This weekend we had the opportunity to go to the Can Gio Mangrove Forest as part of our Environmental Studies class. We have been learning about the tremendous environmental pressure Vietnam is facing as the population continues to expand, tourism grows and resources shrink. The Can Gio forest is a perfect example of environmental problems that Vietnam has faced.

During the Viet Nam war, mangroves in the south provided strong resistance bases for Vietnamese people. Consequently, the foreign military used bombs, cannonfire and toxic chemicals (herbicides and defoliants in high concentrations) to destroy the forests. Nearly 40% of the mangrove population was destroyed. In recent years, there has been a large-scale reforestation project underway with help from UNESCO as well as community based natural resource management projects that have widely been considered a success.

We saw the army base where Vietnamese troops were stationed during the war. I am just constantly marveling at how very, very different Vietnam is from anything I have ever experienced. We took a boat 20 minutes into the jungle and arrived at a series of elevated huts built to house that the troops had lived there for over ten years during the war. We were told that more people than they could count died at this base; it was a very eerie and unnerving experience.

The biggest draw to Can Gio is the monkey population in the park. As an aspiring primatologist, I was extremely interested in this! Unfortunately, this turned out to be the most terrifying and least favorite experience of my entire time in Vietnam. When the mangroves were destroyed during the war, the macaque population was decimated.  In an attempt to restore the monkey populations, macaques were transplanted into the park and kept there by feeding them. Now the population has exploded and the monkeys are no longer wild but completely used to human presence and ALWAYS looking for more human food. In our short time there, three of us (myself included) were attacked by the monkeys. One girl in our group had two monkeys leap out of the tree and land on her back in an attempt to get the wrappers out of her backpack. We fared better than the woman who had a monkey scratch her face but it was still an extremely unpleasant and terrifying experience. As I’ve said before, I am so lucky to get to experience first hand the problems we are studying, I hope to be able to come back to Vietnam and work in this field!

When I was trying to decide whether or not I wanted to study abroad in Vietnam, I really wanted some information on what daily life would be like for me there. Now that I’m here, I think I understand why previous bloggers hadn’t really written about it. It is extremely difficult for me to convey to my friends and family back home what my life is like here, what it is like to live in a city or country where the lifestyle is so different from our own. I cannot put into words or pictures the things I am experiencing and it is frustrating for me and also a little isolating.

However, I will try to give some idea what our daily life is like for prospective students!

• We live in guesthouse in “the nice part” of Ho Chi Minh City. We each have a Vietnamese roommate which is an invaluable addition to the program. I would be completely lost and hopeless without them. The rooms are nice with two beds a mini fridge and tv.  There is wifi, the maids clean our rooms everyday and there is a private bathroom and shower. It is kind of like living in a hotel. The one thing I was not expecting was the concept of a “wet-bathroom” in which the toilet and shower are just one big room with no divider (trust me, if I can get used to this anyone can).
• We are surrounded by restaurants and coffee shops. These are not restaurants as we would think of them in America, more like the first floor of someone’s house transformed into a place where food is sold. Or even better, a plastic table and tiny chairs on the sidewalk. The food we’ve had here is the best I’ve ever had, even if I do get a little sick of noodles sometimes. Food is inexpensive, you can easy get a full, filling meal for $1-$2.50 on the street. There are of course nice restaurants within walking distance of the guesthouse. Also some of the best food I’ve had, but at more “American” prices. I worried a lot about what I would eat while I was here but quickly found that I can find anything I want to eat.
• If you are proactive about it, you can see a lot of Vietnam in your free time. Travel is extremely easy here, you can hop on a plane bus or train and get anywhere in Vietnam. We have visited Nha Trang and have individual side trips planned to many places on the weekends. Because everything is so much cheaper here than at home, extensive travel is totally doable.

Vietnam is AMAZING, I can’t say it enough. Some days it is challenging, loud and difficult to handle but I never would have had an experience that challenged me like this in any other country. I really, really encourage everyone to look at Vietnam when studying abroad!

These past two weeks have been a tour of Italy that I never thought would or could take place.

