So I really dropped the ball on blogging during my last month of travel. There just wasn't enough time to do it all. Now, 2 weeks after getting back, I'm finally trying to get around to blogging about the rest of the trip.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18720728/Blog1%20Germany.pdf
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
Slowly catching up!
Here are two new posts!
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18720728/Blog1%20Herculaneum.pdf
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18720728/Blog1%20Capri.pdf
More to come, time for dinner and celebrating Spanish nightlife in Madrid!!! (because it's Friday, Friday, Friday..... Dan Wood and Katie Love, I hate you both for constantly singing that song)
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18720728/Blog1%20Herculaneum.pdf
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18720728/Blog1%20Capri.pdf
More to come, time for dinner and celebrating Spanish nightlife in Madrid!!! (because it's Friday, Friday, Friday..... Dan Wood and Katie Love, I hate you both for constantly singing that song)
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Pompeii!
Hey all, sorry for the lack of posts!
Here is a now several weeks old post from Pompeii-- I'm working on getting caught up, I promise!
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18720728/Blog%20April%209%202011.pdf
Here is a now several weeks old post from Pompeii-- I'm working on getting caught up, I promise!
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18720728/Blog%20April%209%202011.pdf
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Sorrento
Trying not to get too far behind!
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18720728/Blog%20March%2029%202011.pdf
Peace, love, and limoncello!
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18720728/Blog%20March%2029%202011.pdf
Peace, love, and limoncello!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Florence Cooking Class
Cheers to those who love to cook!
Here is my entry on the Italian cooking class I took, complete with converted recipes of the courses I learned to cook.
Love to all. Buon Appetito!
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18720728/Blog%20March%2028%202011.pdf
Here is my entry on the Italian cooking class I took, complete with converted recipes of the courses I learned to cook.
Love to all. Buon Appetito!
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18720728/Blog%20March%2028%202011.pdf
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Dan's Visit to Florence!
I'm really motivated to get caught up on blog posts because I still have the cooking class post to go and now I have lots to say about Sorrento and Pompeii so I don't want to get too far behind! Let me know if anyone has any trouble with the new formatting- I'm still using drop box to copy/paste the link and it should download for you...but this one will download as a PDF instead of a word document. Something new I am trying because it's easier to format pictures in Microsoft Publisher than Microsoft Word!
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18720728/Blog%20March%2026%202011.pdf
Love to everyone! I would love any/all updates from people so please send me emails!
Megan
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18720728/Blog%20March%2026%202011.pdf
Love to everyone! I would love any/all updates from people so please send me emails!
Megan
Friday, March 25, 2011
Pisa
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18720728/Blog%20March%2025%202011.docx
Sorry for the recent lack of posts. Hopefully 2 more to follow shortly! 2 weeks left of classes and Italy, which is hard to believe!
Megan
Sorry for the recent lack of posts. Hopefully 2 more to follow shortly! 2 weeks left of classes and Italy, which is hard to believe!
Megan
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Bistecca Fiorentina
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18720728/Blog%20March%2015%202011.docx
Florentine steak = AMAZING!!!!
Florentine steak = AMAZING!!!!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Free days in Florence
Here's an update that should bring everything up to speed. Love to all!
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18720728/Blog%20March%2013%202011.docx
I'm really looking forward to this week (despite the forecasted rain for the beginning of the week) because Dan arrives to visit on Friday morning and because I booked an Italian cooking class for next Monday! 4 course meal, for 4 hours- some kids in my group already took a pasta making class at the same cooking school and said it was fantastic so I have high hopes :-)
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18720728/Blog%20March%2013%202011.docx
I'm really looking forward to this week (despite the forecasted rain for the beginning of the week) because Dan arrives to visit on Friday morning and because I booked an Italian cooking class for next Monday! 4 course meal, for 4 hours- some kids in my group already took a pasta making class at the same cooking school and said it was fantastic so I have high hopes :-)
Saturday, March 12, 2011
For Hannah Stroup
Shout out to Hannah Stroup, Elise Favrot, and my other Kappa friends who read this. This one's for you guys!!! The fleur-de-lis is the symbol of the city-- and from what I'm told, was actually the symbol of the city long before the Medici family married French royalty.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18720728/Blog%20Kappa%20Pics.docx
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18720728/Blog%20Kappa%20Pics.docx
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
stupid freaking internet
I've been trying to upload this all day, but the internet has been terrible. I bought a mobile internet drive (several other people in my group did, and theirs worked great) but leave it to the one I purchased to not work and be a pain in the butt.
