Munich with the Boys

I've heard Munich is a modernish, clean and fun city and one that I must visit in Germany, so I was excited to go. Although my departure for this 5 hour train ride came only about 5 hours after I arrived in Vallendar after a 6 hour journey through RyanAir from Milan. But I guess it was now or never. It was great because Oscar had his cousin who lived in Munich so we had someone to stay with. A first on this trip for me.

So the train left late, about 8, but it was a great ride down south right next to the Rhine River. It was beautiful to see the sunset along the river and highlight each little castle located on the hills on the way. It was crazy how many small castles there were dotting the hillside of the Rhine, way above all those tiny towns.  I watched till the glare of the night didn't allow me to see out the window anymore. (I also was feeing Bertan and I McDonalds ah! 2nd time in Europe so its ok).

So we got in pretty late and just had a beer with his cousin the first night. This is when I discovered that his cousin has the most ultimate salsa music collection I have ever seen. And it was all on vinyl! He also made me dance with him "salsa". But honestly I couldn't follow anything that he was doing and it didn't look like salsa lol. But it was still great to see somebody had a passion. So the next morning (spotted and awesome blue and orange 69 Porsche) we went out the the New City Hall to see the Glockenspiel. This amazing clock that at a certain time danced and jousted. Although kinda strange now, it was a great idea and I could imagine the crowds back in the day. It was such a nice sunny spring day outside. We went into a great church nearby that had the "Devil's Footprint" which I thought was a great story! We continued to walk around the town (my outfit looked like Sandra Dee lol) and discover small things such as another Juliet statue and chicken on a stick. Us 3 then grabbed some half liters of beer and hit the road. Checking out the places where Hitler used to have his speeches and drinking beer in public in front of a church. We posed with some lion statues that were just powerful. What has Europe done to us?

But it was great being with the two boys! We then wandered into the Hofgarden where a quant band was playing under the pavilion. It was great to hear that music fill the space. The Hofgarden was small and well organized with the State Chancellery at the top/ We saw the tomb of the forgotten soldier, ran about the garden and just enjoyed this sunny sunny day. Then it was off to the English Garden, a more disorganized but more relaxing and popular place. There were thousands of people out! We found a great spot to sit for a while next to the river waiting for Oscar's cousin. It was my time to roll around on the grass as I've always wanted. There was a perfect little bridge and stream and bicycles. Next the English Garden was littered with people finally able to enjoy the weather. Thousands! You would think the way people were dressed we were at the beach. So after some intense people watching we arrived at the Chinese Pavilion  Pagoda. strange..but it was PACKED! so many people having lunch and just chillin! So we got in line for the famous sausage and pints of beer. What a pint! What a lunch! I could feel my hear stopping! although my beer was awesome because it was mixed with lemonade. Then we walked on and discovered another pavilion. They had the largest pretzels in the world here. So we got 2 and half a pint and sat by the lake. It was a great afternoon! I also had a casual leiterhosen sighting, and a small fat pub sighting. awesome.

We  back down through the garden, saw fish on the grill and all the happy people. I also encountered an awkward conversation with Oscar's cousin's gf about her bring pregnant lol. I didn't have much to say about pregnancy since I didn't know much! haha Moving on we came out through the University area which was really cool. They had new and great trendy shops and then past the giant walking man and then eventually to the Triumphal Arch which seemed just like Paris. The main street was lined with beautiful displays of flowers.  Then we saw a gorgeous tree all lit up in lights in front of a bar, but we were falling apart. Soooo tired! I could have fallen asleep walking. So we hit a coffee shop but that didn't seem to help. we did make it to the Lowenbrau brewery though and had some terrible cheese with whole onions phew! Although it was cheap, but I'll never forget Oscar eating a small radish with the largest hunk of cheese I've ever seen.

The next day Oscar's cousin took us on a road trip south of Munich. It was great to be in a car! They were parked to efficiently in the lot, 2 stacked on top of each other! The drive was great but me and the two boys could barely fit in the back seat of the small car. After an hour we arrived in Tegernee, which reminded me of Lake Como. What a serene lake and I watched the ducks swim. We walked around and hiked a nearby hill overlooking it. Then we had some lunch/ice cream and the nearby brewery. It was so hot! After we headed back to Munich. It was so nice of them to take us around. Then we went out to dinner and had a GREAT Kebab plate with the best white rice I've ever had. Then it was off to the spa. Oh the spa. We. were. naked. haha its true! together. It was so hot in our first room, and I felt like I could breathe. The room was dark and wooden and had forest music with birds chirping. It also had great lights on the wall of green that resembled falling rain. great to watch! Bertan was sweating like he was about to die, because of all his toxins he has.  Every room was great. One was SOO hot I thought I was going to die, I kept watching the clock counting down our minutes. Then the steam room was full of naked people, and they love to be wafted with a towel. It makes the steam so much hotter. This guys  kept doing over and over and it was too much! I couldn't breathe when the gust of hot air came my way. We also got to spear honey all over ourselves. weird. The water to cool ourselves which was so cold but I enjoyed dumping in on Bertan's head. We swam in the pool which was fun. I still can't believe I did that naked.. hm...by the end we were so used to the heat is was enjoyable. I remember sitting with 10 naked people in the small wooden room thinking where the hell am I? lol afterwards we I got a crappy grapefruit drink to "hydrate me".