On September 21^st I embarked on unknown journey.  I had a lot of questions to be answered.

With this journey over now, all of my questions have been answered.  I feel as though I am lost within a movie and dream all at the same time.  On Friday I took the train with about ten other classmates from JFRC.  My ten classmates got off in Cinque Terre, which means five lands.  However, I continued on to Genova to embark on my own adventure for the first time in Italy.  I was on my way to meet the family that I will be living with for around 6 to 8 months from January until August.

I missed a call while on the train.  I happened to be sleeping as the phone rang, additionally my phone was on silent as usual.  The phone call was from Francesca checking to see where my train was and when I would arrive in Genova so that she could take me to where she lived in Acqui Terme.  I was reluctant to call back because I only had communicated with her through email.  Even though we only had communicated through email I was taking a five-hour train from Roma termini to Genova Piazza Principale and visiting her and her family for the entire weekend.

Getting back to the other reason why I was reluctant to call was because with our Italian cellphones from school we only get 15 euro on our sim card and each call outside of a poste mobile phone charges our phone.  Anyways, I waited about an hour and she called once again, this occurred just as my friends stepped off the train and onto the platform at La Spezia to embark on a journey of their own.  The conversation between Francesca and I was very quick and precise.  When will you be arriving? Where should we meet? And that was all she wrote.  The train continued on zipping though tunnels, around and through hills and over bridges and passing through years and years of history. As I got off the train, I tried to get my bearings straight.  Thinking to myself, I tried to find the two of the words I know in Italian.  Uscita – meaning exit and Piazza… which are the public squares that almost everything else in Italy revolves around.  As I brought out my Italian cell phone to call Francesca, I started to get nervous and sweat a little bit.  What would she look like, will she be nice, and does she speak English.  I called her and told her I was in a Piazza “I forgot the name.”  She replies in broken English ahhhhh I see you Steven, I see you.  I looked around and finally found an Italian women speed walking towards me wearing nice sunglasses.  I greeted her with a Ciao and a kiss on both cheeks, as it is customary in Italy.  We waited a little while to exchange any other sort of conversation, both feeling nervous.

She said that Acqui and the Piedmont region in general is known for focaccia, pesto sauce, and of course my favorite Salami, SALAME in Italian.  She is from Acqui Terme, and her husband is from Milano.  Their two boys studied English in London this past year.

I engulfed three Paninos and we were on our way driving through Acqui to the countryside.  I had googled mapped where their home was, and I soon recognized the stoplight (semaforo) from street view feature.  We took a sharp right and where I thought we were going to stop to go to there house was just an apartment complex. Google maps had deceived me, we continued up the hill almost to the top, went through two gates and around a few bends and all of sudden I was sprung upon a complex of two yellow houses and one huge pink house.  This was their home, and I was not expecting this at all.  She said welcome to our home and with that we got out of the car, not before my door almost got taken off by a car passing by to work on the house.  I walked into the entry way and there were three sets of eyes looking at me.  One was a Russian woman who happened to be the maid/chef.  The other two sets were two Italian boys, Giacomo and Niccolo.  I introduced myself and they responded promptly in English; all three of us were shy at first.  I decided to skip the boring stuff and ask if they wanted to play some Ping Pong. They both piped in with a smile and said yes and away we went.

The rest of the weekend continued to be a sports fest. American Football, Soccer CALCIO, Ping Pong, Basketball, Piano, Guitars, and I also introduced the boys to sport called Baseball. I will be going back to visit the end of October to see if the boys are crushin the cover off the ball by now.

During the week I have two Onsite classes and I ran to class at the Pantheon, also had class in the orange grove where the Maltese Knights have the keyhole garden to the Vatican and St. Peters.  Also had class at three of the four major churches in Rome and learned about the mosaics that cover the back wall of every church.

This past weekend on the 27^th I went to the Amalfi Coast and went to the island of Capri where the Blue Grotto is located.  Also went to Sorrento, and Positano and did some cliff jumping – I made it off a 40 foot cliff – mom you would be proud! And also hung out on the beach all day.