So, here is an update from Florence that was supposed to be posted on March 6th....I just didn't get around to finishing it til early this afternoon.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18720728/Blog%20March%206%202011.docx
Happy early birthday to my wonderful mother!! I love you so much!!!
So, here is an update from Florence that was supposed to be posted on March 6th....I just didn't get around to finishing it til early this afternoon.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18720728/Blog%20March%206%202011.docx
Happy early birthday to my wonderful mother!! I love you so much!!!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Florence Leather Market
The Florence leather market is a sensory experience: hundreds of leather jackets, wallets and purses displayed, tempting you with their pungent aroma and soft feel. Stalls line either side of the street, with actual leather stores in the buildings behind the carts. Rain or shine, the vendors are there, peddling their goods. Even though the majority of the city shuts down on Sundays, in respect to the Roman Catholic Sabbath, the leather market is still open for business. It is a booming economy in the city, and primarily relies on the tourism industry to bring in new customers daily.
The leather market is governed by haggling: if a price is not written down, you can assume it is a soft price and open for negotiation. Even smaller items, like sunglasses and keychains, can be bought for a bargain. Larger items, primarily jackets, have exponentially inflated price tags. Every vendor seems to have sales: they promise student discounts; but if you listen as they talk to the people around you, they also have honeymoon discounts, senior citizen discounts, and discounts “for people they like”. The flexibility and amount of haggling varies by the hour. When sales are up, it is much more difficult to wheedle your way into a bargain. Weekends, holidays, and sunny warm days all increase sales, so it is best if you have the time and patience to wait for an unpleasant day in order to get the best deals.
Flattery is deceitful at each and every stall. The salesmen are smooth talking and work quickly. They shower you in compliments; if you can resist purchasing anything, just walking through the leather market is a huge ego boost. Walking down the strip, you are addressed as beautiful, honey, and dear, and suddenly your body is perfect for any style jacket or purse. You are glamorous and sexy. You are also nothing more than a money making opportunity to these men, so take it in stride and be consciously aware of their tricks if you intend to make purchases.
If you intend to buy a jacket, know that the vending carts are nothing more than extended store front windows. If you look around and notice, there is not a single person trying on a jacket at the stall itself. The peddlers with the carts are there to entice you to look at their goods, try on a jacket, feel the leather. Once they have wrangled you in, they corral you into their store where there are full length mirrors and a larger selection of products. This way, whatever final deal they cut you seems more personal, and it prevents anyone on the street from hearing the final cost of the jacket.
Once in the store, the average Florentine leather salesman becomes part magician, part psychologist. Selling a leather jacket is a game: they must flatter the customer and convince them how much they want to buy a particular jacket, but they must not lose the sale or bargain the price too low. Even within the same store, there is competition amongst the salesmen; they clearly receive commission off each jacket sold.
To start, the salesman asks what is your favorite color, or if you have something in mind for a jacket. Whatever information you give him: the game has begun. From here, he is watching your body language and reaction to every jacket you try on. He is most complimentary of whatever jacket you are most enamored with at a given moment. If your interests change, suddenly his compliments do too. If you try on a bomber style jacket and seem to like it, he will have you model the coat, and tell you that it fits your figure perfectly. If upon trying on the next coat you find that you prefer a more tailored and feminine cut, he will tell you that the other jacket was not an everyday jacket, that this one is more versatile, and that this jacket makes you look sexier. You must listen to his compliments very closely and watch how they mimic your body language. He tries to appear humble when offering his opinion, saying, ‘If I may, signorina, this jacket is perfect on you. See how the leather stretches and moves with your body? It was made for you’, all while manipulating you into a purchase.
In order to demonstrate that each jacket is real leather, handmade and not chemically soaked, the salesmen bring out their secret weapons: scissors and lighters. In a big showy affair, they demonstrate that the leather can neither be burned nor scratched up. For those not used to the trick, it seems impressive and magical; it validates the quality of their product and seems to make the salesmen more trustworthy.
You can play along with his game too though, if you are smart. For jackets and purses alike: never let him know how much you love any single item. You must pretend as though it is disposable to you and that you can leave his stall and find another one just as good at a stall down the street. Pretend that it is flawed and not exactly what you wanted, and he will lower his price to entice you to make a purchase. Once you have him focused on selling to you, start to leave and he will often call out a lower price in hopes that you won’t go. Be confident in what price you ask for. If the salesman senses that you are willing to pay more or are hesitant in offering this price, he will walk all over you and demand much more. Lie and say that it is the only money in your wallet, or that you need the money to buy your lunch that day. Always carry your cash in smaller bills so you can pull out exactly what you need to and he will never know how much you actually have. Remember this is all about mind games and deceit; ultimately you have the final say because you are the one spending money.
