Somedays are magic.... yesterday .... and then somedays, the guy doesn't call, scarves are forever lost and the workload is intense, and you work from 10am - 10pm..... today. But another day in London is always good just because I am here. And the day was totally enhanced by listening to HSM 3 on my ipod on the tube to and from work - and everywhere in between. I know every word - I downloaded it 24 hours ago..... sad but proud all at the same time :).
Today at the office, still suffering form the credit crunch, I was busy with a lot of administrative stuff. The good thing about it not being overwhelming busy is that it gives us time to tidy up the office, get things organized and of course – finishing editing all the CV’s for continuity, which is what I did for most of the day. In addition to the editing, filing, cleaning dishes and running errands to pick up ink and lunch for Robert, I made some important phone calls.
The first call was to Fiona Weir’s office – the casting director for Harry Potter. I spoke with Ruth who has a reputation for being very rude, and she informed me that casting was not happening until summer 2009 for children. She was quick to get off the phone, but I followed up with an email to invite her to come to the adult youth workshop. Rob said she is yet to respond to their many attempts to get her in to see the kids, but hopefully this attempt will have some impact. Persistence is key in the business – you have to keep pushing and working hard if you want to get things done.
I also called some clients to inform them of castings and certain changes. In between the phone calls and the odd jobs, and of course editing the CV’s, I also looked for commercial scenarios and prepared the scripts for the workshop tonight. It is always a lot of preparation to get everything organized for the class, and then after a long workday, to go teach the children with patience. But it is a great challenge and they have really been progressing. We had another boy client drop out of the agency because of commitment issues, and we have been seeing that a lot.
It is a very difficult balance with the children because they are our clients and they bring in money if they book jobs. So of course, we want them to work hard and improve and it is very frustrating when they are not putting the effort in – slacking off or just being kids who are not driven or goal-oriented. But we cannot really punish them, because then they could just drop the agency, and we lose out tremendously in the case of our talented clients. It is a very delicate relationship – as most are in this business. For instance, if you are friends with people you work with, you really have to bite your tongue if there are personal issues because if they hold a position of power, they can easily and childishly keep the casting directors they work for from seeing your clients.
The workshop this evening was such a blast though, I have to admit there is something about being with kids (when they are good) that totally grounds me and makes me happy. I love the workshop because I get to be in my element with kids and we just laugh the whole time. And they love HSM and we gush about it together, which is so fun! I really love it. Robert is great at making the class laid back. Today we did accents and I helped them with their American accent and they helped me with my pathetic British accent.... ugh, I am helpLESS!!! I ended up sounding Australian or just a stuttering mess. The older class got new scripts from a playbook we ordered last week. The excerpts come from a story about two young gay boys who are in love and in hiding. It will be a great challenge for the students to work through and in two weeks they are to have it memorized, so I am excited to see how they work with a challenging situation. Some of them are ridiculously talented - I am super jealous of how good they are - and yet they look up to me as someone to advise them, which is really special.
Other than that, it was a decent day, and I have to remind myself that simply another day here is one day closer to leaving this all behind, so right now I am trying to soak it all in, and make even the average days count. I think we should probably live every day like that, which is easier said than done. But come the end of the day - be it a good or bad one - coming home to friends and family who can jam out with you to HSM, or simply smile or give you a hug makes it all worth it, don't you think?
Love and hugs,
Jenny
High school was no walk in the park for me. I was never the popular girl, I didn’t have many boyfriends, and I moved to NC right in the middle, which was quite the transition. But it turned out to be the best thing that ever could have happened because I met my four best friends (Jill, Monica, Ike and Brezny), found a second family in the Harrisons and the experience allowed me to really find myself. It was not easy, but I would have had it no other way. I loved my last two years of high school, and my senior year was still probably one of the best times of my life (a close second to this experience which surmounts it all). A huge reason I feel this way is because being in the musicals in high school was the most thrilling experience. The bonds formed with the cast and simply doing what I love more than anything made me feel so alive and on top of the world.
But let’s get one thing clear – my senior year was nothing like high school in the movies. In fact, my four years did not even hold a candle to High School Musical 3: Senior Year – which is absolutely the most incredible movie I have EVER SEEN! If only I had a life like that…You are laughing and judging me right now, but you really cannot understand how in love I am with these movies, these actors, and the magical way the music and dancing comes together to tell this completely unrealistic but in the BEST WAY story about high school. I love that it brought movie musicals back to my generation. I love that it is the most uplifting love story and the fact that Zac Efron has the most beautiful arms, eyes – ugh, everything – that I have ever seen does not hurt either. It is simply a brilliant creation! YES, I am talking about a Disney film – but it was THAT good, that I think I may pay the 10 pounds to go see it again J.
So, I am currently listening to the soundtrack of High School Musical 3 dancing in my bed and thinking about how in love with Zac Efron I am…. How beautiful the entire movie experience was – but the beauty of it all is that seeing the movie was just the beginning of the most amazing night EVER!
So today was a very humdrum day – we had class…. Boring boring. Same old routine of theatre and history – you get the idea. After class, I stayed and surfed the web for a while, emailing Lynnie and downloading HSM 3 soundtrack (I actually starting crying while listening to it because it was so moving), but the best part is that LYNNIE GIFTED TO ME! What a great sister…. And it was the audio and VIDEO version, which included a behind the scenes movie – she must really love me.
After class, I came home, had a light dinner (sticking to my Italy diet) and Katie (who I just adore) and I went to see the movie. The cinema was in Leicester Square, so we tubed there, bought our tickets, Katie got a tea, and then we walked inside. The theatre itself was really nice – the movie screen had a curtain over it as if it was a glamorous stage and the seats were very comfortable. And it best had been since we paid 10 pounds (so basically 20 American dollars) to see the film – worth EVERY PENCE! After the HALF HOUR of COMMERCIALS, then the 15 minutes of previews (which is one of my favorite things about going to movies), it finally started. And from that moment on I could not stop smiling. Katie and I kept nudging each other the entire movie in awe of how good it was – it was probably the happiest I have ever been watching a movie – so freakin good. Definitely my favorite of the trilogy, I have to say. And Zac’s acting has REALLY improved – he is a star, mark my words.
Afterward, Katie and I headed to Sports Café, a really nice American bar in Leicester Square, right by the theatre. We met a bunch of our friends there and had the best night I have had out in London – and I was totally and completely sober (don't get me wrong - parents - this is not at all abnormal for me or anything, but everyone else drank, and I just didn't feel like it, so I didn't, and, it was still fantastic). The DJ played what would be my ideal playlist – he even played Jenny From the Block and we went crazy! It was the best night of dancing ever – I did my thing, and I actually got a lot of attention, which was crazy fun, and kind of rare for me. I even had a dance off with this totally awesome black guy in the middle of the club – everyone circled around us hooting and hollering and I totally owned it…. and they say white girls can’t move (it was like a scene from Step Up or something) J. It was such a blast – literally EVERY SONG was incredible – Britney, Christina, Beyonce – the girls were all there J. What a great way to dance out all the energy I had after HSM 3, and to just do my thing. It was such a great night – but the movie magic moments did not end there....
So I was sitting at an empty table and waiting for the girls to get our coats. I was alone, tired, sipping on my water, and this guy comes over to me. He was like – “a lady should never sit alone,” introduced himself and we talked for about ten minutes before the girls finally came over. He was so nice and sweet, very good-looking and really interesting – hot accent, well dressed (Monica, you totally would have approved)…definite 10. But the best part was that he could ACTUALLY carry a conversation. So he asked for my number, since I was leaving, and said he would call me. He was so adorable – so hopefully he will call!
But here is the best part – I left my scarf at the table by accident, which totally bummed me out, but I would simply LOVE it if he grabs it and calls me saying he has my scarf – what a movie moment that would be (like in Serendipity…..) I wish things like that happened in real life, to me, and not just on the screen of movies like HSM….. who knows, maybe tonight that movie magic spread itself to my life. It certainly spread to the sky – IT SNOWED in London tonight as we were coming out of the movie! How crazy is that…. It melted the moment it hit the ground, but it was literally snowing in October! I guess it figures it would just have to snow on the best night ever…. What could be more magical?
