Mi Experiencia en Italia

Drawing in Italia

2009-05-01T12:56:00.000-07:00

These are some of the drawings I did.

This still life drawing competed in the "Arts is in the Streets," a Florence art competition.

Tuscany Bike Tour

2009-04-25T06:21:00.000-07:00

Brenda, Areli, and I shuttled out of Florence to a small town called Chiesanuova, where our 12-mile bike tour around the Chianti region was to start. We had a friendly guide to lead the way. We explored the vine-covered hills south of Florence and pedalled through a landscape of cypress trees, olive groves, and rustic fams. We even visited Machiavelli's old home from the 1500's, toured a winery, and had delicious wine and olive oil tasting. We ate lunch at San Casciano and had a gelato (ice cream) break in Cerbaia. : ) I had a wonderful time! I loved the peaceful country roads and its amazing views. And riding a bike was so exhilerating and fun!

Florence vs. Rome Soccer Game

2009-04-25T05:17:00.000-07:00

After the bike tour, we made it just in time for the Florence vs. Rome soccer game. These two teams are big rivals, the way K-State and KU are. People croweded the streets in purple, the soccer team's color. I am representing K-State : )

The stadium was crowded and loud. I was close to the field and had a great view of the mountain!

Each team's logo.

Names of each Florentine player.

Just us excited about the game!

This is when the players first came out. The crowd went wild!

The game when it first started. Florence made its first goal within the first half of the game.

The Roman section is gated. They are such big rivals that no one sits close to that section and security guards are a must. Italians can get dangerous during soccer games!

When Florence scored the first goal, the crowd went wild and ran towards the Roman section. Not even the guards could stop them!

Fans were screaming and chanting traditional songs in Italian. I had no clue what they were saying.

It was a great game! Florence won 4 to 1. It scored its last three goals during the second half.

After the game

After the game, we celebrated at a restaurant with other friends and ate pizza.

Capri

2009-04-19T03:33:00.000-07:00

We left Sorrento around 7:30am to be on time for our ferryboat ride to Capri.

This is Sorrento as we were leaving.

Arriving to Capri.

It was a foggy morning.

Just a beautiful hotel.

We ate at this nice pizzeria restaurant. Mariah Carrie is a usual customer here including Lindsay Lohan, Beyonce, Jay-Z, Jack Nickolson, and Queen Latifa. The pictures of these celebrities are all over the entrance.

We weren't lucky to see a celebrity though.

Me and Areli on the Teti, waiting for our island tour.

The famous and beautiful Blue Cave.

We could have gone inside the cave in a smaller boat but the waters were rough and dangerous.

The Green Cave.

I actually saw some cute jellyfish.

The Love Arch.

Me and Areli again : )

The Red Cave.

The White Cave.

On our way back to Napoli after a long and rainy day.

We didn't tour Napoli since our tour guide considers it a dangerous town, but we did pass this castle as we were walking to our bus.

Pompeii & Sorrento

2009-04-18T12:51:00.000-07:00

I had signed up for this school trip early in the semester and was excited the day had finally come. We took off to Pompeii early in the morning and, six hours later, we finally arrived to this famous city of ruins.

Before visiting the archeological site, we ate lunch and passed by the huge cathedral of Pompeii, but we didn't have time to go inside.

The bell tower of the cathedral.

The plazza.

So we arrived to the outskirts of the ruins. This is the cemetary of the freed slaves, who weren't allowed to be buried inside the city.

Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD and killed an entire city. People died from volcano gases and ash and the stones that caused their homes to collapse. The layer of ash and stone is visible in this pic.

The entrance to the archeological site.

The streets of Pompeii as it was in 79 AD.

This used to be a bar.

They are one of the many families who could not escape the volcano eruption.

Mount Vesuvius

This was a gymnasium with a swimming pool in the courtyard.

Pompeii's "colossuem"

Inside the colosseum

Stone seats used to be where the grass is but people stole to make their houses.

