Have Food, Will Travel!

Another week has come and gone. Pazzesco come il tempo vola (crazy how time flies)!

Last Wednesday I took a passeggiata (night walk) with my roommates to get gelato. I experimented and got Crema Lucca, which tasted like yellow cake with chocolate sauce dripped on top. I met a young blonde family of six, three girls, one boy from Palo Alto and it reminded me of my family traveling in Europe six years ago and it made me smile. A highlight of that night was meeting Norwegian students who were studying architecture. Siena is smaller, so it’s funny we did not see them out until their last two nights in town. I take for granted how easy it is to converse with people you speak the same language as.

Friday we had our first excursion to Pienza and Montalcino and then my friend Karly and I planned the rest of the weekend as follows; Bologna Saturday for the day, train to Florence for the night, and Lucca Sunday. Five towns in three days; you can sleep in back in America. To start we learned Pienza was built between 1459-62 and that it is named after Pope Pius II’s Papal name, Pienza. After our history lesson it was time for lunch and we were starving as we always are by mealtimes. However, it has become a running joke with my friends that our hunger never ceases here. For the good or bad, our newest motto is, “I could eat again.” I am sure it is just from all the walking we do, at least we tell ourselves that. It was defiantly worth the wait when we were served a three-course meal plus dessert at Terrazza del Chiostro.

Pastry dough filled with artichokes and tomatoes.

Crepe filled with ricotta and zucchini and roasted tomatoes.

Pan fried eggplant parmigiano with melted cheese and pomodoro sauce. Corn meal, squash muffin. Rosemary roasted potatoes and greens.

White chocolate mousse with warmed berries and pomegranate seeds. I was s-t-u-f-f-e-d.

Then we bused to Caseificio Pienza Solp (Pienza cheese factory) and the factory manager Riccardo gave us a tour of how pecorino cheese is made. We were laughing for quite a while at the sights of each other’s hairnets, ponchos, and booties we were required to wear.

Riccardo and the group.

At the end I thought it would be funny to video my friends and I dancing in our getups to (for those of you who do not know this song feel free to look it up), ‘Teach Me How To Dougie.’ Also, as we travel for the next two months, we plan to dance on trains and with people to this song. Goal: make the video go viral on YouTube.

Saturday more friends from the group decided to join Karly and me in Bologna. The city is much bigger than I expected because there is a university there and many students were out and about. For lunch I had tortellini with ricotta and spinach, divine of course. After lunch Karly and I split off to wander before catching our train to Florence. When we were sitting in a smaller piazza, a group of young people approached us. We were expecting the usual “Ciao Bella” in which we ignore sempre (always), but these students actually wanted to sit down and talk. So there I was sitting in a circle of people who became friends with each other on their study abroad group in Germany. They were from all over Italy, and Germany, but reunited for one of the girl’s graduations. It just goes to show you really do make lifelong friends through study abroad.

Florence was my first hostel experience and for it’s cleanliness and price I recommend it to all. When we got there another girl Kaela from our group had already checked into our mixed two-bunk room, and the guy from Argentina was already gone for the night. I decided to make my top bunk so I could crawl right into bed when I got home. I had a great meal (ravioli with walnut cream sauce) with our Wisconsin friend Paul who we met in Cinque Terre, and Karly’s friend Ali and her friend Lauren from Spain, followed by dancing with the rest of our guy friends who all study in Firenze. When Karly and I came back to the room at the end of the night Kaela was sound asleep in her bed, but when I looked to mine it was not empty – surprise someone was in it! The Argentinean had taken my made bed. THANKS stranger. And that is a downside of the hostel world.

Sunday was such a fun day. Side note when Italians exclaim over how “fun” something is they say instead, “yesterday’s bike ride was funny!” So my friends and I say, “this weekend was funny,” and the word has a double meaning for us now. Karly and I took the train from Firenze to Lucca, which was about two hours and I saw the man that gave me a ticket the weekend prior grrr. I did not forget to validate this time, but a German girl did not know you had to. We overheard her trying to speak English to the worker, and when we turned around to see if we could help he asked us to be the translators; that was a first.

