We just finished up our last leg of traveling with a quick WWII inspired tour. After Naples we set off for Krakow, Poland and spent three days exploring the surprisingly wonderful city. I had such an emotional feeling upon arriving in Poland because I realized that I was probably the first member of my entire family to return to Poland after my grandfather left there at the age of 9. He and his family left to find a better life in America and I tried to imagine what that was like for them - leaving everything you'd known for a hope of a better life. It was interesting to be back in Poland and experience a bit of the culture he left-and even more interesting to remember what a proud American he was even though he wasnt born there. It was the perfect segway into learning a bit more about WWII since he told stories of his Marine service in the war until the day he died.
The focus of our time in Krakow, however, was a trip to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps. I cant really describe here how the experience was, but there is something very powerful about being in a place that treated people as animals, took away their human dignity, destroyed families, and in the end, systematically tried to annihilate entire people groups. I dont have the words to say what it feels like to walk into a gas chamber, or stand next to the Death Wall, or see all the items confiscated from victims - baby bottles, reading glasses, shoes, hair. I guess the hardest part of it all was realizing that things like this still happen but they might not get as much press coverage. One of my favorite parts though was learning about some people associated in the Polish underground resistance movement. People who hid Jews in their homes to save them from the Nazis. People who tried to give food through the camp walls. People who risked their lives to help others.
After Krakow we headed to Berlin for 2 days and took an all day tour of the city. It was fascinating to learn about the city's history -all the way from its time as a Part of Prussia to the Cold War and everything in between. I saw where Hitler died (fittingly only marked by a parking lot), Checkpoint Charlie (the front lines of the Cold War - where at times American tanks and Soviet tanks faced off against each other just a few feet away waiting to start World War Three, and the remains of the Berlin Wall. I learned the thrilling story about how the wall fell, how people had tried to escape from East Berlin prior to that event, and the place where the Nazis burned books. Today there is a quote there from an author speaking about the Spanish Inquisition but it eerily fits. Translated it roughly means, 'Once they start burning books, they soon will start burning people.'
After Berlin we went to Paris for a few days including a fantastic day trip to Disneyland Paris! We were tired of culture, tired of history, tired of art, so a trip to the most magical place was just what we needed. I guess not many people can say that they've ridden the Tower of Terror 3 times on their visit to Europe. ha.
Normandy was our next stop for t he 65th Anniversary of the DDAY landings. Thank goodness we had scheduled a tour because it took us all along the landing beaches and really laid out before our eyes Operation Overlord. We couldnt help feel so proud to be part of the Allied forces - and everytime we saw a veteran of the invasion we were almost drawn to tears. Most of them are in their mid-eighties if they havent passed away already. We wanted to thank them, to hug them, ask them war stories so we could remember what they did and what they sacrificed. Visiting the American cemetery at Omaha Beach was also particularly moving. You just see white marble crosses laid out in perfect rows everywhere - another reminder of the sacrifice of so many young men - younger than me - who died on the beaches where we were standing.
It was hard to get around on actual DDAY of June 6th because President Obama's visit basically shut down the entire area and unless you had special access (which we did not) you were pretty much cut out of most ceremonies. We were fortunate enough though to watch the simultaneous fireworks display the night before that took place on over 50 miles of the coast. It was amazing. We were also lucky to have met a few active service members and ended up spending most of our time with them touring around - something that made the experience all the more meaningful.
Now we're back in Florence for our last day in Italy and we fly back to the States tomorrow. Ill update one more time with pictures but until then, see you in America!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
cinque terre, sorrento, amalfi coast, capri, pompeii, napoli
I cant believe that Maddie has been here a little over a week already and our Italy traveling time is almost over! We have had the most perfect time together in two of the most beautiful parts of Italy I have seen yet. First we headed to Cinque Terre - a series of five small hilltop towns that run along the Ligurian Coast. We were able to hike through all five towns (7 miles of up and down in about 4 hours!) and felt like we were in paradise. Each town hugs the side of a cliff that overlooks the most beautiful turquoise-clear water with colorful wildflowers growing everywhere. Also all of the houses and buildings are painted in so many different colors that you feel like you are on a movie set - it's fun. The Cinque Terre is great because its not nearly as commercialized as other places and for some reason, everyone has decided to keep it clean and tourists manage to act rather respectful while they're there! We spent a day on the beach in Monterosso and swam in that same amazing water and couldnt get the smiles off of our faces. On of our favorite memories was on the start of our hike and we asked two older Italian men to take our photo. Ten minutes later (while we sat posed for our photo) the picture was taken after the men hemmed and hawed and discussed the best way to take the picture and how it should be framed. Welcome to Italy.
With sadness we left our favorite spot and headed down south to Sorrento where we stayed 5 nights at a great little hotel/hostel right outside of the coastal town. We thought that our time in Cinque Terre couldnt be topped but somehow we managed to have some of the best days of our lives (yes, I know thats a bold claim, but it's true!) We took bus rides (with no roof) all along the winding road of the Amalfi Coast and loved the wind blowing in our hair and seeing the coastline. We made visits to Positano, Amalfi town, Ravello (where we met up with Maddie's dad who also happened to be vacationing in Italy...so fun!), and Sorrento. Our favorite day by far however was our trip to Capri. Our hotel offered a private boat trip with a reasonable price so we jumped on to a boat with our rather Italian, rather flirtatious captain Agostino and ten other travelers. Ago took us all around the island where we stopped a bunch and went swimming and exploring in all the caves around capri in its magnificent blue water. Riding on the boat was fantastic with the wind in your hair and the island in your sight. We had a few hours to explore Capri and Maddie and I took a sort of ski lift to the very top where you had a view of the entire island below. Paradise, again. We kept saying that we couldnt believe we were here - who the heck gets to vacation on the Amalfi Coast?! Who gets to swim the Blue Grotto?! (yes, this was illegal but everyone does it and Ago made sure we didnt miss out on any adventures! The Blue Grotto by the way is the most famous site at Capri - a cave where inside the water reflects and the whole cave is filled with a blue glow. We also saw into the green grotto, and a few others. Caves are so cool, who knew?!)