Sunday was reserved for Pompeii and it happened to be free, as is true at all attractions in Italy on the last Sunday of every month.  Pompeii has to be the most preserved place I have ever laid my eyes on, and you can almost imagine being there when it was a Roman and Greek town. Also the feeling of being next to an active volcano is a strange feeling as it may erupt at anytime.

I keep telling myself that my stay in Italy cannot keep getting better, but everyday it continues to improve and I am living on a lifetime high that keeps flying higher and higher.

Stay safe

And go meet someone new today you never know where that introduction could get you!

Steve O

Hello Everyone!  Week six is just starting and I wanted to take the time share more photos.  This week I have two presentations and so much reading I think my eyes will fall out.  This weekend I will be helping my friend, Lam, practice English, guiding English practice lessons at SMILE, and cooking and distributing food to the homeless and disabled with TAM THIEN BUI DOI charity.  Looking forward to sharing my service experiences next week!  Enjoy the photos:

Be sure to check out all of the Flikr photos from other Loyola students abroad! Lower right corner of the screen. *wink wink*

Xin Chao!

Hẹn Gặp Lại (See you again)

I’ve had an unbelievable past couple of weeks to share with you- so lets get straight to it!

Oktoberfest- Probably the most fun weekend I have had yet here in Rome. I took a 12 hour bus with a few friends leaving on a Thursday night and arrived in Munich early Friday morning. After a quick change at our hostel, we were ready and lined up outside the Hofbrauhaus house at 9:00 AM. As we were ushered inside by the nicest waitress, we were seated next to a roaring group of young Australians. We started to chat and get to know each other, with our first steins arriving promptly at 10 AM! It was amazing to see so many people dressed in lederhosen and dirndls (I really wanted to wear one, but they’re so expensive to buy in Munich!) We stayed chatting for quite a few hours, and left around 2pm to go on some rides at the festival–I’m one of those people deathly afraid of roller coasters, but my two best friends convinced me to go on one that day! Really glad I conquered  that fear, but let me tell you, I felt the effects of some major whiplash the next morning! On Saturday we explored Munich and did some shopping. I absolutely loved the downtown area near the Glockenspiel; I don’t think I’ve ever seen a city so pretty! I loved being spoken to in German by storeowners. Finally my blonde hair fit in somewhere! On Sunday, one of my friends and I woke up super early and went again to the Hofbrauhaus house at about 8:00 AM, waited outside for an hour or so, and found a table amongst more Australians! We made some new friends and left around 12:00 to rush back to our hostel and get back on our bus! On the ride home, we saw the most beautiful scenery- we traveled all through the Swiss Alps, and it was breathtakingly gorgeous.

The next Thursday, I got the opportunity to see the Premio America award ceremony, hosted in the Chamber of Deputies at the Parliament building in downtown Rome. This small but prestigious ceremony commended select Italians for facilitating dissemination of Italian culture into American and vice versa. Among those being awarded were Franca Sozzani (editor in Chief of Vogue Italia), a few actresses and TV personalities, the president of Ferragamo USA (think fine Italian shoes), major economic thinkers and politicians, and Andrea Bocelli. When hearing about the ceremony through Loyola, I envisioned sitting a hundred rows back in a huge room, squinting to catch of glimpse of such phenomenal people. However, the conference room sat little more than 100 people, and I couldn’t believe my eyes to see Andrea Bocelli up close! Each awardee said a little speech and responded to questions by the Premio America team. I was flabbergasted by the amount of intellectual integrity in the room. It was lovely to hear such passionate people speak of their work to facilitate mixing of American and Italian culture. There were no cameras allowed in the building, so I was disappointing not to sneak a shot of Andrea Bocelli! However, get this: As we were exiting (Andrea + bodyguard left early), I see him and his bodyguard standing out in the street through a different exit door, so I grab my friend and we head out that way. I just couldn’t believe to see him standing in the middle of Rome, chatting with his bodyguard like everybody else! I looked over at my friend and we had the same idea: window of opportunity moment! We quickly ask his bodyguard to take a picture with Andrea, and he agrees! As we move over, Andrea pleasantly asks me where I am from, and I am so starstruck to be standing on his arm that I can barely formulate a response- I tell him I am a student from Chicago and he smiles, about to respond. More people start to recognize Andrea and people are milling about, taking pictures and waiting in line! But as soon as our picture is snapped, his bodyguard whisks him away and they jump into a private car that barrels down the small cobblestone street. I never been so awestruck in my life! As a major Andrea Bocelli fan (definitely one of the most played artists on my ipod) I was so enamored by his calm and kind disposition. Speaking to him was absolutely one of the top moments of my trip so far! Can you imagine, where else in the world than in the heart of Rome, could I say that I spoke with Andrea Bocelli and got a picture with him? Oh, how I love Italy.