When we arrived in Lucca we were ready to find our next yummy meal. There are a few shops on the main street leaving the station before you enter the walls into the town center. If ever in Lucca eat at a mom and pop ristorante called La Tana dell’ Orco! For the sandwich category, Lucca wins for best sandwich.

I ate the Panini Ingordo: baked ham, robiola, tuna sauce, egg, and mushroom sauce on focaccine. Karly got baked ham, caprino, and artichoke. We were in heaven. The older couple used Google translator to communicate with us and asked to be our friends on Facebook. I wish I was eating that sandwich right now...

Then we rented bikes for three euro and biked through the quaint streets and on top of the walls.

Karly and me.

"OOOOOOO!" Go Ducks!

Afterwards we walked to the food market where I bought sweet raisin bread similar to my grandma Madeline's stolen and I was flooded with memories for a moment.

We stopped to sit and people watch by a merry go around and antique fair. I loved taking in all the sights, mothers in stilettos, and sounds, which happened to be Mary Poppins and other American Disney music. What country am I in again? “People travel to faraway places to watch, in fascination, the kind of people they ignore at home.” – Dagobert D. Runes. Lucca was laid back and molto enjoyable, a great way to round out the buys weekend.

Tuesday I took a two-hour walk with Meredith around the city wall and the views were spectacular!

I feel so fortunate to travel, but no matter where you are in the world you can find your own Eat, Pray, Love. Siena is my temporary home and I am easily mastering the food part. The Pray I could work on; I plan to attend Easter mass in a small beach town on the Amalfi coast this weekend. And Love, I may have to find a guy (preferably American) to like first☺. All in all, as overused as this phrase is now, these instructions are good for the soul.

Buongiorno, Buonasera, Buonanotte a Siena!

Yesterday marked my two-week stay here and it is already flying!  Stay with me, two weeks is a lot of catch up time…

Monday April 3^rd I arrived in the Florence airport.  After three flights, I was at the end of my rope, but I still had to catch the airport shuttle to the Florence train station to then take an hour and a half train to Siena.  Luckily, I spotted Mary a girl on my program, which was a blessing because I was too tired to think about getting to the next place on my own.  We were late to orientation, so we dropped our bags at the hotel and ventured to AHA, where we would have class for the next three months.  I was pretty disoriented from the time change, but I was able to call my mom and tell her I made it safely.  I met the program director Sylvia, another director Claudia, and the 13 other people I would take classes, travel, and become close friends with.  For our first night in Siena, we decided to have a kick-off dinner.  Let’s just say it was a bit of a cluster trying to order for that many people, off one menu.  I remember walking back to our hotel that night and thinking how big Siena seemed…now I am getting to know the streets and shortcuts and it is already starting to feel like a home base.

Tuesday morning I woke up early to workers outside my hotel window.  I was feeling slightly homesick, and I was anxious to move into our apartments later that day.  Our group started the day with a practical tour of Siena, in which we saw a number of places including the bus stop to buy tickets at for our weekend travels.  After it ended we got the keys to move into our apartments and it made all the difference. 

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I walked into our two bedroom, two bath, spacious kitchen, living room, complete with wifi and washing machine (something some girls do not have) apartment.  We are a three minute walk to school and a ten minute walk to the Fortress, which is an old castle that people run in as well as read and picnic (this has already become one of my favorite spots).  Cafés are all around us too, which if any of you know me, I cannot go a day without coffee.

  I live with a girl named Emily who is 23 from OSU and Anna a friend my age in Pi Phi.   At the end of the day my roommates and I made the 100-yard trek (also grateful to be close to) to the local grocery store called The Conad for our first shopping experience.  The carts are pulled behind you on the ground, so it feels like you are playing house/kitchen all over again.  It costs money to bag your groceries so it is an incentive for people to bring reusable bags.  Funny, I don’t think Americans would like it too much if Freddies started charging for paper of plastic.  Also you cannot touch the fruit of veggies with your bare hands, you always have to put on a plastic glove.

