Brock Comes To Italy

Civitavecchia: Sunday, November 21, 2010

-       Brock and I took the train from Rome to Civitavecchia. It was a really gross day but we got to the port with no problems and got right on the ship. We got to our room/suite and it was awesome. We had been bumped up to a suite with a balcony and with that came lots of extras. We walked in to find a bottle of champagne and snacks. We then had a late lunch at the buffet and explored the ship. Later that night we went to the show, which was a circus theme with a couple doing acrobatics. Then we went to dinner. We were seated with a couple from Canada that was here celebrating their 26^th wedding anniversary. They have children the exact same age as us, boy and girl, so they may have thought they were getting a week away from the kids but we messed that up for them! We both had fresh Buffalo mozzarella cheese and ham, Brock had vegetable soup, filet of salted dry cod; and I had grilled lamb chops. Then we went to the Miss Costa Pacifica contest and I was pulled up onto the dance floor, but due to my lack of ability to speak five languages I looked like a retard and was one of the first people to mess up and in a Simon says type game and got kicked out.

Savona: Monday, November 22, 2010

-       Brock and I used our suite powers and ordered breakfast in that morning. After we got off the ship we wandered aimlessly through the town and stumbled into the cloister of a church. There we found a tourist map that showed a huge market on it. We walked toward that direction and ended up finding the market that we then spent most of the day in. Brock bought shoes and bought me a sweater. After leaving the market and walking around town we decided to go back to the market. On the way Brock tore his jeans so then we were on a mission to find a needle and thread in the market, which we did successfully find. After that we bought our postcards and headed to the castle to get some really good pictures of the mountains. Back on the ship I was thrilled to experience my first burger and fries in the last three months!!! A lot of people got on in Savona so we noticed the ship were way more crowded the night we left Savona. For dinner we both had cauliflower cream soup and pasta, mine with lobster sauce, Brock’s with red sauce. For the entrée, I had veal and Brock had Milanese style chicken. Desert was awesome that night; we had chocolate cake with Gran Marnier sauce. The show was a visual comedy show.

Barcelona: Tuesday, November 23, 2010

-       After getting off the ship, we had to take a shuttle to the end of the port, then we got on the metro and headed up to Parc Guell. The park was really cool. First thing I got to do was walk down the runway from the ANTM season finale when they did the Vera Wang fashion show. Then we went up to a huge open circle where there we lots of vendors. We shopped around and just as we finished the police came and all the vendors grabbed their merchandise and ran like mad men. We wandered from there down to another metro to take us to Sagrada Familia. I managed to just pay student prices for us. We walked through there and got lots of pictures. Then we headed to another metro to go the Gaudi houses. After that we headed for the gothic quarter and saw the cathedral, and ended up on La Rambla where we had tapas and I had Sangria, and Brock had a beer. Then, thinking we had plenty of time we went back to where the shuttle was supposed to get us, but it was completely deserted.  We saw another couple that seemed to be as lost as us, and when they hailed a taxi we ambushed them an asked if they were going to the ship. They ended up being crew, and so they let us ride we them and then paid too! Back on the ship, we skipped the show because it was close to dinnertime. That night for dinner, Brock and I chose to use our invitation to the private restaurant, Club Blue Moon. We had our first dinner for two, complete with champagne. We both had asparagus wrapped in chicken. I had rack of lamb and Brock had beef. Then I had crème brule for desert, but Brock stole the show by ordering gelato, which was made right in front of us with liquid nitrogen and all! After dinner there was a big pirate party with midnight buffet on the pool deck.

Palma de Mallorca: Wednesday, November 24, 2010

-       We got off the ship and took a city bus to the center. There were tons of really nice yachts parked on the harbor. We walked along the water edge and into a huge cathedral, La Seu. Then we went to the Arab baths, which were small but very private. Then we walked toward the shopping area, we saw town hall and Santa Eulalia church as well. The town was really clean, wealthy, and nicely decorated for Christmas. Then Brock bought another pair of brown shoes, which are the best! We headed back to the ship for lunch in the restaurant. I had an amazing cold shrimp salad and beef stroganoff. Brock had the beef as well as vegetable soup.  Then we got ready for the Gala night. The show was sport show, the first one we had seen with a company of dancers and singers. Dinner was really fancy that night, we both started with mushroom soup. I had spaghetti with clams and Brock had pesto pasta. We both ate veal for dinner and lemon sorbet for desert.