After staying out for dinner downtown, I went home to pack and get to bed, because I had a train leaving at 5:00 AM the next morning! I decided to take a trip to Ischia with a bunch of friends from Loyola to scuba dive. Ischia is a little island off of Naples, and I had never scuba dived before, but was definitely excited to try something new. I had the most amazing fresh fish meal of my life there: my friend and I sat at this small restaurant right on the coast and the owner showed us all the fresh fish of the day in a basket- we pointed to the fish we wanted to share, and they prepared basically a gourmet meal for us. It was absolutely amazing. The island was so beautiful and calm- it was such a lovely break from the hustle and bustle of Rome. My first practice with scuba diving was a bit scary, I’ll admit! Getting used to breathing underwater and equalizing my ears for underwater pressure was a bit intimidating at first. Plus, the wetsuits were an experience all on their own! The first time it only took about a good 20 minutes to stretch it over my body! I’ve got some great pictures of us struggling to put them on. On our second day there, we were taken on a boat to do some real diving, and I couldn’t have been happier to stick it through. I was nervous at first, but once I was ready, swimming underwater and searching for coral and seas of fishes was so much fun. I felt like a true adventurer- I only wish I got to do it more! I can’t wait to try again in even deeper waters. After a fun night out on the island, we took a huge ferry home the next day. I made sure we sat outside on the top deck for some amazing views of the island as we sailed away.

This week I have most of my midterms! It’s definitely going to be a busy week of studying here at the Rome campus. I’m not sure yet what I’ll do next weekend, but I’ll let you know more of my adventures as I go along! Here’s to another fantastic and unforgettable week here in Rome.

I am now an expert at peeling and chopping vegetables.  I was at mere amateur status before Sunday.  One of the humorous recollections I have from Sunday is, several Vietnamese women grabbing my hand to adjust my knife.  I was even given a new task from time to time because I was doing it “wrong.”  Cooking mass quantities of food is specific and no joke here people!

Sunday I attended an event for the TAM THIEN BUI DOI charity in Ho Chi Minh.  Once a month, a group of about 50, gather and cook a meal to deliver to disabled, homeless, and random wanders throughout the districts.  I met the founder, Danh, through our Loyola coordinator, Chris.  On our first night in Ho Chi Minh, we ate at Danh’s restaurant, Quan Bui, and were told all about the service he does for the people in Ho Chi Minh.  At first glance Danh is an intimidating guy.  He is tall and buff and looks like he can throw a punch.  In reality, Danh is kind and compassionate in a way that is inspiring.  “It is all about the people,” he says.

At the beginning of October I emailed Danh and asked to join the October event to supplement the English teaching the Loyola students do each week.  I also held interest from my experience with Hunger Week at Loyola and global hunger issues in general.  I wanted to learn more about food culture in Vietnam and interact in person as opposed to reading an article or listening to a lecture.  Due to busy schedules, I ended up going alone.  I was honestly nervous and somewhat scared.  A hard fact to admit but it turns out I had an incredible day at Tam Thien Bui.

The day was divided into three parts.  One, the group would prepare the food.  To prepare food we sat on the ground and chopped and peeled and cleaned for several hours. (My hips still hurt by the way) The older men and women cooked the soup and tofu outside.  We shared a meal together and had the best conversations we could with the language barrier.  Two, the group packaged the food.  The assembly line was comprised of rice stuffers, soup and tofu packagers, as well as meal kit baggers.

