Ciau Italy!

Our last few days in Paris were rainy and cold, and unfortunately due to the combination of smoke pollution and wet weather I caught a cold. Which consequently made the overnight train to Padua, Italy miserable. But I made it, and after a few days breathing clear Italian air I am fortunately feeling much better.

We had to get through a rainy day in Trieste first, but it's been clear skies since then, and Italy is absolutely beautiful. My roommate's cousin welcomed us into her home for a few days, so we've been staying with her and traveling around various parts of Northern Italy. We head to Sicily in a few days, where their family lives, and to prepare me for the inevitable insanity that is an Italian family gathering (especially when its one for Easter) we had dinner with her cousin's uncle and his family.

The average Italian guest dinner is an interesting experience. I was given a tour of the house by the one member of the family who spoke English and introduced to all the rest (his expecting wife, his mother-in-law, and their three children). The house was beautiful, one that he was renovating himself and decorating with amazing detail. The family was all very nice, and we spent a lot of time laughing while the two people who spoke both languages translated for everyone. While we were waiting for dinner, the old family videos were pulled out and played (where I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of people in Italian families) and then the wedding album, both of which were entertaining. I was told that this was normal and that whenever guests are over this happens.

Dinner was homemade Italian pizza, and I feel like a changed person after eating it. Sfinciuni, an incredible Sicilian pizza, was served, and afterwards their eldest daughter, who wants to become a pastry chef, made us pancakes, and it was a fantastic meal. We had to hurry out to catch our train back to Padua afterwards, but it was an incredible evening.

Since then I have visited Milan, where I was intimidated by the ridiculous amounts of high end stores, Verona, where I visited Juliet's house and stood on her balcony, and Venice, where handmade glass and gondolas rule the city built on water. I think of the places in Italy I've been, Verona and Venice are my favorites. We were able to enjoy the cities with sun and gelato, something I've been craving since cloudy England, and just wandering the streets is beautiful.

The food has also been phenomenal. Pasta and pizza and gelato and more kinds of meat than I knew existed. It makes me excited for Sicily, where more Italians and their families means more food, even if it means I will continue to be the tallest, blondest person there.

I won't have internet while I'm in Sicily, but when I get to Rome after I should, so I'll be able to tell all about my adventures then. So until then, buonanotte Italy and good morning California,

Sam

Pizza!

Castle in Trieste

Trieste

Trieste

James Joyce in Trieste

The Basilica in Milan

Milan

Inside the Basilica in Milan

Milan

Verona

Verona

Verona

The arena in Verona

Verona

Verona

Juliet's House in Verona

Writing on the tunnel to Juliet's House in Verona

Stick your letters to Juliet to the wall

Juliet's Balcony

It's good luck to touch the statue of Juliet's breast

Verona

Venice

Venice

Venice

Gondola rides in Venice

A Basilica in Venice

Venice

Venice

Venice

Venice

Milan

Verona

Some of the glass jewelry made in Murano in Venice

Paris; And So The Travels Begin

The past week has been a wild one. I’ve been without wifi for a few days, so unable to post anything on Facebook or write up a blog post, I’m running a little late on updating the world on my adventures.

Last week started with our last few days in Oxford, finishing up the Ashmolean museum, looking at Oxford Castle (where the first writings of King Arthur and Camelot were penned), and hitting up the last of the shops we needed to visit. Friday we were up early and taking a nine hour journey to Paris. We took a bus that went under the ocean, which would have been pretty cool if we could have seen anything. But it was all a dark tunnel for a while, so mostly it was just exhausting.

We got to Paris to find that street names and navigation is much easier compared to London and Oxford. Within ten minutes of being there, though, I managed to damage my phone screen, rendering it useless. Luckily I had a digital camera with me so I could continue taking pictures even when I couldn’t message my family and friends.

