Arrivederchi, Siena

Today's the Day!!!!! So we all have the final written exam and we were officially done with Orientation!!!!! We all got a group shot with ENZO the Best Italian Teacher Ever!!!!

After class we had time to spare since our bus didnt leave till 3pm and it was only 11am.  So we went out to lunch and then Kat & I climbed the Tower in the Il Campo.  Wow was the view stunning...totally worth it we could see the whole city of SIENA.  Was incredible!!! When three came around we packed our bags on the bus and off we went to Firenze!!!!! When we arrived the view was incredible we could see the...+VATICAN+...that tall building with the Dome and in the center of Florence. Wrong haha its the DUOMO DUHHH #JerseyShore 

the view from the bus...Hello Florence

But we all had to take taxis to our new apartments and meet out landlords.  The apartment is super nice and its 4 guys!!!! I got to see some other places and they were just as nice.  After unloading our stuff we then had to head to the welcoming dinner...which was so confusing to get to...but now its simple.  The inside of the restaurant was #GORGEOUS it was as if we were in a PALACE!!!!! For dinner that night we got a Pesto Lasagna, Some Pasta with tomato sauce, a chicken dish, and for dessert a Yummi Pudding!!!! the food was so good I was like the happiest person EVER!!!!!!!!! 

Dinner: Buon Appetito 

Welcoming Dinner

After dinner we all went exploring around the city and what did we end up finding...THE DUOMO!!!!!! It was probably one of the prettiest buildings I have seen so far. I love the pink, green, and white marble its Gorgeous.  

The Duomo Under the Night Sky: Bellisimo/a

We then ended up getting flyers and going to some club/bar called GREEN FISH...Wow real Attractive Name!!!! Some people had alot of fun that night and some of us made some new friends and tried practicing our italian and failing.  Overall was a first good night in Firenze!!!!!!

A Far Well to Siena

Today we had out oral exam for Italian...everyone was so nervous...Luckily I went first cause I knew all the answers and how to respond.  #LifeLessons you snooze...you lose!!!! So if you wait you always lose! Enzo after class told me he was proud that I did so well today...but wished me luck for tomorrows written exam...YIKES...WHY ME hahah #positivethoughts.  We pretty much had nothing scheduled today so we all just walked around Siena looking into shops and stores seeing what cool things we could get to look more European and have #EuropeanSwag!!!! Didnt find anything that really screamed to me other than staring at the new Timberlands just chilling on the stands in the frontal window of the Timberland Store...The crisp light brown boots all looked so Nice...How i miss my Timbs...So who said it was fashionably acceptable to wear Timbs in Italy and that it was Fashionable...ME...AKA Mom you just made me look more  American  wearing Adidas Sneakers hahha!!!! But I had to stop by the Vodafone Store to put money on my new Italian Number!!!! Oh ya I forgot to mention we all got phones earlier in the week excluding MEGAN...
Later that night we all had to attend the FAREWELL BANQUET!  So sad :(  but it was all cool. Was definitely a different dinner than the usual sit downs we had.

Farewell Banquet 

 It was like a cocktail hour dinner, the way I saw it.  It was really interesting but cool how everyone could socialize...oh but you had to stand and eat your food...#NotOK.  They had meats, veggie dishes, and so many yummi desserts.  I was introduced to a Bellini -  a long drink cocktail that originated in Venice. It is a mixture of sparkling wine and peach purée often served at celebrations. AKA a Popular Italian Cocktail.  Afterwards we all had to go back and study BOOOOOO...Final Exam Tomorrow + we all had to pack and get ready for Firenze!!!!!

The Nerves

So we had our second quiz in italian and I did pretty good got a B!!!! I think im starting to understand Italian sorta "BENE" But I got really lucky and there were some open spots to go on the Museum tour of Siena!!!! 2012 Seems to be a Lucky Year so Far #knockonwood.  On the tour we got to go inside the Duomo of Siena...it was the most beautiful church I have ever seen.

Inside the Duomo

 The detail was incredible and we got to see some sculpture work by Michael Angelo. We saw statues of the Virgin Mary as well as huge books of the bible.  We then went to the Il Campo and went inside the building connected to the Tower. 

Il Campo

We weren't allowed to take pictures inside but I got a few...Oppps was my Bad for snapping a few. After the tour we got to go to the balcony on the top of the building and see the view.  The view was beautiful especially since the sun was setting. 

Pretty Siena

 We Got a Few Snap Shots and Got a Nice Bobcats "GRRRRRR" Shot and We Chucked Our DIAMONDS UP  < ADI PI >!!!!! Also made a nice postcard pic for our #1 Theology/QU Professor Susan Fowler. 

 As we left I got a pic next to the horse hooks, which was were the horses were tied up before the horse races in the Campo.  

Im a Horse...Literally

We then went out for some food Lizzie and Erin ordered a crepe but did they get the crap they wanted...NOPE!!!! Erin wanted to order the Nutella Crepe but accidentally ordered a sugar crepe soaked in Rum...Sounds Nom Right...NOT!!!!! was the nastiest thing we tasted and smelled.  Was def the yummiest crepe ever hahah I luckily got the NOMEST Crepe...The Moulin Rouge Crepe...Creme with Strawberries NOM NOM #yumyum. 

 Dinner once again at Due Porte to finish the night off 

Yo San Gimigano

So today was a field trip to the city of San Gimigano. The city was very small and very similar to Siena except it seemed more touristy.  We were told that all the height of a tower in the city attached to a home represented how rich or wealthy you were at the time. Alot of the tours were torn down but we got to climb one tower that had 280 steps!!!! 