Three: By five o’clock I was hot and exhausted.  I thought my day would have ended by noon, but it was five and I hadn’t even handed out a meal.  This thought excited me.  I didn’t want people to resist my meal gift on the street.  So, when Danh said he’d drive me home I felt relived.  But soon I realized that he had prepared the motorbike with several meal kits to hand out on the way to the guest house.  We turned a corner and he would say, “Get off and give that man the food.”  So, with my large umbrella in hand and my oversized moto helmet I gave that man the food, as well as many others.  I will never forget the smiles.

Later I learned that this month was small in comparison to others.  I didn’t understand this because we had almost enough food to feed 3,000 people.  The charity itself depends on monetary and food donations each month to create each event.  The previous month the charity traveled to three central provinces and fed over 10,000 people and gave away 90 bicycles.  This month a small meal of rice, soup, and tofu was given.  Danh said it wasn’t much but the people appreciate it.  This is the only organization of its kind in the city.  The group may be small and the donations may vary, but the hospitality is abundant and I had a lovely time.

Now I am off to study for my Vietnamese midterm! Da Lat this weekend for hiking and relaxation!

Xin Chao,

Stephanie

P.S. In 12th grade my Psychology teacher asked if I had ever been on tv.  I said no.  But, Sunday I did a television interview.  So, now I say yes and I am famous (but not really).

The train quickly backed out of the St. Lucia station leaving behind an amazing city, heavenly gelato, divine cornetti cioccolati, and, most importantly, my heart.  For years, I had watched movies and television shows with scenes of Venice and had felt an urge to see it myself.  Though I acknowledged that I wanted to go to Venice, I just figured that this feeling was a desire to travel and explore every bit of Earth that I could.  Instead, the second I stepped on Venetian ground, two days earlier, I felt strangely at home.  I smiled and took a deep breath of the slightly fishy smelling air.

Venice is a maze.  Each turn you take leads you to some little shop or bridge, each fascinating and wonderful.  The best part is, you don’t need a map.  The city is small enough that everything is in walking distance, so long as you ditch the Italian high heels and go for actual walking shoes.  Even when you think you are lost, and utter a hopeless “mamma mia,” you turn a corner and suddenly find yourself at the Rialto Bridge, at the edge of St. Mark’s square, or at an amazing gelateria.  Another wonderful thing about Venice is that there are no cars.  In Rome, every time you cross the street you get a sense that this could be your last moment.  But, in Venice, the only thing you have to worry about is getting so caught up in the city’s beauty that you accidentally fall into a canal.

If you are a shopaholic, don’t worry, Venice has plenty of shops.  St. Mark’s square is surrounded by high-end clothing and jewelry shops; it is a couture fortress.  If you are, on the other hand, more like me and find those shops just a wee bit out of your price range, there are plenty of amazing shops all around the city.  There is a plethora of clothing, shoe, purse, and fabric shops.  Even more shops, though, are dedicated to masks.  Home of Carnivale, Venice is known for its elaborate paper mache masks.  It seemed that every store was bursting at the seams with masks.  They lined doorframes, were displayed in windows, and tacked collage-like to walls.  I felt like I was in the masquerade scene of The Phantom of the Opera.

There is something about Venice that makes me long to return.  It might be how each tiny canal and ornate bridge feels as if they are secret passages.  Or, it may be the way sitting at an outdoor café in St. Mark’s square, listening to the gorgeous sounds of a classical jazz band, makes me feel completely relaxed.  Or, it could be the sense of happy isolation the city permeates by being alone in the sea, with narrow alleys that seem like no one has ever walked down.  It could be one of these things, but it is not: it is all of these things.  Venice has stolen a piece of my heart.

Last week was full of heavy rain, copious amounts of schoolwork, and bouts of moderate homesickness.  I was stir crazy and waiting for a weekend excursion to Da Lat City.  Da Lat is located in Vietnam’s southern section of the Central Highlands.  The weather is cool year round, which was a much-needed break from the sweltering heat of the city.  The mist-covered valleys in Da Lat coin its name “City of eternal spring.”  Its mountain landscapes make it the perfect destination for the “outdoor adventurer.”

