Holiday

~~~~ Accomplished

Thursday - I woke up in the hostel all alone :( Athens isn't as much fun without Allison there. I got up early with intentions to use the internet somewhere. The internet cafe near our hostel was closed so I got on the metro planning to try to find one that we saw on our way to the Delphi bus stop. Well, I never did find it. It was nice to just wander around the city though. It was early enought that there weren't that many people out so I just stopped by a coffee house, got a cup of coffee and enjoyed my last morning in Greece. Around 10:30 I got back on the metro and headed back to the hostel to check out. I packed my bag, made sure I didn't forget anything, and headed down to the front desk to check out. The guy working looked really confused when I told him I was checking out. Apparently, they had written down that we were staying for six nights and I had another night before I needed to check out. Well, we only paid for five nights and I had a flight to catch so I just got out my reciept, showed him we only paid for five nights, and got ready to leave. Then he asked where I was going next and I told him Italy. His entire face lite up and he went on and on about what a wonderful country it was and how much I would love it because it was so beautiful, like me. Hahaha, Mediterranean men can be so flattering! But I said goodbye to my new friend and caught the metro to the airport. I love the Greek metro. It's clean, efficient, and can get you pretty much anywhere you want to go. But the metro line to the airport is weird. Only certain trains take you all the way to the airport. So I got on the first train, rode it until it stopped, announced it was the last stop, and then all the lights went off. Confused, I got off and noticed that on the platform there were other tourists with suitcases who looked just as confused as I did. Figuring my best bet was to wait with them, I sat down, and in about five minutes another train came on the same track and we got onto that one. It took us down a few more stops before it too announced it had reached its last stop and all the lights turned off on that train too. So I got off this train, waited on the platform for another five minutes, and this time a train pulled up that actually had airport printed on it! So I got on this train and it took me all the way to the airport. Thankfully all that train swapping didn't cost me any extra money and I still say that the Athens metro is the best one I've ever been on. I got checked in at the airport with no trouble and wandered for a little while. I got a veggie burger and a strawberry milkshake for lunch and bought myself a magazine to read while I waited for my flight. I passed a sign that said the airport had wireless, so I got my laptop and checked it out. It cost a little money but it was worth it to check on my hotel reservations and make sure I had maps for Rome and Florence. Then I got on the plane and by these two Italian girls who were terrified of flying. When we took off they stuck their fingers in their ears and clamped their eyes shut and waited for us to be in the air. As soon as we were in the air though they started talking to these two Greek guys across the aisle from us and since they didn't speak greek and the girls didn't speak Italian they both used broken English which I found really funny. Luckily, this flight was only an hour though because I don't think I could have handled much more then that with them! We landed and my bag was one of the first ones off the baggage claim - always a good sign - and so I got onto the train that would take me into the city with little trouble. On the train I sat by this family of a mom, a dad, and a little girl. After asking her parents if it was okay, I started practicing my Italian with the little girl. I learned her name was Sofie, she was 6, and she had lived in Rome all her life. She was just learning her numbers so we sat and practiced our numbers together. "Uno, due, tre, quatro, cinque, sei, sette, otto, nove, dici, undici, dodici, tredici, quatordici..." she always got a little stuck after fourteen but we did manage to get up to twenty. She asked me why I had a funny accented so I explained I'm from American and didn't originally speak Italian. So then she wanted to learned numbers in English so I taught her one through five. After saying goodbye to Sofie and her parents, I got off the train and headed to my hostel. Other then originally heading to the wrong side of the station and not being able to figure out how to work the doorbell on the hotel (I had to be buzzed in before I could get inside) I got all checked in and dropped off my bags easily enough. My room was fantastic. It was bright orange with a bright blue bed. I had a comfy chair, a sink, and pictures of Tweety and the Flintstones on my wall. But I was ready to see Rome so I grabbed my map I got at check in and headed out to the Colosseum. I found it with no trouble (the map I had was awesome) and wandered around for a while. Got a few pictures then headed on to the Forum. From there I walked around the Circus Maximus and then back to the Forum to check out the Piazza Venezia. At this time it was getting kinda dark so I got Fanta and Gelato for dinner (I know, such a healthy dinner) and headed back to the hotel. My gelato was one scoop kiwi and one scoop cherry. The kiwi was sooo good! It even had fake black kiwi seeds made out of sugar in it. I tried two new kinds of fanta. Chiotto and Red Emotion. I think the chiotto was suppose to be black licorice because I really didn't like it but the red emotion was blood orange and I thought that was really good. But I was exhausted so I went to be soon after my dinner.


