See the World through my Eyes: February 2014

Monday, February 17, 2014

Prague, Praga, Praha!

So this past weekend I went to Prague, or as the Italians call it Praga or the actual term used by the Czechs: Praha.

My First View of the City

My roommates and I decided to journey on this spontaneous trip just a few days before, and we are so glad we did. We booked Prague through a company called Bus2Alps, which is a very popular travel group for study abroad students in Italy. Although we were a bit hesitant because some of the reviews for the company were not that good, the trip went far beyond our expectations. The bus departed Florence at about 9pm on Thursday and it took 12 hours to get there. I discovered that sleeping on a bus is possibly the worst arrangement ever... but despite the lack of sleep we were ready to explore the city and everything this new country had to offer.

After we checked into the hostel, CZECH INN, we had breakfast and started our guided walking tour.
*A quick side note about the hostel. (Since I will dedicate a blog specifically for hotels/hostels) This was the first hostel I stayed in and I highly recommend it! The rooms were super clean, the staff was friendly, the location was easily accessible and the breakfast buffet was above average! They also had a great bar/lounge to relax, listen to music and mingle with new people.
To get from point to point in Prague the easiest way is to buy a 24 hr tram/rail pass. In reality no one really checks your ticket, but we were told they strictly uphold the honor system, and of course none of us were looking to be arrested over a few Korun (Crowns).
*The money conversion was the worst part of the trip because I was still struggling changing euros to dollars in my head but now I had an entire new currency to worry about which was a pain in the ass. However, we discovered an easy method by simply multiplying the korun amount by 0.049 to get the dollar rate (It may not be exact with each day's rate but it gets the job done).

1,000 Korun which equals about 40 euros or 50 dollars

When we reached Wenceslas Square we had a guide waiting to take us around the city and explain some of the famous buildings and history of Czech Republic. The National Museum sits on top of the square but we couldn't go in it because it's been closed for the past several years due to construction. Then we walked over to the restaurant where Vin Diesel filmed a scene of XXX and continued onto Old Town Square. There we got to see Old Town Square Hall Tower, Bridge Tower, Powder Gate Tower and St. Nicholas Church. It was crowded with tourists taking pictures, performers singing and dancing, locals passing through and small stores all around. It is the center of historic Prague and hands down one of the prettiest Squares in all of Europe. I recommend going into the Powder Tower (2 euros) to overlook the entire city and snap some BEAUTIFUL pictures.

All the colors and buildings look make-believe; I'm in a fairytale.

St. Nicholas Church

A long hike up to the top of Powder Gate Tower!

We then took a stroll through the historic Jewish Quarter, known as Josefov, and learned some interesting facts about the Holocaust and Czech's role during the War. We saw the Old and New Jewish Synagogue, the Pink Synagogue, the cemetery and what was once the Jewish ghetto is now the richest community to live in Prague.
*Fun Fact: Hugo Boss designed all of the Nazi's uniforms!
The next day, we went to the other side of town to explore Prague's Castle, Cathedral, the Charles Bridge and the John Lennon Wall.

To get up to Prague's Castle and Cathedral complex there is a very steep hill to walk up, and it makes you realize how out of shape you are, but it's totally worth it because the little enclosed town-like complex is beautiful. It's free to get into the church and the view from up top is also one of the best in Prague. If I am not mistaken, Prague's Castle Complex is the biggest in the world because they constantly keep adding new buildings, and each architecture is different from the last.

The Charles Bridge behind me

Typical Czech Desserts on the Bridge

The Charles Bridge is a great spot to walk through. There are many vendors on the bridge selling hand made jewelry and paintings. On one end of the Bridge there is a little shop that sells fresh desserts. You can even see the woman making them outside! It's super cheap and a must try! We had a lunch with Bus2Alps at a local Czech restaurant to try their typical cuisine. We all ordered different plates from Goulash, to Beef with Cream and Roasted Pork with Cabbage. The meal came with bread, vegetable soup (which was the best part) the main entree, some apple dessert (that wasn't sweet at all) and a thick Czech beer. *At least I can say that I tried Czech food, but it's definitely not my cup of tea. I am so thankful to be living in Italy where pasta and bread is the base for each meal and Everything is DELICIOUS!

Each meal also comes with "Dumplings" these are NOT our typical chinese dumplings. haha. It is like a soft, thick, chewy bread which really has no flavor at all.

