Perugia, Awesome!!!...Deruta, Good Question?

Well, to catch everyone up with what is going on in my life I will start with a little bit about last week. It was basically a normal week...except we learned about what we should do for our Arts quiz and about our journals. We also went to Assisi this past week which was really nice! Big town, which we learned that they were thinking about doing some major renovation this semester at Santa Chiara so we would have been staying at a hotel in Assisi almost.

This weekend was so much fun!! So everyone knows, you can defiantly do Perugia in one day

just don't plan on going to Deruta...because it is a one town deserted train station. Perugia is beautiful though! Great place to go for a day but that is about it because you can walk and see everything you would need to see in one day.

If you decide to stay over night don't be surprised if randomly the street is filled from sidewalk to sidewalk with people! It was defiantly jammed packed last night and none of us know why! lol

I will say there is a lot of great shopping and food in Perugia!! I had the BEST BEST!! Lasagna I have ever!! Sorry family...but this Lasagna was better then anything yall have cooked!! So good!!!

It was at a nice little like mom and pop restaurant in a back ally. Which if you want cheap, great, amazing and true Italian food! You go to the back alleys and you will find the best places to eat! :)

We also found some great pizza in Perugia...but I don't know if you can really mess up any pizza in Italy...it will just not be as great as that one place you find. lol We did lost of going into all the shops and looking at the clothes. We took two breaks at this wonderful and amazing Cafe in Perugia where we all got coffee, or hot chocolate, and then me I got a latte. Which then the next night we went back to get crepes with nutella! Best thing every! Along with Gelato!!! SO GOOD!!

This pic is of me at the Deruta train station...that was literally out in the middle of know where...we got off the train and it was the train station and nothing else. So we turned around and the train was gone...luckily there was another train going in the Direction back to Perugia coming by in like 40 min...so we took pictures and sat at the train station wondering if we would make it back. lol Then as time went on we started coming up with plans in case the train didn't stop because the Deruta station is like a stop only on request station. Luckily their was a number for a taxi service on the train station door. So if we got desperate enough we would just call the service and get us back to Perugia...not really worrying about cost because we figured getting back to a place we know is more important then the cost of staying in a train station over night. lol

Once we got on the train back to Perugia...we realized that we didn't really have a valid ticket...lol so a littled worried we just got on the train because the fine of no ticket looked a lot better then not getting back. Luckily the train person said something in Italian...which from what we understood, he assumed we had connecting train/already have had our ticket checked/validated so...we were good. We immedtialy got off at the Perugia PSG train station because sense we didn't have a valid ticket we wanted to get one. We found a train leaving in like 20 min going back to Perugia, well as we boarded the train and were on our way, Michelle P realized we were going in the wrong direction. Well we ended back in Assisi...the place we went to last Wednesday. So we immediately got off there because we didn't want to go any further. At this time we felt a little more at ease, I know I know...we aren't in the right spot. Except we are at a trainitalia station...oooo the train we had to take to Deruta was not a trainitalia...some weird like FCU thing...word of advice don't take it! It makes no sense!! lol

So we were in Assisi, we were about to find a train that left in 1 hour back to Perugia...so we felt much better! We finally got back to Perugia like at 1700, which we were so glad to be back to a place we knew. lol We had originally planned to go to this Mexican food restaurant that Michelle had found in Perugia, sense that was one of the main reasons we went to Perugia was to get Mexican food. Well after looking for it and finding out it was in the geto of Perugia we decided to just do pizza again that night for dinner.

That is about it for my weekend...seems like a lot when I think about lol

We did plan to go to...

Deruta...fail

Chocolate Factory...fail

Mexican food...fail

We did do Perugia which was a awesome town!! Just nothing you need two days for lol

Till next time!! Ciao!!

Relaxation...and dirty laundry

This week was a nice a relaxing week. We went back to Firenze on Wednesday to see the Duomo and go to a archeology museum which would have been so awesome if we would have gone to lunch then the museum. Instead of all of us being hungry and still going to the museum so we stayed for 30 min.

Classes were good this week, it is starting to get annoying with the fact that they don't completely have the entire semester planned out. Well...they kind of FINALLY have the semester planned but when we arrived they had no defiante dates on trips which made it very frustrating for us as students to plan our trips. It is all good now though because everything is done and we actually got a trip added for archeology to go to Verona! Which is very exciting! All the other classes are going good photography is really cool because we will develope our own film and choose which ones to develope into pictures. Plus the prof is a old man and is so funny!