A house.

One of the more well-preserved houses.

A reconstructed mural that was inside this house by the courtyard.

The five gods on the wall represents the days the bar was open: Martedi (Mars), Mercoledi (Mercury), Giovedi (Jupiter), Venerdi (Venus), e Sabato (Saturn).

Political advertising.

Preserved murals.

Inside the amphitheater, our tour guide explained to us that if you stand exactly in the middle, your voice sounds loud as if you were talking into a microphone, and if you talk in a loud enough voice, you can feel an echo...many of us tried it...it was cool!

The Forum.

Fish Market.

The bones of this person's foot is still visible.

Place for hot baths.

Decorations inside the hot baths.

A pregnant woman.

This dog couldn't escape because it was chained.

Their standard measure for wheat and grains.

Outside the archeological site.

We were really thirsty after our three hour tour so we bought fresh limeade slushes...delicious!

Walking to our bus.

Leaving Pompeii behind.

SORRENTO

We traveled to Sorrento, where we were going to stay for the night.

Our hotel's pool.

We were lucky to get the view of the pool. But it is still to cold go swimming... : (

In Sorrento, I walked around and found this really interesting sandal shop.

You can pick, and mix and match colors of sandals. And the owners will make it for you in ten minutes!

After a nice dinner, we visited a limoncello factory and had several different tastes of limoncello. Cream limoncello was my favorite!

Easter Sunday in Rome

2009-04-12T11:24:00.000-07:00

I arrived at Rome around 9:45 am, 15 minutes before mass started. The guards are guarding the streets close to the Vatican.

People crowding Piazza di San Pietro.

Altar where the pope celebrated Easter mass.

Statue of Jesus and his disciples on top of St. Peter's Basilica.

So many people were attending the mass, huge screen TVs were put up.

The altar close up.

The pope during consegration.

The pope blessed the town and gave his Easter greetings in over 30 languages!

Me and Areli

Us with the Mexican flag!

After mass...

The crowd leaving into the streets...

Us on our way back to Firenze...

Giardino di Boboli

2009-04-10T12:21:00.000-07:00

Areli and I bought our 10 Euro ticket to visit the Giardino Boboli. This garden lies behind Palazzo Pitti, belonging to the Medici great dukes of Tuscany. It is one of Italy's first and famous gardens from the 1500s.

I climbed these slanted stairs in flip-flops. Not a good idea!Palace Pitti

One of the garden's several fountains.

Climbing up more stairs...

To the top!

This garden is like a maze! You can take different paths... We took the one with the view of Florence.

The Bacchino.

An amphitheater from the Mannerists time.

Back to the palace.

Huge lips outside the palace!

Cinque Terre

2009-04-05T03:30:00.000-07:00

MONTEROSSO

The cloudy morning didn't looked promising as we arrived to Monterosso. It was cloudy, assuring more rain was coming our way.

Yet the clouds lay beautifully above the mountains of Cinque Terre

and the morning beach of Monterosso felt calm and serene.

So our plan for the day was to hike from each of Cinque Terre's five towns: Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manorola, and Riomaggiore. I took this picture at the beginning our first and longest hike.

Leaving Monterosso behind.

We had to climb thousands of steps, cross several streams, walk on narrow paths at edge of cliffs, and watch our step through the muddy and slippery rocks. Two hours of this! But I loved every minute of it!!

One of the pretty streams along our hiking path.

I had to take off a layer of clothes and hold up my hair. All that walking was making me hot!

Another stream...

A capture of the ocean's view and Monterosso as we were leaving it behind. Can you believe I hiked around that mountain?!

Yay! We could finally see Vernazza. Our destination for our first hike. But we were only half-way there...

Yet another stream...

Getting closer to Vernazza...

Our muddy path...

Almost there!

VERNAZZA

Yay! We finally made it!

The sky cleared up and the sun shone bright. We stayed by Vernazza's beach for a while.

