Love at First Sight - Venezia

Venezia 

When I was little, my family and I would go to an Italian restaurant named Carrabba's Italian Grill.  The waiters would give my brothers and I little balls of bread dough and we would kneed artistic creations out of the dough for the cooks to bake for us.  The artistic works of art included: fish, faces, a "ball of dough", and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.  The restaurants bathroom would play "How to Speak Beginning Italian" videos over the loudspeakers and I would find myself lingering in the bathroom an extra 15 minutes so I could hear how Italians spoke.  I always felt like I had to be the best bread dough maker or know all the words on the CD because I was Italian.  But one thing that Carrabba's introduced to me about Italy was Venice.  The kids menu/place mat had images of gondoliers riding around in canals with their striped shirts and circular hat.  Growing up in Florida, I was familiar with boats but have never seen anything like it before.  I asked my parents what this "funny" kind of boat was and they explained that they were special kinds of boats in an Italian city where the boat was the only mode of transportation.  I never fully understood what that meant but began to become curious with what this magical city was and wanted to know more about its beautiful, simple charm.

After this introduction, I started seeing Venice everywhere: my mothers Venetian mask collection, souvenirs and pictures in my grandparents house from their travels, the movie The Italian Job (though watching it now I see it is so cheesy, but I still love it anyway).  I needed to see it for myself - to uncover the mystery, to see the beauty and to ride in a gondola.

I couldn't leave Italy this semester knowing I didn't go to Venice - and I made it happen.

My roommate Rose and I were supposed to go to Venice with a student group called Bus2Alps.  There were not enough people on the trip so they had to cancel it.  We were very upset at the news but took the initiative to plan our dream weekend in 2 days (the organization gave us really last minute notice and this was one of the few weekends that we had available to go to Venice so we needed to make it happen).  We researched trains, hostels and restaurants and managed to book everything literally within just a few hours before our set departure.

We arrived at Santa Lucia Train Station late Thursday night.  There was not much to see - but at the same time it was everything we needed to fall in love immediately.

Boat ride to our hostel

DAY 1

 We started our first full day in St. Marks Square since our hostel was located very close to it.  I was told to look out for the crazy people and the pigeons.  Luckily only the pigeons were up that early in the morning.

After, we went to the Rialto Bridge - the oldest bridge that crosses over the Grand Canal that connects the San Polo and San Marco regions of Venice - and the Rialto Market - a market known for its fresh fish and friendly locals.  

Grand Canal

Rialto Bridge

Rialto Market

Then we walked around Venice, stopping at every bridge (there are so many) to gaze into the canals and sneak in a picture.  We stopped in several mask stores that are famous for their great quality and specialize in the Commedia dell'arte (for example: Ca' Macana and Atelier Marega).  Of course we had to try them on ;)

 

Rosa and I

After we worked up an appetite we had lunch at a restaurant (that ended up being very highly ranked on Trip Advisor) Trattoria da Remigio.  Me and Rose split a spider crab antipasti and spaghetti with white wine  and fresh fish entree.  And we cheers to Venice!

Prosecco

Spider Crab Antipasti

Spaghetti with Wine Wine & Fish

 As it was getting dark, we found a cute restaurant overlooking a canal and decided to sit down and enjoy the view.  But one thing I learned about being in Venice after the first day: the view is literally perfect no matter where you go.

Drinks at Dusk

                                     

Rose, Campari Spritzers and Sunset

 After our "Appertivo" we continued to walk around the city and find a place for a light bite.  We stumbled across a little restaurant with a waiter named Micheal.  When we sat down he said that the drinks for the rest of the night were on the house.  Feeling bad - we ordered caprese so that the restaurant would make some revenue off of us (being in hospitality I always feel bad getting stuff on the house) - BUT that ended up on the house too!!!! Since he grew up in Venice he knew so much about the city and little secrets that the guide books don't tell.  For example, in St. Marks Square, there are two pillars.  Prisoners would have the opportunity to walk around the perimeter of each column without holding on to anything - those that could successfully cross lived - those that fell were killed.  Me and Rose attempted the task and lets just say we would have been killed! The perimeter was so small that one could easily loose his or her balance.  The secret though is that the two pillars are two different sizes and it is not noticeable to the eye unless you attempt this task. I know I am not explaining it right but when you see me in person I can demonstrate it to you.

He also told us the story about the Bridge of Sighs located in St. Marks Square.  The bridge connects the New Prison to the interrogation rooms in the Doge's Palace.  The view was the last view of Venice that prisoners saw before they were sent to prison.  He also said that there is a local legend that says that lovers will be granted eternal love and bliss if they kiss on a gondola at sunset under the Bridge of Sighs as the bells in the square ring.

Me, Micheal (the Venetian) and Rose in St. Marks Square

The Bridge of Sighs



DAY 2
The next day we left Venice and went to the islands of Murano and Burano.