The next day was the BMW factory which was cool! And then touring Olympic Park which was not. It was outdated 1972, and it also was a cloudy rainy day. But the BMW factory was great to see some cars, ride some motorcycles and see some robots.  especially the small italian car. We trained back to Munich and had a great lunch in the market. Mmmm Pork Back, sauerkraut and something mashed..and Coke.

Next was the Deutches Museum which I really wanted to go to. Great aeronautics exhibit and space exhibit. The music one was my favorite along with the atom section. Great find for free I might add! At 5pm when it closed we walked around the outskirts of the English Garden and around a building I just can't remember. Then back down the famous shopping street.

Our last stop was the Hofbrauhaus. The most famous brewery in Munich. We went in kinda early, stalled at Starbucks, but we were too excited. We sat at a great spot in the mall hall, opposite a table obviously full of regulars. All men dressed up in German gear with their own private steins and sign. amazing. We sat next to a nice couple the Oscar talked to the entire time! haha. There was a great band inside.  I had about 2-3 1/2 pints and the boys had 4-5, I wanna say more though.  The boys ordered pork knuckle wow, and I had a sausage plate that I indulged in. I remember having a mouthful of beer, pretzel, sausage, and sauerkraut. I was going to die in heaven.  We all got pretty tipsy and it was a great time! (expect for when that guy tried to hit on me and Bertan went nuts haha). We were some of the last people to go, oscar, the drunkest lol.

The next day, our last day, we headed to the Glockenspiel to watch it dance. Great, but after 5 minutes of cramming my neck up I was ready for it to end. Then danced and jousted and finally the bird chirped to end the party. We trekked through the English Garden one more time with our luggage to see the "surfers riding the river" but no luck. Then it was back to Vallendar! 
Munich was such a pleasant clean city, my favorite in Germany by far.

A Trip to Prague

Prague I've been hearing for years is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I agree. It was a bit smaller than I expected, but it had this strange atmosphere to it. Gloomy at times. This was the first trip Bertan and I were on our own so I was super excited to finally travel somewhere other than Germany with him!

We arrived really lat eon Friday night. March 25th. So we just  taxied back to Galileo Hotel. There was no light to see anything. We arrived to find the smallest old woman to greet us and give us our key. The room was small in space but the ceilings were so tall. We had great windows that opened out onto the street. I loved it.

On our first day we went straight to the Old Town Square. Starting at the top of the street by the National Museum, it was very exciting to see the path lined with stores and people, and of course food carts. We stopped to have a fried cheese sandwich, a Prague staple. It was alright. Next, I couldn't deny the most bright red sausage I have ever seen. I should have, for it did injustice to my stomach later on.  We stumbled pass the sex museum and finally entered the Old Town Square. I was excited to see the 600 year old Astronomical Clock that was still working! The square was fabulous. Showcasing the most famous spires of the Church of Our Lady before Tyn. The buildings were amazing, something I have never seen before. Such dark and gothic colors, aggressive. Or maybe it just was the pointy spires. Our first day was quite gloomy which made the first look at the St. Charles Bridge creepy. The statues on the bridge looked weathered and gloomy. But this added to the presence of them I think. It was great to finally be able to walk across the bridge and admire every saint and patron saint protecting it. I love how the statues displayed bits of gold! A man playing the accordion and the bridge band did it all justice.