Another day we took a trip to the ancient ruins of Pompeii, were amazed again, and took a million pictures of a bunch of stuff that we cant quite identify when we look at them again (a common occurence when photographing ruins...) We were so excited to be there and took a great self-guided tour provided by our excellent Rick Steves Guidebook. (Maddie and I are slowly developing crushes on Rick Steves - a really nerdy, middle aged travel guru whose guidebook we use like the bible while in Italy. We also met a couple who love him and whenever they go to a restaurant Steves suggests, they play 'spot the Rick Steves books.' funny.) Seeing Mt. Vesuvius looming in the background was also incredible.
Anyway, we left Sorrento, again sad, and headed to Naples yesterday. Everyone says Naples is crazy and they fear for their lives. It's the most densely populated city in Europe, famous for its con artists and pickpocks, and is also the birthplace of pizza. Maddie and I prepared ourselves for the worst, put on our sunglasses and poker faces, and walked through the train station and subway (supposedly the most dangerous) like we owned the place and had a good time. (It's really hard to see underground in the metro when you're wearing sunglasses...) While we expected something dangerous to happen, we ended up pleasantly surprised by the city. We love the fast pace, the people, the architecture, the 20 million vespas around. Our favorite thing to do is ask people for directions because they are SO helpful. Once we stopped to ask this guy how to get somewhere and he ended up rounding up 4 other guys from the neighborhood so they could look at our map together and tell us where to go. Hilarious. That's Naples though - if you want to see the real Italy, come here. We love it. We also visited the Archaeological Museum where all the artifacts from Pompeii are stored. It was very interesting, especially the 'Secret Room' where all the frescoes from Pompeiian brothels are stored. Racy.
So yes, it's been the perfect time in Italy and I'm really excited to have a friend from home who can really understand the culture now and won't look at me weirdly when I do Italian-esque things when I get home (like sitting around outside for hours just chatting with people -a common practice here. Doing nothing.) Oh and did I mention that we had sunny beautiful weather everyday? Well, we did. We are so blessed.
We leave Naples today to fly to Prague then are jumping on an overnight train (if we catch it!) to Poland so I can explore the other half of my heritage and experience some WWII history. Should be wonderful.
I'll have pictures up here at some point, although they dont do much justice to the beauty we've seen. I'll update soon!
With sadness we left our favorite spot and headed down south to Sorrento where we stayed 5 nights at a great little hotel/hostel right outside of the coastal town. We thought that our time in Cinque Terre couldnt be topped but somehow we managed to have some of the best days of our lives (yes, I know thats a bold claim, but it's true!) We took bus rides (with no roof) all along the winding road of the Amalfi Coast and loved the wind blowing in our hair and seeing the coastline. We made visits to Positano, Amalfi town, Ravello (where we met up with Maddie's dad who also happened to be vacationing in Italy...so fun!), and Sorrento. Our favorite day by far however was our trip to Capri. Our hotel offered a private boat trip with a reasonable price so we jumped on to a boat with our rather Italian, rather flirtatious captain Agostino and ten other travelers. Ago took us all around the island where we stopped a bunch and went swimming and exploring in all the caves around capri in its magnificent blue water. Riding on the boat was fantastic with the wind in your hair and the island in your sight. We had a few hours to explore Capri and Maddie and I took a sort of ski lift to the very top where you had a view of the entire island below. Paradise, again. We kept saying that we couldnt believe we were here - who the heck gets to vacation on the Amalfi Coast?! Who gets to swim the Blue Grotto?! (yes, this was illegal but everyone does it and Ago made sure we didnt miss out on any adventures! The Blue Grotto by the way is the most famous site at Capri - a cave where inside the water reflects and the whole cave is filled with a blue glow. We also saw into the green grotto, and a few others. Caves are so cool, who knew?!)
Another day we took a trip to the ancient ruins of Pompeii, were amazed again, and took a million pictures of a bunch of stuff that we cant quite identify when we look at them again (a common occurence when photographing ruins...) We were so excited to be there and took a great self-guided tour provided by our excellent Rick Steves Guidebook. (Maddie and I are slowly developing crushes on Rick Steves - a really nerdy, middle aged travel guru whose guidebook we use like the bible while in Italy. We also met a couple who love him and whenever they go to a restaurant Steves suggests, they play 'spot the Rick Steves books.' funny.) Seeing Mt. Vesuvius looming in the background was also incredible.
Anyway, we left Sorrento, again sad, and headed to Naples yesterday. Everyone says Naples is crazy and they fear for their lives. It's the most densely populated city in Europe, famous for its con artists and pickpocks, and is also the birthplace of pizza. Maddie and I prepared ourselves for the worst, put on our sunglasses and poker faces, and walked through the train station and subway (supposedly the most dangerous) like we owned the place and had a good time. (It's really hard to see underground in the metro when you're wearing sunglasses...) While we expected something dangerous to happen, we ended up pleasantly surprised by the city. We love the fast pace, the people, the architecture, the 20 million vespas around. Our favorite thing to do is ask people for directions because they are SO helpful. Once we stopped to ask this guy how to get somewhere and he ended up rounding up 4 other guys from the neighborhood so they could look at our map together and tell us where to go. Hilarious. That's Naples though - if you want to see the real Italy, come here. We love it. We also visited the Archaeological Museum where all the artifacts from Pompeii are stored. It was very interesting, especially the 'Secret Room' where all the frescoes from Pompeiian brothels are stored. Racy.