Friday - Woke up really excited for Firenze. I checked out and stored my luggage in the free luggage storage facility my hotel had. I also got a free breakfast at a local cafe so I got my ticket for that and headed over to the cafe for a cheese crossant and a cup of coffee... sooo good! After breakfast I went over to the train station to check up on my train info but I realized I had like half an hour to kill so I went to a local internet point to use my free 15 minutes of internet I got from my hostel. I had an eticket for my train so I just got on the train and ended up sitting by this guy who was originall from India. I started talking to him and he spoke Italian in an Indian accent. He was nice to talk to but about 10 minutes into the conversation he told me my Italian was very good but very formal. He said he felt like he was at a tea party and should be on his best behavior! Oh well, at least I can understand people and they can understand me! After the train I headed straight to il Academia to see the David. I got a little turned around and ended up at il Duomo (apparently all roads in Florence lead to il Duomo) but there was an information center nearby so I grabbed a map from there and made it to the Academia after that with no trouble (I love maps in Italy!) After a 2.5 hour wait to get inside, I found myself face-to-face with David. Words cannot describe that statue. Photos don't do it justice. It's just amazing! The long wait was totally worth it. You can just sit and stare at the statue for hours. But I had other things to see so I headed out back to il Duomo. I wandered around it for a while and got lots of pictures but most of the interior was closed because it was so close to Easter. That's okay the dome is still fantastic. My lunch consisted, once more of gelato. This time I tried Nutella gelato... yummy! Really, I don't think you can go wrong with gelato. Then I decided to head over to the Ponte Vecchio (old bridge). On my way I decided to go past the Piazza della Uffici and I'm so glad I did. First of all, I past a Disney Store and I laughed out loud to see it! Here I am, halfway across the world, in one of the most fabulous places on earth and there's a Disney Store here! I just had to go inside. They didn't really have anything unique but it was just funny to see all the toys for Cars, Pirates of the Caribbean, and other Disney movies where I least expected to see them. After that pleasant suprise I made it to the Piazza and was in awe of all the Renaissance masterpieces. The piazza itself was stunning, along with the tower of the Medici and I wandered around for a while just looking. Then I found an open air museum with a replica of the David, and such masterpieces as Perseus and Medusa, and Menelaus and the body of Patroclus. But I really wanted to see the bridge so I pressed on. The bridge was actually really close by so I started crossing it. All the jewlery stores looked like little jewelery boxes and their windows were filled with all sorts of beautiful gold necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings, and anything else you could imagine that was made of gold. Florence is known for its gold work so I decided I had to try to find something within my price range. I finally found these charms in a window that were made in the classic Florentine method of spiral gold work. I found a beautiful one shaped like a crescent moon so I went inside the store and asked the lady working there to look at it. We chatted for a while and she complimented me on my Italian. I finally decided to get the charm, which I considered a good deal at 40 Euro, and she took another 5 Euro off because I spoke to her in Italian! Yaaay! After my rather successful purchase I started to wander back to the heart of Florence. On my way I bought postcards, a cheap purse with Florence, Milan, Naples, Rome, and Venice written in Italian on it (that's what those extra 5 Euros went to), and my obligatory coffee mug. Then I still had about an hour to kill before my train left so I wandered into a bookstore. I found a book on dogs and read about Westies in Italian! Then I found the lonelyplanet travel guide to Egypt in Italian so I read that for a while. At that point I was feeling really confident with my Italian so I thought I might be fun to look at a novel. I found the Hobbit and Harry Potter in Italian and since the Hobbit was only 5 Euro I thought, why not? So I bought it. Now I think it might be fun to own a copy of the Hobbit in every language I learn so I might have to try to track down a copy in Arabic. After that I had to catch my train so I headed back to the station. It was delayed 10 minutes but other then that I didn't have any trouble again. Got back to Rome and picked up my luggage and asked for directions to Stephanie's hotel. Took the metro. Then I took a train. Then I took a taxi (it turns out the hotel was way out of town) and then I got to the hotel. It was really nice! I beat Stephanie so I sat down at the bar with her parents and her aunt and sweet talked Jordan to them... trying to encourage them to let Steph go. I don't know if I helped at all but I like to pretend that I did. Stephanie showed up soon after and we had a dinner of pasta with tomato and basil and then it was up to bed. Even though Stephanie's brother woke me a couple of times that night with his snoring it was still one of the most comfortable beds I've slept in!