Tunis: Thursday, November 25, 2010, Thanksgiving Day

-       So today we were in Africa!!!! We weren’t expected there until the afternoon so that morning they had Oktoberfest on board. They had decorations of the Paulaner beer I drank in Germany. Brock got a big Costa pint glass with Paulaner of course and I had a delicious hot dog in a cinnamon bun?! Pulling into the port, we saw a show of drummers and camels greeting us from shore. We left the boat and decided to take a private taxi tour around the city. The first place we went was Medina. There was a market there that was extremely scary but we got some sweet “Prada” sunglasses for five euros each!! Then I got some pretty glasses. We then stopped at a bar and drank coke in a can with Arabic writing. After meeting the taxi driver, we drove through what he called the modern city, which was made up of “expensive” townhouses on plots of dirt. Then we stopped at Carthage, the ancient city and saw a bunch of ruins. We then got a view of the mosque, which was built on a hill and lit up as if it were the White House. We then went to a church and then Sidi Bou Said, which had another market. Upon arrival back to the ship, we discovered we left Brock’s atm card in the machine, which lead to a slue of disasters that thankfully got worked out. That night we saw a magic show. At dinner we were lucky enough to have turkey! It was also Italian night on board the ship so we had fried mozzarella and flank steak as well. After dinner there was a huge party in the dinning room. I danced with our waiter and then there was a Congo line around the floor and some of the waiters danced up on the second floor and the stairs while everyone sang Italian songs.

Malta de Valletta: Friday, November 26, 2010

-       We got a late start that morning but then walked around the entire city of Valletta on the island of Malta. It was insanely hot that day but the town was really nice and definitely a possible place for future vacations. The town itself was all decorated for Christmas and was really nice to walk around in. We headed back to the ship early because it was so hot out. Then we sat up on the pool deck and went in the hot tub and down the water slide. The show was another music show done by the singers and dancers. That night was the Captain’s dinner. We both had potato pie stuffed with spinach and cheese, and lobster soup. I had pasta with baby shrimps. We both had beef filet and Brock also had grilled salmon. For dinner there was another show done but the staff. The presented Baked Alaska with blow torches and the captain came for a Champagne toast.

Catania: Saturday, November 27, 2010

-       Today we got off the ship and again walked on our own around the town. We saw lots of churches and piazzas and enjoyed a walk through the gardens of a Villa. After getting back to the ship we ate again at the restaurant. I had vegetable tempura, and grilled chicken with salad. Brock had potato and broccoli soup with grilled chicken. After lunch we relaxed until we had a meeting about disembarkation. Then the ship was passing through a straight connecting the tip of the boot of Italy to Sicily. We went out on the deck to watch. Then we went to the buffet to get pizza because we hadn’t had any yet.

Rome: Sunday, November 28, 2010

-       So after having a week of perfect weather, leave it to our luck to arrive in Rome with a week of rain ahead! Walking to the train station from the ship was a disaster of a trip. Back in Rome it was still raining, but this gave us a good break to relax and unpack our stuff. Sunday night I made Brock pasta and red sauce for dinner and then we called it an early night.

Rome: Monday, November 29, 2010

-       This morning we took our time getting ready, had breakfast, and watched a movie. I had studio in the after noon so Brock was off on his first adventure all by himself. In the three hours he was gone he covered a lot of area. After class we ate dinner at Abbey Theater. We went there so Brock could try the almost authentic Beef and Guinness stew. Then we stayed with a bunch of my friends since drinks were buy one get one! That was fun!