So yes, it's been the perfect time in Italy and I'm really excited to have a friend from home who can really understand the culture now and won't look at me weirdly when I do Italian-esque things when I get home (like sitting around outside for hours just chatting with people -a common practice here. Doing nothing.) Oh and did I mention that we had sunny beautiful weather everyday? Well, we did. We are so blessed.
We leave Naples today to fly to Prague then are jumping on an overnight train (if we catch it!) to Poland so I can explore the other half of my heritage and experience some WWII history. Should be wonderful.
I'll have pictures up here at some point, although they dont do much justice to the beauty we've seen. I'll update soon!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Seggiano
I apologize for the incredibly long absence of a blog update! Internet access has of course been sparse and lots has happened! After the two weeks I spent at the previous farm my mom and sister came out to Italy for a wonderful visit! It was so great to see family and we had ourselves quite the whirlwind adventure! In ten days we managed to see Florence, Venice, Siena, Assisi, and Rome. One of the highlights was attending the Roma vs. Lazio soccer game, also known as The Derby, once we got to Rome. There is a huge rivalry between the two teams as they are from the same region (Rome is in the region of Lazio) and it was really fun and a bit insane! Each side has its own songs that they sing throughout the game and the fans enjoy getting rather vulgar and excited. We loved it. Even though our team lost (we bought Roma t-shirts and everything!) we still had a great time. My mom and I also managed to attend Easter Mass at The Vatican which was pretty special to be with so many people from around the world celebrating the Resurrection, but I have to admit that I found something was off when we survived the craziest soccer game of the year with no problems but somehow ended up almost crushed by the communion line at Mass! We all also made a stop at Casa Faustina to meet up with Giordano and Tamara who were thrilled to meet some of my family and vice versa. I have a feeling we will all be heading back there someday for a more relaxing Italian vacation...
After mom and Betsy headed home I arrived at my final WWOOF location - Castello di Potentino in Seggiano, Tuscany. For the past month I have been working at this restored Renaissance castle run by a wonderful British family. They make fantastic, 5-star wine and are also really fun! There are other wwoofers here as well so it's been great to have our own community. We spend most days walking up and down the 20,000 vines, de-budding, weeding, and training the vines. There was also a week when I weed whacked for 7 hours a day, for 5 days straight - I felt proud of myself for not getting seriously injured while operating that sort of equipment! (I tend to be rather accident prone..) On our off time (2 whole days a week!) we spend cooking, watching old movies, or reading books from their massive library. I'd say all of us wwoofers are all much more cultured after our stay at the castle!
The time has flown by here but I've enjoyed it thoroughly. I've learned to make pasta from scratch, have led my fellow wwoofers in a few gnocchi making sessions, written some silly poems performed after dinner, gotten quite a film education, taken walks to the beautiful nearby river, picked wildflowers that are blooming all around, and learned a ton about wine production. It's been the perfect place to end my working vacation here in Italy.
On Monday I head back to Florence to meet up with my old college roommate Maddie who flies in to Italy on Tuesday. We have quite the tour of Europe planned and I absolutely cannot wait to see her. Our itinerary is as follows:
Cinque Terre for 3 days
Naples/Sorrento/Capri/Pompeii for 6 days or so
Warsaw, Poland for 3 days (especially a visit to Aushwitz)
Berlin for 2 days
Paris for 2 days
Normandy for 2 days for the 65th anniversary of the D-Day Invasion
back to italy for a day before I fly back to the states!
It should be a fantastic end to this amazing journey. I'm sure Ill update more soon, but until then, thanks for checking in!
Sorry no pictures yet but as soon as I get to a proper computer Ill post some!
After mom and Betsy headed home I arrived at my final WWOOF location - Castello di Potentino in Seggiano, Tuscany. For the past month I have been working at this restored Renaissance castle run by a wonderful British family. They make fantastic, 5-star wine and are also really fun! There are other wwoofers here as well so it's been great to have our own community. We spend most days walking up and down the 20,000 vines, de-budding, weeding, and training the vines. There was also a week when I weed whacked for 7 hours a day, for 5 days straight - I felt proud of myself for not getting seriously injured while operating that sort of equipment! (I tend to be rather accident prone..) On our off time (2 whole days a week!) we spend cooking, watching old movies, or reading books from their massive library. I'd say all of us wwoofers are all much more cultured after our stay at the castle!
The time has flown by here but I've enjoyed it thoroughly. I've learned to make pasta from scratch, have led my fellow wwoofers in a few gnocchi making sessions, written some silly poems performed after dinner, gotten quite a film education, taken walks to the beautiful nearby river, picked wildflowers that are blooming all around, and learned a ton about wine production. It's been the perfect place to end my working vacation here in Italy.
On Monday I head back to Florence to meet up with my old college roommate Maddie who flies in to Italy on Tuesday. We have quite the tour of Europe planned and I absolutely cannot wait to see her. Our itinerary is as follows:
Cinque Terre for 3 days
Naples/Sorrento/Capri/Pompeii for 6 days or so
Warsaw, Poland for 3 days (especially a visit to Aushwitz)
Berlin for 2 days
Paris for 2 days
Normandy for 2 days for the 65th anniversary of the D-Day Invasion
back to italy for a day before I fly back to the states!