Love and hugs (but only if you go see HSM 3 and then call me to gush about it...)
Jenny (a shamefully HSM obsessed 19 year old.... true fans get it :) right Lynnie and Brez?
"Oh, Oh, Oh, woke up today, feeling the way, I always do....."
Ah, back to my little London life! This morning I woke up and got all dolled up to see my boys, wearing my new Italian necklace and scarf - brr, very cold here! It was so wonderful to get back to the office today. After having a wonderful fall break, I began to miss working and seeing Robert and Gordon, and on top of all of that I was so excited to go to the Press Night of Hairspray. Once I got in the office, I settled and caught up with them about the happenings while I was away, Again, the industry has been incredibly slow because of the credit crunch, which has really cut castings in half. When there is no casting, there is nothing to put clients up for, which means that clients are out of work and commission is not coming into the agency. This can be a real struggle for Robert who is trying to make ends meet in a very expensive city.
Right now, the talk about town in the industry is the casting for the musical Sister Act. Luckily, we have a couple of clients who have been called back for that, which is promising. To have a client in that show would mean a contract with a musical, which brings in consistent weekly commission, so we are keeping our fingers crossed. In addition, while I was away a casting director for East Enders came to the acting class to see the talent of our youth clients. Apparently, she was very pleased with most of them, which is great exposure for their careers and for the agency. It just goes to show that when you know the right people and have the right connections, exposure becomes much easier. It also illuminates how, in a poor economy, not even knowing the right people is a big help if castings are being cut.
After being filled in, I got to work editing the adult CV’s to make sure that they are all in the same font and format. This is to ensure continuity and to make sure the CV’s from Kelly Management are recognizably the same to casting directors. This is a very long and tedious process seeing as we have about 50 adult clients, and each one has to be altered to fit the correct format. I continued on with this job for the entire workday, finally getting through the male clients. But at 2:45pm, we left the office and headed to the National Theatre to see the production Oedipus. This particular showing, which usually stars Ralph Fiennes who I met walking outside the theatre a month ago before seeing Some Trace of Her, was of all of the understudies, so a lot of industry people were invited to allow the actors who do not usually get to play the lead roles to perform and get exposure. The show itself was a bit boring – not really my taste – but I enjoyed the sets, and I always love going to the theatre with Robert and Gordon and comparing notes with them at the end. To see an actor (because Gordon is also an actor) and an agent’s perspective on the productions we see is always so interesting. They address aspects of the show I hadn’t even considered.
After the show ended, Gordon and I had dinner at a really cute French restaurant called café rouge, where I had the most delicious bowl of French onion soup EVER, and a side salad (let the Italy diet begin…). We had such a wonderful conversation and I just adore him. We are very similar in a lot of ways, and it is so refreshing to be around him when I am usually surrounded by a bunch of girls in the flat. Before we knew it, we were off to the Press Night of the West End musical Hairspray!
Last night was the best night EVER! Robert was so sweet to buy me a ticket – they usually only give agents two, but he bought me a third so I could come. The show, which has been playing for a year, has three of our clients, including the lead role of Tracy Turnblad. Two of the clients have been in it since the beginning, but for the third, it was her opening night! Gordon had never seen the show, and I had only seen it once in Raleigh, so I was very excited. The curtain lifted, the orchestra began to play and the rest of the night was magical J. The musical in itself is a fantastic production, but on top of that, we had great seats (in row J – for Jenny of course), and we got to spot our own clients (who I talk to on the phone all the time) in the show. They all did a great job, and while the new cast definitely have a couple of kinks to work out (Robert was disappointed because he said the original cast was much better – but they would be because they were a family, and this cast is brand new, so I told him to give it time), the show was still incredible and full of that energy I love. At the end, we were all dancing in our seats. But the night was not over yet.
After the show we attended the cast party! IT WAS SO AWESOME! I got to have free champagne and strawberries, meet all the actors, and a bunch of industry people, including the famous American musical theatre director, Jerry Mitchell.
He is the guy that directed Legally Blonde, and did the choreography for the original Broadway cast of Hairspray. Among our clients, I met all the leads, including Motor Mouth Maybelle who was the original voice of the goddesses in the Disney film Hercules! AND I got to meet Ben Ellis , the actor who plays Link (so basically like a London equivalent of Zac Efron) who is gorgeous, AND kissed me on the cheek HELLO (he did it to all the girls, but mine totally lingered...).
Gordon walked me back to the tube (thank goodness, because all the excitement, plus that champagne went straight to my little head), we could not stop raving and wishing we were both in it! As the night came to a close, I fell straight to sleep after a long but wonderful day. It was so surreal, Leanne was wonderful and so sweet to me, and I cannot thank Robert enough for letting me be a part of it all.
Love and hugs,
Jenny
When you take vacations with your family as a child, you are very much along for the ride. They probably pick the place, make the plans, book the flights, the hotel, the activities. They take the trip into their own hands and as a kid, you get to benefit off their organization and hard work. I never realized how much goes into it all until being faced with having to do it myself – in a foreign country – on a budget J. Having planned ten days in Italy, I can fully appreciate my mom’s intense agenda for our trip to Las Vegas and Arizona, my step mom’s hand made guide to Disney World (we always knew to go left in the line….) and the money and effort it takes to vacate your daily life for another temporary and exciting one. This trip was certainly time consuming, thought consuming and stressful to plan, but in the end, everything went so smoothly, and even the kinks made the adventure of it all so much more worthwhile. Four American, twenty year old girls took on five cities in Italy, saw the exquisite sights and historical landmarks, learned, laughed, played and relaxed – and maybe even left a mark. And, while this all may seem average to the experienced traveler, for us, it was an accomplishment we will cherish forever.
After our tiring, yet beautiful day sailing the waters of the Mediterranean surrounding Capri, we had a really solid nights sleep. Turns out jumping off a cliff and landing wrong is not so easy on the body- so I definitely crashed…literally in the water, and mentally in bed. In the morning, we woke up just in time before they closed breakfast downstairs at 9:30 am, which is sleeping in for us since we are usually always on the go and up quite early. We had cereal to the sounds of MTV Italia, which plays every morning on the flat screen TV’s in the breakfast room. Then we headed back upstairs, still exhausted, and rested in our beds for another hour before finally getting ready for the day around 11am. It was our last full day in Italy and so we thought we deserved some rest and relaxation before, what we could only imagine, would be a long travel day (turns out we were very right….but we will get to that later).
After getting ready and having a delicious chicken cordon blu at the hostel (we still cannot get over these gourmet meals for only 5 euro) we ventured up to the terrace, since we had only seen the view at night. It was a beautiful, warm afternoon with just the right amount of fluffy clouds in the sky skimming the tops of the mountains. We took some pictures and enjoyed the view and then headed out onto the streets of S. Agnello to find the bus stop to catch a bus to Positano – a small coastal town about 15 minutes away, esteemed for its incredible views and sights.
We had, of course, checked the bus schedule beforehand – the problem was, some of the directions that the general manager at the hostel gave us got a bit lost in translation and we ended up at the wrong bus stop. We bought our bus tickets, asked for help – trying to explain to over eager Italian men where we were trying to go, and then trying to understand through the whistling what they were trying to tell us (I actually did get an invite to get a ride from a man on his vespa, which as we know by now is my dream…but I of course declined because that would not be safe AND because he was…well….. probably three times my age J), and so we finally, after getting on a bus, getting off a bus, and then waiting at a bus stop for an hour for a bus that NEVER CAME, decided to give up and travel instead into the city of Sorrento, which was just one stop away on the over ground for a reasonable fare.
By this time it was already 3:30pm, and we were all a little annoyed that the bulk of our last day in Italy was spent trying to figure out the friggin bus system – but it actually became kind of comical. On our way to catch the over ground to Sorrento, a bus driver who had circled a couple of times and tried to help us called out – “Hey, it’s the Positano girls!…” and we all laughed. Not to mention, any frustration quickly disappeared as we arrived in the heart of Sorrento.
