The Return
Tuesday, May 12
Siena and I got up early and had breakfast with Maria again, and her daughter. We said our goodbyes to Maria and Paolo and then loaded up the taxi that came for us at 7am. We ended up getting to the airport too early to check in, so Siena and I sat on a bench and waited for a while, listening to her iPod.
Then it was time for goodbye, as I left for the States and Siena stayed behind in Italy to enjoy the last 7 weeks of her stay there.
I am so glad she was my tour guide - and I was very impressed by her Italian, too!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
My Eurotrip 2009: Day 11
Exploring Florence
Monday, May 11
Siena and I woke up early and had breakfast with Maria. We took a bus to a place just outside of Florence where we walked up a hill to a path that led us to a beautiful view of Florence, only this time: As Seen from the Countryside.
Then, we took another bus to an anthropology museum where they had costumes and items from several different cultures from around the world. They even had real shrunken heads! Just like at the other museum, the collection hasn't been touched in decades.
Later, we walked to a sandwich place and order a "#9", which means they get to pick what goes on the sandwich for you. We ate our sandwiches while sitting in the shade on a park bench, watching the pigeons and people walk by.
We strolled the streets and looked in some shops. We even bought some cheap clothing at an outlet store. We got gelato one more time (hurray for coffee and hazelnut flavor!). Siena got Siciliano and Kiwi flavor.
We then got on a bus back to the homestay and watched "Bring it on" dubbed in Italian before we rearranged the suitcase situation and then had dinner. It was a fun dinner with the group of students, and a bit sad because it was my last one with them. They were very nice people!
We went to bed early after putting the finishing touches on the suitcase I was to take home to the States for Siena.
Monday, May 11
Siena and I woke up early and had breakfast with Maria. We took a bus to a place just outside of Florence where we walked up a hill to a path that led us to a beautiful view of Florence, only this time: As Seen from the Countryside.
Then, we took another bus to an anthropology museum where they had costumes and items from several different cultures from around the world. They even had real shrunken heads! Just like at the other museum, the collection hasn't been touched in decades.
Later, we walked to a sandwich place and order a "#9", which means they get to pick what goes on the sandwich for you. We ate our sandwiches while sitting in the shade on a park bench, watching the pigeons and people walk by.
We strolled the streets and looked in some shops. We even bought some cheap clothing at an outlet store. We got gelato one more time (hurray for coffee and hazelnut flavor!). Siena got Siciliano and Kiwi flavor.
We then got on a bus back to the homestay and watched "Bring it on" dubbed in Italian before we rearranged the suitcase situation and then had dinner. It was a fun dinner with the group of students, and a bit sad because it was my last one with them. They were very nice people!
We went to bed early after putting the finishing touches on the suitcase I was to take home to the States for Siena.
My Eurotrip 2009: Day 10
Museum and Bologna
Sunday, May 10
Siena and I woke up at 8am and had breakfast with Maria. She's originally from Portugal, but has been living with her Italian husband in Italy for 25 years. She really missed speaking Portuguese, so that's how her and I communicated during our visit. (She would speak to Siena in Italian.)
Then, Siena and I went to the Museum of Natural History: Zoologia, the one called "La Specola". It was really interesting! They had stuffed animals (by taxidermy, not plush toys) that had been stuffed about 100 years ago and you could see the stitches! They were behind cabinet doors made with hand-rolled glass, and the collection in the museum has not been moved or changed since it was put there about a century ago.
After strolling the halls of La Specola, we went to the Florence Union Station to catch our train to Bologna so we could meet up with our distant cousin, Gionata. The last time I had seen him, it was about 10 years ago! His train came in only 10 minutes after ours and we walked from the train station towards the downtown area so we could find a place to eat. We ended up picking a pizza place because I pointed out that I haven't had Italian pizza yet (this trip). I got the "Popeye" pizza (it had spinach and cheese) and it was delicious!
We kept walking around town, and Gionata pointed out that Bologna also has a leaning tower (like Pisa). Except in Bologna, there are 2 right next to each other and only one is leaning. We also saw a piazza and a couple of churches while we were waiting for Alessandro to meet up with us. He and Gionata had shared a desk at school when they were kids, and now Alessandro has been living in Bologna for about 8 years.
