tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49196713042201462992024-02-07T13:21:14.025+01:00Claud Goes AbroadClaudia Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372463551998915225noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4919671304220146299.post-10437332411458962232015-06-24T13:05:00.002+02:002015-06-29T18:43:24.555+02:008 Months Of Erasmus...And 1 To GoThat title is a bit misleading. I'm actually finishing my year abroad three weeks on Friday so that's definitely less than a month! It's also technically nine months since I moved to Bologna, I'm just not counting March since I spent nearly all of that month in the UK. All in all a very dodgy title. Apologies.<br />
<br />
I've been thinking about how in three weeks on Friday I'll be back in the UK (and probably spending the day curled up with the dogs on the sofa, drinking a real cup of tea and considering a trip to Tesco just to marvel at all the British things I've missed this year (this week it's the humble British biscuit that I'm craving)) and how my Erasmus experience will officially be coming to an end. Which, although I'm really excited about coming home, is actually a bit of a weird thought.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW7t65go1JDEmcgHdAsEpuGWizikPiTa5JPGF2FpBkP3s4TVAYbDloh0DNPa99vOEjuI2zxA9bpC3qDrKUf-1Bht99gviFgh71p2bEgXWw7zB5UIRG6BV78hGxlzLiZYMUW57a8LBHhVkk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-06-24+at+12.52.44.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW7t65go1JDEmcgHdAsEpuGWizikPiTa5JPGF2FpBkP3s4TVAYbDloh0DNPa99vOEjuI2zxA9bpC3qDrKUf-1Bht99gviFgh71p2bEgXWw7zB5UIRG6BV78hGxlzLiZYMUW57a8LBHhVkk/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-06-24+at+12.52.44.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jena</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSUEMntK00bSAdPXVzV69DGHImmqNh3hKuy79UoQL_PO7z02zcfVGtkxg7zYIIOi-lImn1qG8Pwacf2rQVVZT-Z2aE8QPWgHGO3ibp0-ZZwdRtpIPua4QbYK8NQjeOhrOryhXLy2OOyiKc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-06-24+at+12.51.48.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSUEMntK00bSAdPXVzV69DGHImmqNh3hKuy79UoQL_PO7z02zcfVGtkxg7zYIIOi-lImn1qG8Pwacf2rQVVZT-Z2aE8QPWgHGO3ibp0-ZZwdRtpIPua4QbYK8NQjeOhrOryhXLy2OOyiKc/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-06-24+at+12.51.48.png" width="395" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bologna</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I mean, I've spent nearly a year away from the UK (including my six weeks of au pairing last summer). While I would not say that I am so used to life on the continent that going back to Bangor for my final year is going to be the end of the world, I think it's going to be a little odd adjusting back into normal British student life.<br />
<br />
Though to be truthful in most ways I don't think there will be any adjustments to make. I'm looking forward to my fourth year house, going back to PhotoSoc, having lectures with people I know and actually <i>like</i> (certainly in the German department, everyone seems to have gotten a lot closer to each other over this past year), and just getting on with all the things I've wanted to do in Bangor (or just in life in general) since I moved there nearly three years ago. In some ways (and I think a lot of other language students will feel this way too) it's like I'm waiting to start my real life again, like I'm just waiting here for a bit and then I get to go home and get on with things.<br />
<br />
It's not because of where I am now - sometimes (as those who I've complained to will now) Jena can be so boring that I want to tear my hair out, but other times it's really good. <br />
It could just be because in many ways it's been a very
long year, with ups and downs and I think I'm just ready to come home
now!<br />
<br />
That's not to say I've not had good times because of Jena. The uni
itself I really like. And I like the area I live in because it's
surrounded by the countryside and that's quite nice. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhblJ8a9-tyOqaPphfbZZZcNnhDaLGsUegStECvnZKVye2KOLRzK2IdVW8unU5NHWkwCQca9DZx24Z2NnVq3tKzlKADt8azVPED62_tkW1yPOnGqnr1kBgUJ_NRo3qVvbrLqNZz0NrdCPZT/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-06-24+at+12.50.09.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhblJ8a9-tyOqaPphfbZZZcNnhDaLGsUegStECvnZKVye2KOLRzK2IdVW8unU5NHWkwCQca9DZx24Z2NnVq3tKzlKADt8azVPED62_tkW1yPOnGqnr1kBgUJ_NRo3qVvbrLqNZz0NrdCPZT/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-06-24+at+12.50.09.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fuchsturm, Jena</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
And while here I don't have as many friends here as I did in Bologna, I'm lucky enough to have three good friends from Bangor studying in nearby Leipzig who I've seen pretty regularly! Not to mention my other lovely Brit friend, who I went with to Prague last month - a trip which we booked after knowing each other for about two weeks (and that I forgot to write about, I know).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDc-u3hxBOHn5FoAO9leQeuzEmrnqoXqtBbkUFMkGkMpIo-N8lhmsas0mn2CcIcEo3TjjpTjZ2GM7qYKyN3jNOdMiuWNJp75J_-vUAzrB7-WTsiO8lh2oAUkNU29HI99s09BlWBRa3cUBE/s1600/IMG_5419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDc-u3hxBOHn5FoAO9leQeuzEmrnqoXqtBbkUFMkGkMpIo-N8lhmsas0mn2CcIcEo3TjjpTjZ2GM7qYKyN3jNOdMiuWNJp75J_-vUAzrB7-WTsiO8lh2oAUkNU29HI99s09BlWBRa3cUBE/s400/IMG_5419.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cospudener See at Leipzig</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRmox_lWs-2IOcoFJ2n5VDPrQ24JGoZjJH4mjRaCRj5EKUw135CcmWGy2UF7Z3UNKEiq5x-nJrXbyh4SJcXFCwMYlev4CrakXbGNQrpkoUrYBT0tjus4g3C6YUYwp7bkQB7VDuXg1d3ApT/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-06-24+at+12.47.53.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRmox_lWs-2IOcoFJ2n5VDPrQ24JGoZjJH4mjRaCRj5EKUw135CcmWGy2UF7Z3UNKEiq5x-nJrXbyh4SJcXFCwMYlev4CrakXbGNQrpkoUrYBT0tjus4g3C6YUYwp7bkQB7VDuXg1d3ApT/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-06-24+at+12.47.53.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prague!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
So, three and a half weeks left. What am I planning on doing? <br />
<br />
Well on Thursday I'm SUPER excited to be meeting my boyfriend in Stuttgart for the weekend (mostly I'll just be excited to get off the bus I'm taking there after a SIX HOUR JOURNEY), then I'm briefly zipping off to Berlin (for the first time ever!!) to meet an old friend from Bangor and see the one and only Modest Mouse! Then it's back to Jena for the last two weeks, which will be two weeks of packing, exams, hopefully one last visit from the Leipzig lot, eating as much schnitzel as humanly possible and once more taking advantage of the €2 margarita offer that's on nightly in a Mexican restaurant in town.<br />
<br />
