He said he knew well, "New York upstate." His trip was three days before Robert Kennedy was assassinated and he saw saw what America was about. Also on his flight over, there were several Vietnam War veterans. Those two prominent moments in American history are the first impressions this little Italian priest had of Americans.

The best part is, I don't feel at all bit scared. I don't feel like I'm away from home, or I'm on a vacation. I'm really happy I can integrate myself so well into a culture that is actually way more simplistic than in America. The beds are only about 5'10" long, (I'm 6'3"), We only have heat for a few hours a day, no wireless internet in our place, no dishwasher, no oven, no dryer, zero counter space, and a super tight elevator. I'm not complaining, I just think that we are so spoiled, we don't realize that we waste so much. People have survived thousands of years without any of the things I just mentioned, so why do we need them? I'm sitting in a gelateria eating the best gelato in the world responding to a million backlogged emails. I need to slow it down and act more laid back like a true Italian. I'm here not only to live the sweet life, but the dolce vita!

New post soon

Don't worry guys, I've written a new post while everything is still fresh in my head. Internet is limited here and it takes a while for video and pictures to load.

Other than that... IT'S AMAZING!!

Almost time to leave!!!!

I don't know how many times I have tried to sit down and write this! I just deleted a bunch of drafts that I started, but never finished. With work, work at home, Christmas, New Years, and very little down time, I have finally found the time to write while waiting on the banana pineapple bread I just put in the oven and everybody is upstairs asleep.

So, I'm not a big fan of this whole packing thing. When I left for college in August, I literally packed the night before. When I left college for home, again, I packed the night before. Nothing has changed as I pack for another four month trip away from home. It's the day before I leave, and my suitcase still sits in my room, empty, and with the tags still on it from Christmas. Whoops! Timer is going off, hold on. Okay, I'm back. I don't know if it's me and how I hate to pick out clothes and I have to pick out four months of clothes, or whether it might be I find better things to do than pack. As excited as I am to go to Italy, I'm surprised I wasn't packed last month!

(Not my actual suitcase)

I ran all over Columbus today getting last minute things, and I have a funny feeling I'll be doing that again tomorrow and Saturday morning. I got my Euros, cell phone, black socks, 4G memory card for my camera, and then made a delicious dinner consisting of pork chops and scalloped potatoes. Speaking of cooking, I found an amazing cooking class in Florence that I'm dying to take while I'm there. Chef Giovanni takes you shopping at a market and teaches you how to pick the best produce. He then takes you back to his apartment and you make a four course meal! I know what I'm doing the first weekend I'm in Florence!

As you can see, I'm not that excited.

After I get all that packing done, all I have to do is wait until Saturday afternoon. My flight leaves Port Columbus at 3:35 and arrives in Philly at 5:06. My transatlantic flight leaves at 6:30 for Munich, Germany and arrives at 8:45 the next morning, local time. I only have a little bit of time in Germany until my flight leaves at 11:45 for Florence. I'll arrive at my final destination, Florence, Italy at 1:05 pm and step out of the plane to a wonderful 58 degrees. That will leave me plenty of time to roam the narrow streets of my new city in search of a Catholic church where I can go to mass since it will be a Sunday. (I'm sure this won't be too hard to find!) I did find out that my plane to Munich has individual screens for everyone to pick their own shows and movies! So much better than watching "Lost in Translation" in Italian like I did the first time I flew to Italy!

Okay, so this is First Class with the lay flat beds, but it's not where I'm sitting :(