With each shop we ventured into – and of course, each subsequent purchase, my spirits were lifted. The equivalent to medicine for the ill is shopping for the female, so all irritation was quickly cured. There were narrow side street full of markets and we shopped for hours picking up things for family members, bargaining, and scoping out the many gelato shops before finally deciding to buy a cone from a really famous gelateria right off a busy shopping street. There were tons of pictures on the wall of the owner and famous people – none of who we recognized – but it was clear this gelato was going to be good – and oh…my….goodness…. it was the best we had by FAR! And what a perfect place to have our last taste of true Italian gelato…. well, for a while at least. If I was rich, I would have that gelato imported to me on a daily basis (and I could do this, because I would also have a personal trainer to work it off… J… and a mansion on the island of Capri….and my own VESPA! oh a girl can dream :)
With full tummies and smiles on our faces, we headed down too the harbor. It was a stunning 15-minute walk as the sun set upon the beautiful homes, cafes, shops and hotels nestled into the mountainside of the coast. We strolled the winding road all the way to the bottom, where we took pictures along the water, sat on the bench and watched the sun fade behind the mountainside (Monica and Ike - this time is was ACTUALLY a mountain, as opposed to a cloud…), leaving only a faint golden glow along the water.
There was a small café right along the harbor, and so we stopped in for a drink before heading back up the big hill to catch the over ground back to the hostel for dinner (while there were tons of great restaurants in the heart of Sorrento, you can’t beat a 5 euro meal J plus, we loved our hostel – it was so beautiful that we were anxious to get back and spend time there before having to leave it all behind in the morning). After dropping off our bags in our room, we sat in the restaurant and had the most delicious fettuccini alfredo with shrimp, while talking about our favorite parts of the day (a nightly ritual) and toasting to our final dinner in Italy.
The hostel hired an Italian band for the guests, as well as for many locals who were invited to check out the location and amenities offered – the hostel has only been open for four months, and so it was a way to promote the business as well as get its name out there (which I am sure they will have no problem doing after word of mouth spreads among the backpackers of Europe). Jen and Katie were tired and went to sleep, but Laura and I first went up to the terrace to hang out with some newcomers, and the two great Australian girls we went on the boat trip with. Then we headed down to hear the band. Of course, we had no idea what they were singing about, but we gathered it was funny because the locals kept laughing… and we just sipped our wine and played along. After the band packed up, we ended up going to a wine bar with some of the people we met. It was a blast to get out of the hostel and feel really immersed in Italian culture and nightlife, not to mention, the wine bar was really cute (and appropriately called The Wine Bar - they said that naming it an English name draws attention, which I thought was funny. Different cultures really do influence one another, even to the point of emulation. This name that would be so boring in America, becomes a marketing tool in Italy, and I am sure there are examples for the other way around – just kind of interesting… but I digress…).
Laura and I had a blast with the locals and headed back to the hostel after a fun and interesting evening. And then four hours after putting our head to the pillow, it was time to wake up and say ciao for now to our beloved Italy.
Here is our long and tiring travel day in bullet form: woke up, breakfast, walk to the bus stop (which we thoroughly mapped out before hand to avoid any confusion), wait for twenty minutes, catch the bus to the Naples airport, which was an hour and half journey. Arrive, wait in the long line to check in, customs, security (where one of my gifts that I had in my backpack was confiscated for being considered a sharp object…. Apparently I look like a terrorist who is going to use a packaged decorated pizza cutter from Capri intended for my sister to hijack the plane…ugh, total BUMMER…sorry sister….), wait an hour to board, wait an hour in the plane to take off, 2 hours and 45 minutes later we land, tram to the terminal, customs, baggage, buy train ticket, ride the Stansted express 45 minutes to the Liverpool tube stop, ride the tube to Baker street, switch tubes to the Bakerloo line to FINALLY arrive at Warwick Avenue 9 hours after starting our day. Luckily it is daylight savings time here (which means for now we are only four hours apart, yay! I feel closer to you all already), so we gained an hour and were settled and unpacked in the flat around 6pm. Laura and I, practically fasting to make up for all the food we ate over the trip, made a vegetable and chicken stir fry, showered, and called family and friends. Which of course led me here – my faithful blog.
Our fall break is now over, and I have overcome another rite of passage – the planning of my own vacation! Don’t laugh – no, it is not quite as momentous as puberty or graduating high school, but none the less, I am proud! I think it is really cool that we researched, planned and paid for the entire trip, made all of our flights, trains and buses on time (with the exception of the Positano confusion), explored five different cities in Italy (from Pisa, to Florence to Rome to Sorrento and the island of Capri) all the while only knowing three words in Italian – Ciao, Grazzi, and Prego! Be impressed J. It was an amazing adventure, one that I will never forget. So for the last time in Italian,
Love and hugs,
Jenny
I’m back! I am so sorry for the delay, but here I am – with full details of the past couple of days! So let’s get right into it….
Wednesday was our last day in the city of Rome. We woke up a bit later, showered in the small, kind of dirty, wet nastiness of our hostel, but found refreshment as we headed out into the beautiful warm day. Jen left early on her own to see the Pope speak (Katie, Laura and I were too tired from our night and did not want to walk ALL the way back to the Vatican only to stand in a pile of people - and probably some pick-pocketers - to hear the Pope speak in another language for two hours, which was not very good of us, we know, but it did not sound very appealingat the time). It turned out the reason it lasts two hours is because he speaks the same ceremony in seven different languages back to back – Jen said it was really interesting, and she ran into some of our Elon friends who happened to be there too, so overall it was a good time for her J Meanwhile – we had our own cultural morning by visiting the beautiful fountain of the Naiads in Piazza della Republica, just a five minute walk from our hostel. We sat in the beaming sun, took pictures and made videos while waiting to hear from Jen.
Shocked we had still not heard from her, even though it was beyond 12:30 pm, we decided to get some cheap paninis from Que Se Magna- a little café right across the street from our hostel. They made us delicious salami, ham and mozzarella paninis, warm with oil and seasoning, and we ate them on a bench on a side street.
We decided to walk back toward the Trevi Fountain, since the first time we saw it, they were doing work on it and so the water was not running. As we pushed through the crowds of people and the crazy men trying to sell you everything under the sun (including a questionably shaped rubber monster and light-up green googles – what child would want any of this, let alone three 20 year olds?!) We found a good spot and watched the water spout from Bernini’s Triton, gazing at all the surrounding people aimlessly throwing their coins into the clear pool. To our disappointment, we also watched a crane glide back and forth across the front of the fountain yet again – they must be doing some kind of reconstruction or something seeing as this crane was there both days. Regardless, it was still a nice and relaxing view as we ate some gelato and took it all in. Jen later met us there, we heard about her morning and then we mapped out the rest of our day.
We then began quite a journey. First we walked to Isola Tiberina, which is a small area over the Fiume Tevere. You walk onto the bridge, which opens up into this little mini town of cafes, a church and a hotel. Then the bridge narrows again, and you can walk off onto the other side of the river. We walked around what we called the little bridge island and decided to head down to where the water was streaming under the bridge. We walked down these stairs and settled ourselves on the cement along the water. We sat for a half hour, talking and watching the seagulls soar and the ducks swim along the stream. It was really beautiful and a nice little hideaway from busy Rome. After, we embarked on a long walk to get to San Giovanni in Laterano and Scala Santa.
By this time it was about 3:00pm, and we began our trek. With Katie leading (she was our brilliant map girl the entire trip, thank goodness to her) we walked through the streets of Rome and came to a clearing. We walked back behind Palentine Hill and overlooked Augustus (the first Roman emperor’s) original palace (which now just looks like a stone façade) and walked along a narrow yet long field that stretched for about an acre. This rectangular land sunken below the main walkway is supposedly where Caesar would have his chariot races, or would overlook them from a room in the palace – so that was very cool to see and imagine as we walked by. We continued joking and laughing, trying to brush up on our Spanish since the 40 year old Spanish ladies moved into to our hostel, all the while looking at the map to try to get to our main destination. But, this once, Katie led us a bit astray, and we ended up missing our turn and circling right back to the center of Rome by the coliseum. It was quite warm out, and we all had to pee, so we stopped to rest and have some water at a café that overlooked the coliseum, which was a needed break.