Fingers crossed I'll be actually writing about said adventures...<br />
<br />
Bis sp<span class="st">äter</span> x<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Claudia Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372463551998915225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4919671304220146299.post-62230537194892060972015-05-13T13:15:00.002+02:002015-05-13T13:17:23.836+02:00One Month In {In Pictures}<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizNdzvgh5WMxVTxnLRSNQskiWVCaxr6-U2TbOko4DKv8P09m735fnFqvlQ5i70Bg55uYwe9Lt0psA3xk1RURm0cpOy1NyU1ePHYHX7fj2VuDp8t1_gFWsfLHuVRI6CJkAWQ8Crv0N7afy0/s1600/IMG_4056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizNdzvgh5WMxVTxnLRSNQskiWVCaxr6-U2TbOko4DKv8P09m735fnFqvlQ5i70Bg55uYwe9Lt0psA3xk1RURm0cpOy1NyU1ePHYHX7fj2VuDp8t1_gFWsfLHuVRI6CJkAWQ8Crv0N7afy0/s640/IMG_4056.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Think I might be aiming for one blog post a month at the rate we're going, tsk tsk!<br />
<br />
I haven't had much to write about in all honestly. I've been living in Jena for just over a month now and I can safely say that there is not that much going on here. Jena is so small that it makes Bangor feel <i>huge</i> - not an easy feat, if you know Bangor. It's bigger than Bangor, but there's a lot less here (though there is a cinema here, which Bangor does not have).<br />
<br />
The <strike>city</strike> (no come on it's really a) town centre is relatively nice, quite open and there's numerous <i>B</i><i><span class="st">ä</span>ckerei </i>that smell just fantastic when you walk past them. I've also been introduced to Backwerk since being in Germany - Brits, think of a nicer version of Greggs, that nearly entirely serves sandwiches or bread products.<br />
<br />
The uni itself seems pretty good - spacious and quite modern to look at, and for the most part pretty organised (this is in comparison to life in Italy, and not including sorting out your Erasmus documents which is just plain awful).<br />
<br />
Once you've paid your semester fees to the uni, you get your student ID card and with this you can travel anywhere in your region for free - be it by tram (I love trams), bus or train. I think in a lot of places you can't go everywhere in your region with your student card, but since Thüringen is so tiny they let you off and you can go all over. I've been to Erfurt twice and once to Weimar with this so it's pretty nifty - the problem is that there's little else in this region to see. I've planned to go to Eisennach as they've got a castle there, and maybe eventually we'll find a way to get to the Thüringer Wald (supposed to be extensive and lovely) as well.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwH86Rb0eWtA-dVr6tD_2mBBcYR7r24-9CLqSEbskOqb0UBddghLSwGM5SWep_0vE_eXF2PovrzmAYHnHgyGhJZmooSc__9HT9FdJKv91nRMKja4B8qwZYW15OsS1RL7i_QCUWM1NJiLj/s1600/IMG_5035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwH86Rb0eWtA-dVr6tD_2mBBcYR7r24-9CLqSEbskOqb0UBddghLSwGM5SWep_0vE_eXF2PovrzmAYHnHgyGhJZmooSc__9HT9FdJKv91nRMKja4B8qwZYW15OsS1RL7i_QCUWM1NJiLj/s400/IMG_5035.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Erfurt Domplatz</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1TgZBiqPVkaYhXy3lDT8C7w_2lxreTxrTBtG6dtk9ZNFE5sWN1YAQj2D_6Wq1bjoq5urOYdhE9jpL85z-RKNm1WmL3XZ4rrycEQ6vDUnx8Zs8DBRJcprCmYkTfXXOY-usfnQRJ1MgwnFL/s1600/IMG_5086.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1TgZBiqPVkaYhXy3lDT8C7w_2lxreTxrTBtG6dtk9ZNFE5sWN1YAQj2D_6Wq1bjoq5urOYdhE9jpL85z-RKNm1WmL3XZ4rrycEQ6vDUnx8Zs8DBRJcprCmYkTfXXOY-usfnQRJ1MgwnFL/s640/IMG_5086.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Schnitzel in Erfurt</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPndmEasjDzHvK_N8ZFeZCSwun8jnUbFuY3S41W5_GSx-E4kXrM3rEJBRwd1Jt8gTvgV75QyVeMFkzbJucbEx93TC2feoApzsreXoHScCVEu5D9LIbQ2DOODHROr4bi6GNo7DoMMvIdjDk/s1600/IMG_5088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPndmEasjDzHvK_N8ZFeZCSwun8jnUbFuY3S41W5_GSx-E4kXrM3rEJBRwd1Jt8gTvgV75QyVeMFkzbJucbEx93TC2feoApzsreXoHScCVEu5D9LIbQ2DOODHROr4bi6GNo7DoMMvIdjDk/s640/IMG_5088.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">* Always excited about schnitzel...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
So not much, not that I'm adverse to another trip back to Erfurt (loads more shops and at least one good source of schnitzel already located) or Weimar (tiny but pretty, especially the gorgeous Park an der Ilm).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivLUPL7XdLy8Pl4JeFXtBzlwUGBpf-SAFkrXwGw2THcRYN6Xv3rm5jvm2OMTm4SrAXE77olLSZggjvVge5pMKtR_7TD_44qRRAjNiGuGOBZ-gkEAcLnEYgOvkuwLeIlLgvQJY6hQF4ibCk/s1600/IMG_5203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivLUPL7XdLy8Pl4JeFXtBzlwUGBpf-SAFkrXwGw2THcRYN6Xv3rm5jvm2OMTm4SrAXE77olLSZggjvVge5pMKtR_7TD_44qRRAjNiGuGOBZ-gkEAcLnEYgOvkuwLeIlLgvQJY6hQF4ibCk/s400/IMG_5203.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Weimar</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyi9AcyCQIFEViez1weMXwE5tesPC_HVmXODKmIxq-jcf79TpEUnJoMotZrnFHylkrfcLYUUbtlVudHKXDewWsyBVWSJthXTR2GlRm3Z36BdI72jIVu7OLpAqSgWFOaToTxbuJ6_iYyC8a/s1600/IMG_4088.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyi9AcyCQIFEViez1weMXwE5tesPC_HVmXODKmIxq-jcf79TpEUnJoMotZrnFHylkrfcLYUUbtlVudHKXDewWsyBVWSJthXTR2GlRm3Z36BdI72jIVu7OLpAqSgWFOaToTxbuJ6_iYyC8a/s640/IMG_4088.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhze0NWhlLsWEVpfK2tE1X_igHGmUrLlInXR35Slr6jJPWjrv-ne5cKA5Pz4ke-oaVul4TUj4lauarjutj41lsIWpBtJPR5aLQxIZbq0OTFMH4lm4zJY-O95EI3yjlSRp8jYZVBWf98UGww/s1600/IMG_4087.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhze0NWhlLsWEVpfK2tE1X_igHGmUrLlInXR35Slr6jJPWjrv-ne5cKA5Pz4ke-oaVul4TUj4lauarjutj41lsIWpBtJPR5aLQxIZbq0OTFMH4lm4zJY-O95EI3yjlSRp8jYZVBWf98UGww/s640/IMG_4087.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirUyfefyFzgP9i-wNtlLe8OB7mP01xOh-BK6ON7D_0wooL__KhIG7akELbrjTtt-KDLI2C9blXzg4E3u8nvaRyRYhMCISdgQlUu0Xg_NC0QFpogTyQmA_v2zhCnEniMtKBSrFK_e0WuIKo/s1600/IMG_4116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirUyfefyFzgP9i-wNtlLe8OB7mP01xOh-BK6ON7D_0wooL__KhIG7akELbrjTtt-KDLI2C9blXzg4E3u8nvaRyRYhMCISdgQlUu0Xg_NC0QFpogTyQmA_v2zhCnEniMtKBSrFK_e0WuIKo/s640/IMG_4116.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Park an der Ilm, Weimar</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCWAjk0dlFJkxQj8yds6qjs6d5Q4r_TSPnYY7j2ylnq2HXuo67sJq60S9NdWOZNbFeRQ0LDzpjjKv82Th_THL8iyZ_QKAzvyOnFB2lTmqGmsw8NOnlJ9LJfwtaYjjQfgByKKpqYT_M_OTF/s1600/IMG_4120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCWAjk0dlFJkxQj8yds6qjs6d5Q4r_TSPnYY7j2ylnq2HXuo67sJq60S9NdWOZNbFeRQ0LDzpjjKv82Th_THL8iyZ_QKAzvyOnFB2lTmqGmsw8NOnlJ9LJfwtaYjjQfgByKKpqYT_M_OTF/s640/IMG_4120.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl8vL0bnDgK9-waSbADGZyBVISwEtvPw3G5Zs5UMjJ5po5aIkD0cAUUA7AduIv14fmF2JuqLJPbMBucfoAmhGDs5XnJC4K8RVyWWIW7vhDXyfQmQkBAtcntSWwZfcRDxseX-xk1oDV-Q4l/s1600/IMG_4134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl8vL0bnDgK9-waSbADGZyBVISwEtvPw3G5Zs5UMjJ5po5aIkD0cAUUA7AduIv14fmF2JuqLJPbMBucfoAmhGDs5XnJC4K8RVyWWIW7vhDXyfQmQkBAtcntSWwZfcRDxseX-xk1oDV-Q4l/s640/IMG_4134.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV050aaJYzhu1WR-dQEgy6oz19kCyiM0_4RnacU8DBC2ANpFwEYFZzsFleOZ9XbyW5K6HLr2fEastVuNNfXhjN9XMPNPqHLhU16ZviT5uCkl5K-21_RQ1BajedkkcAkvbbXrBSZPL1B26O/s1600/IMG_4140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV050aaJYzhu1WR-dQEgy6oz19kCyiM0_4RnacU8DBC2ANpFwEYFZzsFleOZ9XbyW5K6HLr2fEastVuNNfXhjN9XMPNPqHLhU16ZviT5uCkl5K-21_RQ1BajedkkcAkvbbXrBSZPL1B26O/s640/IMG_4140.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Something that you can do round here, as I've discovered, is to go walking in the hills that surround Jena. I've been three times now on two different routes and it's always been well worth the effort put in!<br />