We wanted to hike from Vernazza to Corniglia, but the path was closed to due a landslide. So we took the train.

CORNIGLIA

A restaurant by the sea.

We visited the church of Corniglia.

The only palm tree in this town.

Umm..Don't know where i was looking!?

A cactus growing out of a house roof!!

Leaving Corniglia behind...

Yea..we are going to walk across the edge of these hillsides to get to Manorola. The hike was shorter and easier.

MANOROLA

The beginning of our walk to Riomaggiore through Via dell' Amore.

Colorful walls filled with messages of love.

RIOMAGGIORE

We arrived to Riomaggiore, late in the afternoon. We didn't have much time to stroll around the town, so we headed back to Monterosso by train before our bus left us!

The Italian Riviera

2009-04-04T12:56:00.000-07:00

SANTA MARGHARITA LIGURE

We first arrived to Santa Margherita, a beautiful beach town known for its tourist and fishing activities.

Group pic! Porter, me, Karen, Katie, and Areli

CAMOGLI

By the time we arrived, the day got very cloudy and humid...which is not what the weatherman said!

Strolling through the tiny streets of Camogli...

Waiting for our lunch.

Mmmm...Nopales y tunas by the sea!

Me : )

On our way to San Fruttuoso.

SAN FRUTTUOSO

San Fruttuoso consists only of one monastery, the San Fruttuoso di Capodimonte Benedictine. The monastery includes an abbey built in the 13th century, a 10th-century church, a small Romanesque cloister, and the sepulchre of the Doria family who founded the abbey.

There is also a statue of Christ of the Abysses, protector of divers, fifty feet underwater. If you're lucky enough and the waters are calm and the sky is clear, you can see the statue from the surface...I did not have such luck!

The monastery is isolated because, according to San Fruttuoso's followers, he had appeared to them in dreams telling them this was exactly where he wanted a monastery built.

Inside its church. It was small, simple, but peaceful.

It also has a museum displaying ceramics from the 10-14th centuries.

The sea view from the monastery.

Looking out through the windows.

These used to be burial sites of the friars.

Inside there are also burials belonging to various members of the monastery from the 11th century. They were left intact.

How the monastery has changed throughout the centuries. The original building is the center model. This building still stands, but additional buildings were added later.

While waiting to take the next ferry to our next stop, Portofino.

PORTOFINO

Portofino is the most expensive resort area in italy...

...as you can tell with this really nice yatch. I was curious so I took a peek and saw it had several flat screen TVs inside, and comfy, shiny golden couches inside.

I don't know the story behind this hanging rhinosaurus.

We could either walk to the beach or take a hike to the light house. We decided to take the small hike!

On our walk to the light house.

Behind the walls along our walk, are residences homes with beautiful gardens.

Almost getting there...

.....

Nope, not there yet....

One of the many sea views along our walk.

As you can tell, it was really cloudy. Actually, it was raining. I didn't take my umbrella because it was supposed to be a nice day... so I got soaked again. (Not the first time to happen!)

Finally! We reached the light house behind the hill. Not much to see but the views along the way were amazing!

On our way back down...

Pisa!

2009-04-03T12:21:00.000-07:00

After a ninety-minute train ride and a forty-five minute walk through Pisa, we reached the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa, the campanile.

The Romanesque baptistery of Pisa.

Hey! I'm helping holding it up!

and again...

Just being funny...

The both of us : )

Areli holding the Leaning Shot Glass of Pisa...lol

Fattoria di Bagnolo, Impruneta Italy

2009-03-12T08:39:00.000-07:00

My Italian Cuisine class and I visited Fattoria di Bagnolo, a famous chianti winery and extra olive oil producer. We took a bus to Impruneta, and then took a long walk to reach the winery located on a small hill.

The winery was small, historical, and very well kept. We met with our tour guide who showed us where and how they make their fine wines.

This entrance leads to underground storage of the wines.

