Week One: An Introduction to Florence

Six comes with such force every morning and today is no exception. Havilah's alarm sings out the days greetings and I pretend to not hear the cursed song. God bless her for running, one of these days, I'll be able to leap from bed with such vigor to run the days forecasted calories off.  Maybe, perhaps tomorrow the start of our typical three day weekend. Or not.  Speaking of running, Sunday I, along with Havilah and a few other GIF kids, will be running the Corri La Vita (Run for Life). This Florentine race is a fundraiser or cancer research and care.

According to The Florence Newspaper.it, "This years Corri la Vita expects a record-breaking 20,000 participants." " Vita consists for two routes: The five kilometer walk/run for the less competitive joy-runner; and the twelve-kilometer competitive run for serious athletes. The non-competitive route circles the inner city, beginning in the Piazza della Signoria and passing some interesting city landmarks, including the Church of San Felice and the Palazzo Non Finito."

We will be running the red route!

In other news, school has been going fantastically. I love all my classes and my teachers truly seem to be as excited to be at GIF as we are. I do have some difficult course but that's just the challenge of University! 

Yesterday I went on a long walk with one of my classmates to Piazzale Michelangelo and finally took my camera along for the ride. It's difficult to know what to photograph. I feel at ease knowing that since this city will be my home for the following school year, I am in no rush to snap pictures of everything quickly.

Home At Last in Firenze

Okay so first of all, I feel like I should just say that I have not taken any pictures of the city since we finally arrived on Wednesday afternoon. Shocker, I know. However, it has been quite lovely to just stroll down the street, not looking like a  complete tourist with my giant camera hanging around my neck and my map out to double check my location.
Havilah and I are all settled into our Pensione, which will be our home for the following school year. We took the liberty of rearranging the furniture and taping postcards, photographers from home and maps to our walls. Besides needing a few odds and ends from Ikea, we are feeling quite at home.
The food... well what can one really say about Italian food. It's amazing, delicious, scrumptious, cheesy, bold, fresh, simple, creamy and full of flavor. And if you're not walking/ running daily, will make your waist line tighter. But that hasn't stopped me from fully enjoying every bite!
This evening, we walked (the normal) 1+ mile to Gusta Pizza where I devoured the largest calzone I've ever seen! (All on my own, I might add.) It was stuffed with ricotta, salami, mozzarella, smothered in ragu! Bravo! All five of us girls were completely full.... however, we were still craving Gelato. So we walked a few blocks over, alongside the Arno River to my favorite Gelateria, La Carraia. This corner Italian ice cream shop wins over my heart and sweet tooth every time I step inside the door. For about 2 euro, you get a small ramekin size container and then select your flavor(s). My favorite pairing is After Eight (better than Baskin Robbins Chocolate Mint) and Biscotti!!!
While inside with our delicious treat, the sky began to crack and light up with an intense storm... and it rained. Actually it poured! As a Washington girl, I know that i've seen my fare share of rain in my life, although is storm was by far the craziest.
Even as I sit in my room now, (I'm safe mom and drying off) I can still hear the rain and thunder howling outside my window. The whole skyline of the city seem to be illuminated just about every five to seven minutes.
Buonasera!
Ciao

Vienna Revisited

...And so our Gonzaga in Florence Opening Tour will conclude is Vienna Austria. For about 90% of our group, this will be their first time in the capital. However, this is my third visit to this beautiful city and I always find myself at easy here. The streets are familiar and the people friendly. 50% of Vienna is green, mostly consisting of parks for the people or palace gardens in the inter city center.  On Monday we arrive after a 4 hour bus ride from Prague and settle into our new hotel. Thankfully it is located right across the street from the Underground station and serves much better tasting food then our previous two hotels!  Tuesday morning we board the tour buses again for a drive through the city, which is guided by a local resident. It is impossible for me to take in what she is saying concerning the cities history and culture when I am continually replaying my own previous memories and experiences in Vienna in my head as we pass by them.