Another update with pictures to come soon! I have a midterm tomorrow and 2 papers due at the end of the week, so unfortunately I haven't updated my blog as often as I wanted to!
The leather market is governed by haggling: if a price is not written down, you can assume it is a soft price and open for negotiation. Even smaller items, like sunglasses and keychains, can be bought for a bargain. Larger items, primarily jackets, have exponentially inflated price tags. Every vendor seems to have sales: they promise student discounts; but if you listen as they talk to the people around you, they also have honeymoon discounts, senior citizen discounts, and discounts “for people they like”. The flexibility and amount of haggling varies by the hour. When sales are up, it is much more difficult to wheedle your way into a bargain. Weekends, holidays, and sunny warm days all increase sales, so it is best if you have the time and patience to wait for an unpleasant day in order to get the best deals.
Flattery is deceitful at each and every stall. The salesmen are smooth talking and work quickly. They shower you in compliments; if you can resist purchasing anything, just walking through the leather market is a huge ego boost. Walking down the strip, you are addressed as beautiful, honey, and dear, and suddenly your body is perfect for any style jacket or purse. You are glamorous and sexy. You are also nothing more than a money making opportunity to these men, so take it in stride and be consciously aware of their tricks if you intend to make purchases.
If you intend to buy a jacket, know that the vending carts are nothing more than extended store front windows. If you look around and notice, there is not a single person trying on a jacket at the stall itself. The peddlers with the carts are there to entice you to look at their goods, try on a jacket, feel the leather. Once they have wrangled you in, they corral you into their store where there are full length mirrors and a larger selection of products. This way, whatever final deal they cut you seems more personal, and it prevents anyone on the street from hearing the final cost of the jacket.
Once in the store, the average Florentine leather salesman becomes part magician, part psychologist. Selling a leather jacket is a game: they must flatter the customer and convince them how much they want to buy a particular jacket, but they must not lose the sale or bargain the price too low. Even within the same store, there is competition amongst the salesmen; they clearly receive commission off each jacket sold.
To start, the salesman asks what is your favorite color, or if you have something in mind for a jacket. Whatever information you give him: the game has begun. From here, he is watching your body language and reaction to every jacket you try on. He is most complimentary of whatever jacket you are most enamored with at a given moment. If your interests change, suddenly his compliments do too. If you try on a bomber style jacket and seem to like it, he will have you model the coat, and tell you that it fits your figure perfectly. If upon trying on the next coat you find that you prefer a more tailored and feminine cut, he will tell you that the other jacket was not an everyday jacket, that this one is more versatile, and that this jacket makes you look sexier. You must listen to his compliments very closely and watch how they mimic your body language. He tries to appear humble when offering his opinion, saying, ‘If I may, signorina, this jacket is perfect on you. See how the leather stretches and moves with your body? It was made for you’, all while manipulating you into a purchase.
In order to demonstrate that each jacket is real leather, handmade and not chemically soaked, the salesmen bring out their secret weapons: scissors and lighters. In a big showy affair, they demonstrate that the leather can neither be burned nor scratched up. For those not used to the trick, it seems impressive and magical; it validates the quality of their product and seems to make the salesmen more trustworthy.
You can play along with his game too though, if you are smart. For jackets and purses alike: never let him know how much you love any single item. You must pretend as though it is disposable to you and that you can leave his stall and find another one just as good at a stall down the street. Pretend that it is flawed and not exactly what you wanted, and he will lower his price to entice you to make a purchase. Once you have him focused on selling to you, start to leave and he will often call out a lower price in hopes that you won’t go. Be confident in what price you ask for. If the salesman senses that you are willing to pay more or are hesitant in offering this price, he will walk all over you and demand much more. Lie and say that it is the only money in your wallet, or that you need the money to buy your lunch that day. Always carry your cash in smaller bills so you can pull out exactly what you need to and he will never know how much you actually have. Remember this is all about mind games and deceit; ultimately you have the final say because you are the one spending money.
Another update with pictures to come soon! I have a midterm tomorrow and 2 papers due at the end of the week, so unfortunately I haven't updated my blog as often as I wanted to!