Murano

This small island is known for it's beautiful glass and glass making.  Me and Rose attended a glass making demonstration and spent literally hours walking through each of the showrooms and speaking with the salesmen about the history of our favorite pieces and what makes them so special.  I was not able to take that many pictures of the work because they are so special but mark my words my future house will be filled with these beautiful pieces of art. 

Here are some of the pieces of art that I was able to capture.

Burano

The island of Burano known for its lacework and beautifully colored houses.  Each of the houses are uniquely colored and if someone wants to repaint their house: they have to submit a proposal to a Although the island seemed very empty when we visited - it may have been because we visited the city when it was not "in-season".  Lucky for us though because we got to see the beauty without big crowds and chaos.  

Beautiful Park

Burano Lace

Unique Houses

After a quick visit to these islands Rose and I made our way back to Venice for the long awaited GONDOLA RIDE. We picked up some Bellini's, cheese, bread, salami and tasty sweets for a typical Italian picnic on the gondola.  We seeked out and auditioned a few different gondoliers to find our perfect match... which led us to Hugo.  He promised to sing to us (and he whistled too) and was very nice.  While on the gondola, Hugo gave us a tour of the canals and told us about more fun facts about Venice.  For instance: the islands are all man man and the buildings are constructed on wooden piles. The foundations of the piles rest on the piles, and buildings of brick or stone sit above the foundations. The piles penetrate a softer layer of sand and mud until they reach a much harder layer of compressed clay.  There are also 118 islands!!!!

Me, Hugo and Rose

We had the BEST time!!! Riding in a gondola has been my biggest dream ever since I saw what a gondola was at Carrabbas.  I am so happy that I got to share this experience with such a great friend that I met while abroad and someone who was just as equally excited and in love with Venice as I was.  After we parted ways from Hugo and the gondola we found a quaint little dock overlooking the Grand Canal and finished our picnic.

We then went back to the hostel, gathered our things indulged in some free Wi-Fi and made our way to where we had dinner reservations.  The restaurant was called Ostaria Da Rioba and we found this gem on TripAdvisor before we left and made reservations ASAP after looking at the menu and guests comments.  The atmosphere was very contemporary and seemed like a place where art gallery experts would go to discuss the next up and coming gallery.  It was the perfect balance of traditional Venetian cuisine with a cozy, warm atmosphere.

It was also located very close to the train station so it was a perfect pit stop on our way home.  

Traditional Venetian Fish Antipasti
Clockwise: Grilled Octopus with Potatoes, Scampi, Sardines with Onions, Raisins and Pinenuts, and Dried Cod with Polenta

My entree: Baked monkfish fillet with crust of dry fruits served on 
raw spinach , dry tomatoes and red onion

Rosa's Dish - Grilled “ scampi “ prawns on mix salad and herbs chicory hearts strawberries and citronette of lemon.

Melt in your mouth Tiramisu... and my first Tiramisu in Italy!!

Overall I am SOOOOOO unbelievably thankful to be given the ability to make this dream come true.  The city provides the right amount of mystery, culture and love that can make any person say "That's Amore".   It was the most perfect weekend and I literally could not have dreamed of a better Venetian experience.  My dreams literally came true.  I am counting down the days until I get to see this wonderful city again. 

I have to only agree to what Elizabeth Berkley once said:

"I will never forget experiencing Venice for the first time. It feels like you are transported to another time - the art, music, food and pure romance in the air is like no other place."

Linda Comes to Italy & Spring Break (2 Weeks of being an Energizer Bunny)

These past two weeks have been filled with so much excitement that I haven't had time to share what has happened.  I know you all have been antsy and waiting for this so here it goes ;)

WEEK 1: Mommy Comes to Roma

My mom came to visit! I missed her so much and was starting to feel a little homesick so her timing could not have been so perfect. During her stay we wandered around Rome, attended cooking school, visited the city of Tivoli, and ate amazing meals. Not to mention spending quality mother daughter time.  I was so excited to show my stomping grounds and how much I have grown already during my first half of my semester abroad.

The cooking school we went to is called Cooking Classes in Rome. 

   

It was a place that my mom and brother Brian went to when he studied abroad in Rome four years ago.  Funny story: when I was exploring my street during my first weeks of living in Rome I noticed that there was a cooking school located there, and little did I know it was the same school that my mom and brother attended. It is owned by Chef Andrea and his wife Erica (four years ago she was just his girlfriend and now they are married and she is pregnant with their first child).  The class involves 12 students, 4 hours of learning and preparing a traditional Roman meal and then a 4 course lunch (there was so much food it turned out to be our lunch and dinner).  Here what was on our menu and how the food turned out:

 The food was delicious and I have to say it was the best meatballs I ever ate in my entire life.  It was amazing to think that we made the entire meal together with the rest of our "class" and that all the food was made from scratch and was so fresh.