Getting to Da Lat was no smooth ride.  Our group of eight took an overnight bus on Thursday.  We rocked and sped our way down narrow and bumpy roads.  Kate, from Boston College, even said, “There were times I felt as though the bus was only on two wheels.”  Another classmate, who shall remain unnamed, may or may not have fallen off of the back seats at approximately 3am.  I even admit to motion sickness.  Sleep was impossible, so at 6am we arrived at the Da Lat bus station exhausted.   We made our way to the “Pink House” hotel, dropped off our bags, and didn’t return again until 5pm.

On our day of exhaustion we took a cable car to a monastery in the city.  It was a hot tourist destination, but it was so beautiful I didn’t care.  Ariana and I hiked down to the lake, with minimal tourism, and even bought a few gifts for friends and family.  (If I told you what it was I would ruin it, so I will move on)  When we returned to the hotel we climbed a million stairs to the room and I passed out cold on my bed.  Will tried to ask how my day was, but I didn’t even hear him.  When I woke up it was dark and I was still in a trance of fatigue.  We had dinner, desert, and briefly explored the city.

Saturday was the best full day I have had in Vietnam.  I was captivated by everything and I was drowned by life moments.  Saturday, the girls and I took a full day hiking trip to Lang Biang Mountain.  After long showers and a quick rest, we ate dinner and joined the festivities at the Da Lat night market.  After the night market, we grabbed desert and sat together for about two hours.  I wouldn’t be able to put this entire day into words if I tried but I will share with you all of my highlights:

-quiet and cool air of Da Lat

-wild horses

-taking the trail less traveled

-waving at Asian tourists as they rode jeeps up the mountain

-beautiful bright red clay soil

-chirping birds, colorful butterflies, and bright green lizards

-the perfect way to get to know someone is on a hike, cheers to making new friends

-me “I can’t believe there aren’t many people” kate “except for ax murders”

-muddy shoes and no broken bones

-climbing up 800 m. of only stairs to get to the peak

-back sweat

-eating a lunch of Ritz, peanut butter, Pringles, Oreos, and wine at the mountain peak

-a man making a phone call on the mountain peak

-I was afraid of falling down the stairs and Ariana says “Just stay low to the ground, if it looks slick, don’t be afraid to get those hands dirty”  I still fell, but it was nice encouragement

-we only spent $4 USD that day

-strawberry jam!

-rollerblades are a thing in Da Lat

-SO MANY CHILDREN

-Ashley made her first bargain at the market

-eating curry with ginger

-discussing the presidential election

-we were the only customers in the restaurant for dessert

-learning what the words to Gangam Stlye are in English

We leave for Cambodia this week.  Tuesday night we will make cookies for the children at an orphanage in Phnom Penh and watch the Killing Fields. Then on Wednesday morning we will make our way west.  Cambodia’s story is wrought with beauty as well as tragedy.  I am on the edge of my seat for what is in store.