<br />
The route I've done twice goes out of Jena West and up to the Napoleonstein (a memorial stone dedicated to I think when Napoleon was in Germany, the field it's in hosted a big battle too), round the Landgrafen (it's a communications tower from way back when, my housemate reckoned possibly even from WWII but don't quote me on that, we're not sure) and back down again.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSqBrglblslec1ZcEGGfds0ChdiWUsw0WtiBgBdSD9KQg2NbOMvO-wVM6PTuOzKZtrhuKrq8xg5RRdT4QMm1hQE87_Pr7QgfrBzR_PKPeCNVWCyt2caE6lCBp3ZYdRodxG9AyvjQlCQUwj/s1600/IMG_5208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSqBrglblslec1ZcEGGfds0ChdiWUsw0WtiBgBdSD9KQg2NbOMvO-wVM6PTuOzKZtrhuKrq8xg5RRdT4QMm1hQE87_Pr7QgfrBzR_PKPeCNVWCyt2caE6lCBp3ZYdRodxG9AyvjQlCQUwj/s640/IMG_5208.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking to Jena from the Napoleonstein</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj3zbUG5Tr2sQyooRQDTHaHcvDFmLQTNtU3dHUlrAKK3j45sb5wvMA2aTXuOunFPtxmmNI1nBgbSlyDOLfBJF8fIzK8CFGxJi87UaTd1pATPnnpBAEeqMaBA_CM05qcHOlZsc20TevL9VK/s1600/IMG_5064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj3zbUG5Tr2sQyooRQDTHaHcvDFmLQTNtU3dHUlrAKK3j45sb5wvMA2aTXuOunFPtxmmNI1nBgbSlyDOLfBJF8fIzK8CFGxJi87UaTd1pATPnnpBAEeqMaBA_CM05qcHOlZsc20TevL9VK/s640/IMG_5064.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The second route involved walking 20km and was definitely more of a
hike. Had I eaten more and slept better I'm sure it would have been a
lot better, but after the first three of five hours I began to lament
going on it in the first place...but don't get me wrong, the scenery was
stunning.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-8hF-it38L4_qJ5wp9htnovF5_31MrEi29ds7sYsxpx2IXMuX_okcufmsURSjgZ7oRRo-MBBjhFIMTdndPSUrtfrJQPzH2tXl9kjqB09tH8gbU_nmFUpuAb9sYHfwJZ51cVR3ZV0MZTtU/s1600/IMG_5094.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-8hF-it38L4_qJ5wp9htnovF5_31MrEi29ds7sYsxpx2IXMuX_okcufmsURSjgZ7oRRo-MBBjhFIMTdndPSUrtfrJQPzH2tXl9kjqB09tH8gbU_nmFUpuAb9sYHfwJZ51cVR3ZV0MZTtU/s640/IMG_5094.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lobdeburg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWNwKvVwwsR3Q-KZRnr26BJgGeWuKUBG98kEWAa7-oBs0BcQF-lOc0BP1ltBMZiGlCbRBT5Rypf6wUSBMECL7MJ2oGEX8MKqGU01f-m1pitOWAp0pyMfSzSjn-cwj9AqrmI-gABPK3heDh/s1600/IMG_5102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWNwKvVwwsR3Q-KZRnr26BJgGeWuKUBG98kEWAa7-oBs0BcQF-lOc0BP1ltBMZiGlCbRBT5Rypf6wUSBMECL7MJ2oGEX8MKqGU01f-m1pitOWAp0pyMfSzSjn-cwj9AqrmI-gABPK3heDh/s640/IMG_5102.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP_IIR5HwK0JApKcd0-lg7MaFcmSMhf6JK68WZyxOsXhz4XVsCdZx8Uk3ZUR9va6fpc8iHI7mYz_Z9-Bh6LGAdgjMLf8Vqv1soHOmMJHSNrOhVGZv7B2QADAMRE5YkcKpZ9wK5MFnL5deF/s1600/IMG_5109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP_IIR5HwK0JApKcd0-lg7MaFcmSMhf6JK68WZyxOsXhz4XVsCdZx8Uk3ZUR9va6fpc8iHI7mYz_Z9-Bh6LGAdgjMLf8Vqv1soHOmMJHSNrOhVGZv7B2QADAMRE5YkcKpZ9wK5MFnL5deF/s640/IMG_5109.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijL4UvPiiSkaMtiD2OLHj3piMJWZYEHnIWnD8zq1wwG3LmOdKSQlO2Bqa57krnsQBoj9u_nrnv4_yfLvxXbBbLN3Fzdyx6Rz5YjAeQwHQtlCowd4c_hS6RUrMaof7GsxOk-ap2Mwbh5hjR/s1600/IMG_5116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijL4UvPiiSkaMtiD2OLHj3piMJWZYEHnIWnD8zq1wwG3LmOdKSQlO2Bqa57krnsQBoj9u_nrnv4_yfLvxXbBbLN3Fzdyx6Rz5YjAeQwHQtlCowd4c_hS6RUrMaof7GsxOk-ap2Mwbh5hjR/s640/IMG_5116.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzdz4t6Yq7bvx0o26MDfHHRzAlyk7O15QQVZIDGhgZRgPWUm0JAvNrfAeHUYyEXMG-dNmQaj2gxSKEhK2I16VmVCXOjgSG7MlmBqFTtiza30TlPzzSgi9IID11c6oqGIAyC-TPt_kzA5md/s1600/IMG_5128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzdz4t6Yq7bvx0o26MDfHHRzAlyk7O15QQVZIDGhgZRgPWUm0JAvNrfAeHUYyEXMG-dNmQaj2gxSKEhK2I16VmVCXOjgSG7MlmBqFTtiza30TlPzzSgi9IID11c6oqGIAyC-TPt_kzA5md/s400/IMG_5128.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1T2faxgaMi7tIstR6Nf0iIruKqP-KmjZTzbUb6lGQfjuA5DNw75MfxoZ1HvKSZh2vuX2vbdtE_i4HfgbUPCETmUxapK_h2YVtHhdzGIr4Mb99GvUleNXSpGn3hHzaWlaS8EDCTYjzLl1S/s1600/IMG_5125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1T2faxgaMi7tIstR6Nf0iIruKqP-KmjZTzbUb6lGQfjuA5DNw75MfxoZ1HvKSZh2vuX2vbdtE_i4HfgbUPCETmUxapK_h2YVtHhdzGIr4Mb99GvUleNXSpGn3hHzaWlaS8EDCTYjzLl1S/s640/IMG_5125.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhV6mAW8QQV2uj64CCiXAdTcGQ8-QkconBgdzI2cDuT0XKL1j8kzGm2xdiXWcF2aihNPfs7eLFLVYN3CpZZQDL3HCh_e0XdbKJwu-CXPfqCEaMqWatpGYsRuopVQZ75MMWcrA5t_hDYYT5/s1600/IMG_5127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhV6mAW8QQV2uj64CCiXAdTcGQ8-QkconBgdzI2cDuT0XKL1j8kzGm2xdiXWcF2aihNPfs7eLFLVYN3CpZZQDL3HCh_e0XdbKJwu-CXPfqCEaMqWatpGYsRuopVQZ75MMWcrA5t_hDYYT5/s640/IMG_5127.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fuchsturm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I've been on a few evening walks to, just to get out of the apartment (I spend quite a lot of time there it seems). The area of Jena that I live in is basically a maze of apartment blocks and they're not the prettiest site, despite all the trees. Luckily, if you walk five or ten minutes out of said maze, you end up in the green, which is nice!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3RU4CMZOXMm2WxB2Fdoo52rz2ufx9X1AWCobD6hVMb8WEcApMv8Tg1RBbvtZuivBjhlutsXhXFH1F6J9lxdxwikhj91tuEk8wn8XOKqyZqOE2gR8Galy95Ov7WevRcubuPg2ndOm619U8/s1600/IMG_5186.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3RU4CMZOXMm2WxB2Fdoo52rz2ufx9X1AWCobD6hVMb8WEcApMv8Tg1RBbvtZuivBjhlutsXhXFH1F6J9lxdxwikhj91tuEk8wn8XOKqyZqOE2gR8Galy95Ov7WevRcubuPg2ndOm619U8/s640/IMG_5186.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB6NhcUQL2DhiKnBQPPbgkJPmVe0Z4ymZT7U_LWbhJ3ONG5181s-CZjuIP6WSJ4iYWnfkmRH3ukTNjQmWKzbkKMdtnxyx7t6XALXhnrCKgxg6bG4nj-ZDTOyyERj-SHJe-xtpKltonDcdV/s1600/IMG_5190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB6NhcUQL2DhiKnBQPPbgkJPmVe0Z4ymZT7U_LWbhJ3ONG5181s-CZjuIP6WSJ4iYWnfkmRH3ukTNjQmWKzbkKMdtnxyx7t6XALXhnrCKgxg6bG4nj-ZDTOyyERj-SHJe-xtpKltonDcdV/s640/IMG_5190.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