Art history is werid...none of us know what is going on in that class because Paolo has not been feeling well so we have had like a sub...hopefully he will be back Tuesday. He is really funny and talks about just the key points. Mythology is interesting, we are right now learning about all the Gods from Romans and Greek. Because they all intertwine between each other, which makes it a little hard because they could have at least two different names.

Here is the picture of the shoes I bought in Sorrento for only 20 euros, and they are really cool because they are blue and shiny, and you can only get them in Italy!

This weekend we have just relaxed and re-cooped from this past week and weekend. We did laundry today which was really easy. Yes Nana, I did my own laundry in Italy! :) Also lesson learned, because we get a few laundry services with our program...but I forgot to read the part that said they don't separate your clothes...so my undershirts look like they have been cleaned in dirt.

I did my own laundry and I did separate my clothes out. What was interesting and freaky was getting back to campus. Because you can get a free shuttle service on certain days like Saturday. Well...Bruno is the guys name and we also met his wife and they are an adorable old couple that run the complex. Well they don't speak a lot of English so we communicated using hand signs, so we got a ride back to campus. Which was scary!!! We almost died!!! We couldn't scream though because we didn't want to freak him out...but o man! It does beat though climbing all the way back up the hill to campus.

This week is another just normal week, Wednesday we are going to Assis for our field trip. That will be cool! This next weekend we are going to try and go a few places and see Italy. Not sure exactly where but some where in Italy!

Ciao!

Sorrento and AMAZING Capri!!!

This weekend after our day in Rome we went to Sorrento and Capri...with a pit stop in Pompeii.

Our wonderful trip started off with craziness!! With a freak blizzard in Rome and a wonderful train ride to Napoli where we all stood for an hour and a half of a 3 hour journey. lol Big problem...was it was the last train to Napoli for that day and it was like after time to go home for everyone. It was a great and fun experience though.

We got to Napoli and finally ate some lunch...which none of us had eaten anything at all that day...expect I was prepared because I thought of my stomach and had like these great like snack pastries with a chocolate filling in them. So I gave everyone half of that on the train and help hold us till we got to Napoli. We got lunch and figured out the next train to take to get to Sorrento. We got onto that made our way, Pompeii is like half way in between Napoli and Sorrento. We were already tired, cold, and still wet! So we got to Pompeii, we literally got off...took a pic of Vasuvious and the entrance to the museum because it just closed and got on the next train and went on to Sorrento. We were all so tired!

The picture of me with the mountain behind me is in fact Mt. Vesuvius, I am just at Sorrento when the pic was taken. We took a boat from Sorrento to Capri, which was a very cool and nice relaxing trip over. When we got over there we were all just so excited that we had no plans! No walking around museums just doing whatever we wanted to do.

So we first looked at the shops because right as you get off the boat there are tons of shops! Where we all tried limoncello...which WOW!! Some strong stuff!!

Then we walked up these stupid steps all the way up to the towns center...which the view was amazing!! With ton of shops, and name brand products. Of course because of the time of year most of them were closed due to the fact that it is not really tourist season yet. Which made it nicer because it was not so crazy! We then just walked around and saw the beauty of Capri...which wow!! If I could live in Italy permanently...which I could defiantly do right now!! I would stay in Capri!!

We all ended up kind of splitting up and going different directions and, Michelle R, Megan and I ended up on an observation platform over looking a part of Capri! It was the most beautiful view ever!! The water was blue and was hitting the coast of Capri! Amazing!! After that we figured it would be a good idea to get some food and Then we had lunch at this great restaurant...which was amazing!! So good!! I had ravioli! So good!!

While going to lunch we all got back together, we all just walked around. Then we split up again one group going to see the coast and then the other we went to the shops by the port and then went ahead back to Sorrento early so we could go shopping.

It was a great night! We ate dinner that night at this amazing like gelato/cafe place. I had pizza...which was good...but the pizza in Castiglion...so good!!! After dinner we walked around some more, which was cool because Sorrento was having like a festival and everyone was out and it was just so neat to experience and see! Along with that we shopped some more and I bought shoes!!!! for only 20 EUROs, I had...because they were shinny and they are Italian shoes!!!

After walking around...getting a few things...we were all tired and went back to our hostel. We almost went out to experience the night life of Sorrento but we all managed to get ready for bed and go to sleep...because we did have 9 hours of traveling on trains to get back to Casitiglion the next day.