Wednesday we went to our first Wednesday open-air market.  All the vendors smoke behind their booths.  Some clothing is slightly tacky while some is very chic. There is just so much too look at and not to mention there is a food section too.  It has already become a part of my Wednesday morning routine!  Also I have noticed two main trends; shiny puffy jackets (most are purple), Timberland boots (I wore these with navy tights and a jumper as a second grader).  I had my first cappuccino at a café near the Fortress and oh was it good.  I am a coffee addict and Italian coffee is delic.  Sadly, at some places you have to pay to sit at tables, and the barista kicked us out because we did not order off the particular menu.  The sun was shining, and I could not believe I would be living here for three months.  Later we had our welcome lunch, and the antipasti was three brusciettas; one with olive oil, one with tomatoes, and my favorite the one with cheese and some honey.  For the primi dish we had the best ravioli I have ever eaten.  It melted in my mouth.

Thursday we had our Italian language placement test, and I was placed in level 1 whoop whoop. 

Friday was a sleep in day.  We then went to an Italian post office to mail all of our documents permitting us to live in the country for three months.  The rest of the day we sat in the Piazza del Campo.  We ordered gelato and people watched in the sun.  True bliss. 

Saturday seven of us decided to visit Firenze, Florence for the day.  It is much more lively and touristy than Siena.  The first main street we got on I spied waffles that are similar to a place in Eugene called Off The Waffle.  Ironically, the song “Black and Yellow” was playing in the background and I was transported back to Oregon for a moment.  Anyhoo, our group is coming back in a few weeks for an excursion visiting the historical sights, so we discovered other things for ourselves.  We wandered countless stalls of leather bags, jackets, and shoes.  It was quite warm and the breeze cooled us off as we gazed off the bridges.  This made for great photo ops and out of nowhere right as we were starting to snap the camera a few high school age boys popped into my photo and kissed my cheeks.  I was oh so swooned.   

Two girls left on an earlier bus, while the rest of us sat in a square, talked, and people watched.  At one point a father was walking past us with his family said, “Repeat after me kids - Idiot.”  And then in unison they said “Idiot!”  That’s one way to learn English.  I have found this to be very entertaining.  On our walk back to the bus we crossed a bridge in which I got pulled into a group of people singing and dancing.  To end the day, I had superb tiramisu gelato, and while no gelato has disappointed me yet, this one hit the spot.  I felt drained from the sun and walking, but definitely worthwhile day with new friends! 

Sunday Kristin, Anna, Mary and I went up to the fortress and read in the sun.

  Rough life.  I cannot emphasize enough how beautiful the weather is every single day.  The locals keep remarking at this unseasonably warm weather.  I hope it doesn’t change any time soon!

Monday April 4^th marked my one-week stay.  It was our first day of classes and I had all three from 9:30am to 5pm.  I am taking Italian, Cross Cultural Communications, and Food, Farming and Sense of Place.  I think Food and Farming will be my favorite class, because we get to keep a food log of what we eat and learn about what each Italian region is known for growing. 

My friends and I have spent hours on booking hostels, flights, trains and buses for our weekend trips.  One night we sat down for 7 hours straight…(intermixed with dinner and socializing of course).  But Tuesday we made headway and purchased a roundtrip ticket to Amsterdam!  I am going with five friends in early June over a four-day weekend.  I am ecstatic to see the city I have heard so many wonderful things about.  Not to mention my cousin Matt lives in Rotterdam, so I will get to spend time with him and have someone who really knows the city show us the top spots!  I cannot wait!!!

On Wednesday my Food and Farming class went to the open-air market to explore the food stands.  I ate the BEST beef shish kabob with peppers.  My fingers were dripping with juice and grease and I loved every second of it.  Check to include that experience in my food log.