And when I get bored of Jena, I'm lucky enough to three friends from Bangor studying in Leipzig for their own year abroad - I went to stay with them again last weekend (thanks again guys!). We spent the few days I was there by one of the lakes on the edge of the city; rented bikes and cycled through the city and round the same lake; eating in and eating out.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsth-1ft-7ZRILqL2r6hi1BKmEs3BrBnLjug7dMg690blxaKk4tAQztkphh920t1w0EUlPcYZzZz__zYnlRm0kmVb7MxalgWkN30VkImwsjUzeBj5mAVfLdN-QY2veDDA1W8AsAI2lTEl4/s1600/IMG_5154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsth-1ft-7ZRILqL2r6hi1BKmEs3BrBnLjug7dMg690blxaKk4tAQztkphh920t1w0EUlPcYZzZz__zYnlRm0kmVb7MxalgWkN30VkImwsjUzeBj5mAVfLdN-QY2veDDA1W8AsAI2lTEl4/s640/IMG_5154.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0hAZU2Qf5pr0-jUdNTkSBTe-qBRC69fHAF7GuBpdZK7imfDs_a6sKzi0ykvu8H69ZdusC014dM1NNiL-PP3xxV4TcmXjYxXFHbWIdjj3ArSFbAOID6SYc8ELj90YNvo7A2XlXGUpY3hxV/s1600/IMG_5158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0hAZU2Qf5pr0-jUdNTkSBTe-qBRC69fHAF7GuBpdZK7imfDs_a6sKzi0ykvu8H69ZdusC014dM1NNiL-PP3xxV4TcmXjYxXFHbWIdjj3ArSFbAOID6SYc8ELj90YNvo7A2XlXGUpY3hxV/s640/IMG_5158.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8SIqlbudu-JfF9idmWMvHDDNJcPIW3-809z8slvGKkobPetBZb9bA-Y6RqCRYYnpkQl9rrqu7BlektNoSI3UE1avq3ZmhKMtVdhM5FbeWK-l0PRJfum4N_xR-ljFmhE45IPNuMNOzQFiB/s1600/IMG_5178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8SIqlbudu-JfF9idmWMvHDDNJcPIW3-809z8slvGKkobPetBZb9bA-Y6RqCRYYnpkQl9rrqu7BlektNoSI3UE1avq3ZmhKMtVdhM5FbeWK-l0PRJfum4N_xR-ljFmhE45IPNuMNOzQFiB/s640/IMG_5178.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">*</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigc_lx6IUAdw1ryVaVBwoSUnUtllCDiMpMevW9KgAhe-lM2HJreQNSagn-twHlFC5pRKLSGNoHXpT-IqpNBsWarZWZCmWO_Wb7BPgL6feh1C3RZbDKN01pArzo_603QWHbx48veR1ieUPN/s1600/IMG_5183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigc_lx6IUAdw1ryVaVBwoSUnUtllCDiMpMevW9KgAhe-lM2HJreQNSagn-twHlFC5pRKLSGNoHXpT-IqpNBsWarZWZCmWO_Wb7BPgL6feh1C3RZbDKN01pArzo_603QWHbx48veR1ieUPN/s400/IMG_5183.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
It's really nice how much closer I've become to a lot of the Bangor languages people over the course of this year!<br />
<br />
So that is basically all I've been up to, bar lectures and being addicted to watching The Tudors via Netflix (I know I'm a few years behind, but WOW it's good!). Next weekend I'm going to Prague which is <i>really bloody exciting</i>!!! Maybe I'll even write a blog post about the trip...<br />
<br />
Ciao for now!<br />
<br />
xClaudia Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372463551998915225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4919671304220146299.post-80022675952614130942015-04-09T21:58:00.001+02:002015-04-09T21:58:27.779+02:00Goodbye UK; hello Deutschland!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjm1Kaeji1yaupSsJl743_8MB0D8JppAdQcPgCXEiwQkTf8Su9rgdwgndKk596gND8zzBiR9qzfMdfyjMhfXXFfISymia20lR_q8KSlJ_452JiiACU8Is_XoyVoh1VHWbU6JABfl3N_vWo/s1600/IMG_4947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjm1Kaeji1yaupSsJl743_8MB0D8JppAdQcPgCXEiwQkTf8Su9rgdwgndKk596gND8zzBiR9qzfMdfyjMhfXXFfISymia20lR_q8KSlJ_452JiiACU8Is_XoyVoh1VHWbU6JABfl3N_vWo/s1600/IMG_4947.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jena</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
So, I realise it's been a *little* while since I wrote anything...wow okay not since 12th February, that's a little horrifying! If it makes you feel any better, I have numerous draft posts saved that I never got round to posting...<br />
<br />
The main reason not for posting was that I didn't want this blog to become a chore, I didn't want to feel guilty if I didn't write but at the same time I didn't didn't want to write...nothing, which is what I've done these last two months. A few times I would set myself time to write something and then feel a little blue or homesick and not write anything - I've tried it before and, whenever I write when I am homesick, it doesn't make for a fun read.<br />
<br />
After that I was having too much fun in my last few weeks in Bologna: I had two good friends from home to stay on separate occasions so that kept me busy (I know, should have written about that!), and then all of a sudden my room was packed up and I had to leave to go back home. I was sad to leave, but I'd planned so much even in the first few days of my being back in the UK that I was also excited to be going! I stayed with my bestie in Brighton, visited my sister, then visited family, and then went finally made it home all within the first like five days!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilIX7vvM4dAQmNzDou6pWVEHm1tzFN50V6w0Z9na4JUGzOuAs5FnnCxYGwzG7czP4zpKiMTTkSipVxlDQh8FKlVriNe8eDbTUZQwoA9eKfftJOiafmOPAL-IUl-TwtRQRJL9vK4CxaiaPe/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-04-09+at+15.29.52.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilIX7vvM4dAQmNzDou6pWVEHm1tzFN50V6w0Z9na4JUGzOuAs5FnnCxYGwzG7czP4zpKiMTTkSipVxlDQh8FKlVriNe8eDbTUZQwoA9eKfftJOiafmOPAL-IUl-TwtRQRJL9vK4CxaiaPe/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-04-09+at+15.29.52.png" height="397" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lovely seeing my pooches again!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2SwQ9AsLnm7e7bwZOeiFNCyBGVFWphjZaVlOGMA4RaaPHSrpEsPYVZFFYDo5GOyH3dOSQoff4zM3Ey3n9yaWieJPMOhAZLTTat1yo9NFEQMhA6CeRvFkN471ANb4m8bcZokHAyOsV11pE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-04-09+at+15.29.45.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2SwQ9AsLnm7e7bwZOeiFNCyBGVFWphjZaVlOGMA4RaaPHSrpEsPYVZFFYDo5GOyH3dOSQoff4zM3Ey3n9yaWieJPMOhAZLTTat1yo9NFEQMhA6CeRvFkN471ANb4m8bcZokHAyOsV11pE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-04-09+at+15.29.45.png" height="397" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brighton with the bestie</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I was lucky to be in the country for the whole of last month and I don't think I can quite express the...<i>relief</i>, I suppose, of being at home, with my friends and family. There was just this huge weight taken off my shoulders and spending a good amount of time at home has really helped. Don't get me wrong here - I loved being in Bologna, and I love my year abroad, but the whole thing does drive me to distraction sometimes!! (I'm actually starting to go grey, how sad is that?)<br />
<br />
That's it - I just wanted to walk you quickly through my last two months, and now we shall move swiftly on!<br />
<br />
Because something new has happened: I have begun my second year abroad placement and, if you haven't guessed already, I'm in Germany now! Specifically the weeny little city of Jena (is it a city? I don't know. Check your facts Claud) in the Bundesland of Th<span class="st">ü</span>ringen (south of Leipzig and way in the East). I've been living here for one week and now I'm going to tell you what I've been up to!<br />
<br />