It should be a fantastic end to this amazing journey. I'm sure Ill update more soon, but until then, thanks for checking in!
Sorry no pictures yet but as soon as I get to a proper computer Ill post some!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Val d'Orcia
I just spent the past two and a half weeks at Podere Il Casale, a fully functioning farm and agriturismo where they produce honey, wine, olive oil, pasta and cheese. Located in the Val d'Orcia in Tuscany just between the hill towns of Monticchiello and Pienza and not far from Montepulciano, I often found myself saying ''this is so cool! I'm working in a vineyard in Tuscany!'' or, ''I'm eating pasta made in the super-famous part of the Italian countryside!''
I initally went to Il Casale to work in the cheesery, but I soon found myself helping out in all aspects of the farm. I cleared olive prunings and made fires to burn them, worked in the vineyard tying and pruning grape vines, and assisted in caring for an unknown number of sheep and goats! I'll admit that working with the animals was the most fun, yet entirely absurd and extremely messy. On days when we had to clean out the stalls (and by 'clean' I mean shoveling out what felt like a thousand pounds of packed piles of hay and sheep poop) we wwoofers found it bet to keep telling ourselves that we were just cleaning up mud! Needless to say we got pretty good at handling pitchforks. I mention other wwoofers because I was lucky enough to work with Jon, a 24 year-old artist from Hawaii and Ruth, a 20 year-old German girl. The three of us got to be great friends over the course of our stay at Il Casale and relied on each other for moral support, wine and coffee breaks, laundry help, and with herding the frequent runaway farm animals.
It was so interesting working with the sheep and goats. Each day they had to be brought out to pasture to feed and then brought back in for milking. I only helped with the herding every so often but I gained enough experience to give meaning to the phrase ''like a lost sheep.'' It really is true - sheep are not very smart and if separted from the herd by just a few meters, they have no idea what to do! Goats on the other hand, are much smarter. Too smart in fact because they easily would find their way through the fences to graze as they pleased. In addition to the grown sheep and goats there were also a ton of kids and lambs. Working at a farm at the beginning of spring offers its fair share of surprises, and newborn animals are a prime example.
It was so great to be able to really experience farm life. while the work is by no means easy, it has given me new appreciation for living simply and understanding of the natural roots of things. I now know how cheese is made (pecorino - from the word 'pecore', meaning 'sheep') and all the work that goes into getting the milk. I've seen the work behind wine and olive oil production and even the time required to make good bread (thanks to my time spent firing up the wood burning oven). It seems that a lot of us in America are so concerned with saving time that we lost sight of our roots. We have no idea where our food comes from and the only time we spend resting with our family or friends happens in the short intervals between work and some other obligation. It was wonderful to meet Jon and Ruth everyday in the goat pen after work and just sit and watch the baby goats play while the sun set. I've had a lot of moments like that here in Italy - when it feels like time stands still and that there's nothing that needs to be done, nothing to cross off a to-do list - just time to sit and watch and appreciate small things. Now of course I know that when I get back to the States I wont have nearly as much time to do that, but I think I will be sure to carve out time for 'bel far niente', or, the beauty of doing nothing (italians are great at this!)
Besides the sheep and goats (and many other people that were all characters!), there was also an escape artist poney, a very vocal donkey (who had a crush on the poney), six proud peacocks, numerous cats, and two sheepdogs (my favorite, named Ben, looked like a polar bear and I would use him as my pillow to lay in the sun - so great!)
On another note, at Il Casale I also learned to appreciate not living in excess. Everything I own on this trip fits into a backpack, I ate only bread for breakfast, showered rarely, and slept in a cool old bus! It was all just fine and I realized I should make sure in life that luxuries do not become necessities for me.
Finally worth noting about my time at Il Casale was that I noticed so many biblical passages come to life. I understand better why mostly priests slaughtered animals, why Jesus would go to pray at the Mount of Olives, the significance of the vine and branches parables and what pruning really means, how Jesus really cares for us like a shepherd, the symbolism of unleavened bread etc. Perhaps the most dramatic biblical revelation came after I met Marco, the humble and quiet shepherd ('pastore' in Italian...) at Il Casale. Marco was the favorite of the wwoofers because he was the hardest worker, had a special gift with the animals, didn't own much (he even lived outside in a tepee for a year!), took time to spend with us, and never hurried. By the world's standards, he would almost be forgotten, but to us, he was so great and special! It amazes me that in the Christmas story God sent the angels to notify the shepherds, people like Marco, that the true King was born. It's the perfect example of God using the humble and the lowly to glorify Himself. Meeting Marco made that so clear.
Well, this blog entry is long enough and I encourage you to check out the pictures I attached (all compliments of the amazingly talented Jon!) at the end of this. I'm writing this from a hostel in Florence anxiously awaiting the arrival of my mom and sister in Italy tomorrow! I am so excited to see family, get hugs from them and impress with my Italian language and travel skills! I will surely have an update after they leave the day after Easter. A presto!