Friday, March 4, 2011
First night in Florence
Who knew that American pop music was an international language? In the States, you hear it on the radio and don’t think much of it; occasionally a song with catchy lyrics gets stuck in your head and you’re humming it for days. When a group of us students decided to head out to a bar or club the first night in Florence, we didn’t really know what to expect. Our arrival in Florence had been extremely anticlimactic. It was drizzling, we were loaded with luggage, and upon arrival at the hotel, we found the layout and accommodations to be disappointing after being spoiled at the Padina Archangelo agritourisima. Personally, I was frustrated because I had expected this hotel to be just as nice if not nicer than our other stays since we are here for the longest time. Instead, we found out that we wouldn’t have access to free internet, I didn’t have a bathtub to do laundry, and our room was extremely hot with a thermostat that didn’t work (since our arrival, everything but the bathtub laundry has been figured out, luckily).
There were two birthdays in the group and of course these two individuals were very set on going out to celebrate. I was hesitant to join: I was tired and knew I had a lot of homework to do (story of my life). Not to mention the bar they had chosen seemed sketchy: someone had been solicited with a flyer advertising Thursday night as International Student night while walking around Florence. The deals seemed too good to be true: free champagne for Internationals, 5 shots for 5 euros, and 5 euro mixed drinks all night long (oh, and the advertisement included a picture of a scantily clad school girl which isn’t really my cup of tea). I was skeptical.
Needless to say, forty-five minutes later I was headed out with ten other Furman students to the Fish Pub. The map showed the pub as being about five blocks away, across the Santa Maria Novella plaza. As we walked alongside the church, we kept hearing all these screechy chirping noises. We looked up to see thousands of bats flying to and from the trees in the courtyard of the church, silhouetted against the moonlit sky. It was eerie, but very cool (and not surprisingly, there were no mosquitoes to be found).
We saw the pub sign lit up from across the street with two big bouncers, arms crossed and smoking, out front. It was a little intimidating, since no one else was waiting to get in. Luckily one of the gentleman in our group became the fearless leader; a knight on the quest for a cheap beer. We walked in and essentially had the pub to ourselves. Although there was some debate on whether to stay or go, we ultimately decided to stay. We congregated at the bar in order to have our promised free champagne and toast to the two birthday girls. A DJ in the back seemed thrilled to have such a big group of students, and he came over, asking for song requests and promising to make birthday announcements later in the night. We pushed together tables and sat down to chat and enjoy our drinks.
About thirty minutes later, another large group of students filed in and apparently brought the party with them. The next thing I know, a cheer ripples through the restaurant as a song with a good beat starts to play. Somehow, despite the bar being small and having no dance floor, a big group of students start dancing. It wasn’t my romanticized idea of a European discotecha, but it was dancing which was enough for me. I had energy to burn and International students to meet.
At first, I couldn’t tell whether the group of students spoke English or not, so we wordlessly joined them in dance. Then the song Black and Yellow (why is it ALWAYS this song? It came on at our first restaurant in Milan, too!) came on and the other students knew all the lyrics, so I figured they either spoke English or were really good at moving their mouths in the shape of the syllables.
We found out that it was a group of college students from Belgium here on a weekend trip for school. It made me a little jealous that just about the coolest weekend trip possible at Furman is to Charleston, but that’s beside the point. The one girl, Olivia spoke really good English and was basically the person who brought the two groups together. In case anyone is planning on travelling to Belgium anytime soon-get your best animal print ready! Four of the girls were all wearing animal print, so apparently it is in fashion there. I had an absolute blast and the DJ kept up a really good mix of songs. The Belgian group went crazy when the DJ played Black Eyed Peas “The Time (Dirty Bit)” and it was probably my favorite song of the whole night. The guys in general really cracked me up last night—to me, stereotypical European guy, white jeans, nice top, that kind of a thing. By the time I was ready to leave (I called it a night fairly early since we started touring at 9 am this morning) the whole bar was hopping with kids of every nationality and ethnic background. I heard at least 4 or 5 different languages last night and no one seemed phased by the language barrier at all because every one was just having a fun time and dancing to good old American pop music. Overall, I had a really good time, and Florence redeemed itself in terms of first impressions :-)
There were two birthdays in the group and of course these two individuals were very set on going out to celebrate. I was hesitant to join: I was tired and knew I had a lot of homework to do (story of my life). Not to mention the bar they had chosen seemed sketchy: someone had been solicited with a flyer advertising Thursday night as International Student night while walking around Florence. The deals seemed too good to be true: free champagne for Internationals, 5 shots for 5 euros, and 5 euro mixed drinks all night long (oh, and the advertisement included a picture of a scantily clad school girl which isn’t really my cup of tea). I was skeptical.