So I left the UK via a coach on the evening of Wednesday 1st April. I'd traveled down to London to take said accursed (good word, accursed, no?) coach all the way across to Leipzig, to then get a train to Jena. Why accursed, you may well ask? It was a stuffy, noisy, crowded coach - though I don't know whether the woman next to me who was practically sat on me, the constant shouting from the people on the back row, the man in front of me who played his youtube videos on his iPad loudly <i>with no headphones</i> (who does that?!), or perhaps the two hour delay at the ferry terminal that was the worst part. Never. Again.<br />
<br />
I eventually arrived to my new apartment, which I share with two lovely Germans, on Thursday evening, and I absolutely love it. You have to go on the tram to get into the city center or to the uni but that's perfectly okay, and on top of that I love my room!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcb-aXuJni0WHEaRQu_JBX6b5B-5bHA9bjX9L_BdL2lv2jKgOERz9qfS9E06zdvXure3BuMv57dvi17pjupQo-i-NRkUMsqfW4A-iyRYQoUsqvTY-l4ONXo_M1mu85-nxgIojhU6oVtBau/s1600/IMG_4949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcb-aXuJni0WHEaRQu_JBX6b5B-5bHA9bjX9L_BdL2lv2jKgOERz9qfS9E06zdvXure3BuMv57dvi17pjupQo-i-NRkUMsqfW4A-iyRYQoUsqvTY-l4ONXo_M1mu85-nxgIojhU6oVtBau/s1600/IMG_4949.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have ALWAYS wanted one of these beds!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw3DvutvFpaVlkAXJkHHW4_AtjJ1hsFZslBVcw50yW2YcvVQOtp3z9eylrm1HYCmo1C2X04LVfePoPCapU6ohMEu9EWNY-hnhwGoygImzXXPzKnjtVPGCRqJ13u4JGKYd5QvjCrgl095US/s1600/IMG_4948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw3DvutvFpaVlkAXJkHHW4_AtjJ1hsFZslBVcw50yW2YcvVQOtp3z9eylrm1HYCmo1C2X04LVfePoPCapU6ohMEu9EWNY-hnhwGoygImzXXPzKnjtVPGCRqJ13u4JGKYd5QvjCrgl095US/s1600/IMG_4948.jpg" height="640" width="504" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Already decorated with my photos..</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Friday was spent sleeping, unpacking, and discovering the city center (although being a bank holiday of course everything was shut - I could still tell that it's a nice place though!). But the real fun began at the weekend.<br />
<br />
At lunchtime on Saturday I went and met four of my lovely friends who I study German with back at Bangor at one of the train stations. Beth and Chan are studying in Leipzig, Alex in Heidelberg and Megan is working in Mönchengladbach. I hadn't seen them in aaaages so this was just perfect, what better way to spend my first weekend in Germany!?<br />
<br />
First on the agenda was food. A fast food stand I'd noticed on the Friday turned out to be Jena's best-seller for the ever delightful Currywurst - you can also get it here with chips and a heaping of mayo, in whichever flavour you fancy (I opted for pesto & lemon and also guacamole). Needless to say, it was awesome. You do have to queue a bit though, as it's so popular, so perhaps I'll just go when people visit...or when I really really fancy one.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeYyN0e90YxkZSbYo__2ok2ne9pozgaj8kqOaNXvNh0zyU-lyNSX5g_ZjOD77MJwLSLbkXUCQZ-Qt2A48CKwKQsahH1Le9pVs-5_YYIj8hrWUr3fUnyVUnu7tnjIB3l0fi7wT90Iogm7i8/s1600/IMG_4954.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeYyN0e90YxkZSbYo__2ok2ne9pozgaj8kqOaNXvNh0zyU-lyNSX5g_ZjOD77MJwLSLbkXUCQZ-Qt2A48CKwKQsahH1Le9pVs-5_YYIj8hrWUr3fUnyVUnu7tnjIB3l0fi7wT90Iogm7i8/s1600/IMG_4954.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LECKER</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We spent the rest of the day wandering through Jena and enjoying the sunshine, even going so far as to crack out the sunglasses. But the main event of the afternoon (or second main, if you count the Currywurst which I definitely do) was the visit we paid to the JenTurm (Jena tower).<br />
<br />
You pay just €3 to go whizzing up to the top floor of a tower (built during the GDR reign dontcha know), and are rewarded with stunning views across the city.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwvF6yu5uRdw6grq9jgUrL51Ne9cqZfAoWc1rWDC_dpQIsEH6J89l3CRa_xsMaxt9KvwW7hOQRDzCCQ2_or9H4r1_MHhMxp2lAUeTNLs1JH80FGNxH0ZsnEdfbBBS4eIc6CA2yOE4vdObP/s1600/IMG_4957.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwvF6yu5uRdw6grq9jgUrL51Ne9cqZfAoWc1rWDC_dpQIsEH6J89l3CRa_xsMaxt9KvwW7hOQRDzCCQ2_or9H4r1_MHhMxp2lAUeTNLs1JH80FGNxH0ZsnEdfbBBS4eIc6CA2yOE4vdObP/s1600/IMG_4957.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzrwaDfgjvdgaZIEm6ODxwUalF9tnL1XsEXaIWltk1rlNiuqTsS-UbGZddwd3KYs_hueaYFM6pM4t_pNnE_QuL2mGFwB9WqA-OCkN5C00Sp6fURCOA2kkL0BPlFmjZA8MKt2HfK6ErYkHY/s1600/IMG_4958.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzrwaDfgjvdgaZIEm6ODxwUalF9tnL1XsEXaIWltk1rlNiuqTsS-UbGZddwd3KYs_hueaYFM6pM4t_pNnE_QuL2mGFwB9WqA-OCkN5C00Sp6fURCOA2kkL0BPlFmjZA8MKt2HfK6ErYkHY/s1600/IMG_4958.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking this way I was *pretty* confident I could make out my building...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiThWDatzttmHNjVM-5iJp4dJFnzrZAAchIWHc-6NRPhV3moU1dgPsfQZHWaUAwRUy5zZpN_sd5fCs1NyyHSAvOKHfcIUi9mXkt9S92djm01qygaKUz3TKRMTKKSjEsAe4KzdYbBBCEF7e0/s1600/IMG_4959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiThWDatzttmHNjVM-5iJp4dJFnzrZAAchIWHc-6NRPhV3moU1dgPsfQZHWaUAwRUy5zZpN_sd5fCs1NyyHSAvOKHfcIUi9mXkt9S92djm01qygaKUz3TKRMTKKSjEsAe4KzdYbBBCEF7e0/s1600/IMG_4959.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Wow, right?!<br />
<br />
There's also a reasonably swanky looking restaurant on the top floor too (indoors of course), so we nipped in for a coffee and to warm up a bit. Afterwards there was time for another walk through the main streets and then we were off to the station to make our way over to Leipzig.<br />
<br />
The trains vary, so you can either get to Leipzig direct on the ICE (means very fast) one in roughly an hour, or instead take two hours on the regional trains and probably have to change somewhere - we did the latter, but after all our walking it was quite nice just to sit down for a bit!<br />
<br />
Our evening in Leipzig was spent cooking spag bol (well, we ate it, Chan and Beth cooked it...) and drinking lots of wine, followed up by some cocktails and drinks in a bar called Cafe Pushkin, which was ace.<br />
<br />