I initally went to Il Casale to work in the cheesery, but I soon found myself helping out in all aspects of the farm. I cleared olive prunings and made fires to burn them, worked in the vineyard tying and pruning grape vines, and assisted in caring for an unknown number of sheep and goats! I'll admit that working with the animals was the most fun, yet entirely absurd and extremely messy. On days when we had to clean out the stalls (and by 'clean' I mean shoveling out what felt like a thousand pounds of packed piles of hay and sheep poop) we wwoofers found it bet to keep telling ourselves that we were just cleaning up mud! Needless to say we got pretty good at handling pitchforks. I mention other wwoofers because I was lucky enough to work with Jon, a 24 year-old artist from Hawaii and Ruth, a 20 year-old German girl. The three of us got to be great friends over the course of our stay at Il Casale and relied on each other for moral support, wine and coffee breaks, laundry help, and with herding the frequent runaway farm animals.
It was so interesting working with the sheep and goats. Each day they had to be brought out to pasture to feed and then brought back in for milking. I only helped with the herding every so often but I gained enough experience to give meaning to the phrase ''like a lost sheep.'' It really is true - sheep are not very smart and if separted from the herd by just a few meters, they have no idea what to do! Goats on the other hand, are much smarter. Too smart in fact because they easily would find their way through the fences to graze as they pleased. In addition to the grown sheep and goats there were also a ton of kids and lambs. Working at a farm at the beginning of spring offers its fair share of surprises, and newborn animals are a prime example.
It was so great to be able to really experience farm life. while the work is by no means easy, it has given me new appreciation for living simply and understanding of the natural roots of things. I now know how cheese is made (pecorino - from the word 'pecore', meaning 'sheep') and all the work that goes into getting the milk. I've seen the work behind wine and olive oil production and even the time required to make good bread (thanks to my time spent firing up the wood burning oven). It seems that a lot of us in America are so concerned with saving time that we lost sight of our roots. We have no idea where our food comes from and the only time we spend resting with our family or friends happens in the short intervals between work and some other obligation. It was wonderful to meet Jon and Ruth everyday in the goat pen after work and just sit and watch the baby goats play while the sun set. I've had a lot of moments like that here in Italy - when it feels like time stands still and that there's nothing that needs to be done, nothing to cross off a to-do list - just time to sit and watch and appreciate small things. Now of course I know that when I get back to the States I wont have nearly as much time to do that, but I think I will be sure to carve out time for 'bel far niente', or, the beauty of doing nothing (italians are great at this!)
Besides the sheep and goats (and many other people that were all characters!), there was also an escape artist poney, a very vocal donkey (who had a crush on the poney), six proud peacocks, numerous cats, and two sheepdogs (my favorite, named Ben, looked like a polar bear and I would use him as my pillow to lay in the sun - so great!)
On another note, at Il Casale I also learned to appreciate not living in excess. Everything I own on this trip fits into a backpack, I ate only bread for breakfast, showered rarely, and slept in a cool old bus! It was all just fine and I realized I should make sure in life that luxuries do not become necessities for me.
Finally worth noting about my time at Il Casale was that I noticed so many biblical passages come to life. I understand better why mostly priests slaughtered animals, why Jesus would go to pray at the Mount of Olives, the significance of the vine and branches parables and what pruning really means, how Jesus really cares for us like a shepherd, the symbolism of unleavened bread etc. Perhaps the most dramatic biblical revelation came after I met Marco, the humble and quiet shepherd ('pastore' in Italian...) at Il Casale. Marco was the favorite of the wwoofers because he was the hardest worker, had a special gift with the animals, didn't own much (he even lived outside in a tepee for a year!), took time to spend with us, and never hurried. By the world's standards, he would almost be forgotten, but to us, he was so great and special! It amazes me that in the Christmas story God sent the angels to notify the shepherds, people like Marco, that the true King was born. It's the perfect example of God using the humble and the lowly to glorify Himself. Meeting Marco made that so clear.
Well, this blog entry is long enough and I encourage you to check out the pictures I attached (all compliments of the amazingly talented Jon!) at the end of this. I'm writing this from a hostel in Florence anxiously awaiting the arrival of my mom and sister in Italy tomorrow! I am so excited to see family, get hugs from them and impress with my Italian language and travel skills! I will surely have an update after they leave the day after Easter. A presto!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Sicilia
Finally this blog posting will update you on my whereabouts for the past two months. From January 18th-February 16th, I headed south from Rome to experience life in Sicily, the large island off the tip of Italy. I was happy to see other parts of this beautiful country on my 13 hour train ride through the toe of ''the boot'', thus legitimizing the name of this blog (''gets the boot''...means I'm learning about/'getting' Italy...in case you hadn't figured that out by now!). I spent the month at a meditation center just outside of Catania, the second biggest city in Sicily, located on the eastern coast. I wasn't sure what to expect of my time at the center since I'm more prone to prayer than meditation and would rather call on the name of Jesus instead of the sun and moon or some Zen guru, but hey, it shaped up to be quite the experience!
Sicily is absolutely breathtaking and its weather was a welcome change from the cold and snow of northern Europe. The sea surrounding the island is perfectly blue and the warm sunshine in the middle of winter was fantastic. The Sicilian people are a breed all their own and it took me awhile to understand their distinct dialect but by the end of my time I had adopted the Sicilian habit of speaking with your hands in excess (yes, this habit is true of all Italians, but Sicilians do it the most!) and the family I lived with took it upon themselves to teach me to curse in Italian, a skill I suppose will serve me well throughout life?!
The center was amidst countless orange trees and I loved taking walks each day (with the owner's four dogs!) and being able to just pick fruit off trees and eat it while overlooking the valley below and Mt. Etna in the distance. The oranges were the best I had ever tasted – as big as grapefruits and incredibly sweet! Recalling those oranges now reminds me of the many simple ways God has shown me His love and creativity on this trip – getting to taste the best food, meeting interesting people, having safe travels – are just some of the ways I know He's speaking to me.