We all sleeped in the next day...leaving the hostel at 10, walking around town a little then heading back to the train station waiting till the train to arrive and leave at 1237. Which we took the train from Sorrento to Napoli which took like an hour...then waited in Napoli for an hour...which we quickly got food and got on our train because we wanted to get seats and not stand! Which was fine because the train was not full at all! lol That train ride from Napoli to Roma was 3 hours...then we had like 1.5 hours in Roma till our train back to Casitiglion that left at 1845. So we got gelato, food...and started to freak out because we couldn't find anyone that knew where platform 1 PE was....but we finally figured that out...getting us on the train back home at like 930. With us walking in the door at 10 PM. lol Yeah...Sunday was a true travel day!!

This week is just classes with photography finally starting!! I am so excited about that! This weekend we are going to try and go to Deruta again which is famous for its pottery!

At this moment as well we are planning a trip to Madrid for 25th. That seemed like a lot of rambling...but man has it been a long and crazy week and weekend!! Till I write again!

Ciao!

Rome!

This week and weekend was so much fun!!

Tuesday we arrived in Rome around like 10:30, we got to the hotel like 11 ish...I think. We got checked into our room and grabbed a quick bite to eat before we were on our way to Saint Peters and the Vatican Museum for the day.

Of course the entire time we were in Rome it was rainy and gross outside! Except for Thursday when the sun came out for like an hour or two. Wednesday we went to the Pantheon, Castel Sant'Angelo, Spanish Steps (they were ok), St. Paul's Basiclica. Then randomly at night after we ate dinner...which we walked like every where in Rome to find dinner! We came across the Trevi Fountain. Which is I think more amazing at night because it is all lit up!!

You would think finding a place to eat at night in Rome would be easy right!...well think again...no so much. Well at least where we were it was not so. Plus we didn't want to spend a lot of money and we had to find pizza and pasta.

Our hotel that we stayed at was nice...it was a two star hotel. Which if you didn't know our ranking of stars and Europe ranking of stars is completely different. It was nice though! I was one of the few but still a lot of the lucky ones that got our bathroom in our room and didn't have to share with like 10 people. It was very nice though, except when you tried to take a shower the shower curtain did not do the best thing at keeping the water in the shower...it would still get all over the floor!

Also...in Italy... pedestrians have no right of way when it comes to crossing the street or anything dealing with cars and yourself. So I have become very good at just walking across a street even if a car is within 10 feet of me. You just go...or you will never get across. They do stop, they just don't stop to let you cross if you are waiting to cross the street.

Thursday...what a great and long day! We started our day at like 9. Which was not bad, because I was defiantly tired from the day before! Today we went to the Roman Forums, Palatine Hill, another church...that I don't remember the name to it. Some more Roman ruins, the Column of Tragan. Which is 100 Roman ft high, which is like 90 ft high in our standards because the Romans had small feet.

It did rain most of the time that we were here...which sucked because it made going out no fun. But we did have during the day mostly free of rain. Now...the greatest and most crazy, annoying... worst day ever! So Friday! We still had some stuff to see, so we were busy till like 1130. That was the plan...well we are getting ready in the morning and what is going on or yeah it is snowing! I don't mean Texas snow where it is small I mean like probably Colorado/Baltimore snow!!! Like these snow flaxes were hugh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well then it stop snowing for a bit and it was just raining...so we were off to see a Theater, Circus Maximus, Hurcules Temple, another Temple, the major drain that they used in Rome to drain water out of the city that is still in use today and then last the Baths of Caracalla. Well it was snowing off and on all day..slowly starting to stick. Well it didn't get crazy till we got to the Baths. Oooo also...I am freezing, cold, my shoes are wet and our prof is still going!!! Also...I have a hole in my big jacket now, luckily a small one, but still!

Well..when we got to the Baths...we were inside for like 7 min and then all of a sudden bam!!!!!!!!! It starts snow blizzarding outside!!!! Also by this point we all want to leave because we are all freezing cold, wet and miserable. Finally when that blizzard hits we can leave. So we are just running out of the Baths because we are cold and just want to get warm. Luckily for us there was a metro station just like a 5-10 min walk by us. We were so cold though!!

So Friday was an interesting day to say the least. After we got back to the hotel we grab our stuff and were off to Sorrento and Capri for the weekend. All of us hoping that it would be Sunny with Blue skies!!

Ciao!

Foian...now to Rome!!

This weekend was so much fun! Friday...we just relaxed and got ready for a busy and very eventful weekend!!