Rome: Tuesday, November 30, 2010

-       Again I had class in the morning but the afternoon was free, so Brock and I headed over to St. Peter’s. We went into the Basilica and then climbed the dome to the top! We had a slice of pizza for lunch and then headed back so I could go to class again. For dinner we went to Tre Scalini. Brock had spaghetti and meatballs and I had spaghetti and seafood. Then, of course, we both got Tartufo for dessert.

Rome: Wednesday, December 1, 2010

-       This morning was fun. We got to wake up super early to get on a metro to a post office outside the city walls for my analysis class. After looking at that architectural gem we headed back to the metro to go to the EUR. This place was pretty cool and we got to see some buildings that didn’t actually have flowers on top of every column. After the EUR we went to walk around Garbatella district. Then it was back to the center city for a four hour long studio session, during which Brock explored on his own again. For dinner we went to Buffeto, my favorite pizzeria. Then we went to the ice cube bar for drinks after.

Rome: Thursday, December 2, 2010

-       Today I had my last class with Allan Ceen, and Brock was lucky enough to

join. We started on the terrace overlooking Piazza Popolo and then made our way through Villa Borghese. For the first time all week it was a beautiful day! After class we walked to the bone chapel and then had a delicious, American lunch at the Hard Rock. After that we did some shopping by the Trevi Fountain and then headed to Castel Sant Angelo, which I thought was actually the coolest thing I have done yet in Rome. Then it was back to class and then home for homemade buffalo chicken sandwiches. I had a review Friday so Thursday night was spent working while Brock enjoyed the night out with some of my Larchie friends!

Rome: Friday, December 3, 2010

-       This morning I had crits but was lucky enough to get out of them sooner than I thought. Brock and I headed over to Coloseeum when I was done. We first went into the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill. Then we made it in to the Coloseeum and spent a little while there. After we wandered over to the mouth of truth that I had wanted to go to. Basically it is a stone plate against the wall of a mouth and you put your hand in the mouth and take a picture. Supposedly the mouth would bite anyone’s hand who was a liar. After we went to Buffeto again for dinner. After waiting on a hour line, we got sat with a bunch of people and then had to wait over an hour for food. It was interesting though because we were sat with an older couple from Barcelona, a couple our age from Tokyo, and two boys our age from London- so the conversation was good! We ended the night with my friends and Abbey Theater.

Rome: Saturday, December 4, 2010

-       Today we headed straight to the cannon up on the hill to watch it be fired at noon. We got seats on the wall and of course just sat there and watched the rain clouds come in. Then we went over to the Tempietto and back home to make more buffalo chicken sandwiches. After we did some shopping and then had the best meal ever! We went to a place that is actually right next to my classrooms by the Pantheon. Brock actually had wine, and it was really funny because we got a half of bottle and the man brought it over, poured some in Brocks glass and waited while Brock didn’t respond because he didn’t know he was supposed to try it! I had homemade tortellini and Brock had eggplant parm. There was olive bread and we had bruschetta. Then we had shots of Limón cello for dessert. 

Florence-Verona-Venice

We left for Florence early Monday morning on the train. It was a really quick train ride. After we got there we checked into the hotel and got right out there to see the city. Romolo’s lectures were insanely intense and I couldn’t follow half of them. While we were in Florence our safe haven was that we found this amazing outdoor market that I did a lot of shopping at. We ate with Matt and Nathaniel our first night and had pizza. The next day we climbed up to the dome which had an amazing view. I also was able to talk our way into the Lorentian library to see the stairs done by Michangelo. Later that night we walked up to a church on the other side of the river. We were there once it got dark and got to site through a mass sung entirely in Italian by monks. It wad really cool and so weird because it was cold and dark and just really different experience.

On the way to Venice we first stopped at Verona. We went to a museum designed in an old castle by Carlo Scarpa. The art work was boring but all the architecture was really interesting. Then during our lunch break Danielle and I wandered over to the Juliet balcony. After that we got back on the bus and drove some more to a town right at the edge of the Alps. There we visited a cemetery also designed by Scarpa. He was actually buried there too so it was neat to see his grave inside his architecture.