In the evening, Havilah and I venture out on the bus/tram system to the outer city districts to meet up with my dear Austrian Friend Susi. She is studying at the University of Wien and working on her Masters in English. We spend the night in her kitchen eating homemade Gnocchi with ricotta cheese and fresh tomatoes and basil accompanied by a glass or two of wine. Susi's roommates join us for the meal and we laugh and talk into the late evening, debating about dialects and cultural differences.For me, there has got to be nothing more satisfying than good food, friends and laugher over a glass of wine!

Our final dinner of Tour is tuesday night and afterwards I quickly run off to bed. Our group has been spilt into three for our departure tomorrow to Florence. I look forward to finally getting to Italy and beginning school. The only downside is that my group has to be checked out of the hotel at 4am!

Top Four Reasons to Czech out Prague

 1.     Taking a walk around the city center is like touring a museum.

1.    2. The traditional meal with a beer is amazingly cheap and tasty.

       3. The Underground transportation system only operates on three lines making it extremely easy to use even if you don’t speak Czech.

      

              4.   The city is equipped with it’s own personal stairmaster – i.e. the 337 steps uphill towards the castle.

Open Tour of GIF

Day Four- Transitioning

Our morning began bright and early with an eight am check out time for our hotel. Sleepily we filled on to one of our three buses, en route to Prague via Dresden. After driving through the German countryside south for about three hours, we arrived at our destination. The historically rich city is a haunting reminder of the tragic devastation that came along with the Second World War. Once known as the “Florence of Germany”, Dresden was fire bombed on February thirteenth 1945. Nearly the entire baroque city was destroyed. Today the restoration of the former rubble and crumbled stone is a brilliant visual representation of the city as a phoenix, rising out of the ashes. I personally hope to return to this breathtaking place and continue to marvel at its resurrection. Around six pm we arrived at out hotel in Prague and settled in for the evening. Dinner consisted of a buffet arrangement of local food and desserts, which included some of the best cream puffs I’ve ever had. 

In Remeberance

During The Gonzaga In Florence Opeing Tour in Berlin (which I will blog about in the future) we were given the opportunity to visit two sites which honored the memory of the Jewish people during the Holocaust. I feel that it is important to share my photographs with you as a way to pay tribute this persecuted race during WWII. The first group of pictures is from the Jewish Museum in Berlin, which features a unique exhibit that allows the viewer to relive the emotional journey of the holocaust. I was personally overtaken by the experience and would like to offer the photographs to you as a dedication to the memory of the Jewish suffering here in Germany. 

Garden of Exile

  The Memory Void tower is empty except for the "Fallen Leaves" which represent the Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust. The sound of the metal "faces" echos through out the space. It shakes the core of you, the noise is haunting and powerful. 

Memory Void

This second group of photographs is from the concentration camp Schsenhausen, just outside of Berlin. Everyone keeps their head tilted downward when walking about the grounds. There is no laugher or chatter. Only silent personal emotion. 

The bathroom- only allowed to be used once in the morning and once at night

The Guard towers stand surrounding the camp. Just behind this wall the this post is where the prisoners were murdered by gas chambers, firing squad or human furnace.

Wurzburg, Germany

Wurzburg Palace

Ryan, Hav and I, along with Braeden, drove to Wurzberg to visit the palace and surrounding gardens. It reminded me of a mini version of Versailles.
You know how as an adult, when you go to places with other adults and the setting is semi quiet... and there's always that one person who brings a small child, who decides that they should make lots of noise? Well, during our lovely informative tour of the Wurzburg palace, our group was the one who brought the happy baby along! Braeden decided that he wanted to sing and talk the whole duration of the tour. Which was hilarious because our guide felt as though he was competing for air time! Ha Ha!

I totally snuck this picture! How could a possible buy a new camera and not be allowed to us it!

With Friends in Germany

It feels rather strange to be able to travel to Germany in under two hours, however, when flying in from London, the journey is quite painless. We arrived in Berlin and settled in to Cafe Marche, which is located in the airport, to wait for my dear friend Ryan Miller (who is stationed in Germany with the US Army) to come pick us up.  A few hours turned into many hours and by the time 2am rolled around, we had been sitting in the same cafe corner for 13 hours. It was rugged. Had we really known that it was going to be THAT long of a wait, we would have taken a train to Ryan's apt, which was a good 5 hours south in the town of Ansbach. However, our lack of German and 90 lbs of baggage strongly encouraged us to sit tight and wait it out. Really we couldn't complain. We had access to food, a bathroom, a book, journal and more than enough people watching.

