Firenze

Florence was our first trip outside of Rome. There were probably about 20 of us, so it was almost the entire program that took the trip. Since I had a Friday afternoon class I left with a group of Loyola people after our class in the early evening. We took the Eurostar, Italy’s bullet train and were in Florence in about an hour and a half. When we checked into our hostel we were really surprised. Usually you hear that hostels are dirty, smell and just an overall unpleasant experience, this was not the case at all. The hostel was huge, the rooms were nice, clean, and the bathrooms were even nice.

After we checked in we met up with the other group of Loyola people who had gotten there earlier in the afternoon. It was a pretty relaxed night; we explored the city a little and met up with some of the Loyola Florence students. It was actually really funny because the Florence students planned a trip to Rome that weekend and we had planned a trip there. Saturday most of the Florence people were back so we got to see more of our friends and they showed us around.

We got up and out of the hostel around noon on Saturday. The group of guys I was with met up with the Rome girls and got lunch. We walked into a random restaurant and of course there were already a group of about eight Loyola Rome students, we were everywhere. After lunch we did some shopping, exploring and more eating. In Florence waffle/ gelato sandwiches seems to be their thing, so naturally I had to get one. It was one of the most unique experiences, two waffles and strawberry gelato in the middle. Definitely difficult to eat, the thing was huge. What I equate this to is a funnel cake. You see it at the carnival, want it, you’re going to eat all of it and then 3 bites in you’re full. That happened with this but it was worth it.

(Our Waffle Gelato Sandwiches)

All around the Duomo there are blocks and blocks of vendors selling everything from leather to ties and t-shirts. The sales were great and I couldn’t pass up the four ties for ten-euro deal. After the shopping we did the real tourist thing and did a lot of sight seeing. We went to the Duomo, the Ponte Vecchio and Piazza Michelangelo.

(Me on the Ponte Vecchio)

Getting to Piazza Michelangelo was a hike. It was really far from the city center but we had heard good things about it so we made the trip. Not only did it turn out that it was really far, but it was over 200 steps from the bottom to the top. Once we got there we all stopped our complaining because this was the most spectacular view of Florence, you could see everything and it was gorgeous. Of course we found more Loyola people up there. We had no idea that they were going to be there, but we caught them in the middle of a wine and cheese break before heading back down. After staying at the piazza for almost an hour we decided it would be a much better idea to take a taxi back to the hostel instead of walk.

(Evan and I at Piazza Michelangelo)

We were exhausted from walking all so what do five male college students do, take a nap naturally, for two hours. It was perfect because we woke up right in time for dinner. Jeff and I went with a few of the girls to this restaurant that they had heard about. Up until this point I never had that one standout, blow you away amazing Italian meal, but this meal was the one I had been looking for. It wasn’t anything complicated, just extremely fresh and well cooked. So what did I have you ask? I started with the beef carpaccio and for my entre I had grilled calamari on a bed of fresh grilled vegetables. There was a lot of zucchini in it and as I said before I was never a fan of it before and cant promise that I will be a fan of it when I get home, but it was awesome.

After dinner we headed to a famous discoteque, Space. This was the first time I’ve ever had to wait behind a velvet rope with a bouncer who had a clipboard. It didn’t open till about 12:30, but we made it in and it was quite the experience. At the end of the night we walked back to the hostel and what was right down the block? A McDonalds, so we had to go in. This was the first time in three weeks that any of us had any American food and it was great, Italian can do McDonalds pretty well. We kept the American food rolling the next morning with a trip to an American diner, such a novelty over here. I’m not a huge breakfast person but it was so nice to have apple juice (which isn’t too popular here) and French toast.

Later that afternoon we caught our train back to Rome. It was so nice to get back and it was so weird because I was homesick for Rome. I couldn’t wait to get back to my house, be in my room, use my shower and of course Paolo’s cooking. Overall Florence was good but I like Rome so much better. It feels more like home, things move at a fast pace (which says a lot for Italy because nothing is done with a sense of urgency) and it seems more Italian. In Florence it seemed like everyone spoke English. I don’t know if its because its smaller so the city is more condensed so you notice it more, if there are more English students or if most people actually speak English there. It really was a great trip, but at the same time it showed me Rome was the perfect choice.

La Prima Fine Settimana

Our first weekend in Rome was an interesting one; I would definitely say it was the real matriculation of us to Rome. No one really knew where to go or how to get places, but it was nice to be free without having anywhere to really go. We were about to walk around, explore and relax… but not too much because I was up at nine on Saturday.

Dr. Dawson, our site director and my theology professor, who we have all come to regard as one of the most intelligent men we have ever met, gave us a tour of St. Peter’s Basilica. Dr. Dawson or DDV as he is affectionately known (David Dawson Vasquez), knows almost everything about Rome and can answer almost any question you throw at him, its great.