We then regrouped and headed straight for San Giovanni in Laterano – this is a papal complex which hosts the world’s first ever baptistery which set the octagonal style for all baptisteries to come. But the main attraction is inside an old building that houses the Scala Santa – a staircase that has been transported overtime to eventually end up in Rome. However, this is not just any ordinary staircase – according to historians, it was taken from Pontius Pilate’s house and is therefore the same steps that Jesus ascended to face his trail. To commemorate this, devout believers walk up each step on their knees slowly and pray. The legend has it that if you look closely you can see traces of Jesus’ blood on the stairs. It is an incredible religious and historical symbol. To walk into the building and be enveloped by the silence and passion of the people sprinkled along each of the 28 steps, at all different levels, from all different walks of life to pay homage to their God was phenomenal and powerful. It was our favorite part of the day and a must see for anyone visiting Rome – regardless of your religious background. You see, the real reason it touched me was because an individual’s emotional depth of faith – no matter who or what that faith is directed to – is powerful and moving. There was such a sense of togetherness, humility and respect that filled the air and will fill our memories.
After our day of walking, we went back to the flat where we got everything packed and ready for our early morning departure before going out to eat our last dinner in Rome. We had picked out a restaurant we saw on our way to the Trevi in the morning, so we went straight back with certain dishes in mind and a 13 euro bottle of wine with our name on it. We had a delicious meal, which lasted hours. The staff loved us, perhaps for our accents, kind demeanor, or perhaps (and most likely) for our love of white wine J and we left with big smiles on our faces. We then headed to the Trevi to see it lit up at night, which was stunning – finally no cranes to impede our view, but still, even at 10:30pm, there were people everywhere. I guess Rome really doesn’t sleep.
It was a perfect final day in Rome, certainly the most relaxing and unstructured, but still filled with great sights, laughs, and touching moments. I truly loved this ancient city, but as we headed back to our hostel, and got in bed, I was very excited to be leaving in the morning for Sorrento and the warm and stunning Italian coast.
Thursday morning we woke up ready to be out of the Gulliver’s hostel and settled into the Seven Hostel in Sorrento. The only problem is that getting from point A to point B is not nearly as easy as that – in fact it was a bit of a journey, which started at the train station. After an early breakfast with our polish friends (they all love the show Friends, and we were all quoting it together – that show is truly universal and breaks all boundaries… enough said J ) we said goodbye and walked to the train station.
We cut it close, but got on the regional train to Naples just in time. We trailed our luggage through the second-class cabins to try to find four seats together, but we could only find three seats on the right, and one on the left. Lucky for Katie, Laura and I, we had three seats surrounding a 23-year-old Italian military man named Marco. He was stunning in uniform, so sweet, and even through his very broken English, he kept us laughing the entire trip. He looked a lot like Kostas from Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants – as you can imagine he was very cute. He had this duffle bag that we called the Mary Poppins bag because he kept pulling things out of it for us – chocolate from Perugia (he was coming from the chocolate fest they have there every year, and it was so fun because I remember Lynn brining me home chocolate from that two years ago), books and maps on the Italian Coast – he was full of tips, and compliments. He was so sweet. The girls think that he liked me…I mean, at the end he asked if I would get INTO his Mary Poppins bag and leave with him – so I guess it was kind of obvious. At one point I was telling a story about our hostel and my bed and he stopped me and was like “you, me, in bed?” And I was like no, no, no….MY bed….which made for really good entertainment for a three hour train ride. Sadly though, he got off a couple of stops before us and we waved goodbye and wished him good luck with the military. A bit relieved to be able to stop translating everything to simple common words, we continued on, but before we could even settle into our Ipods, we were pulling into the Naples train station.
After some confusion as to how to catch the local train to Sorrento, we finally found the downstairs area and boarded the over ground, which after about an hour, brought us right to our stop – S. Agnella. This did not however come easy – I had to stand amongst many 14-year-old Italian girls, which was annoying – among other things. For instance, at one point – I fell over – no seriously… FLAT ON MY FACE. The girls were sitting, but my bag was too heavy to lug, so I decided to stand by the door (it is like the tube, but an over ground). I was trying to reach for my bag to get out the directions to our hostel from our stop and hold my very heavy suitcase on the ground at the same time. Well, a faulty twist and turn later, of course encouraged by the momentum of the train, I was literally on the floor on top of my bags, in front of EVERYONE. The girls could not stop laughing. I of course, upon getting back up not so gracefully, laughed too, but it was very embarrassing. Then, we got off the wrong stop, and had to pile back on the train. So, needless to say, it was an eventful ride, but we finally reached our stop along the outskirts of Sorrento.
On solid ground, balanced and ready to go, we then had to find the hostel, which we had very little trouble doing in Florence and Rome. So we thought – no problem. Think again – in the unexpected heat we walked around for about twenty minutes before getting on the right track to our hostel. But when we FINALLY arrived, it was like walking into paradise.
This hostel might as well be a RESORT! It has a full bar and restaurant, an outdoor courtyard with fluffy white couches, then three floors of spacious, clean, modern rooms, with comfortable beds, a rooftop terrace, gourmet Italian meals for only 5 euro a plate – it is literally out of this world. It is a little pricier then your average hostel, but really not by much. Not to mention, the people staying here are amazing. We have had the best time getting to know everyone – mostly all people our age – staying up late on the terrace, drinking wine and sharing travel stories. It has been such a blast. But I jump ahead…. let me go back to arrival time on Thursday afternoon.
We checked and settled in with jaws dropped to the absolute beauty of the hostel. The view out of our room is something out of a dream – blue waters, with small houses lining a huge mountain. We were starving so we met up with Ron, a 33 year old guy from Chicago who sold his houseS, rented out his carS, retired and has been traveling the world for months (notice the plural… he is clearly rolling in the money), and we went to a small snack bar just up the road. I had a delicious ham and cheese pizza, and we all took in the surprisingly warm weather. The area around the hostel is actually quite barren, with just a small pizzeria and café up the road. However, all you need is at the hostel, including great food and people, plus it is only a twenty-minute walk into the heart of Sorrento. So location has not been an issue at all. After our snack, we went to the grocery to pick up some small things, and then hung out at the hostel the whole night on the roof top terrace. It is such an incredible view overlooking the entire city lit up at night, with stars overhead – truly unreal. We met tons of Aussies, some of whom live in London so we might meet up with them again. In fact, we are telling everyone to come to my big birthday bash in December – apparently (according to Laura, the social chair for the event ;) the list is building rapidly – I guess everyone likes a good party – it’s a universal thing J. We also met this great couple in their late twenties, Lisa and Greg, from California. They are engaged and are traveling for a year and ½ before settling down and getting married. They saved up, quit their jobs, and here they are. What an amazing experience to do before having kids – I definitely want to do that someday for a shorter amount of time.
It is so funny because meeting all these great people and seeing how much we all have in common regardless of living in completely different parts of the world is refreshing. It simply reminds you that people are just people and while we may have different backgrounds, or even speak different languages, we all like to laugh, joke, and have a good time. It has also introduced me to this almost “underground” traveling culture. All these travelers stay in touch, meet up in other countries, suggest places and hostels and share stories of their trips. It is so incredible to talk to these people and see how they live their life on such a whim – it’s like, “tomorrow, I think I will go to Barcelona…. And then when that gets boring I will go to Italy,” – I mean that is incredible and freeing and as a planner and family girl, hard to wrap my head around. They say there is no place like home, but no one actually thinks that your home can become any country in the world at any time you like. I know that life is not really for me, but I would love to do it for like six months before having children. Traveling just opens your eyes up to so much and allows you to not only discover new places and people, but also a lot about yourself. A lot of these people are traveling alone – I would get so lonely but they love being solitary and independent – it is so admirable and interesting to me.