For Thursday night’s dinner we decided to switch things up and picnic in the Campo.  Another hot day made for a very pleasant evening.  My friends and I bought bread, brie, salami, strawberries, and tomatoes, and spread a blanket out, and had tunes playing.  Good friends and food, what more can you ask for?

Mary, Kristin, Meredith, Karly and I had our first overnight away to Cinque Terre.  We got up on Friday at 6:45 to catch an 8 something bus to the train station.

  From there we trained three hours to Monterossa, the first of the five cities.  We met four guys on the train from Wisconsin and Michigan who are studying in Firenze, and we all clicked right away.  The moment we stepped off the train we had a spectacular view of the water.  We spent the day on the beach to catch some rays (don’t worry I lathered on spf85 just for you Mom!).  It is April and I was wearing a bikini – is this real life?!  It was a glorious day enjoying each other’s company and taking in the beauty of the land.    

That night we ate outside at a restaurant called Cantina du Siacchetra.  I split three meals with our new friend Paul (yes I may need to buy bigger jeans).  First we had mussels, and they were THE BEST I have ever eaten in my life.  We even sipped the extra broth from the wooden ladle.  Next we split Pesto Trofie, a chewy rolled up smaller noodle with lots of flavor.

  Don’t worry I bought a bag of Trofie to bring home to the States.  Cinque Terre is known for their pesto and it was THE freshest I have ever tasted.  Although completely full I had a few bites of a mixed seafood pasta dish.  Hands down my favorite meal in Italy thus far.   

We got up early on Saturday for what we thought would be a easy 5 hour hike along the coast that most tourists do.  However, there were landslides the day before, so most of it was closed.  Well we didn’t come all this way to not get a hike in, so we climbed the hill directly behind Monterossa.  It was about an hour up, but we had to stop to catch our breaths because it was so steep.  My friend Karly kept telling us what her dad says, “Every hill is an opportunity.”  Well put Mr. Topkis.  It was not as hot as Friday, but the clouds broke and we had sun for all the pictures we took along the way.

  After we climbed back down, we trained to Manarola where you take the “Walk of Love” and end in Riomaggiore.

  We trained back to Monterossa and ate a lovely last lunch on the water and said goodbye to Cinque Terre.  On the train ride home I got a 40-euro ticket for not stamping it in the small yellow box on the platform.  Even though I had my return ticket in my hands, it is considered open-ended so you can use it up until a certain date, and the trainman was not forgiving for this American…you live and you learn I guess!

Sunday Karly and I sat in the Campo and did homework.  I tried a cherry gelato combined with a dark nutella gelato.  There were little children all around and it made me happy.  This entertaining two-year-old bambina kept lying down on the warm brick next to us; she knew how to relax.  Then she started scooting closer to me and I was saying ciao to her and she didn’t respond but what a cutie she was.  I told her dad in very broken Italian how beautiful his daughter was – all about approaching the locals these days!  They appreciate the Americans who try.  I love Sundays, actually all days in the campo.  My blog should almost be named Meet Me In The Campo because it is such a central vibrant place. 

Monday I had a great late afternoon run with Meredith at the Fortress.  The view never gets old!

Today I had my fifth Italian class and I am learning!  My friend Meredith and I have both taken French so sometimes when talking to Italians we mix French in and we just laugh and start over.  But many French words are similar to Italian.  Allora means then/now and is a big transitional word that many people use.  I will post more phrases soon!

To sum the two weeks up so far I would say my friends and I are living by a few key mottos:

1.  “When in Siena”

2.  “You only live once.” 

3.  “Don’t hold back.”

4.  “Every day is an adventure.” 

5.  “Live with a positive attitude.”

I am so lucky to have the friends I have in this group abroad.  We are always laughing, always making light of a situation we can or cannot control, and most importantly making memories.  I can tell these girls will be some of my lifelong friends.  Ciao!