Onward we passed the Franz Kafka tribute. A bust of him mounted on a street corner. He was born here! I was also very pleased to know that Prague was the inspiration for The Metamorphosis, which makes total sense given the gloomy and sad theme of the book. Just like Prague today. It was also the first book I ever read in college, ENC101 so it has a special place in my heart. Next we discovered the Jewish Quarter. Prague has the highest Jewish population in all of Europe. The gravestones were all mushed together because nobody had the decency to bury these people properly. They were only allowed to be in the area "dedicated" to them. Next DINNER! We went to a highly recommended restaurant close to the hotel. It was such a small local place. We started with stuffed peppers full of feta cheese. OMG.  Next the Czech Pan. A bacon lover's delight and one the heaviest things I have ever eaten. Bacon and Gnocchi in such a thick sauce. It was lit underneath with fire. Delicious, could barely finish. But soon after I had some terrible vodka to pre-game with and I was lucky enough to see it again. lol The worst thing I have ever thrown up. Last, we went to visit the largest club in Central Europe. 5 stories high! It was such a dirty sweaty nightclub full of Czech teens. But very interesting. Each floor had a different theme music and we even were able to go to "Black Music"!..an actual sign. We visited the laser light room where it was a small room with mirrors and a crazy lazer show theme to classical music like Beethoven. So awesome. We even caught "I had the time of my life" in the disco room.

The next day was much sunnier so we decided to climb to the Prague Castle. It was a beautiful climb showcasing the orange rooftops of Prague. The castle entrance was great and then we were able to see St. Vitus Cathedral. It had one of the most beautiful insides I have seen in any European church. The stained glass was great. (bertan has his favorite picture here).  We decided to climb ANOTHER cathedral but this was way worth it. The up close view of the spires was magnificent and the view of the St. Charles Bridge from up top was unforgettable.  Then we had some lunch. A Giant Pork Knuckle. The noise of its fat squishing as I poke it will haunt me forever. At least we had a cute little table.

Next Bertan and I played in the Park next to castle. Did some rolling on the grass. It was so much fun. We walk up the hill and got another great view of the city of 1000 spires. We tried to count them all, we I tried. We stumbled upon a Magical Cavern. Only 5 Coronas. Of course. It was so creepy. It was like a husband a wife who had a obsession with mystical creatures and turned their house in to a colorful cavern with strange painting of horses and fairies on the walls. It was like walking into A Neverending Story. We were the only ones there, besides two men sitting on a couch giving out complimentary sangria. Pass. Although it was one of the most unexpected interesting places I have ever been. We then crossed the St. Charles Bridge just as the lights turned of. Magical. The real appeal of city. Now I can see the true shadows of the statues guarding the bridge and watching over us in the sunset. Accompanied by a violinist it was unforgettable. Just what I had been waiting for. The lights sparked off the bridge, off the castle, and onto the River.
Then we went to U Fleku. A beer hall recommend on my 1000 places to see before you die. Great place. Dark dark beer and 11%! Horrible shots of who knows what liquor. But great beer and atmosphere. They did have the most adorable old man accordion player.

The last day was so sunny and blue. We walked around a but more and discovered the "Dancing Building" built in inspiration of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. We then took a boat cruise which was so nice. We were able to go under the St. Charles Bridge. Although the cruise was extremely slow. It was nice to see Prague from "a different view." And get some sun!  After the cruise we had a crazy craving for chinese. Found some and ate it outside our hotel like homeless people, and we were almost late to our flight. I guess Chinese could be a good reason to miss a flight.

Olympic Skiing for Beginners

So in the time between Carnival and now Spring has definitely sprung. Milan is warming up and things are getting a lot better. So we decided to head to Torino and skiing for the weekend before it got too warm.

Torino was the center of the celebration for 150 Years of Italian Unity. It was like gameday for Italy. Everyone has their faces colored with the Italian flag and people were draping and waving the flags all over the city. We spent the day walking around Torino and just taking in the massive crowds. There were so many people lining the streets and in the main piazza. We walked into the Duomo and saw the Shroud of Turin along with some gardens and walked based the Tower of Torino. But for me, the highlight of Torino was the pistachio salami pizza at 11 a.m. It was glorious.

That night we headed out to Bardonecchia, which was an hour outside of Torino. It was the sight of the 2006 Snowboarding Olympics. We pulled into the mountains just as the sun was setting and it played a purple sky over the Italian French Alps. It was so exciting to see.

We had a fantastic ski chalet for the weekend. 2 stories and only 20 euro a night! :) IT was more than enough room for all 5 of us. The next morning looking off our balcony was amazing. It was a sight I have rarely seen in my life. Huge mountains covered in snow glistening in the sun. We headed out to get a our ski passes and we were off to the slopes. As soon as I put my skies on I knew what trouble I had gotten myself into. Beginner Alpine Skiing is in no way beginner.

The snow was scary. It was very icy in some parts. But the course itself wasn't difficult (even though there were no barriers to protect you from exploding off the side of the mountain) but it was the steepness and the incline. I had no idea how to manage  my speed or stop very well yet. It was only my second time skiing ever. And this was the alps! So I took it slow at first, collecting my ganas at each plateau. But then I went for it. Explosion! epic. I lost my two skies and poles. But it was nice to get the scare of the first crash over with.