In between talking to all of these great people, I also had a mission of the night. Laura, Katie, Jen and I had heard about the day trip to Capri that the hostel organizes through a boat company. We were desperate to go – it included transportation from the hostel to the dock, you then get on a private boat that takes you to the island of Capri, you have 2 hours to shop and explore, and then you get back on the boat where it takes you to the white, green and blue grottos all around the coast. It is so warm here, that the girls in our room that did it the day before we arrived said we could swim into the caves our selves and snorkel. The catch was we had to find two other people to go with us on the trip, because they had a minimum of 6 people and a maximum of 11. After quite the search, we found two very sweet 20 year old girls from Australia, Isabelle and Emily, who decided to sign up. So we were all set to go on our excursion to the island of Capri!
There are simply no words to describe the absolute beauty of this island. I think it is hands down my FAVORITE place I have ever been to (with the exception of Disney World of course). Perhaps this is because the island of Capri is surrounded by my favorite color – a crystal clear pure turquoise - water unlike I have ever seen. It looked so much of what I have seen of Greece, which made me immediately think of Ike, Brezny, Jill and Monica, and how much they would have loved Capri.
We woke up in our comfortable beds to the 7 am city bells chiming through the open window, left open to let in the warm breeze. After snoozing for a bit, we went down to breakfast and packed our backpacks up for the day trip. We did not have bathing suits because we had NO IDEA we would ever need swimsuits (or swimmers as the Aussies call them) in October in Italy! So we had to borrow board shorts from Alexis, the Scottish girl who was staying in our room, and pair it with tanks tops, which we packed to change into on the boat. At 10am the van arrived to pick us up and bring us down the steep cliff to the dock (mom you are right, the driving is CRAZY), passing flying vespas (which, I am still dying to ride one like Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen in every movie they have ever made). There, we met Augustus, our boat driver and tour guide. We got on the boat, rolled up our jeans, took off our sperrys (we didn’t even have flip flops for Pete’s sake) and embarked out onto the beautiful blue waters.
The sights all around us were incredible. The colors were so vibrant as we sailed toward the coast of Capri, with Naples. Mount Vesuvius and Sorrento becoming smaller in the distance. The white, pink and yellow houses were tucked into the mountainside like out of a dream. It was the most beautiful boat ride EVER! And I simply love being on the water. With the wind in my face, the turquoise waters all around me, the sunlight beaming down. Sailing is hands down when I feel the most alive and at peace. Maybe this is because my family and I used to go on cruises all the time when I was a kid, so the water for me reminds me of them and makes me feel safe. It was seriously magical – which sounds totally corny, but those who have been there (Lynnie and fam - I thought of you all the whole time!) I am sure would understand. As we pulled up into the dock of Capri 45 minutes after setting sail, I became even more excited to see the island.
Capri is like out of a movie – all the cafes, flowers, colors – it is like everything you picture when you think of a tropical paradise. The streets were lined with designer stores, gelaterias, shops and the most amazing hotels tucked into the rocks along the mountain. What an amazing honeymoon spot – so remote! We walked around, got some gelato, sat on a bench and soaked in the sun, raved about how our friends at Elon were in class while we got to explore paradise, and somehow get credit for it J, and did some shopping in the gift shops! After two hours it was back onto the boat to sail around the island and see the grottos (which totally reminded me of the Little Mermaid and how Brezny and I took a picture with her in her “grotto” at Disney in May!).
Augustus was a great tour guide, and such a handsome Italian man. He showed the six of us all around as we sunbathed on the boat, told us stories about the island and about his life. He is 36 and has lived in practically every country, but always finds his way back to Sorrento where he grew up. I can see why.
The first stop was the white grotto. We got out of the boat and climbed up the rocks into a cave to take a closer look at a rock that is shaped exactly like the virgin Mary praying – it is incredible. On our way back down, Augustus told us we could jump off the 20 ft cliff if we wanted. All my friends who went to Greece did it, and I have always wanted to go cliff jumping. So Katie and I, the only brave ones, decided to do it! I went first, climbed over the handle bar, looked down, looked back up, counted to three out loud, jumped and screamed the WHOLE WAY DOWN! Because I went first, I broke the water first, and since I have never jumped before, I did not enter the water as straight as I should have. So it ended up REALLY hurting – like my butt is so bruised right now, I cannot even tell you. But I took one for the team, because I was able to tell Katie just how to do it while treading in the cold water below, trying not to cry – but it was so worth it, such a rush! And I was really proud of myself for going first and just taking the leap…literally. (I have it on video, so it will be fun to watch!)
After getting back on the boat, soaked, shaking a bit, and still stunned, we continued to sail around the island while eating our mozzarella and tomato baguettes. The next grotto – the green grotto was by far my favorite. Once we arrived, we jumped out of the boat, took the snorkeling googles and swam through a big stone arch. The water was amazing, we could see all the way down the bottom even without goggles. And the water wasn’t too salty – I could even open my eyes. And the sights underneath the surface were incredible. It was seriously like looking at a scene of Finding Nemo down there! The colors were so vibrant and clear, and there were fish swimming everywhere. Augustus picked us up on the other side of the arch tunnel and as we emerged on the other side, we noticed this small opening, only three feet wide, in the façade of the rocky cliffs. It was a blowhole – the forces of the air kept spraying the water out of the cave like the uncorking of a champagne bottle. Augustus told us to swim in, but no one wanted to. It looked scary, but he said there was a small cave on the inside, that it was safe and that I should go check it out. So I grabbed the goggles, took a deep breath and swam through the small hole into the dark cave. Inside it was amazing. To be on the inside of a blow hole – who would have ever thought I would do something like that. It was so small and dark, with just a stream of sunlight peering through the hole when the water wasn’t escaping. All the girls finally got up the courage to meet me inside, and even Augustus dove in and met us. We huddled inside for a little while taking it all in, and then we swam out and climbed onto a big rock that was on the bottom of the ocean floor just by the boat. The water was shallow enough that we could stand on it and rest. We then swam back to the boat, and journeyed to our last and most famous stop – the blue grotto.
As we sailed in the empty blue ocean (because the end of October is so off-season the water was completely ours), we passed a beautiful lighthouse, and some of the most expensive homes in all of Italy. We are talking MANSIONS resting on the hill overlooking the water. They were so incredible. After a little while we approached another slightly larger hole in the side of the island. We waited for a tour boat to pull away (they barely got to see a thing without swimming in) and then we jumped back into the water and swam through. We popped up on the inside of a massive 30 meters by 30 meters cave. The trick is, if you swim all the way inside and turn back toward the opening, the water appears to be a fluorescent and rich royal blue, as if being lit from underneath the ocean. In my attempt to get as far in as possible where Augustus said the color would be most vibrant, I swam ahead of the group, but was soon stopped by a stinging sensation in my arm. I jumped, thinking I was bit by a fish, but I let it go, wanting to enjoy the sights. The girls and I waded in the water, laughed and splashed around. I even broke out a couple of bars of Little Mermaid, and we all laughed. But through it all, my arm kept burning a bit. On our way out, another little family swam in and the woman, with snorkeling gear, spotted a jelly fish – looks like he got the best of me. I was stung three times on my arm – so I had a bruised bum and a stung arm – but it was all SO WORTH IT! Augustus took care of me and it is totally fine – I think the bugger just grazed me. But I would have done it all over again just so see the brilliant blue light. It was stunning.
Our way back to the island was spent watching the sun begin to set over the water, taking pictures, drying off, and thanking Augustus for being so great to us. Katie was allowed to drive the boat, he taught Jen and Laura how to fish, and all the while I stayed in the very front (my favorite place to be) taking in the beautiful sights all around me.
It was an amazing day – I still cannot believe it was real. After showering, doing some wash and eating dinner, we spent the rest of the night mingling with our friends and planning our day along the Amalfi Coast tomorrow – which I hear is also stunning. So we are very excited for that.
Maybe now you understand why I have not been writing as much! It has been so busy, but so incredible. I LOVE ITALY! I cannot wait to come back with family, or maybe even someday honeymoon on the island of Capri! That would be so amazing. Until then, I am going to enjoy this time now, because what an amazing time it has been.
Love and hugs – miss you all so much!