I spent the month at Samadhi Center working as a family's personal chef and somtimes maid. It was fun being able to try out new recipes and by the end of the month I became much more confident in my cooking abilities! I was whipping up risotto, ragu, gnocchi, soup, tirimasu etc. all from scratch. I guess that's what people do when they have unlimited amounts of time on their hands to spend in the kitchen! I even made pizza that turned out pretty well if I do say so myself! (See photo below...) My real test however, came when Carmen (the lady who helps run the center) asked me to cook for her extended family who was coming over for the traditional Sunday lunch. Talk about pressure! Me, a 22 year old American girl, was solely responsible for pleasing the taste buds of a bunch of Sicilians...oh boy. All worked out in the end though and everyone enjoyed their meal. Carmen even asked if I could stay and work there longer because she hates to cook but I politely declined and was happy to head to my next destination.
On February 16th I arrived back at Casa Faustina, an agriturismo and farm in Assisi where I spend the month of November harvesting olives and making olive oil. Giordano and Tamara, the couple who run the place and who have also become my good friends, asked if I could return and house sit while they went away on vacation. It's great being back in a familiar place with unlimited internet access! I've spent the time spreading organic compost around the 1,300 olive trees (not a pleasant smell...), feeding Lola the dog and Lino the cat, and taking advantage of the internet access as much as possible. I depart here on March 15th and will head to a farm in Tuscany where I will hopefully learn to make cheese – and we're not talking Kraft Singles! It should be fun and I'm looking forward to being in a new environment and learning new things, although I will miss the comfort of this familiar place and its connection to the outside world – the internet! Therefore I apologize in advance for possibly not being able to post on here for awhile. Oh by the way, if anyone has any advice on taking care of sheep and then using their milk to make cheese, let me know! Ciao!
Sicily is absolutely breathtaking and its weather was a welcome change from the cold and snow of northern Europe. The sea surrounding the island is perfectly blue and the warm sunshine in the middle of winter was fantastic. The Sicilian people are a breed all their own and it took me awhile to understand their distinct dialect but by the end of my time I had adopted the Sicilian habit of speaking with your hands in excess (yes, this habit is true of all Italians, but Sicilians do it the most!) and the family I lived with took it upon themselves to teach me to curse in Italian, a skill I suppose will serve me well throughout life?!
The center was amidst countless orange trees and I loved taking walks each day (with the owner's four dogs!) and being able to just pick fruit off trees and eat it while overlooking the valley below and Mt. Etna in the distance. The oranges were the best I had ever tasted – as big as grapefruits and incredibly sweet! Recalling those oranges now reminds me of the many simple ways God has shown me His love and creativity on this trip – getting to taste the best food, meeting interesting people, having safe travels – are just some of the ways I know He's speaking to me.
I spent the month at Samadhi Center working as a family's personal chef and somtimes maid. It was fun being able to try out new recipes and by the end of the month I became much more confident in my cooking abilities! I was whipping up risotto, ragu, gnocchi, soup, tirimasu etc. all from scratch. I guess that's what people do when they have unlimited amounts of time on their hands to spend in the kitchen! I even made pizza that turned out pretty well if I do say so myself! (See photo below...) My real test however, came when Carmen (the lady who helps run the center) asked me to cook for her extended family who was coming over for the traditional Sunday lunch. Talk about pressure! Me, a 22 year old American girl, was solely responsible for pleasing the taste buds of a bunch of Sicilians...oh boy. All worked out in the end though and everyone enjoyed their meal. Carmen even asked if I could stay and work there longer because she hates to cook but I politely declined and was happy to head to my next destination.
On February 16th I arrived back at Casa Faustina, an agriturismo and farm in Assisi where I spend the month of November harvesting olives and making olive oil. Giordano and Tamara, the couple who run the place and who have also become my good friends, asked if I could return and house sit while they went away on vacation. It's great being back in a familiar place with unlimited internet access! I've spent the time spreading organic compost around the 1,300 olive trees (not a pleasant smell...), feeding Lola the dog and Lino the cat, and taking advantage of the internet access as much as possible. I depart here on March 15th and will head to a farm in Tuscany where I will hopefully learn to make cheese – and we're not talking Kraft Singles! It should be fun and I'm looking forward to being in a new environment and learning new things, although I will miss the comfort of this familiar place and its connection to the outside world – the internet! Therefore I apologize in advance for possibly not being able to post on here for awhile. Oh by the way, if anyone has any advice on taking care of sheep and then using their milk to make cheese, let me know! Ciao!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Roma
Forgive me for not posting on this in awhile but I've had extremely limited internet access for the past month or so. I'll do my best to catch you up on my travels since the last blog (munich/prague).
The last leg of my friend Jess' tour of Europe was a fantastic six day stay in Rome. After running from place to place, trying to catch trains, planes and buses and staying in hostels, we were happy to settle in the Italian capital for an extended stay - and in a real hotel! (Word of advice: Travel during the off season! We found a great little hotel in the heart of Rome for 50% off!)
Part three of our trip was full of culture, history, and great food. We had the chance to see practically everything our guidebook suggested and then some. We also were able to relax and enjoy some long meals of the most delicious Roman cuisine. Rome is impressive because it seamlessly incorporates the old with the new to create a culture unlike any other. Walking around you see amazing ancient ruins like the Colosseum, Pantheon, and Roman Forum among the thriving business and culture of Rome today. After spending a week there, Jess and I began to understand why Rome is rightly referred to as The Eternal City.