We also took a day trip to Tivoli and saw Villa Adriana and Villa d'Este. My roommates and I watched The Lizzie McGuire movie and were wondering where some of the scenes were filmed because we had not seen them in Rome... Well... They were located here! Villa Adriana was were the Roman Emperor Hadrian went on retreats.  It was huge and was great condition. You could see where his servants lives, where he threw his parties and his many baths. One could only imagine how long it took to build such a sight.

At Villa d'Este there is a garden area with fountains and flowers everywhere. The fountains were breathtaking. Every corner we turned a new fountain arose that was more breathtaking than the next. Being with my mother in such a beautiful environment and seeing her reactions to the beauty was what made that day extra special.

During that week, I also had my midterms for class.  At least they were manageable with the excellent dinners and company of my mother (and sleeping in her extra comfy bed).  My favorite place that we went to was Antica Pesa.  Hands down the best service I ever received in my life in a very cute atmosphere (and in Trastevere!).  The wine list was as big as all of the Harry Potter Series combined and the food melted in my mouth, not to mention that in the entrance, celebrities line the walls shaking the hands of the owner.  Every inch was covered with picture of Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert Di Niro, Reese Witherspoon, Tobey Maguire, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon to name a few.

Pasta with flat green beans and fish at Antica Pesa

Ahi Tuna with Raspberry Watercress Salad at Antica Pesa

Suppli, Minestrone, and Zucchini stuffed with Seabass at Ostaria Pucci

Time flew by so quickly and it was time to say goodbye and start my spring break adventure.

SPRING BREAK

After my last exam, my fellow travel buddies and I were on our way to Seville, Morocco, Sorrento, Capri, and Croatia.  I don't know how we did it but we survived transitioning between several different cultures, currencies, weather and languages without killing each other.

First stop Seville.

I couldn't have asked for a better first stop, especially since I was able to see one of my best friends, Maureen, in her study abroad city.  She showed me and my friends a traditional Spanish breakfast, the shopping district (she knows me too we'll) and some iconic structures in Seville.  She even introduced us to a new favorite drink, Tinto de Verano... Saying goodbye wasn't hard, because we would be seeing each other (along with 9 other IES Abroad Rome students and one of my BFF from home Vicky) enroute to Africa in just a few hours.

Reuniting with Maureen *shout out to T-Unit for capturing this moment

Metropol Parasol

Morocco.

Ready for the Ferry!

My friends and I booked our Morocco adventure with Discover Excursions.  Little did we know two of my closest friends booked the same trip - not even planned!!! We met the group in Seville and boarded buses to get to the Tarifa Port in Spain.  For there we took a ferry to Tangiers and then took another bus ride to get to our hotel (Ramada Encore). We checked in to our hotel - which was new and beautiful - and we each got our own queen sized bed! This was a HUGE surprise and treat for any college student that is used to a stinky old hostel. The net day we went to the city of Chefchaouen aka the blue city. We were treated to a great lunch  at a hotel in the city.  And since there were not enough seats inside, we were "stuck" with having to eat outside with a gorgeous view.  After we took a tour through the city and had time to do some bargaining/photoshoot within the city.  Back in Tangiers, we were given a formal dinner, fire and belly dance show and a dance party with the hotel staff! It was so much fun! It was funny cause the hotel staff wanted to take pictures with their new American friends just as we wanted to take pictures with the Moroccans. We were both in culture shock.

The last day we had breakfast and checkout of the hotel.  Overall the staff was so friendly and provided excellent service! I am going to write them a review online (which I never really do) because I was so impressed. The group took us to have a camel ride, see the Caves of Hercules and Cabo Spartel. We then went to the city of Assilah which is known for their art on the walls.  The we made our way back to the port, ferry and Seville.

The IES Roma Crew (and Henry)

Maureen and Danielle - both from my freshman dorm at PSU

Vicky, one of my oldest friends from Florida

 

Pool Side Service

 

Me and my new Blanky - and the man who made it

Traditional Moroccan Food

Cave of Hercules

Then came Sorrento and Capri

After we came back from Seville and Morocco we came back to Rome for a few hours to unpack/repack/chill before departing on our next adventure, Sorrento and Capri.  It was very rainy and not in season when we arrived so there were not a lot of people there. The directions to he hostel were very cute.  "Simply exit the station, walk down the steps and walk straight across a small street " Thanks hostel, this is very cute but not very informative.  But it turns out... those were all the directions we needed since the town was so small! That night we went out to a nice dinner and great night sleep. The next morning we woke up and took a ferry to Capri.  The water was very tolerable and calm considering the rain storm the night before.  We had a quaint breakfast on the water and walked around the town. 