Needless to say, forty-five minutes later I was headed out with ten other Furman students to the Fish Pub. The map showed the pub as being about five blocks away, across the Santa Maria Novella plaza. As we walked alongside the church, we kept hearing all these screechy chirping noises. We looked up to see thousands of bats flying to and from the trees in the courtyard of the church, silhouetted against the moonlit sky. It was eerie, but very cool (and not surprisingly, there were no mosquitoes to be found).
We saw the pub sign lit up from across the street with two big bouncers, arms crossed and smoking, out front. It was a little intimidating, since no one else was waiting to get in. Luckily one of the gentleman in our group became the fearless leader; a knight on the quest for a cheap beer. We walked in and essentially had the pub to ourselves. Although there was some debate on whether to stay or go, we ultimately decided to stay. We congregated at the bar in order to have our promised free champagne and toast to the two birthday girls. A DJ in the back seemed thrilled to have such a big group of students, and he came over, asking for song requests and promising to make birthday announcements later in the night. We pushed together tables and sat down to chat and enjoy our drinks.
About thirty minutes later, another large group of students filed in and apparently brought the party with them. The next thing I know, a cheer ripples through the restaurant as a song with a good beat starts to play. Somehow, despite the bar being small and having no dance floor, a big group of students start dancing. It wasn’t my romanticized idea of a European discotecha, but it was dancing which was enough for me. I had energy to burn and International students to meet.
At first, I couldn’t tell whether the group of students spoke English or not, so we wordlessly joined them in dance. Then the song Black and Yellow (why is it ALWAYS this song? It came on at our first restaurant in Milan, too!) came on and the other students knew all the lyrics, so I figured they either spoke English or were really good at moving their mouths in the shape of the syllables.
We found out that it was a group of college students from Belgium here on a weekend trip for school. It made me a little jealous that just about the coolest weekend trip possible at Furman is to Charleston, but that’s beside the point. The one girl, Olivia spoke really good English and was basically the person who brought the two groups together. In case anyone is planning on travelling to Belgium anytime soon-get your best animal print ready! Four of the girls were all wearing animal print, so apparently it is in fashion there. I had an absolute blast and the DJ kept up a really good mix of songs. The Belgian group went crazy when the DJ played Black Eyed Peas “The Time (Dirty Bit)” and it was probably my favorite song of the whole night. The guys in general really cracked me up last night—to me, stereotypical European guy, white jeans, nice top, that kind of a thing. By the time I was ready to leave (I called it a night fairly early since we started touring at 9 am this morning) the whole bar was hopping with kids of every nationality and ethnic background. I heard at least 4 or 5 different languages last night and no one seemed phased by the language barrier at all because every one was just having a fun time and dancing to good old American pop music. Overall, I had a really good time, and Florence redeemed itself in terms of first impressions :-)
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Hello from Tuscany
In case you haven't heard....Tuscany is absolutely beautiful.
We head to Florence tomorrow night, and will be there for 3 weeks.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18720728/Blog%20March%201%202011.docx
Here's an update on the last few days
We head to Florence tomorrow night, and will be there for 3 weeks.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18720728/Blog%20March%201%202011.docx
Here's an update on the last few days
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Padua, Ravenna and Assisi
Here's another word document update! I hope that people are able to read them this way and that it's not too difficult to download-- It just makes things a lot easier for my mom to print out for my grandmothers who don't have technology.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18720728/Blog%20Feb%2026%202011.docx
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18720728/Blog%20Feb%2026%202011.docx
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Assisi and Siena
Longer blog post to hopefully follow soon (we have two days of wine school, so hopefully our schedule will have a little more free time....rough life, I know) but the long and the short of it:
1)St. Francis of Assisi has probably been my favorite church we have visited so far. The town of Assisi itself is beautiful and has a fantastic view.
2)Siena is very cool and seems to be more college student friendly than the other cities we have been to before. I am really excited to see the city more tomorrow. Hopefully at least a few things will be open, even though it's Sunday
3)I never realized how much I enjoyed having free time to just be alone, because usually I hate being alone. Being with the same group 24/7 has been quite a change of pace and I find myself needing the night time to just catch a little break and enjoy peace and quiet.