Grapes are harvested, picked, then crushed along with the skin and seeds (to make the wine red) and then fermented in these stainless steel fermenting tanks. Cultured yeast is usually added so the sugars in the grapes can be digested. During this process, alcohol and carbon dioxide are formed.

Then the wine is poured into these wooden barrels for aging. Some of these wines can be stored up to one year. When the wine is ready, they are shipped to the distributor for us to enjoy! : )

After our tour, we had the chance to taste four of their best chianti wines.

We even did professional wine-tasting. I learned that each different method makes the wine taste different!

Some of the goodies we ate along with our wine : ) ... pecorino cheese, chicken liver on crostini bread, pesto on crostini bread, and bologna sandwich.

They also sold us some of their delicious wines and extra virgin olive oil.

...and on our way out, we admired the olive oil trees.

The French Riviera

2009-03-08T05:07:00.000-07:00

ST. PAUL DE VENCE- City of famous artists

This is St. Paul de Vence on a hill top.

Entering the city walls.

As soon as we got there, we noticed it was a very beautiful and picturesque town. We took many pics!

Can you see us... :D

Some galleries...

This is a sport that old men play around here. Im not quite sure, but I believe they try to roll a big ball close to a smaller ball and who ever is the closest wins.

CANNES

By the rocky beach.

This is Cannes high-tech public restroom.

This is where the Cannes International Film Festival takes place.

Look I'm spiderman! or spiderwoman?

Me and Austin Powers! lol.

Walking on the red carpet! : )

I found this pretty white rose.

This garden is right beside the mall. Too bad the mall was closed!

EZE- The city of perfumes

Its a small town on top of a hill.

We visited a perfume factory called Fragonard but they didn't let us take pictures inside..: (..It was so interesting how they make perfumes!

The view of the ocean in Eze.

Monte Carlo and Nice

2009-03-07T01:59:00.000-08:00

MONTECARLO, MONACO

We started our five hour drive to Monaco at 5 am. Im glad there were nice views along the way made it shorter than it seemed. I wasn't paying attention to the city signs so I never figured out which city this is..but i liked it!

We finally arrived at Monte Carlo, Monaco. Monaco has its own government and is the second smallest country after the Vatican in Rome. I was so excited to be here! It's known for its lavish casinos, the world famous Grand-Prix, and the fairy tale marriage of Princess Grace, an american movie star, to Prince Ranier.

The resort is famous to celebrities world-wide.

Me : )

This is a public garden at the base of Princess Caroline's mansion.

I couldn't believe it but they had cacti!

We toured the city and found out that this is the Parliament house of the country.

Beside the Parlianment, lies the Cathedral of Monaco. This is where Prince Ranier and Grace Kelly were married. She was buried here when she died of a car accident at the top of the mountain, which is right next to the town.

Inside the Cathedral. The royal burials are behind the alter.

There are several alters around the church.

We walked towards the Prince's Palace.

Prince's Palace of Monaco.

Changing of the Guards.

It is a tradition to change guards everyday at 11:55 am in front of the Palace. A lot of people show up for this.

More of the view on the other side of Monte Carlo. It is only 2 km wide.

We went back to the garden to take a few more pictures before we left to France.

We were trying not to squint under the bright sun!

NICE, FRANCE

Nice, is about 45 minutes away from Monte Carlo on the border of France. Nice is one of the most famous holiday destinations of Europe.

People walking by the beach.

This monument commerates the soldiers from World War I & II

This is the stairs to get to top of a palace

Can you believe this is a library? The base is supposed to be the neck and jaw of a person.

Fruit Candy

We passed by the pretty Flower Market.

This chocolate store is more than 200 years old!

We stopped by this water fountain before we got lost in town... : )

Venice and its islands, Murano and Burano

2009-03-01T14:02:00.000-08:00

VENICE

We got to Venice during the night...the water looked real nice. We took a boat ride to our hotel.

The Rialto Bridge

We arrived to our tiny hotel room.