Jenny
During my senior year of high school, my government teacher put up a slide of the Roman forum over the overhead projector. I turned to my best friend Monica, and I asked her – “You know, it still does not make sense to me why the Romans would not have cleaned up the Roman ruins – I mean, why do you think that is?” She erupted in laughter, because of course this was an ignorant thing to say – at the time I did not realize that ancient Rome was later excavated from the rubble and rediscovered after years of being buried, thus recognized as a sacred land – I assumed, it was abandoned and simply never reconstructed because the people didn’t need the land – or didn’t want to take the time to do some maintenance- or something like that. To be honest, I really didn’t get it. I mean after September 11th, we cleaned up the rubble of the Twin Towers, so why wouldn’t the Romans clean up the Roman ruins? This I thought was a valid question - but now that I have seen the sights and have had an educated guide explain the history of the Roman Forum to me, I understand. This bring clarity to a question I have had for a long while – a question I probably could have googled and figured out long ago, but what better place to find answers to lasting questions than the beautiful and ancient city of Roma!? (which by the way – I have also realized that many different languages have different translations of city names – including London – so I stand corrected on that as well J - but this is my blog, so the deal is if you read, you cannot judge me for any silly things I say! )
Yesterday was our first full day in Rome. We woke up around 9:30am, had the hostel’s breakfast, which was actually quite good, with some Special K cereal and toast with nutella, and then we headed out into the sunny streets of Roma ready to explore. We walked around and took tons of pictures, many times we weren’t quite sure of the historical importance of certain landmarks, but we had timed to kill before our tour and it is impossible to wander Rome without running into history and ancient beauty on every corner. Nonetheless we snapped away, assured we would fill in the blanks on our walking tour, which was scheduled for 2 pm. We continued to walk along the streets passing the Roman Forum, Capital Hill and many other monuments on our way to La Piazza de Navona for lunch and shopping before meeting our tour guide.
We ended up having lunch at a pizzeria on a sweet side street with a waiter who was very kind but his effort to make jokes and be funny was lost in translation! It is so funny how sarcasm and wit can become ineffective when there is a language barrier! But we had our pizza (which I have been having so much of – Lynnie: being here, seeing the amazing sights and trying to say no to such amazing food is impossible - everything is so delicious, and the wine is so good! No wonder you loved it here so much J! I wish you could be here with me to translate some of the language J. I have grazzi down to a science (and a waiter tonight said that I said it in a very sexy way…. How kind J – but other than that – way over my head J
After lunch we met our tour in La Piazza de Navona – which was a beautiful square! There were paintings and artists everywhere drawing caricatures of the tourists and displaying their amazing works. After walking around and letting our delicious food settle, we met with our Enjoy Rome walking tour group, paid our fee, and were hooked up to an audio device so that we could hear our native Italian guide inform us of the sights during our three hour walking tour. She told us all about La Piazza Navona, as well as the monuments and fountains that decorated it. We then walked to the Pantheon, the Trevy Fountain (where I tossed in my coin, of course!), the Capital Building, the Roman forum (which was so incredible – I cannot get over how amazing the history of Rome is!), and of course the breathtaking Coliseum. There were many other stops along the way that hit the highlights of Rome, which was great because we got a fantastic view of most of the amazing sights. The tour was very informative, except it was sometimes difficult to understand our native tour guide through our fuzzy earpieces and her thick accent. Plus, those who know me know my hearing is not great – I am a little deaf at time J. But I was able to get through, taking away with me some fun facts J.
After the tour, and about 100 pictures later, we left the Coliseum and sat on a bench over looking the forum and had some apples – we were desperate for some fruit – Italians love their cheese, but cheese does not love our digestive systems J. We sat and watched the sun set over the forum, which was fantastic. Then we walked to a cute restaurant called Margaritas, where we sat for three hours and had a wonderful Italian dinner – we laughed, reflected on the day, and on our trip, and on how amazing this opportunity is – but mostly about how proud we were that we were getting everything we had planned accomplished all on our own. Then we walked home, and slipped into our bunk beds (let me tell you – it is a challenge to get up to the top bunk after a night of wine, in the dark, while trying not to wake anyone….pretty hysterical), and finally falling asleep to the cacophony of snores coming from the 40 year old Spanish women who had since replaced the four other girls who were staying in our room – plus one hairy man who snored loudest of all! Oh the joys of hostels!
This morning we woke up very early because today was our day exploring Vatican City! We had breakfast, showered and got ready – showering was not the most pleasant, but again, roughing it is part of the adventure – and then we were off to Vatican City on the 64 bus. However, the bus ride was short lived because not only was it extremely overcrowded (like rush hour on the tube) but it was also full of gross Italian men who were sketchy and coughing on me. Worst of all, the traffic was HORRIBLE, so we got off after being on for twenty minutes and only moving practically twenty feet, and walked the rest of the way. It was a beautiful day, so the walk was actually refreshing – and with all the food and wine we have been consuming, much needed! We finally arrived at Saint Peter’s Basilica, waited in line through the security, got our audio tours and explored every nook and cranny of the most glorious church I have ever been in – it truly is the most unique, detailed, and phenomenal representation of faith and worship. The size alone was breathtaking, but on top of that to see all of the shrines, statues, paintings, and symbols decorating the marble and gold was so beautiful. We spent about two hours going through every number in the audio tour, taking pictures and taking in the sights. It was a once in a lifetime experience – full of such immense history, religious importance and symbolic meaning.
After, we walked through the square, enjoyed the beautiful fountains, and had lunch at a little café just outside the entrance. We all had some delicious paninis and then headed to the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. After the 15-minute walk, getting through the entrance without much of a line, and buying our audio tours, we began our journey back in time. Until you visit Rome and see the sights, you cannot truly understand how amazing the history and beauty of the artifacts, paintings, and rooms is. We explored the entirety of the museum, including the Raphael rooms, Raphael’s transfiguration (which was STUNNING!), Belvedere Torso, Leonardo da Vinci’s St. Jerome, the Borgia Apartments, the Laocoon, the hall of maps (which in my opinion has a ceiling just as grand as the Sistene Chapel) and many other artifacts and sights in the multiple museums. It was fantastic and while I am usually one with the words, it was simply indescribable – to wrap your head around the history of these items, to grasp just how far back these ancient pieces go is so astounding, and puts into perspective how long the world has existed before we did. Not to mention, how genius and advanced the people living then were, even without the help of technological advances. Michelangelo alone is a wonder – every time we saw something amazing, 9 times out of 10 his name was some how attached – which leads me to the Sistene Chapel!
We sat for hours staring at Michelangelo’s grand design and symbolic representation of the connection between God and human kind in the decadent and elaborately designed Sistene Chapel. It was a goose chase to finally reach it because the signs: “to the Sistene Chapel actually take you throughout the ENTIRE museum, but we were glad to see every room, not a penny wasted. The chapel itself, once we finally arrived, was, again, breathtaking, and every positive adjective under the sun. From the depiction of Adam and Eve, to the creation of the world, to Noah’s Arc, to the story of Jesus, there is no other chapel or room in the world that can house such artistic genius. The walls were covered in such vibrant colors – every inch detailed with purpose. To be in a chapel that houses such spiritual and historical importance was an incredible feeling – and to know that Michelangelo himself was in this same room thousands of years ago (1481 to 1483) is at times incomprehensible, but still amazing at that.
After our day at the Vatican (and heading back to Saint Peters Square to retrieve tickets to see the Pope speak tomorrow morning at an outdoor assembly open to the public), we sat on a bench, had some Italian pastries and rested from our day. We then walked about 30 minutes to the Spanish Steps – which are beautiful and lead to a very posh shopping district of Rome. We had dinner in a café along one of the side streets, and then moved to another café with cheaper wine for dessert, where we had some dry chocolate cake, but it did not matter because our waiter was a beautiful Italian man who called us his angels the entire night. It was such an overwhelmingly amazing day in which my ears were perked, my eyes wide, my head amazed, my heart inspired, and my feet tired, all at the same time J.
We have one more day in Rome tomorrow – a free day to explore and head back to some of our favorite sights, starting with listening to the Pope at 10:30am – that is if we get up in time! As the clock encroaches 11:26 pm, that becomes questionable J.