4)TUSCANY IS SO BEAUTIFUL!!!! Even though it's winter and everything is bare, it's still gorgeous. Today i took a nap on the bus when we were driving from Assisi to Siena and I woke up and was angry that I had been sleeping through such beautiful countryside. One day I would definitely like to come back when things are in season and it's even greener. I tried to take a few pictures, but nothing can really capture the essence of the view. We've been hiking up a lot more hills as of late (which is good, considering the amount of pasta we've been eating!) but the best views are definitely from the top of the mountain.
5) In the words of Katie Love: "I am a sleepy chicken"..... even though I don't really understand this phrase....I know it means that I am tired and I am going to bed.
Hope all is well with everyone! Lots of Love!
1)St. Francis of Assisi has probably been my favorite church we have visited so far. The town of Assisi itself is beautiful and has a fantastic view.
2)Siena is very cool and seems to be more college student friendly than the other cities we have been to before. I am really excited to see the city more tomorrow. Hopefully at least a few things will be open, even though it's Sunday
3)I never realized how much I enjoyed having free time to just be alone, because usually I hate being alone. Being with the same group 24/7 has been quite a change of pace and I find myself needing the night time to just catch a little break and enjoy peace and quiet.
4)TUSCANY IS SO BEAUTIFUL!!!! Even though it's winter and everything is bare, it's still gorgeous. Today i took a nap on the bus when we were driving from Assisi to Siena and I woke up and was angry that I had been sleeping through such beautiful countryside. One day I would definitely like to come back when things are in season and it's even greener. I tried to take a few pictures, but nothing can really capture the essence of the view. We've been hiking up a lot more hills as of late (which is good, considering the amount of pasta we've been eating!) but the best views are definitely from the top of the mountain.
5) In the words of Katie Love: "I am a sleepy chicken"..... even though I don't really understand this phrase....I know it means that I am tired and I am going to bed.
Hope all is well with everyone! Lots of Love!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Reeeaallly Long Venice Post
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Venice
Arrived in Venice tonight, absolute downpour, plus the streets were flooded after dinner due to high tide, so half my stuff is very wet now. I might be blowdrying my shoes in the morning......
Funny story from my mom:
When I first arrived, I sent a quick email from a friends iPhone to my family to let them know I had arrived in Milan. My dad gets the message first on his crackberry, so when his phone rings, he reads it out loud and says:
"We arrived. Saw Doumo holy cow grazing."
My mom looked at him and said, "WHAT?!"
He said, "what's a holy cow grazing?"
Mom then opened her phone up, which had the same message sent to it, and burst out laughing and said, "Lenny, read it again, it says "Saw Doumo, COMMA, holy cow, COMMA it's AMAZING!"
He really thought I had put "doumo holy cow grazing." Mom says, Yes, he should of had his readers on!!!
So, for future reference. Go to the Duomo to see Holy Cow Grazing.
Funny story from my mom:
When I first arrived, I sent a quick email from a friends iPhone to my family to let them know I had arrived in Milan. My dad gets the message first on his crackberry, so when his phone rings, he reads it out loud and says:
"We arrived. Saw Doumo holy cow grazing."
My mom looked at him and said, "WHAT?!"
He said, "what's a holy cow grazing?"
Mom then opened her phone up, which had the same message sent to it, and burst out laughing and said, "Lenny, read it again, it says "Saw Doumo, COMMA, holy cow, COMMA it's AMAZING!"
He really thought I had put "doumo holy cow grazing." Mom says, Yes, he should of had his readers on!!!
So, for future reference. Go to the Duomo to see Holy Cow Grazing.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Happy Valentines Day!!
Hello all! Here's the a new post for today! I'm so tired and just ready to sleep, but I feel super lame here because the town here is so cute and I want to walk into town for gelato!
Added: For some reason the links aren't loading? So here is a cut-and-paste version of the link http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18720728/Blog%20Feb%2014%202011.docx
Added: For some reason the links aren't loading? So here is a cut-and-paste version of the link http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18720728/Blog%20Feb%2014%202011.docx
Milan Day 2
Hello all--
We have now left Milan and are enjoying wine country in Alba Longa! Here is an update from yesterday (February 13th), and I'll post one from today soon.
Added: Again, here is a cut and paste link since the direct link doesnt appear to be working. http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18720728/Blog%20Feb%2013%202011.docx
We have now left Milan and are enjoying wine country in Alba Longa! Here is an update from yesterday (February 13th), and I'll post one from today soon.