We had a nice view ...a brick building one foot away!

We got to view the streets during the day. I loved it!

Oooh..i wanted a ride too!

Of course, there are no cars here

As we walked around we passed by some toy shops.

This is a church right by our hotel. It is partially hidden by another building.

I liked this costume...

In front of the Basilica di San Marco

The plaza

Basilica di San Marco

On top of the Basilica

The Market

One of Venice's streets

Tourists walking towards their water taxis.

Passing the Gondola's. I was tempted to get on one of those...

Cruising through the sky

MURANO- the city of glassblowing

On our way to Murano!

Leaving Venice behind

Passing by some other islands

The cemetary had an island of its own.

Finally, at Murano. Standing by the Glass Comet Star.

The glassblower was shaping the glass into a horse using heat and forceps.

The finished horsie.

The glass woman

I don't know what this was but everybody touched its hand...I'm hoping its for luck!

BURANO- the city of lace

On our way to Burano!

Burano

Lace for sale.

Lace is expensive here; some were selling for over 100 Euros!

Me, standing by all the pretty houses.

Ladies following a generation of making lace.

I couldn't believe there was a store named like me! I had to take a pic : )

We marveled at all the tiny colorful houses. My favorite ones were the pink ones, of course.

It seemed like Laundry Day

On one of the neighborhood bridges...

A lonely sailboat on our way back to Venice...

On our way to Venice, I was glad I didn't get seasick after all the boat rides. It had been my first time on a boat!

Milan

2009-02-28T13:00:00.000-08:00

We arrived at Milan Centre Stazione

and I took a subway for the first time : )

Surprise!...We arrived at arrived the day of the carnivale without even knowing! People were having fun throwing confetti and spraying snow foam at each other.

Duomo di Milano

Inside the Cathedral

The alter

This is one of the enormous windows inside the duomo. Each frame tells a story from the Bible.

The colossal pillars were overwhelming!

After gazing at the Church, we headed out to explore the streets of Milan.

We ended up going to a real cool soccer store.

The mall : )

Inside the mall, makeup artists were styling people's hair...I didn't get mine done!

But did I like how they were applying the makeup...

Basilica di San Miniato al Monte

2009-02-22T12:20:00.000-08:00

I decided to go to Sunday Mass at San Miniato, which is located on top of hill on the south of Florence. It has a spectacular view of Florence...better than Fiesole!

There is actually a cemetary behind the church.

This was my favorite tombstone.

This cemetary was nice but creepy...

It seemed we climbed down hundreds of stairs to get to Florence.

We finally arrived to the city wall.

And we passed the Fiurme Arno!

Fiesole

2009-02-21T12:09:00.000-08:00

We took a 15 minute ride to Fiesole and climbed this steep road to get a view of the city of Florence.

However, this is all we could see of Florence. Our city is really polluted!

Giardino dell' Orticoltura

2009-02-21T11:34:00.000-08:00

These gates are right in front of my apartment. It took me four weeks to figure out there was a park behind those gates!!

The first thing I saw as I walked in, was the this glass and steel pavilion. It is used for garden exhibitions.

This fountain bursts out water every five minutes.

I'm glad I found this place where I can take a break from the noisy city and draw peacefully for my Drawing and Composition class.

2009-02-20T13:36:00.000-08:00

Things to know..

Here are some things I’ve learned so far:

Watch out for cars. They don’t stop for pedestrian and they drive so fast!

Always carry an umbrella. You never know when it might start raining.

To say “Non parli, Italiano” (I don’t speak Italian). Somehow most people here think I’m Italian.

Oranges are actually red here… but they are so delicious!

People in Florence don’t wear bright colors. If you don’t wear black or brown, then you'll surely stand out.

Always carry a map and a taxi number. Florence is a big town to walk around in…we already got lost a few times!

Italians are nicer than they seem. They can bargain with you.

Watch out for gypsies! They are good pick-pocketters.