On Saturday we went to the Arezzo Antique Market in the morning. It was so cool! Much bigger then I thought it would be. It was so cool, Mom if you could buy furniture here you probably would...or at least Heather you would. lol

We had some great pizza dn sandwhich for lunch! Love the pizza! Then afterwards we went back to Castiglion to catch a nap...or sleep, my nap was like 3 hours. It was so good!! :)

That night we celebrated Michelle Parrish's 21st Birthday. Which everyone had a great time! We went from Roggero's to the Velvet Underground. Two bars like 3 min from Santa Chiara, we turned the Velvet underground...after we got there like 12:30 A.M. ish we turn the Velvet into an American dance party! About everyone from TAMU was there dancing and going crazy...till like 3.

Then on Sunday, o we had so much fun!!! We went to the Carnivale in Foiano. It was so much

fun!! They had like 4 or 5 main floats..that were like 4 stories high and were moving left and right up and down! Making music and had fog and what not. So cool!! They had confetti everywhere, which you could buy for 1 EURO which I did. We threw it at each other and had so much fun!!

People and families were dressed up in costumes from Batman...to bumble bees! The food was amazing!!! I had an amazing crepe filled with nutella!! It was so good!! I also bought myself a nice little mask to wear as well as did some other people. It was just a great day and with lots of fun and excitement!

This is just one of the floats that they had, confetti came out of the syringe. There are lots more pics from the Canivale on my facebook...which you can see! We leave tomorrow morning for Rome!!! Will be gone all week and weekend! Going to Rome till Friday, then doing Pompeii, Capri and Sorrento this weekend. So excited!!

Till Sunday!!

Ciao!!

Rain! Food! Hill!

All it has done today is rain! Rain! I am ready for blue clear skyes and white fluffy clouds!! It was a very just gray day! lol We just been hanging out in the building...not doing much. Lunch today was ok...I know, you are in Italy Jordan...the food should be great!...well the lunches sometimes are a hit and miss. Dinner and complete hit!


We do have Italian ladies cook our lunch and dinner for us so I can't really complain and it is so good!!! This is a picture of Castiglion when the sky is blue with white fluffy clouds....this is why I am tired of the rain!! Because it is so freakin amazing when it is clear! :)

Danielle just found out about skype and the ability to video chat...which she got extremely excited about! Very Funny!!!

The food around here is so good!! Mom and
Heather...we are having lunch in Castiglion, love the pizza!! So good!!


Yesterday we climbed the freakin big hill in Castiglion for my archiology class...I about died!! But I guess all this walking is helping and not having a midnight snake is helping because my
belt is to big...even with it on the lowest hole. We walk so much...like more then we did in Disney world on that day we did like 7 miles...or something like that...I think it was the day we were in Magic Kingdom...I think. Hope you enjoy the pictures...I also post more on facebook!! I am so hungary...and dinner is in 30 min...so going to go and hopefully not die!!



Ciao!!!

First True Weekend!!

Well today has been slow...we decided last night at like 2 AM not to go to Deruta today because well it was 2 AM in the morning and we had to be at the Train Station tomorrow at like 8:30...so we are doing Deruta on another weekend. lol

The wireless as been down sense lastnight at like 230ish and it is still down...which sucks because well makes checking email and everything a little harder. But we are managing luckly. It is raining today so I am not sure we are going to do much today except hang around Castiglion.

Tonight at midnight Michelle P turns 21 so I think we are going to go out and Celebrate her birthday even though...she can already drink but owell!! We will have fun doing that! Tomorrow is Arezzo hopefully it is not raining...because rain is no no fun when traveling and walking around.

Time to get ready for lunch!

Ciao!!

I hate titles...

Hello Everyone,

Due to pressure from people I know I decided to give in and start a blog of my wonderful adventure while in Italy.

Today was ok...we had to walk a hill for my Archeology class so he could show us the Copper, and Salt routs they used in old Italian days. The trek was a pain in my calves...the view was amazing though. So hopefully at the end of the semester when we go back up,

1. I will not die
2. It will be sunny with blue skies and white fluffy clouds.

So far while in Italy, I have been to Arezzo, and Firenze (Florence). Both wonderful places!! We go back to Firenze three more times with class things. Of course more on my own.

Tomorrow we are going to Deruta, to look at the cool pottery there. Then Saturday we are going to Arezzo for the Antique Market, with Sunday going to the Carnevale di Foiano, which is in Foiano...if you didn't know. It is basically Mardi Gras...but Italian style. lol

Next week is Rome, we leave Tuesday and will be gone till Friday. But then from Rome a group of us are going to stay in Sorrento with going to Pompeii on Friday and Capri on Saturday. So excited for that weekend!!

That is kind of a quick update and a nice overview of my week coming up. I will let yall know now tomorrow goes...and this weekend. This might be easier then emails. Also, if you are on facebook I just posted some new pics from Firenze. We will see! :)

Ciao!!