As a history major, I was fascinated by walking around the ruins of Ancient Rome and experiencing the stomping grounds of Nero, Augustus, Hadrian, and the like. I especially loved touring the Colosseum and Palatine Hill all while imagining what life was like back then. I know, what a nerd I am...
My favorite part of our visit to Rome, however, had to be our stop at The Vatican. Jess and I found our way last minute into the weekly Papal Audience where the Pope hosts visitors and gives a message and blessing to all in attendance. We were somewhat surprised during this time because the hour seemed more like a football game than time with the holiest person in the Catholic Church! At the end of the service, various visiting groups are acknowledged and when each is called, they stand up, hoot and holler, sing, wave flags, and do whatever else they want in front of the Pope! It was fun though to be with so many different people from around the world in the same room because so many countries were represented (the latin american nations yelled the loudest and were the most fun and the Americans were the most boring when the Pope recognized them..in case you were curious...)
After getting our blessing from the Pope (we felt invincible after that!) Jess and I headed to the Vatican Museum. Needless to say our jaws dropped the moment we entered and stayed that way until we left. The artwork in that place absolutely takes your breath away. Seeing paintings by Raphael, Botticelli and others room after room is enough to make even the most disinterested tourist have a new appreciation for art. The last room at the Vatican Museum tour is Michaelangelo's Sistine Chapel and it certainly does not disappoint. I hope he thought it was worth it to spend four years on his back painting the ceiling because I definitely think it was!
I hope to remember some of the meals Jess and I ate in Rome because they were second to none. It was so fun to eat two hour dinners of gnocchi, ravioli, lamb, calamari etc. with the perfect glass of red wine and finished off with delicious tiramisu and lemoncello (always compliments of our friendly Italian waiters! - needless to say it certainly pays to be two young girls in Rome!) We ate a ton of pizza as well and couldn't refuse making a stop at a pizzeria that our guidebook referred to as 'simply the best pizza in Rome.' We thought that was a rather bold statement but when we went there and finally tried the pizza, we couldn't agree more! The pizza, cooked in a wood burning oven (the only REAL way to do it..) was so big it overflowed off our plates and had the perfectly thin crust that we all know makes for the best pizza. We finished the night off with a gelato and a stroll around town and ended up having the most perfect and quintessential Italian evenings. We were lucky to have a lot of nights like that and I was sad to see Jess head back to America on the morning of January 18th while I went on my way to my next wwoofing stop in sunny Sicily. Look out for another blog post on that soon, but for now, hope all is well back in the States!
The last leg of my friend Jess' tour of Europe was a fantastic six day stay in Rome. After running from place to place, trying to catch trains, planes and buses and staying in hostels, we were happy to settle in the Italian capital for an extended stay - and in a real hotel! (Word of advice: Travel during the off season! We found a great little hotel in the heart of Rome for 50% off!)
Part three of our trip was full of culture, history, and great food. We had the chance to see practically everything our guidebook suggested and then some. We also were able to relax and enjoy some long meals of the most delicious Roman cuisine. Rome is impressive because it seamlessly incorporates the old with the new to create a culture unlike any other. Walking around you see amazing ancient ruins like the Colosseum, Pantheon, and Roman Forum among the thriving business and culture of Rome today. After spending a week there, Jess and I began to understand why Rome is rightly referred to as The Eternal City.
As a history major, I was fascinated by walking around the ruins of Ancient Rome and experiencing the stomping grounds of Nero, Augustus, Hadrian, and the like. I especially loved touring the Colosseum and Palatine Hill all while imagining what life was like back then. I know, what a nerd I am...
My favorite part of our visit to Rome, however, had to be our stop at The Vatican. Jess and I found our way last minute into the weekly Papal Audience where the Pope hosts visitors and gives a message and blessing to all in attendance. We were somewhat surprised during this time because the hour seemed more like a football game than time with the holiest person in the Catholic Church! At the end of the service, various visiting groups are acknowledged and when each is called, they stand up, hoot and holler, sing, wave flags, and do whatever else they want in front of the Pope! It was fun though to be with so many different people from around the world in the same room because so many countries were represented (the latin american nations yelled the loudest and were the most fun and the Americans were the most boring when the Pope recognized them..in case you were curious...)
After getting our blessing from the Pope (we felt invincible after that!) Jess and I headed to the Vatican Museum. Needless to say our jaws dropped the moment we entered and stayed that way until we left. The artwork in that place absolutely takes your breath away. Seeing paintings by Raphael, Botticelli and others room after room is enough to make even the most disinterested tourist have a new appreciation for art. The last room at the Vatican Museum tour is Michaelangelo's Sistine Chapel and it certainly does not disappoint. I hope he thought it was worth it to spend four years on his back painting the ceiling because I definitely think it was!
I hope to remember some of the meals Jess and I ate in Rome because they were second to none. It was so fun to eat two hour dinners of gnocchi, ravioli, lamb, calamari etc. with the perfect glass of red wine and finished off with delicious tiramisu and lemoncello (always compliments of our friendly Italian waiters! - needless to say it certainly pays to be two young girls in Rome!) We ate a ton of pizza as well and couldn't refuse making a stop at a pizzeria that our guidebook referred to as 'simply the best pizza in Rome.' We thought that was a rather bold statement but when we went there and finally tried the pizza, we couldn't agree more! The pizza, cooked in a wood burning oven (the only REAL way to do it..) was so big it overflowed off our plates and had the perfectly thin crust that we all know makes for the best pizza. We finished the night off with a gelato and a stroll around town and ended up having the most perfect and quintessential Italian evenings. We were lucky to have a lot of nights like that and I was sad to see Jess head back to America on the morning of January 18th while I went on my way to my next wwoofing stop in sunny Sicily. Look out for another blog post on that soon, but for now, hope all is well back in the States!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Prague and Munich
Planes, trains and automobiles. Since Jess and I have started this three week whirlwind adventure, it seems as if we have employed practically every type of transportation. It's been fun being so spontaneous and not exactly knowing what each day brings. We've only booked our travels days before each destination and have certainly felt the pressure of it all. We feel like we're on the show The Amazing Race, where contestants race around the world completing challenges along the way and the most resourceful team ends up the winner. After this trip, Jess and I feel confident we'd win.