Then we got to Venice which is like another planet. It seemed like some small city Disney had erected! We went to our hotel and then went out to dinner, all 19 of us plus Romolo. We had pizza and drank beer and took Limón cello shots with him afterwards. The next day began a marathon of walking through the lagoon. We went to St. Mark’s square and it was so flooded they had these sidewalks that were elevated about three feet above the real piazza. Later that day when we went back the water was all gone and you could walk right through the piazza. That day we did some shopping and also took a 50 cent commuter ride across the canal on a gondola! That was really fun and something I’m glad I can say I did. Also while we were in Venice, about 20 minutes away from the city center, there was a huge architecture exhibit. We went there two days and saw competition entries from countries all over the world. The coolest thing that we saw was a room with a man made cloud. There was a huge bridge that brought you to the ceiling and back down and through this you could feel the temperature and humidity change as well as see the actual cloud. We then headed to the airport to go back to Rome and then see Brock the next day!!!

Mom and Dad Come to Rome!

Now it’s the morning mom and dad arrive. I put on a brand new Italian outfit I had just bought, go buy them croissants, and head to their hotel. Naturally, there had been a plumbing problem in their room so at last minute notice they were moved to the other location, which is apparently next to the Spanish steps. Mom and dad have no idea where they are, they are saying random streets on the phone, and this whole time I’m standing in front of the hotel where they are supposed to be thinking the other location is just a few buildings down. Finally we realize where they are and I head over there. After all this confusion it becomes a mad dash across Rome because that day was one of the few days we would be together at noon and could watch the 12 o’clock cannon be fired. So we sprint literally to the other side of Rome and make it just in time to get our eardrums blown up by the cannon, but it was still really cool. Then we headed to the Tempietto, which again, naturally, had closed 5 minutes prior to our arrival there! We then headed down into Trastevere, a small quainter section of Rome on the other side of the river from central city. There mom and dad tried their first authentic Italian pizza which I thought was delicious! The rest of that day we walked around and prepared ourselves for our private wine tour that night. Before the wine tour started we stopped in at the Penn State bar to watch the first half of the football game. Then we met our tour guide named Francesco and the fun began. Apparently the tour was also a walking tour of the famous sites in Rome and again, naturally, went everywhere I had taken mom and dad that day. But he did have new interesting things to tell us that I didn’t even know. We went to several bars and tried a bunch of wines. We were at a bar under the remains of the Theater of Pompeiio, which is where Caesar was killed. Then we drank a bottle while walking in the streets, that is legal here. Then we finished off at a bar in Trastevere again, which had food. I tried muscles for the firs time and fell in love! It ended up being a really awesome time and we all had a great time doing that. We ended the night with gelato and then went to bed!

The next day we woke up nice and early to be on time for a tour at the Villa Borghese Gallery. I thought I knew where we were going but made the mistake of checking myself against a tourist map which ended up taking us the extremely long way and making us almost late. Then, naturally, the machine didn’t want to take our confirmation to give us our tickets so we had to wait in a really long line. Surprisingly though the man at the counter helped us and it all went smoothly. The gallery was really cool and there were so many sculptures even after half of the originals had been moved to the Louvre! After that came the best part of the day… bicycle rentals around the park grounds of the villa. We felt so Italian with our baskets in front of us. It was a perfect fall day to ride around in the gardens and it was definitely a highlight of the visit! After that we headed to the pantheon area to have lunch, which was delicious again! (It was awesome not having to eat salami sandwiches and cook for myself when mom and dad were here!) After that we hung out in the hotel, which by this time had been fixed at its original location. Then we did the night walk to the Vatican and got pizza on the way home and called it a night.

Monday I met mom and dad for breakfast at a café near me and tried my first cappuccino, which was amazing! Mom thought she ordered American coffee but got an espresso so she and dad had to switch haha! Then I had class and mom and dad went on their way to tour the Vatican museum, see St. Peter’s, and climb the dome. I met them later for dinner at the best pizza in the world called Buffetta. It takes over an hour and an half to see food from the time you get on line to the time you are served but it is totally worth it!