Havilah was OVERJOYED to get to drive on the way home.  On the Autobahn.  In a BEAUTIFUL bmw.  God bless Ryan for letting her do that.  Despite all odds (you would understand if you knew Havilah's driving record... it isn't exactly squeaky clean despite her best intentions), we made it home safely. (Going about 120mph, thank God I was passed out exhausted in the back seat! )

Over the past few days, Havilah and I have been sitting around Ryan's house babysitting his adorable son Braeden. The most amusing part of our day is trying to communicate with the eighteen month ago, who only speaks German! :) Havilah has been taking an active roll in trying to learn the basics of the language with Ryan's help.

Friday afternoon we set off to Rothenburg to explore the medieval wall city.

By Havilah

Ode to Luggage Carriers

"Roses are red,
violets are blue,
To the people who have carried my luggage,
a BIG thanks to you.

To the cheeky Brits in the tube,
even the one dressed like a goob,
the kindness I appreciate,
Because I was such in a flustered kind of state.

A million steep flights of stairs,
I looked at with despair.
but the owner of the Morgan house,
carried it all because he knew I have strength like a mouse.

To the security at the train,
I thank you for your pain,
Of carrying the luggage weighing 80 pounds,
Even as you made your rounds.

To Croydon's Peter,
it was dragged up the stairs without a teeter.
And as he carried it around again and again,
I thought to myself, "I do love a thoughtful man."

Thank you Ryan who carried my bag,
and who also works for the American flag.
A true hero you are,
Beth and I should take you out to the bar.

But frustration is directed to people of RyanAir,

Who wouldn't budge a hair.

A prince's fortune I paid,

because of what my damn luggage weighed."

-Havilah Etter

Notting Hill Carnival= Street Rave

"Held each August Bank Holiday since 1966, the Notting Hill Carnival is the largest festival celebration of its kind in Europe. Every year the streets of West London come alive, with the sounds and smells of Europe's biggest street festival. Twenty miles of vibrant colourful costumes surround over 40 static sound systems, hundreds of Caribbean food stalls, over 40,000 volunteers and over 1 million Notting Hill carnival revellers. "

Sounds like a good time, right? Only an attraction that a local would know about, The Notting Hill Carnival was first explained to me as a sort of festival / parade. In our minds, Havilah and I compared it to the Portland Rose Parade. Thanks to Peter's suggestion, we wore our North Face jackets in expectation of rainy cold weather. However.... this was NOT the case. It became perfectly clear to me as we arrived in London and made our way to the Tube, that nearly every Londoner was making their way to Carnival. The Tube stations we unbearably crowded. Bodies pressed against each other as though attempting to avoid hypothermia. The air unground is humid and stale with the looming smell of human odor and overpowering cologne. 

Above ground it's not much better, the sun is now shinning (which is crap since I'm wearing layers!) and the sheer number of people on the streets is intense! 

"There's nothing quite like the smell of Notting Hill Carnival. We're talking about the wonderful aromas of traditional Caribbean food..."   

Here, I would like to add that in addition to the smell of bbqed chicken and roasted corn on the cob, there was the overwhelming stench of pot, cigarets, booze and beer. 

I tell you all of this not to scare you (Mom and Dad, I was safe and always aware of my surroundings! ) but to simply point out a completely opposite experience we had, a mere two days later and about twenty blocks away from our quaint clean hotel in the Belgrave neighborhood. 

Hav and Dan

The afternoon was a panic of fun, excitement and apprehension about my new surroundings. We drank beer, ate spicy chicken and danced in the streets to Caribbean techno/rap music. Every time we moved from one rave to another, we had to hold hands to keep from losing each other in the bodies and filth that linked the roads. I quite literally felt like a salmon swimming up stream. Bless Adam, Pete, Jamie and Dan for looking after Havilah and I all day, as though we were little sisters.