View from the Tour

Real Leg and Butt Workout #HellzYa. When we got to the top of the tower we saw the most beautiful view.  It was absolutely indescribable. The way the sun hit the city and the clear sky...really made the view.  We definitely were lucky on going on a nice sunny day.  We also learned about Saint Fina, who saved the town by putting out fires and healing the sick through miracles. We got some free GELATO...i got Dark Chocolate...was So So Goood!!!!!! We also stopped by the well that used to be the center of San Gimigano's water supply...(turn around...close your eyes...make a WISH...and through your EURO in)  #NEVERSAYNEVER cause Dreams Do Come True! 

Free Gelato, Dream Italian House, Wishing Well "Make a Wish"

 I then went exploring with Ellyn and Vicki and we came upon the cutest lil house and I'd have to say it would be my Italian House if I lived here.  Traveling here was awesome saw alot and got some nice post cards.  

Buon Appetito!!!!!

So today we had classes and then we had an italian cooking class!!! In the cooking class we learned how to make Pappa Col Pomodoro, Pici All'aglione, & Tiramisu!!!!! Chief Lella showed us how to prepare the soup and she said the key is to make sure the garlic stays white...if it burns you fail. 

The Yummi Bread Soup

Lella also showed us how to make our own pasta and then roll it.  It was quite tricky...my dough was not sticking at first and I asked for more water and she was like Nope you had enough...and in the end...she was so right!!! Rolling the pasta was quite difficult.  Lella made it look so easy and got a noodle in less than a second...everyone else it took us like 10 secs Haha...shows whose the real PRO!!!! I would have to say needing the dough was like a forearm workout...so if you need a forearm work out...make some PASTA!!!!!

Making Hommade Pasta

After learning how to prepare the bread soup and the pasta and Tiramisu...we didnt get to eat till 9pm...WAS STARVING!!!!! But the food was so good and that Pappa Col Pomodoro soup...so going to have to make that when I get home...as well as the Tiramisu!!!! Her Tiramisu was the best I have ever had and the chocolate chips were the icing on the cake!!!!!

NOM NOMS...CHOCOLATE...CREAM...YUMMI

Thanks to Lella she was probably one of the cutest chiefs I've ever seen...LOVE HER!!!!

Part of our Cooking Class + my Cooking Buddy & I + the Chief & I

Definitely had a GOOD Food Baby...

Creating Art in Nature

Today we went to the Chianti Sculpture Park. We got to see art that was ment to blend in with nature and look as if it belonged. Some of the art pieces were so cool and very creative.  The one thing I found the most enjoyable about the whole park was that each artist got to choose where their art piece would go in the park.  The director of the park chose artists that were unknown and he wanted art created by different artists around the world. There were pieces made by Turkey artists, UK, Japan, Germany, and etc.  My favorite art piece would have to be the Labyrinth by Jeff Saward, UK, made out of glass bricks. The tour guide asked us what is the difference between a labyrinth and a maze...Does anyone know the answer? Well in a maze you get lost but in a labyrinth there is a single path that leads you to a certain point...so a direct path.  Is this correct...who knows!!! I found the Labyrinth fun to take pictures in with my friend Andreka and also I thought the message was very inspiring.  So you start walking through the Labyrinth and then at the center of the laybrinth there is an orange cube and when you sit down there is a mirror that says SELF. So you find yourself in your journey through the Labyrinth...Symbolic...I THINK SO!!!!! #cleaver  

So I dont really know to much about the art pieces since me and Andreka found the art pieces so much fun we took our own tour and took pictures like crazy!  So we lost our tour and joined the group after ours.  It was cool because we didnt rush through the art pieces but got to experience them and get some awesome pictures.  At the end of the tours the director has cheese, bread, and cold cuts for us to snack on and let us try some wine.  I tried a Rosetta wine.  

Some of the Cool Art Pieces

The one on the Top Left...Seeing Nature from a different perspective...so when you lie down you see nature.

The Twist was one of my Favorites too

After the park Chelsea, Kat and I went out to dinner at "Due Porte" We ordered a pizza and we got a <3 shaped Margherita Pizza...plus I ordered Spaghetti Primavera and a Tartufo nero: a chocolate truffle that tasted like frozen ice cream.  The waiter we learned how to order in italian from him..."Volio or Vorray _______, par favore."  The waiter Giovanni then gave us Liminchillo alcoholic beverage desserts.  It was Quite interesting Kat def Loved the taste from her >.< sour mouthed face.  We went to pay for our meals and Gio told us dessert was on him and that he wanted use to take him out for a drink tomorrow night...We wanted to thank him somehow so we left him a tip but he then gave us the tip back and told us to go spend that money on drinks for him at a bar somewhere.  He was a nice Guy!  From this experience we became regulars at Due Porte.  Gio def had a thing for Chelsea Football!!!! #DuePorte = Siena hahah JK

Art History Tour of Siena

So we went on an art history tour of Siena and we got to pass through the different districts or counties in Siena.  I heard there are fourteen but we only visited three (eagle, dragon, & wave districts).  We passed by the Duomo again and saw St. Catherine's church which we had explored the 1st day on our own.  But we got to go to a church were all the districts had their counsel meetings.  In the basement of the church they had all the armor, statues, and winning victories from each district.  We also saw some banks with poets heads that lay on the top rims of the buildings...what we noticed was alot of medieval and gothic styled windows and architecture.  I used my Zoom Lens and wow did the heads looks so detailed.  We also stopped at the Il Campo and our tour guide talked about the horse races between the districts and told us the whole piazza was full when this event occurred and it is a very competitive race.  It shows pretty much whose the strongest and best!!!!

The Bank with Poets heads, Streets of Siena, A Dog chilling on a balcony

Dragon, Eagle, Wave Districts

Some of the architecture

The Horse Races, a hospital in Siena, the scenery of the Duomo