The rest of the way continued to be very steep and intimidating. Not to mention there weren't any beginners on the slopes at all! So we took it down one slope at a time.

K and I were on the same level. Kiki, Matt and David were all pretty advanced. So K and I pretty much stayed together for the rest of the day. We kept on trying mountain after mountain and not really giving up even though were were terrible and exhausted. On our last lift, one that you have to hold onto and put under your butt, was the most epic.

I went on first and K followed. I managed to start just fine and climb a bit, when I realized K had an explosion at the start. It was hilarious to look back and see him sprawled out on the floor, but then I realized I had to climb this thing alone. I kept turing around and looking for K but he never seemed to come over the slope. I realized it was just me. Going up this 90 degree angle on this mountain by myself. I was so scared to fall in the middle of nowhere. I had to get to the top. It was a beautiful and quiet ascent.

So I hung on and hung on. The lift was so steep at some point my elbows were touching my knees and I was hanging on so tight. But then the slope leveled out quickly and I had to much slack. But I was holding on so tight that I just fell on my face. I sat there, in the middle of deep snow, having to pee incredibly bad, alone. all alone. I managed to fall directly on a hill/bridge, which I tumbled down onto the blue/easy slope path. Easy my ass. I was not only scared again but by myself. I had so much left to do on this trip I didn't want to seriously injure myself.

So I skied a bit down, then took of my skis and began to carry them down the steepest part of the slope. It was hell. A nice couple came by and took my skies and said they would leave them at the lift/restaurant below. Far below. The walk was actually pleasant and amazing. It was nice to take things slow and take in the view. When I got close to the lift, I heard my name and it was K. He survived his fall! He fell in the middle of nowhere and had to trek his way back through dense snow to any path lol.

We decided we tried our best, went up to the deck of the chalet with the most amazing view of the mountains and did some tanning. rested and relaxed. Then we took the the lift down to meet the other around 4:30pm and the day was over.

We were exhausted. So tired we couldn't make dinner. Wine, cheese and bread. that's it.

The next day I could barely move. It was like if I had pulled every muscle in my body. I knew there wasn't much for me to do on the lifts the second day, because I just wasn't advanced enough. So Me Kiki and K explored the town of Bardonecchia. It was nice and quaint. Then we went back up the slopes and mountain, with our shoes!, to meet the boys for lunch at the ski chalet. Boxed Wine, bread and brie with one of the greatest views of my life. The sun was shining and and some point it was snowing! But I was breathtaking. my words will never be able to do it justice. We had some of the best hot chocolate I have ever had. On top of the Alps.
After lunch we headed back to our place, made a great dinner feast, played card games, drank, and really just enjoyed our cabin and our company.

On Sunday we headed back to Milan on the cheapest 4 hour train we could find. It was one the best weekends. It was so nice to exercise and see some nature. Get out of this bustling city Milano. Fresh Air and Sun. We needed it because the whole week prior it was raining in Milan. So this was the best pick-me-up we could ask for.

German Karneval

Wow, clearly I'm terrible at updating my blog. It's definitely been a while. I'm putting more effort into updating my facebook pictures than I am updating this blog, but whatever works.

After Venice Carnival, the next weekend I was back up in Germany to celebrate Karneval there. So compared to Italy is was very very different. Italy was way more traditional and seemed to showcase a more cultural celebration. German Karneval was just a mess. Surprisingly there were so many older people there. It's amazing, its like nobody works for 5 whole days.

We took the 9 am train into Cologne on Saturday, our first day there. Drunk by 10. I was supposed to be a sexy pirate. But as we all know, sexy costume pictures never look that sexy in person. You get what you pay for lol. Bertan was a damn adorable Crocodile and Oscar was a bunny, yes a bunny. Not a good start. Running over baby carriages and not knowing how to get into any bars caused for some confusion. So we wandered. We wandered all over that city of Cologne going into random bars and having random drinks. We stumbled upon a great bar with lots of colorful people. When I came out from the bathroom, there was a 25 piece band playing in the bar. I practically had my head inside one of the ladies trombones. It was just a bunch of random costumes and  random celebrations. I'm not sure I have any idea what Karneval means historically to Germany, but it sure is a great time. We went all day. All day. Walking and drinking. The best thing about Germany so far is that it is waayy cheaper than Milan. I can actually afford to drink at the bar. Honestly writing this blog two weeks later I can't remember much. We were exhausted so we decided to take Sunday off. On Monday we headed back to Cologne and continued with the same plan. Walk and Drink. Drunk by 11 a.m. again. That is a first. 23 and not slowing down yet...well a bit. Although there was a great parade we could watch. It was great as long as you learned to avoid the candy missiles that were being thrown from the floats. The floats were all sorts of raunchy and controversial, some were even nude floats! They had great costumes though.

