Simple Update

Okay so update: Lake Como was absolutely gorgeous. Last Friday (not today), We took a train from Florence to Milan & then to Milan to Varenna, one of the sleepy lakeside towns fitting snuggly in the mountains that surround the lake. On the latter train, as we were nearing Varenna, we were sitting and chatting when out of know where a glimpse of the shimmering lake with the mountains in the backdrop was, for the lack of a better word, extraordinary. It felt more like we had taken a train to a different dimension where things are ideal and romantic and beautiful, but apparently we were, in fact, in this world so huh, go figure. SO we took a ferry across the lake (in the middle of the lake, you are encased by mountains- amazing view) to the town where we were residing in for the weekend- Menaggio. The Ostello (hostel) we stayed at was run by a interesting Italian man who never removed himself from his uniform of camouflage cargo shorts and a black smashing pumpkins t-shirt. He was always blaring a great selection of music (Muse, Brazilian lounge, Portishead, etc.) and he ended up giving us some recommendations of great Italian musicians. Our hostel had an impeccable view of the shimmery water/mountains, so the evenings were spent sitting out on the patio and gabbing to our hearts content. We took a ferry to Bellagio on Saturday. All the towns around Lake Como are similar- Bellagio is slightly more touristy than the others, and is basically a nesting ground for the Brits. The architecture of Bellagio (and all of them, really) is very 1920's Paris-esque, which pretty much suits me well. Our original intentions in Lake Como was to kayak in the lake and go hiking, but the weather that weekend turned towards a colder climate, and it ending up raining all Saturday while we were in Bellagio. After getting soaked walking around town, we stayed cooped up in a cafe for the length of the afternoon, drinking tea and eating sandwiches & croissants. All in all, the weekend was enjoyable. We met some interesting people, locals & fellow hostel guests, but in other news, this week has been great. I need to remember to update on a more daily basis because too many little things happen day to day that I mean to update about. Today was Friday which means no classes which means the beginning of a fabulously easy going weekend. Woke up around noon and we (& by we here I really mean Christina and Caitlin) whipped up some crepes. I, on the other hand, woke up to eat them. Spent the day in our pjs, and in the evening we went to Kellen's. He made us a delicious dinner, and then afterwards us girls went to the Duomo to here a Gregorian chant concert. I really enjoyed it. A female group went first, followed by a male group. I prefered the female group. Their voices were so airy, and I especially loved the way their voices carried throughout the interior of the Duomo. Afterwards we headed to a a cellar jazz club, and spent the rest of the night there. That was really enjoyable. I love live music and the band (aka The Bogarts, a funky-soul inspired group of musicians) was great. Now I'm too tired to go into too much else so this will suffice.

You've dropped something...

Events of the day:

-Woke up around 11:30 & headed to central market for some fresh grocery shopping. We bought bread, fresh turkey, Asiago & Parmesan, strawberries & grapes, and homemade GNOCCHI!! I love that we are eating such wholesome foods, and cheaply at that. On the way back from the market a vendor shouted after us that we accidently dropped something... apparently it was his heart. Oh, soo cheesy.
-Margherita pizza for lunch in front of the Santa Croce. Cheesy, but of the desirable variety.
-First class of the day @ 3 pm-5:30: History of Italian Renaissance- I dig my professor. She has a British accent for having grown up in London, but was born in Germany. They're about 10 students total (me included), all girls. She's invited us for afternoon sometime at your home with her little dog.
-Next class was @ 6:15-7:15: Beginning Italian- Awesome professor!! He's from/lives in Pisa and soo goofy. I have this twice a week- score, I want to speak Italian already!
-Got out around 8, hadn't eaten since that piece of pizza so I was famished. Tonight we cooked our homemade gnocchi with pesto sauce, and our fresh fruit for dessert. The gnocchi was beyond amazing.
-Heard about a jazz + gypsy band playing in one of the Piazza's just a bridge down from us so we went to check it out. I love live music. The atmosphere is always one of comradery. The crowd is just having a good time listening to a bunch of guys who are having a good time playing for you. Genius. So 2 guitars, stand-up bass, and a violin making lovely music for the packed audience to relish in the cool night air (about 63 F tonight- it's getting chilly quick!)
-Walked along the river and heard more music coming from the Ponte Vechio so we let our ears carry us over there and just sat and enjoyed for a while.

Saturday Night

Alright so last night Cait, Christi, and I went up to the Palazzo Michelangelo around dusk for a a spectacular view of the city below. We sat on the steps in order to watch the city ease into the night. There were a lot of people about, and it was really enjoyable for us three to sit, talk, and relish the view. We are seriously spoiling our eyes with all this beauty around us. Then our friend Andrew called and we met up with him and 2 of his roommates at Dublin Pub, a bar in the historic part of Florence, around 10:45 We spent a good deal of time there, and we heard about a music festival called the Festival of Democracy. We head over there and music is going on everywhere. We watched a group of older men playing a instrumental rock set, as well as watched a group of dancers dancing a sort of salsa/merengue/samba mix. There were also several outdoor discotheques with lots of people dancing. Around 1:00 am, we realized Christi, Cait, and I had not had dinner yet and grabbed some kebob sandwiches at one of the stands at the festival. All 6 of us sat down for a while and the guys smoked hookah. Around 2 am the festival was over and we all decided to call it a night. We left the boys at there street and continued to walk alone to our apartment all the way across the city. The streets were completely empty except for drunken American students. I remember at one point we were walking and some American boys were being loud in the street. An Italian woman pops out of her window and threatens to call the police so they start screaming and cursing at her. Another time we were about to go down a particular street, but we saw more drunken American guys just shove over a moped so we back-tracked and looked for an alternative route. We got lost at some point and so a man approached us asking if we needed any help. Initially, I was weary of him, but he turned out to be a good-natured person. He introduced himself as Meeno. He is originally Egyptian, but resides in Italy. He knew an adequate amount of English and walked with us for a short distance until he thought we could figure out the rest of the way ourselves. He apologized for not being able to walk with us the whole way, but he had to meet his friend at the Duomo, which seemed funny considering it was 2:30 am by this point. He also told us if he ever saw us in the street, he would be sure to say hello. So his directions were gold and we managed to get home at 3 am. We went to bed around 5:30 am and woke up at 4 pm today. 

This has been a lazy Sunday in our flat- we just lounged around and then we made dinner. Pasta with tomatoe sauce and a fresh salad. We have a stellar gelato shop down the street from us right next to the Ponte Alla Carraia, so around 10:30 tonight we indulged ourselves and sat on our Ponte.