(DDV outside of St. Peter's)

St. Peter’s was one of the most spectacular pieces of architecture and history I have ever seen. The inside is enormous. I have ever before seen anything like this. The statues, the architecture, the history and the overall beauty, it was overwhelming. We learned a lot about the history of the different artifact, meanings and engineering techniques. It’s amazing to think that they were so precise in the sixteenth century. There really is so much that I could go on about, but it would get boring real quick. One of the most interesting things is that they actually have the bodies of saints displayed throughout the basilica.

After the tour of the basilica we were taken down into its crypt and saw the tombs of various Popes and St. Peter. One of the tombs we got to see was that of John Paul II. They were all really simple but very poignant.

Finally, since there were only about 20 of us on the tour, Dr. Dawson bought us passes up to the top of the dome. The climb was crazy, there were 557 steps to the top. After the first set of steps you arrive on the roof of St. Peter’s and there is a great view of the city, you cant believe that it gets any better, but it does and oh there is a souvenir shop of course. Then you can head inside the dome. The mosaics inside of it are gorgeous, and there is a great view of the altar below.

Once you’re inside the dome you have to walk up the narrowest set of staircases and since the walls are slanted you’re on angle most of the time. After what seems like another 500 steps we finally arrived at the cupola.

Once you’re inside the dome you have to walk up the narrowest set of staircases and since the walls are slanted you’re on angle most of the time. After what seems like another 500 steps we finally arrived at the cupola. The view was spectacular, it was sensory overload. You could see everything, a 360-degree view of Rome, the papal gardens, the river and where Rome ends mountains being, it was incredible. This is something that everyone needs to see, it just shows how expansive Rome is, how far it reaches and the spectacular site. I think its so amazing that I’m going to make the climb up two more time to make sure both of my parents see this and the amazing view of Rome.

La Prima Settimana e Mie Classi

It’s been a while since my last post, which means that the past few weeks have been incredibly busy. A lot has happened so I'm going to try and update you all as much as possible. As I write this post I am on my way to Carnevale in Venice for the weekend.

My first week in Rome seems so far away but it was really only five weeks ago. It's funny how quickly Rome has come to feel like home and how quickly I have come to feel like a Roman. The first thing in becoming a Roman 101 was learning the public transportation system. I knew that I could walk to school but remembering what happened two days earlier I decided to take the metro. The stop was only one block from my house and then about three blocks from my Italian school, so this was the safe bet on the first day.

(The B Line, my ride home... They're all very unique metro cars)

It worked pretty well to get, but after the class I felt adventurous and wanted to figure out how to walk home. It turned out that it was only really one street to get home. I took it straight it from Italiaidea back to my house and it only a ten minute walk. It was amazing that it was so simple, but we got so lost a few days before.

The next day I tried a different way to get to school, the 117 bus. This was by far the easiest way to get there. I picked it up from the end of my block and it dropped me off right at the front door of Italiaidea, travel time- three minutes. This was the best find thus far. Effectively this means that I can roll out of bed at 9:00, take a shower, get ready, eat breakfast, show up at the bus at 9:45, get on the bus around 9:50 and arrive at school at 9:54, still having 5 minutes to spare.

Needless to say I have the most envious commute. Most people have to leave their house by 9:00, I'm usually not getting up till then. It’s been five weeks and I still haven't been able to figure out if the 117 subscribes to any type of schedule. Some days it shows up at 9:43, other days 9:57, or sometimes not at all. It's a very interesting thing; the bus is half the size of the regular buses, that should have been the first indicator that it couldn't be taken seriously. Overall it’s not that bad because if it’s late or doesn't show up (which has happened), it's only a ten-minute walk.

Italian class has been interesting; we finished our first course in the first week of February. It’s amazing that we already took 60 hours, over a semester worth of class in just four weeks, three hours a day. It started out pretty easy but definitely got a lot more difficult as it went on. The class was only 10 people, all Loyola students and focused on conversational skills. The first class was an introduction and now we are in the second level. Instead of focusing on grammar and things of that nature, it focuses on conversational proficiency. They do this so we can actually use the language and get by while we’re here. Overall the first course was helpful and not too bad, a quarter of the way in and one class down. Our second Italian class started last week and we already have a midterm coming up in a few days.

It’s amazing how confident I've become in speaking. Even if I don’t know how to say what I want to or properly structure it, I can find ways around it and still get my point across. Our new teacher doesn’t care if we talk while doing work but it has to be in Italian. So, the other day Evan and I had a whole conversation about our travel plans for Sicily in April and fully understood each other. We were thoroughly impressed with ourselves since only a month ago we were nervous saying hello to someone in Italian.

My three other classes are History of the Papacy and Catholicism, Art and Architecture of Ancient Rome and US/ British Literature about Italy. For the most part they are interesting classes but three to three and a half hours is a lot to take. I love taking three-hour business classes at Loyola, but they usually involve activities and are more interesting to me. So three hours of lecture is tough. The one upside is site visits. Its like we’ve gone back to elementary school, site visits are the grown up version of a field trip. Overall, classes aren’t that bad and its nice having two afternoons off a week.