Xin Chao,

Stephanie

Croatian Weekend
KUNA
During the first weekend of October I decided to take a trip to Croatia. I do not think as a person or even as a student traveling abroad I would have ever imagined myself going to this country. However, the only thing in my way of Croatia was an extremely long bus ride. The tour group left at around 5:30pm in Rome and arrived in Croatia at around 9:30am the next day.
As I write this post on the bus back, it was worth it!  I took sleeping pills for the first time on the way there and man are those things weird. I would be knocked out for three hours then awake for ten minutes then knocked out for another two hours. Due to the sleeping pills I missed the sunrise in Croatia. I was disappointed that I missed it but three hours later I woke up coming down the MTNS to the city of Split. Split, Croatia is the second largest city in Croatia, and Croatia itself has only been a country for twenty years. This relatively new country used to be apart of Yugoslavia. It has the equivalent population of Minnesota. In Croatia they have their own currency called the Kuna. For 1 us dollar you get about 5.75 Kuna.
I went to the beach all day in Split and for lunch I had Braised chicken for a total of 40 Kuna, this also included a giant bowl of mashed potatoes. Water on the other hand was 15 Kuna; so apparently just do not stay hydrated in Croatia.
On Saturday it was arranged that the tour group get on a boat and go island hopping. We went to on island off the coast of Croatia called Brac. On this island we made two stops, the tiny towns were amazing and left un touched by the tourism that plagues most of Europe. We got to swim at our own private beach as a group and I went for a long swim to catch the view at the end of the bay. That night I went out to dinner with a group of friends in a town just north of Split called Trogir. This was an amazing town surrounded completely by water. To enter the city you must cross a wood bridge. Once your foot leaves the bridge you step back into history into the age of the Diocletian. There was a grand Diocletian palace, with an amazing church in the center of the palace walls. We ate dinner outside on the sea, and in front of us were 5 story yachts with all of the crew hanging out outside of them.
Firenze – Florence
The weekend of the October 12th to October 14th I went to Florence, IT. It might just be my favorite place in Italy to this date. I finally was smart and consulted the books in the library to see if there was a travel book on Florence or on Italy. Lucky for me, there was 8 books specifically on Florence to choose from. The one I chose worked out perfectly as it guided me to neighborhoods, bakeries, and gelato places, cities that as a normal tourist would never have thought of to go. On Friday I explored Florence main central district. I went inside and outside the Duomo, which is a fascinating work of Architecture and human accomplishment. I also went to the top of the tower directly to the south of the Duomo and climbed the 424 stairs to the top. The view from the tower was breathtaking and I was able to see all of medieval Florence in it entirety. It was a 360-degree of Florence from the tower and I did not want go back down the 424 steps. For the rest of the day I spent it going to the small town of Fiesole in the hills of north Florence. From this vantage point the view was absolutely breathtaking, looking over olive groves down the hill to the beautiful city of Florence was amazing. Also in Fiesole are the ruins of an old Roman village built at the time of Augustus’s rule.
Saturday I explored Florence more and went to a great panino shop called Pino’s. This is the name of the owner and the shop, where on the menu you can order what is called the Fantasy. The fantasy is your choice of whatever ingredient you want on a panino. I got Tuscan Salami, Fennel Salami, Hot Salami, Parmesan Cheese cut straight of the wedge and fresh ball of mozzarella sliced up and it all comes together on the Panini press and served to you on a wood plate. I went to that same place three times. Also on Saturday I went to the Piazza Michelangelo that has the best view of Florence within the city walls of Florence. To cap the night off I met up with some friends and went to Gusta pizza which is wood fired pizza place, where you order and then get a takeaway box to eat on the steps of the piazza nearby. Finally we all finished the Italian way, I got Gelato and this time I watched an Italian women get gelato and she ordered what is called a Briesole. To explain this simply it is a sweet roll cut in half, and then you are allowed to pick three flavors of Gelato and all of this is only for 3 euro. Most of the time when you get gelato it is a very small portion meant to be consumed very slowly. However, when I received my Briesole it was massive and covered my whole face when held in front of it. I got the flavors of crema, stratictella – which is not simply vanilla and chocolate chips, it is actually more milk and sugar based, and on the bottom layer was chocolate mouse. My friends and I ate this on the ridge two bridges west of the Ponte Vecchio. The Ponte Vecchio is the only bridge I have ever seen in my life that has houses on it. Additionally it is the only bridge in Florence to survive the German retreat in World War II and within the first floor of the houses are the fanciest jewelry stores in Italy. When these stores are closed the storefronts look like the outside of treasure chest.
Sunday topped off with more exploration of the hills of Florence and also a band from the Netherlands entertaining whoever stopped by in the Piazza from the time of 4 to 5:30PM. Soon after I walked down the 100-shop street that most people who visit Florence do not even know is nearby. This is street is just outside the original city walls and is filled with shops, pastry shops, small pizzerias and on a Sunday night when normally everything is closed and it was even on this street, it was chuck full of Italians. One pastry shop had the biggest buffet I have ever seen and it was all fresh pastries and small appetizers. Also there were two huge posters taped to the ground and kids were allowed to draw with markers whatever they felt like meanwhile the parents chatted amongst each other and enjoyed a pleasant evening. I was the only person on the 10-block street that did not speak Italian or was not Italian. It was an amazing experience and I am now hoping to find this same kind of street within Rome.