Tuesday they left for Florence on a train and saw a bunch of stuff there. (I haven’t been there yet so I don’t know what there is to see) Apparently there hotel was beautiful and they enjoyed their time there but said that Rome was much nicer. Wednesday when they got back I had them over to my house and made them baked ziti, which was pretty good if I may say so! Then Thursday they took another train to Naples and Pompeii for the day. That night we had dinner in front of the Pantheon.  Dad got to have his raviolis finally, I had pesto pasta, one of my favorites, and mom had gnocchi. We also had amazing bruschetta, which instead of having just tomatoes and cheese on it had tuna on one, mushrooms on another, and salami on the last one. Then we had gelato yet again to finish the night, complete with the walk home passing by the apartment from Eat, Pray, Love.

After staying up to 4am, Friday began at my architecture studio where I had to give a presentation of my project. The review went surprisingly well so I was glad mom and dad were there to witness a good one. After that we made our way to the Coloseum, which, naturally, was closed due to a strike. However we got there an hour before it was supposed to re-open and decided to wait it out online. It was a great choice because we ended up being the first ones in and got to see it without crowds of people in the way! After that I lead them on walking tour some churches I had been to in class. The churches do not even look like churches from the outside, most of them, but then you walk in and it is this gorgeous, huge church inside. Then I finally found the bone chapel I had been wanting to go to. Conveniently it was located on Via Veneto which is the street mom stayed on when she came to Rome 30 years again. The bone chapel is a series of rooms that are decorated in skeletons. But when I say decorated I don’t mean they are hung up on the wall, I mean they made hearts out of rib bones and chandeliers out of hips, etc. it was creepy yet cool seeing how it was a few days before Halloween. Then we headed back to the hotel which a  7^th storey roof terrace. We enjoyed some cheese and Castellano brand wine while watching the sunset. That was also one of the best moments of the visit! Then we headed we headed to the infamous Tre Scalini in Piazza Navona for dinner. I again wanted to try something new so I got clams and spaghetti. Dad had lasagna and tortellini and mom had lasagna then we tried the famous tartuffo for dessert along with tiramisu, and two other cakes that I cant remember the name of.

On Saturday the three of us along with some of my friends took the train out to Tivoli to go to Villa D’Este. After walking along a major highway from the train station and trying to speak to a local Italian we finally found the Villa. It was definitely the coolest place I have been thus far on the entire trip. The garden was just so amazingly beautiful, we had a perfect day, and it was just so nice. The only bad part, naturally, the waterfall under which mom walked 30 years ago that I couldn’t wait to get a picture under too was closed for construction! After getting back to Rome we headed back to Buffetta for dinner and then finished that with the best gelato in Rome, Fridgidarium. Even dad tried two flavors and got it dipped in chocolate. We went all out! Then we went back to the hotel and had some amaretto and dad and I fell asleep, naturally, and then I had to go home to my apartment L. I truly had such an amazing week with them though and I am so thankful they were able to come visit me. It was awesome getting to share my new and unusual life with them! And since we threw coins into the Trevi I know someday we will all come back together!

Pompeii/ Paestum

Third weekend in a row... why not go on another road trip! This time it was with school though so no renting of the foreign cars. We left 8am on Friday morning, all larchies and archies on a coach bus. We got to Pompeii about 11:30 and all forty of us headed over to a restaurant next to the bus parking lot to eat lunch. Apparently bus parking at all of the tourist attractions is really expensive and these people offered free parking if the buses unloaded their passengers into the restaurant.. Weird how these Europeans do things. Anyway we had really good pizza and yellow french fries that weren't that great, and then headed to the archeological site. It was really cool to actually be there since I've learned about it and even made a model of one of the houses freshman year. It was way bigger than I had imagined. I think they said something like a city of 17,000 people but in my mind it was a city of about 100 people. It was really weird to think how those people must of lived. Walking through the streets it seemed like such a close-knit community. Shops in front of everyones house, a common forum, a stadium, and a theater. It was probably like a college campus! We even saw the plastered bodies which was really weird. When the excavated years ago, they would dig throw the rubble and rock and when they came to a hole they would stop and fill the hole with plaster. They would then break that open like a mold and it turned out the plaster filled a whole where a decayed body had been. The positions they were in were very dramatic. Most would probably assume that people were smothered by lava but actually they suffocated to death from the poisonous gas. They were then buried with ash from the explosion.