Sunday morning consisted of nursing slightly sore heads (well, mine was at least), meeting another of our friends, Flo, who has just begun her semester in Leipzig, and hunting down some breakfast - we chose 100 Wasser, a place that does a great brunch buffet and, should you go, a really nice caramel cappuccino.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDKSAEBXuIUnfzD_0noFOAXB0IZ32R35erBMgAe6eRklmlzUQa14CxvM5MghDPXwmL7HE8mlQlcyTlsc6pqhb6v3iSO77vCU5ANYrnMgwUGopG5uHaHIE6-ez4a8_FEihtUDP-p-eiftm2/s1600/IMG_5014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDKSAEBXuIUnfzD_0noFOAXB0IZ32R35erBMgAe6eRklmlzUQa14CxvM5MghDPXwmL7HE8mlQlcyTlsc6pqhb6v3iSO77vCU5ANYrnMgwUGopG5uHaHIE6-ez4a8_FEihtUDP-p-eiftm2/s1600/IMG_5014.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good eggs - 4th year in Bangor with these girls will be awesome!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We saw some of the main sights of Leipzig the remainder of the day, in both cloud and sunshine which made a nice change! My favourite part was seeing the V<span data-reactid=".5.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1.$text0:0:$text0:0"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">ölkerschlachtdenkmal, which is a Monument to the Battle of the Nations. We managed to take all our photos whilst there was some blue sky hanging about - not long after it turned grey again...</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge0J9XMYajK-H9QJYm-hS3AejQXXrnFCBoZPet14aIHG8Kbb3u4LWS0Zt9Mwx_57tWCOt51gQKWE-2PpI4ZX9n18JHtkjCjefqZbudEfTZ83MRL5fzC-FcjTHI6RC018dFVUKNlnRNl_qA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-04-09+at+21.34.36.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge0J9XMYajK-H9QJYm-hS3AejQXXrnFCBoZPet14aIHG8Kbb3u4LWS0Zt9Mwx_57tWCOt51gQKWE-2PpI4ZX9n18JHtkjCjefqZbudEfTZ83MRL5fzC-FcjTHI6RC018dFVUKNlnRNl_qA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-04-09+at+21.34.36.png" height="400" width="397" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dat reflection.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span data-reactid=".5.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1.$text0:0:$text0:0"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">And then it was time to part ways - two of them had flights back to other parts of the country, three were remaining in Leipzig and I was heading back to Jena via a nice little train journey. I'm really, really glad that I got to see these girls on my first weekend of living in Germany - not only was it great to see familiar faces having just arrived, but I'd not seen three of them since we'd left Bangor back in, what, June?! This year abroad thingy is going fast, for sure..</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-reactid=".5.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1.$text0:0:$text0:0"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Having successfully caught Beth's cold (thanks again bud! Jokes) I spent Monday largely watching Netflix and eating the last of my Easter chocolate (which I had bought myself. Sob sob)...</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-reactid=".5.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1.$text0:0:$text0:0"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">..but as I've since been feeling a bit better (still snuffling though, boo hoo), I've spent the remainder of the week exploring the city and getting to know my way around; taking a placement test for my 'German as a foreign language' courses; discovering local supermarket Kaufland and it's miles and miles of cheese, beer and meat (cannot tell you how excited I was walking around that place for the first time, I'm such a loser) and, most importantly, working on my German language skills.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-reactid=".5.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1.$text0:0:$text0:0"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">That last one hasn't been <span style="font-family: inherit;">so easy - after several mo<span style="font-family: inherit;">nth<span style="font-family: inherit;">s spent ne<span style="font-family: inherit;">gle<span style="font-family: inherit;">cting</span> my German in favour of bringing my Italian up to speed (natural, having been living in Italy)<span style="font-family: inherit;">, I've found that when I open my mouth nothing short of rubbish comes out of it. Bless my poor housemate (only one is here<span style="font-family: inherit;"> right now,</span> until tomorrow anyway) for <span style="font-family: inherit;">cons<span style="font-family: inherit;">tantly having to listen to me trying to <span style="font-family: inherit;">make <span style="font-family: inherit;">sentences! And if you think 'oh I'm su<span style="font-family: inherit;">re she's just being modest' - no, no no no, I am not.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span data-reactid=".5.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1.$text0:0:$text0:0"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(<span style="font-family: inherit;">On the</span></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">plus side my writin<span style="font-family: inherit;">g, listening and reading skills seem to be just fine - can I just text everyone, instead of speaking<span style="font-family: inherit;"> to them face to face<span style="font-family: inherit;">? Sigh...)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-reactid=".5.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1.$text0:0:$text0:0"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So <span style="font-family: inherit;">in short, </span>I'm getting used to <span style="font-family: inherit;">being in Jena, and I'm pretty confident that I like what I'm seeing. My <span style="font-family: inherit;">lectures will sta<span style="font-family: inherit;">rt next week so things will get busier and I'm <span style="font-family: inherit;">sure that then the last of the <span style="font-family: inherit;">feelings of homesickness will creep away - it's also meant to be nearly 20 degrees and sunny here over the weekend, so that is bound to help....</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-reactid=".5.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1.$text0:0:$text0:0"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">More updates soon, promise!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-reactid=".5.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1.$text0:0:$text0:0"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">X</span> </span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Claudia Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372463551998915225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4919671304220146299.post-31521471760143786482015-02-12T15:41:00.001+01:002015-02-12T15:41:14.963+01:00A Weekend in BarcelonaSo this weekend just gone something really exciting happened - not only did I get to go to Spain for the first time, and more importantly <i>Barcelona</i> for the first time, I also got the chance to see an old family friend who I had probably last seen about four years ago! Our parents went to uni together so we've known each other forever, though her family actually moved to the U.S. years ago so we don't see each other all that often. It was so good to catch up properly again!