It was a great time. Bertan, Oscar, and Liz and their friends from WHU were great company:) By around 11 pm we were just exhausted so we headed back in the freezing cold. We had a full apartment with some other MAIB grad students staying with us. It was nice to have familiar faces around, especially Gators!

I decided to stay till Wed because my classes were cancelled on Monday and Tuesday. Thanks Bocconi. It was nice to stay the extra days with Bertan. We explored the neighboring town of Koblenz and watched movies! I think that may be the most normal thing I have done on this trip so far. It was so nice to just have a couple of days just to chill. The Karnival experience was one I won't forget, the costumes, the chaos, the jaggerbombs. It was just an excuse to party, and a good one at that. 

I have some great colorful pictures to illustrate this post. It's difficult to write about it afterwards because so much has happened since. So I'm going to try and be better about posting. (probably not)

Masquerade, Paper Faces on Parade

Venezia Carnivale! what an adventure that was.

So after drinking to much at the Birreria on Wednesday night, I had class 8:45-6 on Thursday. Then came home with enough time to pack, laundry, e-mail. With about 3 hours of sleep, it was off to Venice to catch at 7:00 a.m. train. off to a great start.

Good news, the whole crew made it. 5 of which were boys, so I was impressed! 3 hours later because we pay for the cheap train lol..we arrived. Venice was my first stop when I backpacked through Europe 4 years ago, so it had a special place in my heart. It was just like I remembered it. This time arriving in the sunny midday to see the boats and WATER was so exciting. We checked into our two story hostel, just for us, which was really cool. Then sightseeing the whole day. Off to Doge's Palace, the Basilica di San Marco, and a water taxi ride around the island and down the Grand Canal.

It was a perfect boat ride as the sun set on such a wonderful fake world. It just seems like this place shouldn't exist. Like a Fantasia, or Atlantis. The canals snaked their way through cracks of buildings, under bridges, and in between boats. It was such an exciting atmosphere. The buildings were all heavily leaning and the architectural design was just amazing.

Surprising, there were only small signs of Carnivale on Friday. Tents and stages were being set up, but nothing crazy. We went to dinner at a quiet seafood place. The owner who had three adorable dogs all joined us for dinner. We returned to the hostel, played mind games while we laughed on wine, and then set out around midnight to discover any stirrings of Carnivale. Nothing! lol. But it was so much fun cruising through the empty streets of Venice at night. quiet, beautiful hidden passageways. It was like we were in a giant puzzle. There were some masked figures. Two white masked figures with capes ascended over the bridge in front of us, I jumped on Moses practically. Everyone had a good laugh, but they were freaky! so quiet, and just to see those things, they said nothing and just bowed passed us.

The next morning, Tourism cascaded over Venice. Thousands and thousands of people had poured in overnight and we could barely walk though the street. We left our baggage at the train station because we couldn't book the hostel for Saturday night, so we opted to take the 5 am train instead. haha...

We ran through the afternoon streets again all the way to the main Piazza San Marco. It was a circus. Thousands of people, crowding over the most elaborate costumes. it was like thousands of paparazzi. The costumes of some of the people were unbelievable, my pictures will only do them justice. The colors were so bright and so many. High hats and huge skirts, frilly sleeves and glittery jackets. I truly had a hard time looking at everything. Even seeing the thousands of tourists in masks was amazing. One of the most visually appealing moments ever.

We spent the rest of the afternoon taking a water taxi to Murano, and island of the coast of Venice famous for their hand blown glass. It was a beautiful small island with amazing glass shops. Afterwards, the fun started. We couldn't leave our bags at the station for much longer and we need a place to keep them/possibly stay overnight for a later train. At the advice of some friends, we opted to book a campsite, one I stayed at when I backpacked. It was such a nice camper from years ago I was certain it would be a great choice, Then, we arrived, and we realized we booked a tent. A TENT. lol we had quite a laugh. a cold, zipper, 2 cot tent. HAHA. So we made the best of it, put on our masks, and pregamed in the tent. We locked up our stuff and headed back to the island. The night was young.