Added: Again, here is a cut and paste link since the direct link doesnt appear to be working. http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18720728/Blog%20Feb%2013%202011.docx
Sunday, February 13, 2011
In Milan!!
Internet is super sparse (and expensive-- it's 10euros an hour at the hotel, so I am instead with a group of people at a bar, drinking Mojitos and on our computers). As a result, I tried typing up my blog on word and saving it to Dropbox. Hopefully this link will let you access it. http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18720728/Blog%20Feb%2012%202011.docx
Let me know!!!
I have more pictures from our second day in Milan now, but it's not going to happen tonight because we have dinner in 30 minutes. We're headed into the countryside for wine tasting and vineyards tomorrow though, so don't be surprised if you don't hear from me til we get to Venice in a few days.
Let me know!!!
I have more pictures from our second day in Milan now, but it's not going to happen tonight because we have dinner in 30 minutes. We're headed into the countryside for wine tasting and vineyards tomorrow though, so don't be surprised if you don't hear from me til we get to Venice in a few days.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
Study Days
So here are a few photos from the last week of class! Now the countdown has really started-- we leave FRIDAY!!!
I still have so much to do before then (submit a final paper, a project, and prep everything for the trip), but I took this past weekend off to just relax and decompress from the stress of the last several weeks.
We had a 3 hour crash course in Italian pronounciations on Thursday/Friday and it's making me really really want to take intro Italian next semester. I think it just sounds so beautiful.
Friday night my good friend Chris drove up from Auburn to see me before I left (thanks again bud!) and his mom was actually in Asheville for the weekend so she stopped by Sunday afternoon and we went out to eat. It was a great chill weekend and I had a lot of fun. After he left, I watched the Super Bowl with my friends and worked on Kappa crafts.
Let the count down begin! I'm so excited and ready for Italia!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
First Vineyard/Winery Visit
Yesterday we finally had a fun day in class after nearly a week of presentations (not that the presentations were bad, it was just long and tedious. We went to Green Creek Winery, a small winery located just over the border in North Carolina.All the wines made there are estate wines, which means the grapes are grown there, pressed and fermented there, and the wine is even bottled there. The winery's little claim to fame is that it is the only place in the world that makes a red champagne. The owner had the idea of letting chardonnay must (the grape juice that makes wine) mix with the skins of Chambourcin grapes (a grape that has very red skins high in pigment content) at low temperatures so the color but not the flavor of the Chambourcins would be added to the chardonnay. It was pretty good.
They had a whole cute little set up in the back for us with food (though it wasn't a wine pairing/tasting). We tasted 5 wines, and my favorite was the 2008 Chambourcin semi-sweet rose. (I bought a bottle to drink this weekend once I'm finally done with class work! Hooray!!!)
They had a whole cute little set up in the back for us with food (though it wasn't a wine pairing/tasting). We tasted 5 wines, and my favorite was the 2008 Chambourcin semi-sweet rose. (I bought a bottle to drink this weekend once I'm finally done with class work! Hooray!!!)
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
WOO! One week of class left!!
So last Wednesday, it was my group's turn to cook dinner for the entire class....
We planned the menu, which included
Fresh Bread
Caprese Salad
Baked Ziti
Asparagus and Zucchini Crudi (I was really skeptical, since I'm not a huge fan of either, and it was not cooked, but it turned out pretty tasty. A nice and light summery side dish.
Meatballs (on the side for our vegetarians)
and Struffoli (a baked dough dessert that is dipped in this caramel sauce...they were pretty tasty!)
Here are a few pictures from the meal!
We planned the menu, which included
Fresh Bread
Caprese Salad
Baked Ziti
Asparagus and Zucchini Crudi (I was really skeptical, since I'm not a huge fan of either, and it was not cooked, but it turned out pretty tasty. A nice and light summery side dish.
Meatballs (on the side for our vegetarians)
and Struffoli (a baked dough dessert that is dipped in this caramel sauce...they were pretty tasty!)
Here are a few pictures from the meal!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
SO MUCH WORK!!!!
I'll try to put up a real post with pictures this weekend, but I have been so incredibly swamped lately that I haven't even had time to THINK about a blog entry. I knew that these four weeks of class would be a lot of work, but I'm not sure anyone in our class expected it to be quite so much work. Most days I've been leaving the library around midnight or one, after being there since class ended around three. Once I can get through next Monday, I'm hoping things will ease up, as I will have given both my presentations by then (one on San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice, and one on the Flavor Chemistry of Wine) and my 12 page paper draft on Wine Flavor Chemistry will also be turned in. I really hope that this is the majority of the work for the semester like they seem to think it will be because at this point I'm dying to get to Italy just so I can catch my breath.