Paris is beautiful. It’s colder than I expected, and there is a ridiculous amount of air pollution, so bundling up and not seeing the sun for a few days was necessary, but the buildings are incredible and the landmarks are amazing. We spent two days going around on a bus, hopping off and on to see all the major landmarks of Paris, including Moulin Rouge, The Louvre (where we spent several hours wandering among ancient Greek and Roman statues and, yes, saw the Mona Lisa), the Bridge of Lovers (where my roommate and I put a lock on the bridge to commemorate our trip), Notre Dame (where I may or may not have quietly sung Hunchback of Notre Dame songs the entire time), The Triumphal Arch (with the tomb of the French solider and the eternal flame), the Eiffel Tower, the Opera Garnier, The French Naval Museum, and Champs de Mars.

We took a night bus around to see the monuments all lit up as well, and the Eiffel Tower puts on a twinkling show every night, shining out over the city like stars. We were lucky enough to be there the weekend Paris implemented a free public transportation weekend rule, and so we used the metro system several times for free.

There are a lot of gypsies and people trying to illegally sell souvenirs in Paris, so you’ve got to dodge around them and the pickpockets in order to keep all your belongings and money intact. We were approached a few times but managed to get away before we were reeled in too far. Everyone smokes here too—no designated areas or limited places, people can just light up a cigarette anywhere they want. And almost everyone does. My throat is beginning to hurt and I’m concerned with secondhand smoke at this point. But I’ve heard that’s how it is all over Europe, so I should probably either get used to it or practice my evasive maneuvers.

Today we got up ridiculously early (my sleeping schedule is so off at this point I’ll probably hibernate when I get home) and took the metro to Disneyland Paris, where we’ll be staying in a hotel and visiting the park for a few days before going to Italy.

The park is enormous, especially when compared to the one in California, which was built in such a crammed space that everywhere you turn there’s something Disney. In Paris it’s much more spread out. The rides are generally the same but faster (Paris is on a whole other level speed wise—this applies to people walking, motorcycles, and especially cars. I would never want to drive in Paris it is ridiculous). The food was on the expensive side (but that’s just Paris and Disneyland in general) but good, and we budgeted well. I’m on the hunt for a sweater that I saw in the Paris Disney store but haven’t been able to find in any of the stores in the park. But I am determined.

The fireworks show was probably my favorite part, as it combined a little bit of almost a dozen Disney stories and music, and the castle was just beautiful lit up with firework light and projections. It’s Sleeping Beauty’s castle here, just like back home, but built differently and with a dragon underneath (which was way cool because dragons).

We head back out there tomorrow and for the first half of the following day (we got a sweet deal on the hotel where we basically got the tickets to the park for free) before we take an overnight train to Italy to meet up with my roommate’s cousin.

I’ll get this posted as soon as I can, which will probably not be until Italy (where I will also attempt to get my phone fixed), where I’ll have another blog post to put up. So, until then, good night Paris and good morning California,

Sam

Moulin Rouge

A clock tower--which is a great pun

The Louvre

Inside The Louvre

My weirdly obsession-driven knowledge of Greek mythology helped when identifying statues with only French descriptions

Every single ceiling was just as, if not more, beautiful than this one

Nike; goddess of victory

Aphrodite; goddess of love and beauty

Mona Lisa

Louvre paintings

This whole hall was made of Gold and jewels and expensive things

Some trinkets that belonged to Marie Antoinette

Napoleon III's apartment bedroom; he lived int he Louvre before it was a museum

The Bridge of Lovers

There were so many locks that the bridge is actually beginning to sink and the city has started boarding it up. The locks have spilled onto the surrounding fences as well, so the street is lined with them

Notre Dame

The stained glass windows were absolutely stunning; they literally took my breath away

*quietly singing Hunchback of Notre Dam songs*

There were almost a dozen of these just filled with candles along the walkway

More stained glass; every window was different so about half of my pictures from Paris are of Notre Dame

You can kind of see the gargoyles of Notre Dame in this picture

Arc de Triomphe

It was beautiful at night too

The Eiffel Tower was stunning lit up

The Eiffel Tower puts on a light show and twinkles for about five minutes every night

Nighttime Paris

A statue outside the Marine Nationale

Marine Nationale--the French Naval Museum

Opera Garnier

Opera Garnier

Notre Dame

Marine Nationale

Marine Nationale