The air is not that fresh. The crowded buildings are very good at holding in the smoke from cars and from everybody’s cigarettes.

Drinking age is 18.

Everyone walks! Its easier to get around the city walking. Its healthy and, hard to believe, but I haven’t seen many overweight people.

Don’t smile to strangers. People get the wrong impression.

Don’t stare.

Try foods other than Italian. Although pastas are great, I’ve found Chinese, Turskish, and Mexican to be tasty too. Kebabs are the greatest!

Out to Salamanca

2009-02-19T09:14:00.000-08:00

We wanted to try some Mexican food and see how close it was to the real authentic food. We had nachos and flautas and it turned out to be surprisingly good!

At the beach in Viareggio

2009-02-15T08:57:00.000-08:00

This was my very first time at a beach... I loved it! But it was too cold to go in!

Viareggio Carnivale!!!

2009-02-15T07:04:00.000-08:00

For the first time ever I experienced a ride in a train. We traveled by train to Viareggio, a beach town west of Florence. We were ecstatic to have some fun and to look at all the amazing and creative costumes.

As soon as we arrived, the enthusiasm was contagious. People were dressed up in artistic costumes and masks, and the animated floats were awesome! People were singing, dancing, playing music, and throwing confetti everywhere...we had a marvelous time!

Even Miss Italy was there!

The first float in the parade...

Obama is really popular here!

Towards the end...

On the train

...all the fun and music wore me down!

Catacombe di St. Domitilla

2009-02-08T23:59:00.000-08:00

Our last stop in Rome were the Catacombs, an underground burial place near Rome. They are famous for Chrisitan burials that began near the 2nd century due to their persecution. Christians bought these land for cheap and buried their loved ones secretly. These tunnels are miles long and extend several stories below ground.

Now most tombs are empty. Many bodies with valuables were stolen in the early centuries and put up for sale!

Our Roman Lunch : )

2009-02-08T15:51:00.000-08:00

We visited a nice restaurant on the outskirts of Rome. We had 5 courses, some wine plus dessert and expresso! It was very delicious ...and I made friends!

The Coliseum!!

2009-02-08T15:14:00.000-08:00

After an extensive day, we finally got to see the Colisuem, one of the greatest Roman architectures. It was a lot bigger than I thought!

Here you can see the underground tunnels and gladiator barracks. This is where the animals and performers trained.

The famous Arch of Constantine.

Continuing our long walk in Rome

2009-02-08T14:58:00.000-08:00

Piazza Venezia

The Trajan Column has stories of war engraved on it.

These ruins used to be a basilica.

The colosseum in the background.

The Pantheon

2009-02-08T14:50:00.000-08:00

To say the truth, I felt such serenity inside the pantheon that I didn't want to leave!

Fontana Trevi

2009-02-08T14:47:00.000-08:00

The Spanish Steps

2009-02-08T14:33:00.000-08:00

We visited the Spanish Steps, our second day of Rome. They are the widest and longest staircase in all Europe. You can actually see the blue sky here. It had rained all day, but the sunny sky only lasted a few minutes.

Church of San Paolo Fuori le Mura

2009-02-07T14:04:00.000-08:00

This is the second most important church in Rome. Outside this beautiful church, there are four garden squares. This is where people who weren't baptised yet congregated for mass.

Pictures of all the popes are lined against the wall

St. Paul's tomb and chains

I loved this mosaic in the dome. The gold background shimmered beautifully.

St. Peter's Square and Basilica

2009-02-07T13:29:00.000-08:00

St. Peter's Basilica

St. Peter's Square

Holy Water

Inside.

Sculpture of St. Peter

Where St. Peter is buried.

The Vatican Museum in Rome

2009-02-07T11:24:00.000-08:00

This was our first day at Rome. We were really excited to visit our first site, the Vatican Museum.

This huge golden sphere lies in the center of the Vatican Musuem. It represents the world.

I thought this laocoon sculptor was cool : ).