After Pompeii we got back on the bus and drove another hour and a half south to Paestum. Our teacher has a friend that owns a hotel on the beach there so naturally that is where we stayed. Beautiful hotel! As soon as we got there everyone rushed to the beach. We watched the sun set and the boys played football. Then we went back to the hotel where we were served a three course (free) meal. It was all stuff that was made or grown on site so that was pretty interesting.

The next day we went to the archeological site of Paestum. This was a site in Italy made by the Greeks. They are the best preserved Greek temples in the world. We walked around there for a while and took some pictures and sketches. Then we headed to a local restaurant and had the most delicious paninis ever! and of course gelato to follow! It was a quick but good weekend and we got to see a lot!

Rome: August and September 2010

This whole life in Rome of mine started on Thursday, August 26. We raced to Piazza Navona that morning in order to claim the best room/roommate. Danielle and I were lucky enough to get double together but not lucky enough to be on the piazza side. That weekend was followed by orientations and tours and then.... Surprise: you guys are going to be doing a project in Tivoli for the next to weeks with Italian students from Milan. Shortly after finding this out we were put on a bus and taken to Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli where there was a champagne appetizer party for us to meet the Italians.
The next two weeks we took turns working in Rome and in Tivoli designing a museum on the site of Hadrian's Villa. The groups consisted of five Italians and one PSU Arch and one PSU Larch. Our group, aside from not letting us do any of the design work, was really nice. They even invited us to their house one day and cooked us a real Italian pasta lunch. At the end there was an award ceremony in which my team sadly did not win anything. Then there was another champagne party for us on a rooftop terrace in center Rome. Overall it was a good experience to work with Italian students and get special treatment at archeological sites, but I am glad it is over now!

So basically I live in Piazza Navona, the largest and most famous one in all of Rome. Our residents are on the third floor of a church designed by Bernini, a famous architect. There are three sides of hallways surrounding an inner courtyard. Two hallways have bathrooms, kitchens, and rooms, while the third is the entrance, common room, and what we call the internet cafe (aka the hallway everyone sits in order to get a good wireless signal). Danielle and I live together across the hall from some Larch boys we met. They are awesome and so is the one boys girlfriend. It is pretty much the six of us doing everything together. We cook meals a lot for the whole group and also have "family" dinners on Sunday nights where we dress up and go out to eat. We shop at really small grocery stores that have the basics, including 87 euro cent boxed wine! We eat mostly pasta and sometimes salad or chicken. We recently discovered tortillas so our next mission is quesadillas! We have also been to the beach in Ostia which was really nice. The water was beautiful, clear, and warm but the sand, as soft as it was, was black as night because it came from lava. Another thing that isn't too far off from home: there is a bar a few doors down from our house that is an American bar and shows all of the football games. The owner is from Pennsylvania so PSU is actually a priority there. All of the students from past semesters have signed flags that are hanging on the wall.

As far as classes go, I am taking four. Studio of course is the major class that takes up most of time. This semester we are designing a piazza that is to be combined with an open air market and commercial front residential buildings. The site is really close to the Colosseum so I am there at least twice a week. The next class is basic Italian for beginners. Our teacher does not really speak English that well so as to be imagined the class is very slow as she tries to explain things in English. Then I have cartography which is awful. The teacher is really scary and he yells a lot about random things. Once a week we have a lecture and the second meeting of the week consists of four hour walking tours across Rome. We are graded on maps we draw of the routes we take each week! My last class is just a basic history on Rome and the different styles and types of architecture that can be found here.

Other than that it is still pretty much like normal life. Some changes to get used to but overall it has been great. I feel like I already forget what it is like to live in America. The other day I heard a police siren and it is so different from the ones at home. I then tried to picture an American siren in my head and I still can't figure it out!! That's fine though I guess soon enough I will hear it again. For now I will just enjoy the time I have to listen to European sirens!