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifhJGHv2q9XGaR9uHwHCiG4TdWOr9ZC-tG_guKejKqMz9YxlszyFsDd90LqVA4cfkKKe-6AsnFK-DJBaoZ2sEcoay1Lxajnz_J8p7JgTRygS121UgtywAc1a5cYv1ljEx6ay93Oktd8vJM/s1600/IMG_4319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifhJGHv2q9XGaR9uHwHCiG4TdWOr9ZC-tG_guKejKqMz9YxlszyFsDd90LqVA4cfkKKe-6AsnFK-DJBaoZ2sEcoay1Lxajnz_J8p7JgTRygS121UgtywAc1a5cYv1ljEx6ay93Oktd8vJM/s1600/IMG_4319.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Palm trees AND sunshine?! Heaven!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Unfortunately during the week I'd been pretty sick - I guess it was the flu or something, I had aches all over including a headache, constantly runny nose and then I developed a horrible cough that left me speaking in an extremely husky voice, and not in a good way. And of course I was no better in time for the weekend, and possibly I was even worse since the weather is Bologna had become pretty bleuuurgh with a day of constant rain (really I think it only stopped for like two hours) followed by a huuge amount of snow overnight. That meant a load of morning flights on Friday got cancelled, and it was also raining so in the city it was hell to get anywhere! Luckily since I was flying in the evening things had resumed order again by that time, although the flight was still delayed by about an hour because the plane had to be de-iced a second time...<br />
<br />
...and so I eventually arrived in the city center of Barcelona at about 9.45pm, via the aerobus from the airport. Georgina met me at the bus stop at Plaça de Catalunya (a big ol' plaza) along with her friend Jenna, and the first thing to do was to grab some dinner. We opted for tapas at a place not far away and I got to try real <i>patatas bravas</i> (reeally hope that's spelt right - I never learnt Spanish!) for the first time: the verdict is that they're delicious, of course!<br />
<br />
Next job was to find my hostel. Since they're not allowed visitors in their accomodation I'd booked myself into Generator Hostel for two nights. I think it was about a 20 minute walk from the Plaça and pretty easy to find - and totally worth it because it was really cool! Very modern and interesting, and the staff spoke English too which was great because, as I mentioned, <i><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="es"><span class="hps">no hablo español</span></span></i><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="es"><span class="hps"> (I Google Translate-d that, so sorry if it's wrong!). I was staying in a female 6-bed dorm room but for the first night there was noone else in, so perfect really!</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9pnH0OhqBQ8dXs_QFeKp28734-mjzsXXxnEAM4ttvp4_xB4afY540Wy3gotD-tNb43f8KauhmJ4bDyyxR7CtbR0IpGa23USvZIVIfRaN6D3aJkSEhgONNGUmUsY7ZjLNhUMzQT2cug6_6/s1600/IMG_4290.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9pnH0OhqBQ8dXs_QFeKp28734-mjzsXXxnEAM4ttvp4_xB4afY540Wy3gotD-tNb43f8KauhmJ4bDyyxR7CtbR0IpGa23USvZIVIfRaN6D3aJkSEhgONNGUmUsY7ZjLNhUMzQT2cug6_6/s1600/IMG_4290.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="es"><span class="hps"><br /></span></span>
<span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="es"><span class="hps">After that we headed out for some drinks. The girls took me to a cool place called <i>L'ovella Negra</i> (The Black Sheep), where we had some beers and chatted for the next few hours. Some other Americans joined us and with them we drank something that the bar sold called 'Panther's milk' - milk with vodka and brandy in it....yep doesn't it sound awful?! Well, it wasn't! It was quite sweet and we enjoyed it - although it makes for a serious headache in the morning of course! We left the bar as it closed and I was back in my hostel at about 4am (good thing that I was alone in my room that night!).</span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsRo0qtlZ6Nz3bk49FiEVqwBPGkDacv3p2g72lFNHbP_rPBpa_2P6PXxvb5l1byFRoXJADV8M7YdJqtN22RhoCfqCxAqsVUIM78sFoDVYGrser4jxbf74Y2UITiRSymapJ-1lLcOLy8Sav/s1600/IMG_4354.JPG" height="640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="480" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">* Me and Georgina</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFqzTCXnQ7K3SAsgGaFznOnVG9rbk0FKJuRfq1YDACeWm06vuGl0NP0pjMFrVnyg3JX0vVjApBg2xOsHqd_1x8XPjvRNnHVh4u2ELWDSjDIR1eKErQVpxK3EMAIoTcmCrpPLBkbA08A3GX/s1600/IMG_4346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFqzTCXnQ7K3SAsgGaFznOnVG9rbk0FKJuRfq1YDACeWm06vuGl0NP0pjMFrVnyg3JX0vVjApBg2xOsHqd_1x8XPjvRNnHVh4u2ELWDSjDIR1eKErQVpxK3EMAIoTcmCrpPLBkbA08A3GX/s1600/IMG_4346.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I want one of these babies to keep!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="es"><span class="hps">I was up just before 10am <strike>the next</strike> later that morning, and was pleased to find the shower was really decent (how often does that happen in a hostel?!). I met Georgina and Jenna at a tiny place called Brunch & Cake, where we seated quite quickly (which was good because it was pretty busy) and left to ponder the menu. There were so many interesting things and I think we gladly would have chosen multiple things - as a table of four or five girls did across from us, they must have had seven or so different things between them and we were seriously jealous!</span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrAiKdN3a_SeJQajcGB_c4PJMv3NCTsTbIaG9cTtWcKdOau5jVyQ8xnp7VjilNyldWLHkS_Mv7a20_45Q-FstD2GgOI7gScPR4iE9UYLg_JY38Z8T9ypbgtRCFZgoPvd94Y1vpyeg5tiVK/s1600/IMG_4305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrAiKdN3a_SeJQajcGB_c4PJMv3NCTsTbIaG9cTtWcKdOau5jVyQ8xnp7VjilNyldWLHkS_Mv7a20_45Q-FstD2GgOI7gScPR4iE9UYLg_JY38Z8T9ypbgtRCFZgoPvd94Y1vpyeg5tiVK/s1600/IMG_4305.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drool-inducing...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="es"><span class="hps">I opted for avocado, chilli and feta on toast (amazing) with a little pot of fruit salad (also perfect), along with a glass of fresh OJ. Georgina had a turkey and scrambled egg bag and Jenna a stack of French toast covered in berries - seriously, how good does all of that look?!...</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr0EUN6zUji4yPeepfOQdoQ-8KtXs8VO8uVFKn6wC7hPL8wvCL5snxZhfpJ0rDJMvJm4WDhjEswYG34jjzyw8xVA-8QH2RyVakI6orH_8mssnd9IxhX9oyWu4SZaFZ6lgNRnup0ZONcxZL/s1600/IMG_4306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr0EUN6zUji4yPeepfOQdoQ-8KtXs8VO8uVFKn6wC7hPL8wvCL5snxZhfpJ0rDJMvJm4WDhjEswYG34jjzyw8xVA-8QH2RyVakI6orH_8mssnd9IxhX9oyWu4SZaFZ6lgNRnup0ZONcxZL/s1600/IMG_4306.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="es"><span class="hps"><br /></span></span>