There were concerts in many of the small piazzas with drunk people everywhere. SO much fun! noises and colors! We had our bottles of wine in hand so we were ready! We finally reached the Main Piazza in time for an  huge Italian concert. They had a great stage set up with a great light display. This band must have been popular because these people were going nuts. We joined a huge conga line and jumped all the way though the crowd, to the front stage! What a happy atmosphere. People were just enjoying life, so much life. Couples dancing together, just looking at each other enjoying it so much. People just happy. Old, young, drunk and in crazy costumes. It was just everyone enjoying themselves and their loved ones and friends. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

Well we partied until 12:00...lol When everything ended! Come on Venice! We ran to a bar till 1am ish because it was freezing. But then that had to come to an end. I'm not sure about the traditions of Venice, but ending at 12a.m should not be one of them. We were homeless and had to kill 4 hours in the cold. So what else? We huddled in a 7-formation on the corner of a bus stop eating chicken sandwiches. It was so cold. We looked so pathetic. But, extremely funny and memorable.  2am turned to 4am and we headed to the train station, it was open Thank God. Then at 5 a.m. the train looked as if it were going to open. People ran! The train was locked, but that didn't stop people from jumping through the windows to get in the warm cabins. Pretty soon, we were in.

Back to Milan at 8:30am. Back to the dorms at 9:30. Sleep at 11 a.m. whoa...

I have to go to classes?!

So, this blog again is delayed, but at least I'm trying.

So the week of Feb 14th was my first week of classes. It was well, interesting. Bocconi was very quiet during our first 2 weeks of Italian Language course. But now for a small campus (compared to UF) is is bustling. There are tons of Italian students. I definitely felt like the fish out of water.

My classes are: Management of Fashion and Luxury Companies- where I learn about Prada and Gucci, no lie.
Events Communication, which I have a guest speaker everyday, which is cool, I want most of these guest speakers jobs!
Lastly, Project Management, which seems simple but is lectured in a more complicated way. We'll see how this one goes.

The classrooms here are ridiculous and completely dysfunctional. The seats are attached to the desks so there is no room to pass by anything! If you are in the middle or come in late you are completely out of luck. And the noise from the hallways is distracting. Whoever designed Bocconi sucks.
My classes seem simple, now I understand why the exchange kids at UF complained we had so much work. Its only 1 group project and 1 final exam in all of my classes! That's it! It really makes me questions the level of education people receive abroad. It is a much more passive education here. I really do appreciate the education we receive now back in the states. I feel like we learn a lot more and learning is much more interactive.

Classes are good though. I'm happy with my choices.

On Thursday I left for Germany to celebrate Bertan's and Nino's birthdays! The journey there wasn't too bad at all (1 hour flying). Everything they say about RyanAir is true though. I almost bought the lotto tickets lol. so tricky.

When I arrived Bertan was there to pick me up in a suit and flowers:) Then I had a valentines surprise when I got to his apartment. Ballons, wine, more flowers and dinner. spoiled really. It was nice to finally see where he has lived for months.

Nino joined us the next day which was so cool. It was crazy to see him come up from the train station steps in freakin Vallendar. We went to get Kebabs of course and explore the town while Bertan was in class. 20 minutes later lol....we hung out, got ready and began the pregame to a fun night. It was a cool MAIB reunion with me bertan, liz, nino, and oscar. Friends came over and then we left for a club in Koblenz. It was a huge bar! But German dancing sure is interesting. We had a great night dancing and drinking, ending with kebabs again and the smokiest bar in history. The next day was spent recovering and exploring Koblenz. Dinner and sightseeing with Oscar, Nino, and Bertan proved to be entertaining.

Nino left for Cologne on Sat night, Bertan and I stayed in. The next day we ventured out to Cologne to climb the Cathedral which was really cool. We walked around Cologne, down the Rhine, Mustard Museum, and Lindt candy shop. It was so cool, but freezzzzziiing!

On Sunday night we headed back to Koblenz for a great Spanish dinner by candlelight along the river. Then, Monday it was back to Milan. That was a long day.

Then class the next week, it was already Tuesday! On Wednesday night we went to a Birreria. It was such a fun place. Beer came in laboratory type instruments, like crazy glass funnels and shapes. It was like a mad scientist lab full of beer. We ordered a 6 liter glass funnel full of beer, and the rest of the night led to fun card games on our heads lol. Thursday's 6 hours of class...well..was not so fun. and we were leaving at 7 am to Venice. oh boy.

I've got great pics on Facebook so check them out!

All I've been doing is eating, and some sightseeing...Bologna, Florence

So after the craziest week of balancing the Italian Language course, looking for an apartment, no internet, phone and making new friends. I was finally settled. 4 hours later I went to pick up Bertan from the airport.
Although it was crazy, it was so nice to have him visit to finally just relax.