That is all for now, off to study for a few midterms
Ciao!
Steve O

My dear followers! I am SO sorry for my lack of posts this month! With midterms and traveling and the general excitement of Rome I completely slacked on keeping you up to date. Mi dispiace (I’m sorry)! I’m going to go wayyyyyyyy back, to the last weekend of September, for this blog, as I tell you about my travels to BARCELONA!

The last weekend of September I went to Barcelona with Fernando and Theresa, after booking this trip way back in June (so needless to say I was looking forward to it!) As soon as we got there we hit the town, and it felt like we didn’t sleep until the plane back to Rome!
(Sidenote: I found out the hard way that when traveling between EU countries they don’t stamp your passport! How disappointing! Who doesn’t want more stamps??)

We started our day on Friday by seeing La Ramblas (how fitting for traveling Loyola RAMBLERS), a famous street in Barcelona with shops, vendors, and a direct path through the city. As we walked down we quite literally stumbled upon this HUGE open air market (I believe the St. Joseph market). We went in and tried all kinds of fruit, candy, meat, fish, everything we could get our hands on. For a foodie like me it was paradise!

We then continued our way through the city, seeing the sea side, random huge Picasso sculptures, and various churches along the way (Like Santa Maria by the Sea!) We then found ourselves at the Cathedral, which was absolutely breathtaking. Huge in both height and width with a dark gothic interior and high vaulting arches it was any Catholic’s dream.

After the Cathedral we went to the Picasso Museum. If you ever find yourself in Barcelona this must be on your to-do list. The museum walks you through his life, showing you how his works evolved as he grew and learned, until finally developing into the style we all know him for. Standing in the city where he worked seeing all these paintings I’ve only ever seen in art books was indescribably. Also, the area around the Picasso museum has all these fabulous shops with bowls and whatnot that reflect the Picasso style. I ended buying the cutest little bowl there, which has now become my Rome cereal bowl!

On the topic of food, we then began the best part of our journey: eating our way through the city. We had a fabulous lunch of tapas and sangria at some tiny place by the Picasso museum. After going back to the hostel and napping till about 9:00pm (they eat so late there!) we ventured out again, this time eating a fabulous place in a piazza (which I believe they call a placa? We debated over this for quite some time) right off of La Ramblas. We ordered the “classic” tapas plate, and found ourselves with FRESH seafood, veggies, Catalonian bread (which they’re famous for) and fantastic fried foods. Taking in the atmosphere and enjoying tapas in Spain…does it get any better than that?

After a night of Spanish nightlife and a good night’s sleep we found ourselves traveling to La at Sagrada Família. La Sagrada Familia is this HUGE church that’s designed by Gaudi and has been under construction since the late 19^th century (the interior was just finished in 2010!) The church is adorned with a variety of architectural types, and is absolutely overwhelming when you look at it. It’s incredibly tall, and yet the top two tiers aren’t even constructed yet! The inside is mesmerizing, with vaults, and stained glass, and crazy designs that I’ve never seen anywhere else. We found ourselves wandering around in it for over an hour, just trying to take it all in. Under the church they also have a museum type galleria, explaining how the construction was started and the history of La Sagrada Familia thus far. We could have spent a full day there, it was that overwhelming.

From there we made our way to the National Museum of Catalonian Art. Before going to Barcelona one must know that they consider themselves Catalonian, not Spanish, and that their culture and even dialect is completely different than the rest of the country (hence the name of this post, as that’s how they pronounce Barcelona!) To this day there is still a movement to break Barcelona away from Spain and claim their Catalonian independence. So, knowing how much pride they take in their culture, the museum just highlighted their achievements through the ages. The museum also sits at the top of the city, and when you walk out the front you are greeted with a sweeping view over all of Barcelona. It may have been rainy but it was still an amazing view!

After another night of tapas and Spanish life we left for the airport (at around 3am to catch our 5am flight!) Overall the weekend was a crazy whirlwind, but absolutely one of the most fun trips I’ve taken since being here!