So it turns out, if Rome has been good for anything, it has certainly cleared up some misunderstandings I had about the Roman ruins, which is sure to make Monica smile! And while everyone in my family has been to Rome, sometimes you have to travel and see things for yourself to fully grasp and understand the reason, beauty and wonder of it all. I am really glad I finally had the chance to do just that, and now I can compare notes with the best of them J.
Love and hugs,
Jenny
Over the summer, my mom, Lynn, Don Marc and I went to an Irish pub in town where they had good bar food and a multiple choice quiz game you could play against the other tables. We each had our own keypad and I had literally NO IDEA the answer to probably 90% of the questions – I was never much for trivial pursuit, unlike my brilliant Poppy who rocks at it. So I guessed for practically every question, and since it was timed, I had to go with my gut instinct. Believe it or not, my gut instinct was impressively accurate most of the time, and I ended up winning the game. Upon gloating, I realized just how intuitive we are as human beings - we simply have to have the courage to go with our gut without talking ourselves out of it – which I am the queen at doing. I am the most analytical person you will meet which makes this a challenge for me – it’s not a problem, it’s just a challenge J.
Go with your gut - it is one of those phrases you hear many times in life, be it about a big decision you have to make, an instinct you are not sure you should follow, or a leap you are hesitant to take. You would think after often erasing an initial test answer that was correct all along to switch it to one I convinced myself was the better choice, or making an impulse purchase just to get something done, when I could have waited and gotten a great deal just a store later, I would have learned this lesson by now. But it is the type A in me that would rather check something off a list– even if my gut is telling me to hold out – that sometimes gets me into trouble. I have come to find when traveling abroad, going with your gut becomes just as essential has hostel reservations, train tickets and guide maps- because often your intuition – that inner voice you simply cannot quiet - is the best guide of all.
This morning, we had to check out of The Academy Hostel at 10 am, but luckily we were able to leave our bags in the closet and not tote them around the city for our last day in Florence. The original plan for the day was to wake, get ready, have our small breakfast at the hostel and then do a bus tour of the city, ending with a tour of the Duomo and the Baptistery. But I woke up feeling worried – yesterday I had a gut feeling that I was being ripped off at one of the currency exchange places we used. They required a copy of my credit card, photo id, and had me sign the paper – then they charged me an additional 42 Euro simply to make the transaction. I felt weird about it, but it was a Western Union bank affiliate and I so I assumed it was legitimate. But I was thinking about it all day yesterday and when I asked locals and the women who did the wine dinner with us last night, they said none of that was normal protocol. So we put our plans to the side and all four of us walked back to the exchange place to get an explanation and ease my concerns.
Luckily, my identity is not going to be stolen, and the charges apparently were normal, even though drawing from an ATM might have had less fees (I will check on that through Wachovia tonight - which I wish I had done before I left). But I wish I had followed my gut instinct, which was telling me to hold off and wait to exchange until I had all the information. There just seems to be a million different ways I could have saved money here or there, and it is so frustrating to have withdrawal fees just because I have a different bank, or pay more simply because I didn’t buy certain things in advance – and then there are the times we do plan in advance (like our reservation to the David) and we end up paying MORE to plan ahead. Europe is like one big MONEY TRAP! I cannot wait to go back to America simply to have one currency that does not completely rip me off… but then again, when in Rome J I can stress about money all day long, but really what is the point. It is a lesson learned - I need to check things out and follow my gut when something doesn’t feel right to avoid unnecessary fees. Ugh, currently, as we speak, Katie is about to be charged 50 Euro because her railcard was not validated correctly and so she is technically on the train without having paid. There are just so many times we have no idea what we are doing and we get financially screwed over. And it sucks. This probably sounds so ignorant and I am sure there is some grand economic explanation but I think it should just be ONE CURRENCY all around the world – no one should be profiting to exchange money I earned all summer long and worked my butt off for just to change it into a different currency of money – shouldn’t it all be equivalent?
Anyways, after lamenting about money, we all took a deep breath, and passed through some more markets on our way to the bus stop. The beautiful weather and atmosphere was enough to make me forget about my money troubles. Simply enjoying being in Florence, and buying some more gifts and postcards by bargaining and SAVING money for once, was refresing.
In another effort to save, we decided against the bus tour once we got there and realized that we had already seen so much of what the guide was going to show us, so instead we walked to the Santa Croce Plaza, saw the statue of the Dante and went inside the beautiful Santa Croce church were the tomb of Michelangelo rests. There was also a cousin statue to the Statue of Liberty, which was really interesting to see. The church had a subtle, more modern exterior, which mimicked that of the Duomo, but had a very intricately detailed interior that was quite stunning. We spent a little time there, before splitting delicious calzones at a local eatery and then grabbing gelato at The Festival del Gelato – recommended as one of the best gelaterias in our guidebook – and they were right! I had biscotti cookie and nutella gelato on a cone and it was an amazing combination. My gut was telling me eat more gelato and I am so glad I did J.
After, we toured the Duomo, which was actually kind of boring on the inside. From the outside it looks like it is going to be a breathtaking cathedral, but it was a little bit of a let down. Huge in size, but lacking in interior beauty. We all got the student discounted audio tour for 2 euro, which we found ourselves barely listening too – it was just not interesting at all. So we left, and attempted to go into the Baptistery, but it was closed. So then we were going to go up to the tower, but it was 6 euros and 449 steps – the steps I could conquer, but the money, we were not willing to spend.
By 3:00pm we were ready to blow a kiss goodbye to lovely Florence and head out to Rome. So we went back to the hostel, got our stored luggage, and walked quickly to the Santa Maria Novella Train Station, where we boarded the 3:52 pm train from Firenze to Roma Termini J. Florence was so incredible and we were sad to say goodbye, knowing Rome will be amazing, but much busier. There was something about the slow and quiet calm of being in a smaller city that was invigorating. I know there will be history at every corner of Rome and I cannot wait to explore, but leaving behind the quaint and intimate streets of Firenze was hard to do. I must admit, while money has been the big topic of the day, experiencing Florence - the food, the wine, the sights, and meeting my new boyfriend – the David - was well worth the expense.
So I guess the lesson for the day is take the time to listen to your inner voice and then follow it - go with your gut! Our first instinct is usually right, and many times will lead us to the best choice. And meanwhile, it does not hurt to know what the heck you are doing, especially when you are in a foreign country, because as I have come to find not knowing is going to cost you.
As our train pulls into the terminal, I look forward to an evening in Rome followed by an exciting three days. I will keep you posted, of course J! Keep reading, commenting, and feel free to donate to the Jenny fund whenever you feel the urge J.
Love and hugs,
Jenny
AFTERWORD: So it turns out I was unable to post until after settling into Rome – so here is the scoop J the hostel is okay- very small, bunk beds, communal shower – barely a common room, but we are staying with two Canadian and two American girls, so that is good. However, they leave tomorrow morning and we are here for another three days, so we will see what interesting people show up at check in tomorrow J. Once we got off the train and made it to our hostel, I felt much like I did the first night in London – overwhelmed and out of my element. It is a huge city, and we came in as the sun was setting, so we couldn’t really take in much of the beauty. We have the walking tour tomorrow, so that will be really informative, will take us all around the hot spot. The girls in our room also told us some tips, so taking their advice we headed to Campo de Fire for dinner and ate in the square. The food was delicious and we got tons of free bread because our waiter was new and didn’t know that we should have only gotten one basket, but my stomach is not used to all this food, and I am starting to feel gross – time to cut it back! While Rome is nice (and while we realize it is much too soon to judge), we all miss Florence a lot…. It was so nice and relaxing and laid back, and Rome is SO MUCH BIGGER! Definitely reminds me a lot of London before I fell in love with it J. But let’s give it some time, I am sure being back in a city will have its own special appeal.
I must admit, being in Italy has made me miss America – not just London, but my family and my friends and MY BED…and the DOLLAR BILL! Whenever I feel out of my element, fat and broke, I usually want to retreat to home. So, I am a little homesick tonight, but tomorrow is a new day, and when in Rome there is no time to be sad J.
Love and hugs.