Goulash

Beef with Cream

Our hostel organizes a Bar Crawl on Friday night that includes two different pubs and entrance to a night club. Plus, a free shirt! Saturday we ventured to a 5 story club with each floor being a different theme and type of music. I must say it was one of my favorite nights out so far while being abroad because of the diversity in people and music. No surprise, we closed out the club at dawn and successfully found our way back to the hostel.

Sunday, at 10 am after breakfast it was back to the bus for another 12 hour long trip! At that point we regretted staying out so late the night before… actually no we didn't… it was our last night in Prague and we're living with no regrets!

For all of you back in Jersey who are stuck under piles of snow, don't feel so bad… I passed through Austria and Germany and experienced some snow myself =)

Arrivederci!

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

La Bella Vita!

La Bella Vita; The Beautiful Life… what more can you say about living in Italy?

Its been one week since I've been on my own in Florence and I must say I am loving every minute of it! My apartment is located in Piazza Santo Spirito, which is a great spot just around the corner from Ponte Vecchio. Of course, living on the opposite side of the bridge means a little longer of a walk to class and nightclubs but it is absolutely worth it because we have a very nice and spacious apartment for six girls. We have three bedrooms, one single, one double and one triple room.

My double room with a little balcony.

Our view from the triple bedroom into the Piazza.

Santo Spirito is surrounded by small restaurants and bars and is a huge hotspot for local young adults. I may not see the Duomo right outside my window but who doesn't love crossing Ponte Vecchio everyday while getting to class?

Living in Florence, truly gives you the Renaissance feel of life. Yes, it's true I am living in "The cradle of the Renaissance" but not only in respect to art and history. We only get 8 hours of heat divided in 2 hour intervals during the day. Our washing machine sounds like its going to explode at any second and it shakes the entire kitchen floor as if we're experiencing an earthquake… oh and speaking of earthquakes our landlord asked us not to slam the doors because the entire building just about collapses very time. We can't use too many electronic appliances at once because we'll have a blackout in the apartment and we can't shower for too long because the hot water will run out in a second and we can't wash clothes in the same day because we don't have enough room to hang dry all our clothes… but who's complaining right? Im in Italy!!!

The city is a giant playground right on our doorstep. We can walk to any end of Florence within 25 minutes *and oh HOW I've been walking… hopefully get some toned legs :) every direction you turn there are buildings and architecture each more beautiful than the other. The locals are all very friendly and even though we all know they don't love being invaded by Americans 24/7, they are always willing to help. Since my main reason for choosing to study in Italy was because I want to speak fluent Italian, I don't loose one opportunity to try and talk or gesture my way into a conversation with a Florentine.

The winter here feels like Spring compared to NJ, since we don't get snow, but like Spring it also rains 90% of the time. It can be a bit humid and windy but the sun is shinning everyday so a little bit of rain won't stop us!

Going out at night is a young person's paradise! There are streets lined with bar after bar (and I don't mean Italian "bars") and nightclubs and restaurants that stay open until the sun comes out. Every day you can find somewhere to go. Many places (especially during the week) don't charge a cover to go into, but then again drinks don't come cheap either.
*I'll also make a post later with names of bars and clubs we've visited and my take on each one
There are tons of American bars, filled with study abroad students but the clubs are more popular with the locals so if you happen to come to Florence, you have to check them out! Did I forget to mention that many locals and the older folks hate us young Americans...pub crawls are pretty popular here with the foreign students and after we meet in a Piazza with about a group of a minimum of 100 people we walk the streets like a stampede of animals getting to the bars and disrupting the entire community.

Pizzeria Dante, gives you free wine and shots!
and of course the food is delicious! Cheers!

Florence is filled with street markets and vendors selling fresh vegetables and fruit. In Piazza San Lorenzo at the Mercato Centrale, you can find rows of tents selling leather purses, jackets, watches, scarves, etc. Then at Sant'Ambrogio market, which is more of a locals market, not only can you get some bargains on clothing and jewelry; there is also a huge variety of fresh produce. The streets in Florence are also filled with pizzerias, trattorias, delis, and many delicious little holes in the wall to buy food. Although many people think life here is too expensive, I have come to find prices to be reasonable, if you know where to shop, of course! Living on a budget is making me even more aware of how much I can spend and finding the best bargain. Many small cafes and pizzerias a few blocks away from the duomo will offer you a delicious lunch for no more than 5 euros. Since I can't afford to eat out everyday, the supermarket has become my best friend. The supermarkets in Florence are all pretty small and basic. However, if you are willing to take a 30 minute walk to the COOP, a much bigger store, you can find everything you need and more! *Just remember to recycle your bags because they will charge you for each one

Classes started Monday and maybe I had my expectations of it being a really easy semester with lenient professors set a little high...but that's okay, I'm eager to learn. I only have school Monday through Thursday and all the classes are super interesting. I placed into an Intermediate Italian, so before I know it: Io Parlero' Perfetto Italiano. My other two favorite classes are Event Planning and Nutrition!