Sinking in the islands beauty, the sounds of the waves crashing, the fresh scent if lemons lingering in the air and the spectacular views was everything that made this island amazing and made me not want to leave. Even when a rain storm came in the late afternoon. We seemed shelter under our umbrellas and popped in a few stores (that were way our of our price zone). Although the rain was a downer for the trip, it left an amazing gift. A double rainbow over the horizon. 

Breakfast overlooking the Mediterranean 

Rain, Rain Go Away

Double Rainbow

Split, Croatia 

We left Sorrento early in the morning in the pouring rain and took a train back to Rome to unpack/repack/chill until we departed for Croatia - a 14 hour bus ride away.  We went with the tour company Bus2Alps.  The bus ride was... not the best (trying to stay positive here).  It was freezing cold, there was no wi-fi (the only mode of transportation to the outside world), and the bus was filled with the most unappreciative, obnoxious and disrespectful people I have ever seen.  Very different from the Rome study abroad crew I am used to spending my days with.  I know now that I have gained so much patience while being abroad and can handle more situations than I ever thought I was capable of (probably my one biggest pet peeves is when people are immature and disrespectful, and I had to put up with this for 14 straight hours without a break).  As a side note the bus only stopped once the entire way there.

We arrived in Split early in the morning and checked into our hostel. It was very cool and the dorm beds reminded me of some of the living situations in China.  We had the entire day to explore the city.  We visited Domitians Palace, a beach and tasted the Croatian cuisine.  The entire city was made of marble and had a cold feel to it, both the people and physically. It was refreshing that most of the people that lived in the town did not speak English and that they only accepted their own currency - it shows that they are proud of their culture and allowed me to really zone into their culture and see how people there live their days.  Everyone in the town was very nice and would greet us with smiles when we smiled at them.  They also gave us directions (with hand motions) when we asked how to get to restaurants or streets.  My roommates and I also noticed that most of the women were pregnant and there were SOOOO many kids running around also showing the country's happiness (talk about a baby boom).  It was nice to walk around a town and not be bothered by people trying to sell silly things like dancing cats or squeaky toys.  We had drinks on the beach  and had a traditional Dalmatian feast at a place called Buffet Fife.  The portion sizes were huge and it was so cheap!

The next day we went on an island hopping cruise on the islands of Croatia.  We were fed another traditional meal and they served us a shot of very strong liquor right as we got on the ship because it was the Croatian thing to do.. Okay, I had to take it to be cultured right ;) ? We went to two different parts of the the island Brac and.. relaxed (I had a very hard time doing this because I don't know how to relax without an agenda). The town was not in season and was a bit cold but it was beautiful to just reflect, read and relax. The next day we went to Krka National Park and saw beautiful mountain trails and waterfalls. This was my favorite part of Croatia.  We could have stayed there for hours.

 

Domitian's Palace

Marble and Babies Everything

 

A summary of my Spring Break Countries/Cities:

Seville
Food: Pan (Bread), Sangria, Tinto de Verano, Tapas (Croquettes, Calamari, Chorizo)
Currency: Euro
Language: Spanish
Dos and donts: The breakfast was amazing and you get so much food for your Euro - and a big cup of coffee which is nice, There is a bike lane - do not walk in the bike lane or you will get run over, bacon/ham takes over this city, the locals don't like the new modern architecture that is being built in the city, VERY CUTE CLOTHES.

Morocco
Food: Rice, Cous-Cous, Gelatin Desserts, Seasoned Chicken, Grilled Vegetables
Currency: Dirham
Language: Arabic
Dos and donts: Most markets take Euros and the people love to barter.  Do NOT take pictures of the children or women.  Cover up your shoulders and knees or you will stick out like a sore thumb.  Appreciate the beauty of "simple life."

Sorrento/Capri
Food: Seafood, Lemoncello, Caprese, Lemon Gelato
Currency: Euro
Language: Italian
Dos and donts: Everything here is very expensive so be prepared to shell out money (or be smart and pack lunches or have one big meal a day), the town does not like students and the restaurants typically put us in the corner even though we spoke very good Italian and dressed nicely, bring a camera for spectacular views that you won't believe are really real, buy a train ticket home ASAP or else you won't leave.

Split, Croatia
Food: Seafood, Dalmation Grilled, Pizza, Schnitzel, Great Ice Cream, Honey
Currency: Kuna
Language: Croatian (Krvatski)
Dos and donts:  Most cafes only serve drinks, meaning there are no food menus or snack items, Take a shot  of Rakija in the morning (very strong liquor),  Condiments cost extra, The portions are huge - be prepared to eat a lot or insult the locals, beaches have rocks instead of sand - bring flip flops if you want to go into the water, everything is relatively cheap... like sit down fancy dinner with alcoholic drinks for 10 Euro cheap.