Jenny
The summer after my junior year of high school I went back to Connecticut to visit my old friends. One of the days, Melanie, Stephen and I went to New York City to see the Broadway musical The Light in the Piazza. It was a beautiful show set in Florence, and we immediately fell in love with it. It was that day that I also fell in love with the independence of navigating a city - it was the first time I had been in New York without parents, and it was so fun just being there with friends and feeling like we were grown ups. I remember heading on the train back home that day with a special feeling inside - maybe it was the show set in Florence, or the exhilaration of being on our own. But I knew that was a feeling I wanted to capture in a bottle to one day, open and feel again. Who could guess four years later I would be doing just that in the actual city of Florence with three great friends during the best semester of my life?
After resting yesterday afternoon, we walked around some markets, and then went out to dinner at a cute cafe right in the heart of the city. We had wine and enjoyed the fixed menu, which treated us to specific choices - I got the penne pasta with homemade tomato sauce, chicken Florentine and spinach - which were all delicious. We were a bit disappointed by the bread - it was actually really hard. But the conversation and the rest of meal was so relaxing and refreshing. Sitting outside as the sun set, without freezing our butts off, and enjoying the food and wine in the quiet piazza was really nice. We truly felt as though we were on vacation. After we took a stroll along some streets, stumbling across some delicious gelato (which has the frequency of a Starbucks in London and New York - gelaterias are EVERYWHERE - every corner, so hard to choose which one!), we came upon a cute Italian waiter who convinced us to come in for some more wine and bread at a chain restaurant called Segafredo at a discounted rate because we were soooooo beautiful....yea yea....they all say that to you so you will buy stuff! And we did....we are such suckers!
It was a perfect evening that ended with wine, candlelight and music playing in the square... so romantic, I know!…at the ripe time of 7:30pm - don't judge - WE WERE EXHAUSTED! So we came back to our comfortable hostel (which we might as well call a hotel it is so nice) and met a girl from South Carolina who is staying in our room. She is very sweet, and we were glad to not be staying with any weirdos.
This morning I woke up - unfortunately still stuffy headed, but excited - after 11 hours of sleep! It was wonderful to sleep, but strangely we were still pretty exhausted this morning- maybe we overslept or maybe all the hustle and bustle of London life has finally caught up with us... but regardless we pushed through the sickness and our tired eyes were quickly widened the second we stepped outside, felt the warm air and remembered we were in Italy.
Our tummies were still hungry from a scarce breakfast at the hotel - it was complimentary so we didn't expect much – but we bypassed the lovely cafes to get to the Accademia Museum on time for our reservation to see the statue of David. I must admit, the 14 euro charge just to get in, plus another 5.50 for the audio guide was a bit steep for a pretty limited gallery – they charge you more if you HAVE a reservation – how does that make sense? So to budget, we shared one audio guide, and realized it is the artistic landmark of the city and could not be missed - no matter the price :).
I was actually really taken by it - so amazing how Michelangelo sculpted such a true masterpiece out of a previously used and discarded piece of marble. I feel like we do not have that kind of artistic innovation these days - it is as if the current technological age has stunted artistic potential - or maybe we evolved out of such greatness - because you simply do not have that kind of creation from my generation - maybe I am totally off, and you can think of a million examples to prove me wrong, but no rebuttal could compare to how incredibly gifted Michelangelo was. The rest of the gallery was okay - paled in comparison to the main attraction, but needless to say, all of the artwork in Europe is astounding and out of this world – to my surprise my finger paintings with the kids this summer did not even hold a candle :).
After seeing the David, we walked through the cobblestone streets of Firenze (it is so interesting to me that their city names are different in Italian - London is just London, no matter what language...right?) to our next stop - a hidden treasure recommended by our guidebook – Ghirlandaio’s Last Supper – similar to the classic Da Vinci’s, but packed with symbolic additions and much larger in scale. The entrance was to the left of the Church of Ognissanti built in 1251 by a colony of Lombard monks. It was so beautiful – and as previously discussed I am not a huge church person – but this was gorgeous and off the beaten path, which I loved. And 1251! I cannot even begin to grasp how historic this entire continent is. It really illuminates how young America is in comparison. To get to the piece we walked down an entryway into a quad, then followed through a cortile past a small guard’s desk and into an expansive room with the masterpiece on the wall ahead. It was so stunning and quiet – no one was there. It was like we discovered it and it was painted and tucked away just for us to enjoy. The large fresco was painted by Domenico Ghirlandaio in 1480 and covered the entire wall with vibrant color. We stared and read about it for about 45 minutes, as a couple of people came in and out – but nothing near the hordes of people circling the David just hours before.
Amazed, we left and walked around some more. We decided we were hungry so we crossed over the Ponte Vecchio – meaning Old Bridge – which has been around since Etruscan times in the old 14th century by Neri di Fiorvanti – and found another restaurant with a set menu to have a hearty lunch since our wine tasting was going to be our dinner. This food was even better than the night before! I do not know how Italians are not all obese with all the delicious pasta!
After our long lunch, we walked to The Boboli Gardens behind Pitti Palace. We sat on the sloped incline gravel outside the palace for a bit, debated going in, but didn’t want to pay the outrageous charge for it, so we headed instead to Plaza de Signoria to see the fountain of Neptune! It was a busy plaza lit by the afternoon sun – and the fountain was really beautiful. Along the side of the plaza were tons of market stands, and beside that was a woman selling knock off purses, like in New York City. Funny story - did you know that it is not only illegal to sell but TO PURCHASE these bags in Italy?! Who knew, because in NY I don’t think it is illegal for the buyer and I have bought many purses in NYC without such a fiasco….enter sketchy situation: Upon asking about them and reaching for my purse to buy, they suddenly pushed me out of the way, yelling “go, go go!” I was stunned….and confused! Don’t worry, I had no run- ins with the law, but I had no idea I was even breaking it! They were off before I could purchase…thank goodness – I am not a lawbreaker. Later we found a passage in our guide book telling us all about how illegal immigrants being used by their suppliers sell these stolen bags and we should NEVER BUY THEM….I guess I accidentally overlooked that section….Oh well, what an adventure, and what a good laugh J
We then went to the Piazza de Lorenzo and did tons of LEGAL shopping, bargain hunting and exploring. It was a blast and I picked up some great gifts! So much cheaper than in London, that is for sure!
Before we knew it, it was time for our wine tasting at 5pm. I have never had a big appreciation for wine – in fact, I rarely drank it, and hated the taste! Well, being in Europe, and especially Italy, I figured this is the place to learn to love wine… and I have been a great student J. So in keeping with this “goal” the girls and I decided to do an authentic wine tasting at this quaint Italian wine bar called Sei Divino. Our host was Christian, a charming Italian man who owned the bar. Two ladies visiting from London also joined us! It was a fun group of six as we drank our four glasses of expensive wine – including a white that the Pope drinks and three reds, that I actually LIKED - complimented by some of the most decadent cheeses paired with sauces – some of the pieces had been aged and stored in caves for years – amazing! (Mom – you would have loved everything about it! The atmosphere, the wine, the cheese – I can tell why you were inspired to open up a restaurant from your experiences here J. )
We walked home with rosy cheeks and happy hearts J. We decided to rest a bit before heading back out for the night. There are tons of opportunities for going out, but after coming home and laying down, the exhaustion set in. I think being sick and trying to do it all catches up with us come the end of the day. So I showered and got in my pajamas for a night in with the girls in our warm and cozy hostel. We have tons of nights ahead, but since tomorrow we are doing the Duomo and a bus tour of the city, we thought best to be rested. Plus it is our last night of guaranteed hostel luxury since tomorrow we take the evening train into Rome – where Christian grew up, so he gave us some great recommendations – so why not live it up J.
After a day of walking through piazza’s, seeing statues and hearing the stories of this amazing city, I couldn’t help but have the songs of that musical running through my head every time I saw or heard the word Firenze. It is amazing how far I have come in the past four years since that trip – I never could have imagined I would be visiting the places I saw on that stage or experiencing the exact same, if not magnified excitement and independence of traveling with friends as I did on that day – but here I am, and the beauty is, it feels great.
Ciao mi amores!
Jenny