The past two weekends probably didn't help my work load because I had all day recruitment rounds for my sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma. Luckily, Bid Day was on Sunday, so we have a new pledge class (exciting!) and I am officially on associate status for this term so I can focus on classwork and the trip now.
Every Wednesday night we have an Italian meal together-- this week I'm in the cooking group and we are making caprese salad, baked ziti, focaccia, asparagus zucchini crudi, and struffoli. I'll do my best to take pictures as we make it and post those in my next entry.
16 Days til I leave for Italy!!!!!!!
The past two weekends probably didn't help my work load because I had all day recruitment rounds for my sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma. Luckily, Bid Day was on Sunday, so we have a new pledge class (exciting!) and I am officially on associate status for this term so I can focus on classwork and the trip now.
Every Wednesday night we have an Italian meal together-- this week I'm in the cooking group and we are making caprese salad, baked ziti, focaccia, asparagus zucchini crudi, and struffoli. I'll do my best to take pictures as we make it and post those in my next entry.
16 Days til I leave for Italy!!!!!!!
Friday, January 14, 2011
First (Real) Day of Class
Well, that 7 inches of snow was enough to shut down the south for 4 whole days. Even though it doesn't seem like that much snow, the biggest problem was the ice from the melting snow. Each day it warmed up just enough to melt more snow, the water covered the side walks, and Furman's sidewalks became one huge ice slick. Also, we have no plows or salt trucks down here to help clear the roads.......
Anyway, here we are on Friday and finally we had our first day of class. We lost basically an entire week of class time, but the professors are just making do with the time they have and it will work out fine.
Today in the regional agriculture class we sure got off to a good start- we sampled 6 different kinds of olive oils, a variety of brined olives, and we started making our own wine.
To taste olive oils, the procedure is pretty similar to that of wine tasting. You are supposed to cup the sample to heat it up and capture the aroma, inhale to smell it, and then take a sip of the olive oil-- enough to cover your whole tongue. Olive oils are usually divided into 4 main flavor categories-- mild and delicate, fruity and fragrant, olive-y and peppery, and leafy and grassy. We used a granny smith apple to cleanse our palates in between samples.
We also tried a variety of olives....and I'm just not a huge olive fan. By the end though, they were starting to grow in me, so my plan is to keep trying them until I like them. I've been told that if you can try a new food 7 times within a reasonable time frame, you can acquire a taste for it.
We also started making our own wine (chianti). Dr. Hestermann ordered a kit from Amazon. Basically it's a bag of concentrated grape juice and a separate pouch of champagne yeast. We poured it into a prepared 6 gallon bucket, added water, added the yeast, and now have to wait a week for the wine to ferment.
After a week, the wine will be decanted into another container where it will further develop for about 4 more weeks. If we're lucky, it will be ready before we go, but more than likely, the wine will be ready once we come back from Italy. The entire kit makes 32 bottles of wine (or 6 gallons)....not bad for a $45 starter! That's a LOT of wine!
We tried the juice once it had been diluted but before we added the yeast and it just tasted like syrupy-sweet grape juice. I'll be very interested to see how the final product turns out!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
One month til departure!
And now the one month count down begins! The school year has officially started. I got back to Furman on Saturday afternoon, luckily before the bad weather started. Late Sunday night it was announced that Monday's class would be cancelled due to the predicted snow. What a way to start the semester! Around midnight the snow started falling and much to my midwestern surprise (we all know that in the south, predicting snow is usually a ploy to get everyone to run to wal-mart and buy all the bread and milk off the shelves..... and then usually there is only a light dusting of snow that melts very quickly) we had 6-7 inches of snow when I woke up Monday morning. It was really pretty and it's easier to get excited about snow here than it is at home simply because a) I know it will be gone soon b) the sky doesn't stay gray and c) there are so many kids who have never seen snow before that are so giddy about it.
Here are a few pictures from the snow day....
aaaaand best of all, class was also cancelled for tomorrow....yet again, I can sleep in and avoid class first thing in the morning. Always a good thing by me!
Here are a few pictures from the snow day....
aaaaand best of all, class was also cancelled for tomorrow....yet again, I can sleep in and avoid class first thing in the morning. Always a good thing by me!
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