The golden bronze is Hercules.

I was actually moved when I looked at this painting. I could feel the sorrow and grief...

This room used to be the popes' office back in the early 16th century. It contains beautiful celestial paintings some done by Raffaello.

This is the Sistine Chapel, where cardinals select the new pope. The ceiling and walls portray many stories. Although it was dark in there it was surprisingly peaceful.

This is the story I liked best from the Sistine Chapel, when God created man.

I peeped into the window to take a look at the pope's garden.

To the movies!!

2009-02-05T12:22:00.000-08:00

We found out that Italy had a movie theater that featured movies in English and we decided to watch Vicky Cristina Barcelona. I wasn't expecting it to be so nice inside with a large glass dome, angelic sculptors and a balcony. We had very comfortable seats too. All for 7 Euros!

We had our portaits drawn!

2009-02-01T13:23:00.000-08:00

Does it look like me?

Making a wish

2009-02-01T13:20:00.000-08:00

Inside the cathedral, I lit a candle and made a wish.

At top of the Duomo!

2009-02-01T13:14:00.000-08:00

We had a good workout by climbing over 460 steps to get on top of the Duomo of Santa Maria del Fiori Cathedral. The view of Florence was breath-taking!

Inside the Duomo

2009-02-01T13:10:00.000-08:00

The Science Museum

2009-02-01T12:48:00.000-08:00

The science museum had a lot of interesting inventions from the 15 till 18 centuries. Too bad the ground floor was the only floor open.

Oh the rain!

2009-02-01T12:45:00.000-08:00

An umbrella is a must in Florence...it rains alot! And of course my hair has to be in a mess!

Later during the night

2009-01-31T11:13:00.000-08:00

Later during the night, I strolled around the main plaza. There were carousels, markets, mimes, delicious ice cream bars, and people painting murals on the street. The night felt so alive!

Ponte Vecchio

2009-01-31T11:01:00.000-08:00

We walked towards the south of Florence and discovered the famous Ponte Vecchio.

This medieval bridge is so fascinating, especially at night when they turn on the city lights! As we went across the bridges we gazed at all the exquisite gold and silver jewelry they had for sale.

Palazzo Medici Riccardi

2009-01-31T10:42:00.000-08:00

We visited Palazzo Medici Riccardi, a palace that had belonged to the Medici family, a powerful and influential family who led the birth of the Italian Reniassance. The palace houses amazing paintings from famous renaissance artists and each room is decorated with gold and fine marble. I especially loved their garden and their orange trees. Italian oranges are the best!

Exploring Florence

2009-01-29T09:52:00.000-08:00

As soon as we settled into our apartment, Areli and I set out to do a bit of exploring. We walked toward the center of Florence gazing at amazing structures along the way as we looked for our school, Lorenzo de' Medici. We pass through the Piazza della Liberta everyday on our way to class. I love walking through this large open square. It includes a triumphal arch monument and a beautiful water fountain surrounded by a business plaza. The city has few open spaces, since the narrow streets of Florence are usually crowded by busy people and tall classical buildings.

Flying to Florence

2009-01-29T09:10:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday, the 27th I said farewell to my family and at 2:20pm took my flight from Wichita to Chicago and from there to Frankfurt, Germany. As I was flying from Germany to Florence, I had to take a picture of the Alps. They looked so beautiful as they glistened majestically under the sun.

After an extensive day and a short night, I finally arrived to Florence Italy on Wednesday at 1pm. I was exhausted but excited to uncover what lay ahead of me.

The start of a great experience...

2009-01-28T19:39:00.000-08:00

Everything had seem surreal until the moment I stepped foot on Florence, Italy on January 28 and realized this wasn't a dream, it was a reality. I had been preparing for this trip since the start of my fall semester. I had been so excited during the process but as time neared I felt nervous and afraid, not knowing what anything was going to be like. But as soon as I got there, I knew everything was going to be all right...