Sunday, February 19, 2012
Venezia
I just got back from Venice last night where I spent the day walking around the city. We went during Carnivalle, which is a big celebration where people dress up in crazy costumes and have parades and all sorts of fun things like that. The city was beautiful and much more Italian looking than Milan. Some of my friends bought masks at the little kiosks. We saw some gondolas going through the canals in the city. The pictures I'm posting below are of the city and the huge group of people that flocked Venice for the festival. It was funny seeing people in colonial garb. There were even some Native Americans playing music right when we got off the boat, which was kind of strange, but interesting all the same. I can't wait to explore more of Italy. Here are some pictures...
Monday, February 13, 2012
Duomo
Here are pictures of the Duomo and the galleria next to it. At the Duomo, there are pigeons everywhere and they're crazy. The first day I went there, a pigeon landed on a guy's head with others attacked this lady that had food in her hand. They landed all over her, sitting on her arms and shoulders. Personally, I will stay as far away from those pigeons as possible.
The Beginning of Penne Everyday
First blog entry since I've been in Milan. It's been quite an adjustment with the whole language barrier, but I'm definitely learning. I've moved into my apartment and settled in, which makes my stay feel much more permanent and less like a week long vacation. It's nice to have a space of my own, but I think I've gotten my fill of apartment living already. Walking up 3 flights of stairs everyday isn't exactly fun and hearing my neighbors coughing and watching t.v. late at night can get a bit annoying. It's a pretty place though and I enjoy living here with my roommates.
It's been freezing here since I got here. For some reason I expected it to be warm even though it's winter here. Probably some crazy idea I got from movies where Italy always looks beautiful and sunny and warm. Not exactly the case, but hopefully it'll warm up soon. The cold has kept me from doing all the things I've wanted to, so soon I'll venture out more and hopefully see all that Milan has to offer.
I've been to the Duomo in the center of the city and that's a really cool thing to see. It's huge with intricate sculptures and carvings all over the outside. I think there are hundred of gargoyles and statues on the cathedral. My roommates and I found this little cafe called California Bakery where you can get huge cups of coffee and American style breakfasts. It was really comforting to go there and see some of the things I miss from home.
I'm worried that I'm going to be so sick of pasta by the end of my semester here that I'll never be able to eat another noodle again. Eating pasta at least 4 times a week is a bit much. It is good though.
Living in a city like Milan is strange for me. I guess I'm not exactly what you would call a city person, so being around so many people and so much cement makes me miss thing like grass and big trees and quiet. It's nice that my apartment is a bit outside the city so that I can escape the noise every once in a while.
I think the funniest thing that I've witnessed this far occurred while taking the metro. I was sitting and this bigger, macho type guy was standing in front of me holding a paper bag. Once the train started going, he took a 2-disc set of Mariah Carey out of the bag and took off the plastic wrapping. Once he got that off, he attempted to get one of the discs out of the little box that they came in. When he continued to fail at getting the CDs out, he decided that he'd instead rip the box open. When he finally got the CDs out, he looked at the track listings for about 2 seconds before he had to exit the train. I think the funny part was that not only did this big guy buy a 2-disc set of Mariah Carey, but that he was so eager to look at the track listings that he had to rip the case open before he got home.
I'm sure other funny things have happened, but right now I'm sick of typing about them, so I'll save them for next time. I'll try to update this thing more often, so stay tuned.
It's been freezing here since I got here. For some reason I expected it to be warm even though it's winter here. Probably some crazy idea I got from movies where Italy always looks beautiful and sunny and warm. Not exactly the case, but hopefully it'll warm up soon. The cold has kept me from doing all the things I've wanted to, so soon I'll venture out more and hopefully see all that Milan has to offer.
I've been to the Duomo in the center of the city and that's a really cool thing to see. It's huge with intricate sculptures and carvings all over the outside. I think there are hundred of gargoyles and statues on the cathedral. My roommates and I found this little cafe called California Bakery where you can get huge cups of coffee and American style breakfasts. It was really comforting to go there and see some of the things I miss from home.
I'm worried that I'm going to be so sick of pasta by the end of my semester here that I'll never be able to eat another noodle again. Eating pasta at least 4 times a week is a bit much. It is good though.
Living in a city like Milan is strange for me. I guess I'm not exactly what you would call a city person, so being around so many people and so much cement makes me miss thing like grass and big trees and quiet. It's nice that my apartment is a bit outside the city so that I can escape the noise every once in a while.
I think the funniest thing that I've witnessed this far occurred while taking the metro. I was sitting and this bigger, macho type guy was standing in front of me holding a paper bag. Once the train started going, he took a 2-disc set of Mariah Carey out of the bag and took off the plastic wrapping. Once he got that off, he attempted to get one of the discs out of the little box that they came in. When he continued to fail at getting the CDs out, he decided that he'd instead rip the box open. When he finally got the CDs out, he looked at the track listings for about 2 seconds before he had to exit the train. I think the funny part was that not only did this big guy buy a 2-disc set of Mariah Carey, but that he was so eager to look at the track listings that he had to rip the case open before he got home.
I'm sure other funny things have happened, but right now I'm sick of typing about them, so I'll save them for next time. I'll try to update this thing more often, so stay tuned.
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