He told us about the myth of the statue of Neptune in the piazza, and explained some things about the city to us. Before heading back to the train station, we stopped at a little bar and joined the Italians for a drink called "Spritz". It was really tasty!
At the train station, Gionata gave me a present from Aunt Rita and then we said good bye. It was nice to see him again after so long!
After the short, high-speed train ride back to Florence, Siena and I rushed to the homestay for the 8pm dinner with Maria and the other students staying there. We were joined by Maria Eugenia, Maria, Paolo (her husband), Stefan and his friend (Austrians), and Anika (from Sweden). Needless to say, there were many languages present at the table that night! We had pesto pasta, meat, salad, and fruit for dessert.
Siena and I went to our room and watched "Meet the Fockers" dubbed in Italian before going to bed.
Sunday, May 10
Siena and I woke up at 8am and had breakfast with Maria. She's originally from Portugal, but has been living with her Italian husband in Italy for 25 years. She really missed speaking Portuguese, so that's how her and I communicated during our visit. (She would speak to Siena in Italian.)
Then, Siena and I went to the Museum of Natural History: Zoologia, the one called "La Specola". It was really interesting! They had stuffed animals (by taxidermy, not plush toys) that had been stuffed about 100 years ago and you could see the stitches! They were behind cabinet doors made with hand-rolled glass, and the collection in the museum has not been moved or changed since it was put there about a century ago.
After strolling the halls of La Specola, we went to the Florence Union Station to catch our train to Bologna so we could meet up with our distant cousin, Gionata. The last time I had seen him, it was about 10 years ago! His train came in only 10 minutes after ours and we walked from the train station towards the downtown area so we could find a place to eat. We ended up picking a pizza place because I pointed out that I haven't had Italian pizza yet (this trip). I got the "Popeye" pizza (it had spinach and cheese) and it was delicious!
We kept walking around town, and Gionata pointed out that Bologna also has a leaning tower (like Pisa). Except in Bologna, there are 2 right next to each other and only one is leaning. We also saw a piazza and a couple of churches while we were waiting for Alessandro to meet up with us. He and Gionata had shared a desk at school when they were kids, and now Alessandro has been living in Bologna for about 8 years.
He told us about the myth of the statue of Neptune in the piazza, and explained some things about the city to us. Before heading back to the train station, we stopped at a little bar and joined the Italians for a drink called "Spritz". It was really tasty!
At the train station, Gionata gave me a present from Aunt Rita and then we said good bye. It was nice to see him again after so long!
After the short, high-speed train ride back to Florence, Siena and I rushed to the homestay for the 8pm dinner with Maria and the other students staying there. We were joined by Maria Eugenia, Maria, Paolo (her husband), Stefan and his friend (Austrians), and Anika (from Sweden). Needless to say, there were many languages present at the table that night! We had pesto pasta, meat, salad, and fruit for dessert.
Siena and I went to our room and watched "Meet the Fockers" dubbed in Italian before going to bed.
My Eurotrip 2009: Day 9
First Day in Florence
Saturday, May 9
Siena and I left at 5am with Eleni to get to our early-morning flight from Athens to Florence, Italy. We had a connection in Munich and had a bit of trouble finding our gate, but we eventually found it after we discovered the escalator.
We arrived in Florence on time and we took a taxi to her homestay, where we met Maria. We freshened up a bit and went downtown to the Duomo area by bus, which only took about 10-15 minutes. The line to go inside the Duomo was very long, so we decided to go up to the top of the neighboring bell tower instead. To get to the top, we had to climb 414 stairs, but the view was well worth it! After we climbed back down the narrow, winding staircase, we got some Chinese food and ate it on the steps of the San Lorenzo church nearby. We walked to a really good gelato place near Ponte Vecchio and then started our climb to the Piazzale Michelangiolo, where we had a beautiful veiw of the city.
We walked around for a while, looking in shops and a market before we had an awesome buffet dinner at Kitsch. It was a mere 8 Euros for the buffet and aperitivo. Then we took the bus back to the homestay and watched some Italian tv while we got ready for bed.