We visited the Duomo and finally went inside. I also took him to the Fashion District and Aperitivo down by Navigli, a famous Milan canal area. We visited the Fort Sforza that faces the Duomo. Milan's old city walls and ports really give the area an amazing feeling. Like we are standing where so much has happened.We had a great Italian dinner with my friends which was really cool. On Saturday we took a trip with everyone to Lake Como which is an hour north of Milan. Hoping to see George Clooney the whole time, we took a tram up to one of the highest peak and then hiked 45 min to a lighthouse. Definitely worth the view of the entire lake and of the Alps in the distance. We had a great Italian lunch and a small hilltop restaurant, explored the city and markets beneath us and then headed home on a night train. It was so much warmer than I expected. The lakes prove to be a great getaway spot in the summer. We spent most of the rest of the weekend, exploring the city and hanging out with new friends:) Some of the UF Exchange students from Bocconi met up with us and took us out to a cool club. Thanks Martina, Michele, and Valerio!  I was nice to see familiar faces, especially from UF :)

The rest of the week I finished up my Italian Course. I had missed a couple of days the week before (apartment problems) so catching up was interesting. It's an optional class so I wasn't stressing too much. I decided to take the final exam that would give me an Italian Language Certificate. Haven't heard yet if I passed, but considering all the days I missed, I'm glad I at least tried. We celebrated the end of class on Wed by cooking a big dinner at the boys apartment and then going out to Old Fashion. They had GREAT music, and really enjoyed the place. But I realize it is impossible to drink at the club in Italy. wayyy to expensive.

The next morning (Thursday Feb 10th) we left for the weekend on a trip to Bologna and Florence.
Bologna, about 2 hours away by slow train, is such a university town. It made me miss UF. So different from Milan in so many ways. Everyone was our age, things were so cheap. It was as if it were an Italian UF. It was also such a beautiful city. The University of Bologna is the oldest continuos running university in the world! Founded in 1088! Dante studied there..jeeze. Anyway, so we climbed the Torre Asinelli, 436 step tower, above Bologna. It was such a great a great view of the main Piazza. Afterwards we hunted for none other than BOLOGNA. Known as Mortadella, the grandaddy of American Bologna. We found the most famous deli in Bologna and I had the most perfect sandwich. Along with the most amazing stuffed tomatoes and eggplant. We wandered around the city, visited the Duomo, the University, more caffes and found and ate the infamous, Tortellini Bolognese, from Bologna lol. That was so delicious. The city is known as the "Bologna La Grassa" or Bologna the Fat. It is the best food town in Italy. I swear all we did was eat eat and eat. Two dinners, lunch, snacks and sweets.

On Friday we left for Florence. I had been backpacking through Florence 4 years ago, but I was still excited to visit. We checked into our hostel and were out the door to Kitsch, the best Aperitivo we've found....ever. It was an enormous buffet and the place was packed! It was such a hippie random place. Like a Italian version of Szimpla for those from Budapest. Thanks Joe from Australia for your recommendation! The next day we headed out to see the Statue of David and climbed 500 steps of the Duomo, The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore. We climbed all the way to the top with an amazing view of Florence and we also scaled the inside of Brunelleschi's Dome, amazed at the painting illustrating the 7 layers of heaven and hell. Then we visited the Medici Palace which was very cool. That family really owned everything in Florence at one time. After we hit up the world famous Leather Market of Florence. We overdid it. After 4 hours, 1 leather jacket, leather gloves, carnival mask, I was done. It was so overwhelming. It was very fun to haggle the merchants even though I didn't get very far. Between the six of us we bought out that market.

Then Me, Moses, Kiki, David, K and Mike went back to our hostel (which was two blocks down from David!) and pregamed for our night out at Club Space. Besides the fact Mike got hit in the face by a fake penis being hung off the balcony by a fishing pole, (which was hilarious) it was pretty much a stereotypical American club with a ton of exchange students. The girls were at least able to get in the VIP for a while:)
We left, ventured out to a secret bakery, got some pizza, and came home.

The next day it was to the Uffizi Gallery! The only thing I didn't do when I visited Florence the last time.
It was an amazing collection of Italian Art by Da Vinci, Rafaello, Botticelli, and Michelangelo. I was so excited to finally see "The Birth of Venus" and "Springtime" by Botticelli. It was 2 hours spent with "Wait, I think I remember seeing that in a textbook." But it was truly something not to miss when in Florence.

After Uffizi, we booked a 6 hour slow and cheap train back to Milan. I was exhausted. But it was such a fun weekend we GREAT company. This trip wouldn't have been the same with a different group. We seem to balance each other out and we each bring something unique to the table. 4 boys 2 girls and too much spicy meat, smooth wood and leather.

I swear I gained around 3 pounds in 3 days. The food was amazing. This is definitely the Italy I came for. I also checked off 3 places from my book "1000 Places to See Before You Die"

Now, the week ahead brings my first graduate classes at Bocconi. Update soon!