After a delayed flight from Paris, we arrived in Prague and mastered the public transportation system in the middle of the night to safely arrive at our hostel. We then spent three days touring around one of our new favorite European cities. Prague is beautiful, interesting, friendly, and in mid-January, FREEZING COLD. We are sure that Jess got minor frostbite on one of her toes. It probably didn't help that on one day we took a three hour outdoor tour of the city. and the next day hitched a ride with some Australians we met to a small town in Lord-knows-where, Czech Republic to see a church made partially of human bones. (Don't worry dad - we knew the Aussies a whole 12 hours before we got in a car with them! haha) The Aussies had been traveling Europe in a giant white, beat-up van with no heating. Of course, we got lost on the way, and then the van, surprisingly enough, broke down! We missed the bone church and to top it all off, Jess and I can honestly say that we have never been colder since we were forced to spend the whole day in below freezing temperatures. We finally made an executive decision and said our goodbyes to the Aussies and instead hopped on a train back to Prague. We are still not sure if they ever made it out with a fixed van. Oh well, I suppose that is the life of a backpacker!
Upon arriving back safely, we celebrated out final night in Prague by consuming one of our favorite meals this whole trip. Rightly coined 'The Feast', we ate a traditional Czech meal of potato and bread dumplings, pork, sausage, ham, more pork, cabbage, potato pancakes, and traditional Czech beer. Delicious. Also, if you are a vegetarian, dont go to Prague.
The next morning we had scheduled a bus for Munich and got to the bus station about a minute before departure. It was not our favorite moment. We are thinking of writing a letter to the City of Prague telling them to more clearly mark their bus stops!
After a short 5-hour bus ride, we got to Munich and had the whole day ahead of us. We met some more Australian friends at our hostel (we started to wonder if anyone else traveled around Europe this time of year...). We didn't know what to expect in Munich and after several peeks at the guidebook we still had no idea what exactly the city had to offer. A lady on the metro asked us what we were interested in and Jess quickly replied, FOOD! So we set out on a quest to find the traditional German bratwurst and beer. We found some at a famous Beer Hall where interestingly enough, Hitler made some of his first speeches. We also managed to see the Glockenspiel, some Biergartens, Englisher Garten (bigger than Central Park!), and the site of the Munich Olympic games - all in one day!
We then found some lats minute tickets on an overnight train to Rome where we got our best night's rest yet! We are not enjoying the 'Eternal City' and will post more later.
Ciao!
After a delayed flight from Paris, we arrived in Prague and mastered the public transportation system in the middle of the night to safely arrive at our hostel. We then spent three days touring around one of our new favorite European cities. Prague is beautiful, interesting, friendly, and in mid-January, FREEZING COLD. We are sure that Jess got minor frostbite on one of her toes. It probably didn't help that on one day we took a three hour outdoor tour of the city. and the next day hitched a ride with some Australians we met to a small town in Lord-knows-where, Czech Republic to see a church made partially of human bones. (Don't worry dad - we knew the Aussies a whole 12 hours before we got in a car with them! haha) The Aussies had been traveling Europe in a giant white, beat-up van with no heating. Of course, we got lost on the way, and then the van, surprisingly enough, broke down! We missed the bone church and to top it all off, Jess and I can honestly say that we have never been colder since we were forced to spend the whole day in below freezing temperatures. We finally made an executive decision and said our goodbyes to the Aussies and instead hopped on a train back to Prague. We are still not sure if they ever made it out with a fixed van. Oh well, I suppose that is the life of a backpacker!
Upon arriving back safely, we celebrated out final night in Prague by consuming one of our favorite meals this whole trip. Rightly coined 'The Feast', we ate a traditional Czech meal of potato and bread dumplings, pork, sausage, ham, more pork, cabbage, potato pancakes, and traditional Czech beer. Delicious. Also, if you are a vegetarian, dont go to Prague.
The next morning we had scheduled a bus for Munich and got to the bus station about a minute before departure. It was not our favorite moment. We are thinking of writing a letter to the City of Prague telling them to more clearly mark their bus stops!
After a short 5-hour bus ride, we got to Munich and had the whole day ahead of us. We met some more Australian friends at our hostel (we started to wonder if anyone else traveled around Europe this time of year...). We didn't know what to expect in Munich and after several peeks at the guidebook we still had no idea what exactly the city had to offer. A lady on the metro asked us what we were interested in and Jess quickly replied, FOOD! So we set out on a quest to find the traditional German bratwurst and beer. We found some at a famous Beer Hall where interestingly enough, Hitler made some of his first speeches. We also managed to see the Glockenspiel, some Biergartens, Englisher Garten (bigger than Central Park!), and the site of the Munich Olympic games - all in one day!
We then found some lats minute tickets on an overnight train to Rome where we got our best night's rest yet! We are not enjoying the 'Eternal City' and will post more later.
Ciao!
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