Each day is a new adventure! Now its on to Prague for the weekend with the girls! Ciao!

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Ciao Italia!

My dream came true, I am studying abroad in Italy! I arrived on January 25th in Malpensa, Milan, just in time to celebrate my mom's birthday on Italian soil. We decided to rent a car for a very affordable rate and drive down to Florence. Since we had already visited Milan on a prior trip, we hit the road straight down to Parma… a city known for their delicious prosciutto! After the hour and a half drive we arrived in the center of Parma looking for a parking spot, which I must say is extremely difficult in any city center. We found a hotel, parked the car and decided to go tour the city and grab a bite to eat.
*For those who plan to travel to Italy and always wonder what hotel to stay at with a great location and rate, stay posted, I'll make a blog about the names and reviews of each one later on.
Parma was a nice city but compared to some others we visit later on, nothing truly special caught my eye… Maybe it was because we were running on zero sleep from the plane ride and the jet lag caught up to us. So it was time to eat and get to sleep! Unfortunately, in Italy every restaurant closes between lunch and dinner time (typically 8-10 pm) and since it was barely five, we were out of luck. We went into a little deli that sold some home made food, the man heated it up in the microwave and opened a little bottle of wine then cleared off a table for us and Wah-lah, dinner was served!
*The six hour difference really takes a toll on your body but I would recommend staying awake as long as possible because i fell asleep at six or seven and was up at five am anxiously awaiting the next city.
Mantova! or as we like to call it in the states Mantua, a little historic city surrounded by a lake was our next destination. If you remember reading the story of Romeo and Juliet this is the city Romeo escaped to after being exiled from Verona. It also happens to be the city where I was when I spend July here in Italy. So of course, we had to visit my Italian Family, the Giovannini's! The drive was beautiful because we were surrounded by farms and rustic houses. Since it was small roads with little traffic, my stepdad even let my drive and now i can say I have driven my first car outside of the U.S =) What should of taken us just about an hour probably took us three because we found a little outdoor market and a house filled with three floors of all sorts of antiques. At the market we had to buy fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano or Parmesan cheese because the region of Emilia-Romagna is known for producing this delicious and addicting formaggio. After quickly walking through Mantova we headed to the little outer city of Palidano to eat a feast prepared for us by my loving Italian Nonna.
After sharing memories and laughter we continued on to our next city, Bologna! Just an hour away, the beautiful city is lined with 40 km of arches and covered walk ways which make it up to the Basilica di San Luca, at the top of the city. Definitely make the journey there because the inside architecture and paintings are worth it! However, Before we explored Bologna we made a trip to the city of Maranello, a small city near Modena, known only for the museum and factories of Ferrari. It's a small city and Ferrari is the only attraction, but it is absolutely worth the visit. The museum includes past and future models, cars that have won races and a hall of fame of all the past drivers. I believe prices were 13 euros for students and 15 for adults. If you are daring enough (or have a little extra money to spend) you can even drive one of the ferraris.
*I know I haven't mentioned food much, which is shocking because Italy revolves around delicious food, but being on the road we wanted to save time and money. So we were really practical and would buy fresh bread and cold cuts at the supermarket and have lunch in the car. And of course, no complaints because prosciutto crudo is one of my favorite things and I really missed it after eating it everyday last July.
If you have lost track, it is now Tuesday and we have just spend the night in Prato, which is an adorable small little town right outside of Florence. We walked around the historic center for about two hours and we are now making our way down to Siena, to have lunch in the heart of Tuscany before arriving in Florence. It's an hour south passed Florence and city has a very Medieval and historic feel. If you walk around you can easily find small trattorias with good prices and great food.
*A tip to remember, many places charge a 1.50 or 2 euro charge per person to sit down and eat. But on the flip side here it is not necessary to leave a tip unless you are with a group of people.
The Duomo di Siena is a must see! I believe it is one of the reasons Siena became a UNESCO world heritage site and it is completely breathtaking. Also, if you are driving, go to a hill overlooking the city and capture a picture of the cathedral and Torre del Mangia from afar.
*The tolls on the highway are a bit expensive, but if you aren't nervous to drive in a different country I highly recommend renting a car and driving through Italy to see all the beauty the county has to offer!

The view of the Alps from the Plane arriving in Milan.