Trying to sum up the first 3 weeks of Milan..

Well, to say the least it has been an interesting and unpredictable beginning to my semester here at Bocconi. Most of January was spent with a lot of anticipation waiting to finally leave on the 23rd. The day finally came and I was on my way, for 5 months. The longest I have ever been away from home.

Luckily I literally  flew in right behind Katy's Delta plane at the airport and we easily met up. We took the train about 30 minutes and finally arrived at the dorms. No rest for us though. Out to check into Bocconi and try and get started on finding an apartment.  To make the story short Katy decided to stay in the dorms, but I was still restless and wanted to try an apartment. The next week was filled with an incredible combination of excitement and stress.

The Tuesday after we arrived we started our Italian Language Course, which I truly enjoyed. Our teacher was very patient and wonderful! I've been reserved about speaking spanish for years, but she encouraged me to just jump right up and speak Italian to the whole class. I love the language, and knowing Spanish grammar and vocab is definitely helpful. So during the days we would have 5 hours classes, and then straight away we would roam campus calling any advertisements we could for apartments till 11 at night. Such long days. I found a great girl and fellow master's student, Kiki from Canada, and we decided to go on the hunt together.  It was the most exhausting, depressive hunt. Traveling for hours all over Milan, just to be disappointed in quality and price. But, the only comforting thing was most other students were in the same boat, so it was a sort of bonding experience.

After days of searching a visiting apartments, I received an e-mail from a woman asking ME if I wanted to see it. So we jumped at the opportunity. She was lovely, seemed trustworthy, decent rent and flexible with payments. Our friends David (from UVA who I met in the Philly Airport on the way over, random) and Moses from UF came with us. The 4 of us have been on the hunt together for days. Kiki and I signed and moved in that night! All was well. We couldn't find a third roommate, so we decided to ask the boys to live with us. Two girls in one room, two boys in the other. It was such a fun weekend. Then a week later, all hell broke loose. The owner decided she wanted cash instead of check, when she clearly agreed to check on the contract. That would be  $4000 in cash from everyone up front! No way! She became very argumentative and aggressive and made it feel extremely uncomfortable. We tried to think of every solution to make this transaction safe, but she was uncooperative. We think it because owner gets heavily taxed in Italy and she wanted cash. So, it all came to a showdown in front of the Duomo on a sunny afternoon. She wanted cash, we couldn't get it to her the same day because of ATM withdrawal limits. At this point we were hoping she would evict us, so the contract would be void. We just wanted out, she was crazy one minute and offering us sweets the next. Unstable woman. So she said well, you can move out and move back in the next day when we had the money. no way! so we took the chance to leave, took the tram home with her, packed up everything in 30 minutes and left that crazy place. Phew. Luckily, haven't heard from her since. So I moved back into the dorms, where I am super happy and comfortable. I was not willing to go through the last 2 weeks of finding an apartment again. Plus the dorms are actually really nice, just a bit far from campus, but no big deal. Clean sheets every week, laundry (dryer!), cleaning service every week trash, maintenance. Really its nice, and a private room and  I share a bathroom with only 1 other girl.

Now, that was the crazy stuff,  I really want to write about all the amazing great things I have experienced in only 3 weeks here in Milan!

My first week discovered Aperitivo, which is an amazing Italian dinner tradition. You buy a drink for around 8 euro and then you have a buffet style dinner. You have small plates with lots of different finger foods. It is quite filling. It's been hit or miss at the restaurants, but we've had some pretty interesting food. Aperitivo is survival of the fittest really, whoever can get to the food first before its gone. After some experience now we have learned to take our time.

The first week here we also went on a tour in the Fashion District. WOW! Versace, Gucci, Prada, everything you could imagine. We even had a caffe at the Armani Store. It's really a site to see, along with the people shopping.

The City of Milan is incredible. Business mixed with Old Italy. The Duomo in the center on Milan is breaktaking and still after many times seeing it, looks fake. Especially at night. The Piazza in front of the Duomo is like Times Square, hustling with thousands of people, trams, cars, metro. The opera is right across the street. There is no justice to writing this, I just need to post pictures. The historic center of Milan and truly the Milanese experience. The ESN exchange group threw a huge welcome party at one of the best clubs in Milan, called Hollywood. It was really fun, but incredibly crowded. We left with about 40 people from the dorms. The music really catered to us, so hopefully I find other Italian clubs.

Ok, so many more GOOD things to write. I'm off to my first class at Bocconi today! So when I return I will write more. Its hard to even remember what I did last week. But I'm glad I finally have this blog up and running.

But I have met some really great people already and I am starting to settle in, that is as much as I can with every weekend planned for a trip!