Saturday - Had a slow start that morning but enjoyed the continental breakfast of yogurt, granola, fruit, cheese, and coffee. I love European breakfasts! Then we got onto the tram to take us to the city center. I think we stayed on it for too long because we ended up getting pretty lost. We got off the tram and asked for directions and was told to get on a bus. So we did then I went into a store to ask for directions and I met a store owner who had a nephew in Chicago (and apparently his brother is dead... not sure how that fits in) and he actually knew where Ohio was! He also gave me directions to a bus that would take us to the main train station and from there we got onto the metro. It was quite an adventure but a lot of fun and we got to see a lot of the city so I won't complain. We had lunch at a cafe overlooking the colosseum and I had real Italian gnocchis. They were even better then the ones at Coccia House! After that I split with the Harigs for a while because they wanted to see the Colosseum and I headed over to the Vatican. Waited in about a ten minute line for Saint Peter's Basilica and got in easily enough. The entire country (being like an acre in size) was decorated for Easter with hundreds of flowers. Inside the Basilica I headed straight to the Pieta. It was amazing. Not quite as impressive as il David but that's probably because it's behind bullet proof glass which made me sad. I wanted to get closer! But I wandered around the Basilica for a while. Saw confession booths where you could confess in Italian, English, French, German, Spanish, or Portugeese, and then checked out the museum which didn't really have anything too interesting. Tried to get into the Vatican Museum and the Sistene Chapel but it had closed already. I was kinda sad about that because I really wanted to see the Sistene Chapel ceiling but next time I guess! Then I got melan and black cherry gelato and headed over to the Trevi Fountain. It was a really spectacular fountain but slightly overwhelming because of all the people there. But I threw my coin in and decided to find the Pantheon. That was great. I loved the big hole in the ceiling and I wandered around for a while. Then I had about two hours befor I had to meet the Harigs at the Spanish steps so I decided to put my map away and just walk for a while. I managed to stumble across some remains of a temple complex in the Piazza Argentina and the Campo di Fiori. Then I had to get to the Spanish Steps so I walked along the Tiber River and came up to the steps along one of the most exclusive shopping districts in Rome. I passed by stores for Gucci, Prada, and Louis Veton... which, ironicall enough, was shaped like a giant Louis Veton suitcase with a Cairo, Egypt travel sticker on the outside! Got a drink from the fountain that Samantha Brown did in her tv show ;) and met the Harigs near the foot of the steps. Stephanie and I climbed up to the top of the stairs and back down... there are 137 stars in all... we counted. And then headed back to her family to get some dinner. We found this great hole-in-the-wall authentic Italian restaurant called Marcos. I got penne and eggplant and ricotta cheesecake for dessert. Stephanie's aunt ordered a bottle of wine and insisted Stephanie and I share it with her... hey, we were Europe... we were allowed! It was suppose to be Toscany's best red wine. Then the adults went back to the hotel and me, Stephanie, and her brother Chris wandered back to the Campo di Fiori to watch the street performers paint, dance, sing, and play instruments. It was really fun. We also stopped by a local pub and I got my Guinness... which was a really nice change from all the light lager I've been having in Egypt. On the way back we stopped at a gelateria for my last gelato... peach and red mulberry (the peach was good I didn't like the red mulberry as much) and then got a cab back to the hotel.

Sunday - Woke up at 5:30 to catch my flight. Stephanie and Chris were still asleep but they had to get up soon becaues they were going to Easter mass with the pope! How exciting! Asked the front desk to call me cab, went to the train station, got to the airport, and checked in with no problem. At first I was really sad to be leaving Italy but as soon as I checked in and realized I was heading back to Egypt I was ready to leave! Ran into another AUC girl in the airport and we sat and talked until the plan left. For some reason I got bumped up to business class (I guess the lady who checked me in was impressed by my Italian) and I was the only one there! The plane was only half full but the flight attendent who worked business class only had me to look after and I could tell she was kinda bored! But I had a really good lunch of bread, fresh fruit, yogurt, tea, and juice, and then I napped the rest of the flight. The views outside the window were really impressive. There weren't many clouds in the sky and I could see the Island of Crete when we passed over it. It was really cool. I also saw Cairo perfectly when we flew in. Cairo Tower looked like a little toy tower and I saw my apartment building! Then we got off the plane, got our bags, called a cab, and got back to Garden City. After I got unpacked I went to visit Allison and Katie and Katie told me about her spring break in Jorda. Then Dan came over and I asked him to bring me Koshari. I MISSED KOSHARI SOOO MUCH! I really enjoyed that! But I went to bed early because I was exhausted.

Monday - Woke up at 9 and couldn't get back to sleep. Darn it. Lazed around all day watching movies and otlobed Pizza Hut. Really can't remember what I did but all the laziness and relaxation was exactly what I needed before classes started again.

Tuesday - Got to Historiography and got my midterm back. 95! Holy Cow!!! I thought I did horible on that but I guess no. I'm not complaining. Historiography was my only class for the day so after that I went and got stamps and groceries. Got Koshari for lunch... again. My fruit man wasn't there so I had to go to someone else :( Got myself some fig cookies because I missed them too. Tomorrow I think I'll feteer because I miss that. I missed Egypt! Came back and ate my Koshari. Then went down to the market for my other groceries. My cupboard looks a little stocked now. Wrote my postcards and generally have been putting off my homework. I might not do any today. This procrastination thing has been nice. I might just keep it up!

Spring break was great. I wish I could have spent more time in Italy and less in Greece but I wouldn't have exchanged my experiences for anything. It was just the break from the Middle East I needed to look forward to coming back here and finishing off my semester. I can't believe I have less then two months left!