Saturday, May 9
Siena and I left at 5am with Eleni to get to our early-morning flight from Athens to Florence, Italy. We had a connection in Munich and had a bit of trouble finding our gate, but we eventually found it after we discovered the escalator.
We arrived in Florence on time and we took a taxi to her homestay, where we met Maria. We freshened up a bit and went downtown to the Duomo area by bus, which only took about 10-15 minutes. The line to go inside the Duomo was very long, so we decided to go up to the top of the neighboring bell tower instead. To get to the top, we had to climb 414 stairs, but the view was well worth it! After we climbed back down the narrow, winding staircase, we got some Chinese food and ate it on the steps of the San Lorenzo church nearby. We walked to a really good gelato place near Ponte Vecchio and then started our climb to the Piazzale Michelangiolo, where we had a beautiful veiw of the city.
We walked around for a while, looking in shops and a market before we had an awesome buffet dinner at Kitsch. It was a mere 8 Euros for the buffet and aperitivo. Then we took the bus back to the homestay and watched some Italian tv while we got ready for bed.
My Eurotrip 2009: Day 8
Delphi
Friday, May 8
Siena and I left the house with Eleni around 8am and we drove about 2.5 hours to Delphi. We walked through the ruins that sit on the side of a mountain, and climbed our way in the hot sun up to the stadium. Afterwards, we walked through the museum that holds the gifts people from all over the world gave as an offering to the oracle.
After a snack, we continued on the road through the mountains for a couple of hours. We stopped for a real meal at a restaurant that had a patio right on the water. The owner of the restaurant was the son of a sailor and his widow, and he was also an artist. Siena showed him the couple of water colors she had with her, and he complimented her work.
We had "egg pie", cabbage leaves stuffed with meat and rice, potatoes, pork, and Greek salad. We fed some ducks in the water near our table with some stale bread the waitress provided. We were the only people in the whole place since it was a weekday, and it was very peaceful. You could hear the lapping of the waves against the stones of the patio under our feet.
We continued our drive up the coast, all the way to the bridge that connects the mainland to Peloponnisos. It was built in 2004 and it was quite a sight! From there, we followed the same course that we took on our first full day in Greece on the train ride to Kalavrita. We stopped at the narrow Corinth Canal that separates Peloponnisos from the mainland. We even got to see a boat go through it.
We continued driving through Athens to get to Pallini on the other side. We were so tired from the long day on the road that we just ordered souvlaki take out and relaxed. Since it was our last night with Simon, Eleni, Yia Yia, and Despina, we took this time to present them with some gifts we brought from the U.S. Siena even gave them a couple of her photographs from her photography class in Florence.
Siena and I packed our bags and went to bed.. The next day was our journey to Florence!
Friday, May 8
Siena and I left the house with Eleni around 8am and we drove about 2.5 hours to Delphi. We walked through the ruins that sit on the side of a mountain, and climbed our way in the hot sun up to the stadium. Afterwards, we walked through the museum that holds the gifts people from all over the world gave as an offering to the oracle.
After a snack, we continued on the road through the mountains for a couple of hours. We stopped for a real meal at a restaurant that had a patio right on the water. The owner of the restaurant was the son of a sailor and his widow, and he was also an artist. Siena showed him the couple of water colors she had with her, and he complimented her work.
We had "egg pie", cabbage leaves stuffed with meat and rice, potatoes, pork, and Greek salad. We fed some ducks in the water near our table with some stale bread the waitress provided. We were the only people in the whole place since it was a weekday, and it was very peaceful. You could hear the lapping of the waves against the stones of the patio under our feet.
We continued our drive up the coast, all the way to the bridge that connects the mainland to Peloponnisos. It was built in 2004 and it was quite a sight! From there, we followed the same course that we took on our first full day in Greece on the train ride to Kalavrita. We stopped at the narrow Corinth Canal that separates Peloponnisos from the mainland. We even got to see a boat go through it.
We continued driving through Athens to get to Pallini on the other side. We were so tired from the long day on the road that we just ordered souvlaki take out and relaxed. Since it was our last night with Simon, Eleni, Yia Yia, and Despina, we took this time to present them with some gifts we brought from the U.S. Siena even gave them a couple of her photographs from her photography class in Florence.
Siena and I packed our bags and went to bed.. The next day was our journey to Florence!
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