<span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="es"><span class="hps">Totally satisfied, we began the city tour. The girls have already been in Barcelona for a month so they knew where the good bits were. They took me first to see the <i>Sagrada Familia</i> - that big cathedral that is still being built despite having been started late 19th century! I was looking forward to seeing it, and it was a credit to all their work as it's a stunning building - although I don't think it'll be finished any time soon...</span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlEGrjzApoUMVCCGb9S0hv-9rwojB6UJYNU1q2Ghg9dXRoVf6kpuFaGACfe_5VNHnq6epDHcIsyYiKon3P6s3Mg9rvXFvSh4UwhY0A34aaGG71eckLDJo_gACxy7AEgX1Lm8RnCedXx02/s1600/IMG_4309.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlEGrjzApoUMVCCGb9S0hv-9rwojB6UJYNU1q2Ghg9dXRoVf6kpuFaGACfe_5VNHnq6epDHcIsyYiKon3P6s3Mg9rvXFvSh4UwhY0A34aaGG71eckLDJo_gACxy7AEgX1Lm8RnCedXx02/s1600/IMG_4309.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was veery difficult to take a decent photo with all the sun glare..</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheW76cJZZ2VqsBqdXXV-uObFWjVvdeMTEGODvIe9LWDsFLCEJ4HcCjVjk2HDT96kSRPh1W6husV7D3HiRFgUu5CVcnVO8VqRLPl8btwRU0NsvnF7XImT9BQeqtFluSPo64518iW840SFK7/s1600/IMG_4313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheW76cJZZ2VqsBqdXXV-uObFWjVvdeMTEGODvIe9LWDsFLCEJ4HcCjVjk2HDT96kSRPh1W6husV7D3HiRFgUu5CVcnVO8VqRLPl8btwRU0NsvnF7XImT9BQeqtFluSPo64518iW840SFK7/s1600/IMG_4313.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the back</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="es"><span class="hps"> </span></span><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="es"><span class="hps"><br /></span></span>
<span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="es"><span class="hps">Next we headed for Las Ramblas, one of the main streets of the city. It's got this big walkway down the middle lined with trees, which I bet looks great in the summer. (Oh, did I mention the weather there yet? It was gorgeously sunny all weekend and several degrees warmer than Bologna - yay!!) We wandered down some of the side streets and into a couple of shops for a bit, and also saw the Cathedral of Barcelona, which was pretty impressive!</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjpp3zLgflrXtjh46WK4mRe6CkvDHHKN-h3FETn55HETv5mHYHZdi0TsAdqgpX3fhq4Szv0FRjfW_2eVffd6nEjsq_2dQ44BPKx4vqHVbueZUzb85HydbOPtlOd9xIjhe_70ioX-YihVxY/s1600/IMG_4314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjpp3zLgflrXtjh46WK4mRe6CkvDHHKN-h3FETn55HETv5mHYHZdi0TsAdqgpX3fhq4Szv0FRjfW_2eVffd6nEjsq_2dQ44BPKx4vqHVbueZUzb85HydbOPtlOd9xIjhe_70ioX-YihVxY/s1600/IMG_4314.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTO8j8bfBhh9_NRoQLRo1ZZMqwcKp_r5UUBpuvRMjth8xP84iXg2Kud8qZpbc8f3GkRs7_yt1VXeRalHPgVTDK7Y7_ojVAJMiuspcRkn9ueO_jmFVqt1ymyC8nobfK-UMC0gcHOL47Oza0/s1600/IMG_4315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTO8j8bfBhh9_NRoQLRo1ZZMqwcKp_r5UUBpuvRMjth8xP84iXg2Kud8qZpbc8f3GkRs7_yt1VXeRalHPgVTDK7Y7_ojVAJMiuspcRkn9ueO_jmFVqt1ymyC8nobfK-UMC0gcHOL47Oza0/s1600/IMG_4315.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
We decided to go out and see the port, which wasn't too long a walk away, after which we carried on round to the beach where we sat for a bit. It was warm sitting in the sun and the sea was a gorgeous colour that did look quite tempting - if only I'd not been sick! There were so many people selling stuff on the beach though - shawls/blankets, coconut pieces, and some 'sexy mojitos', all of which we politely declined...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYrl_5oHASp0wSsDHgl4JXqehdtIxIFdRDMVkJxzngkMgjw7BbduSlvWDUI4XNyl1ox70slO9vup3rWGgJfaVfhoDzZPR9S6hBKyhvxL0ptTK0P1kDWU2QUVshw5GP0ibBZJ81It8y5Xz0/s1600/IMG_4322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYrl_5oHASp0wSsDHgl4JXqehdtIxIFdRDMVkJxzngkMgjw7BbduSlvWDUI4XNyl1ox70slO9vup3rWGgJfaVfhoDzZPR9S6hBKyhvxL0ptTK0P1kDWU2QUVshw5GP0ibBZJ81It8y5Xz0/s1600/IMG_4322.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The harbour</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqmWxI-OFTG5SCM9Vuc37QiyBi_lEZyjawQpOIlCCB4dfZJ6cyT60jzl0k-lbO56k5NXPcfbkTCeVGX3by-7EvtrTQ9o5WcbpkEwa-XnJimdHSar6rGHbCb-ayBxe1qd_66ir_oX1yhAHI/s1600/IMG_4324.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqmWxI-OFTG5SCM9Vuc37QiyBi_lEZyjawQpOIlCCB4dfZJ6cyT60jzl0k-lbO56k5NXPcfbkTCeVGX3by-7EvtrTQ9o5WcbpkEwa-XnJimdHSar6rGHbCb-ayBxe1qd_66ir_oX1yhAHI/s1600/IMG_4324.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5wMyNc15x0BA7WHJijthpHuH9qhUHpU2c2wojO0E35ILXlGLncmUaWiQJv5KZJptOeZabDNXyHeDKTO3M246PEvHmK5ZFls1oFyDQtthq0Vl4vjO26iy364Yq6ZiLXiP5aNd6gmDMQkYx/s1600/IMG_4325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5wMyNc15x0BA7WHJijthpHuH9qhUHpU2c2wojO0E35ILXlGLncmUaWiQJv5KZJptOeZabDNXyHeDKTO3M246PEvHmK5ZFls1oFyDQtthq0Vl4vjO26iy364Yq6ZiLXiP5aNd6gmDMQkYx/s1600/IMG_4325.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ahhh beautiful!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Eventually we decided we were getting peckish and so made our way back to Las Ramblas to go to La Boqueria, which is a big food market that the girls hadn't yet visited. Since it was now getting late in the afternoon several stalls were closed and more closing, but there was still plenty to see. Meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, sweets, chocolate....there was <u>everything</u>!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg32JZr8sKkaN7AFBU0V16oOy5hcz4TJKz9006Ptdgg1alJpkVLgxOrHy0KOi0cUgH8_Rl89_oBu8LBGHnlrSc9Bf63wkvwOuurOuatxUj5F8f7qGzNYTbkLf2wTBJTQ4nrlahN7WmQldZw/s1600/IMG_4331.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg32JZr8sKkaN7AFBU0V16oOy5hcz4TJKz9006Ptdgg1alJpkVLgxOrHy0KOi0cUgH8_Rl89_oBu8LBGHnlrSc9Bf63wkvwOuurOuatxUj5F8f7qGzNYTbkLf2wTBJTQ4nrlahN7WmQldZw/s1600/IMG_4331.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside view of the market</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji5MErwc89rebKZZMBNVetQ8XEA8CZ7Uw_F3KxUYzBg5LCOdz6yBa5azJroAyCl-kdtiNSpKzZCnzAq_h3B638EgAv3wdDzFjNk9eiKMYDigaPCOB-k9YmPMopKfXTYdpWUHC2_ye1DbjJ/s1600/IMG_4332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji5MErwc89rebKZZMBNVetQ8XEA8CZ7Uw_F3KxUYzBg5LCOdz6yBa5azJroAyCl-kdtiNSpKzZCnzAq_h3B638EgAv3wdDzFjNk9eiKMYDigaPCOB-k9YmPMopKfXTYdpWUHC2_ye1DbjJ/s1600/IMG_4332.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's like being back in Italy!...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
At the back end of the market there are a couple of places where you can sit and have some food, so that's what we did. We ordered patatas bravas (again, yes, but man I could eat that stuff all day! And at this place the sauce was different to the night before, so no judging) and some meatballs, quite relieved to be sitting again - during the day we walked a lot, and covered about 8 miles! Or was it km, hmm I don't remember. But it was a lot, either way!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNt5R-JSE4iiNADvXBE5Q87inG5BZZ8eRxgYKvy9U4W_C22aXExt7tqvrpHdbwecZEWWpeMXOJQS6Yo1QlTdzepRLrK87OXDQes8KhFq7MlPVJiIPyQ9I-QU6Z78UnP42pJcqfeGNLG06x/s1600/IMG_4336.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNt5R-JSE4iiNADvXBE5Q87inG5BZZ8eRxgYKvy9U4W_C22aXExt7tqvrpHdbwecZEWWpeMXOJQS6Yo1QlTdzepRLrK87OXDQes8KhFq7MlPVJiIPyQ9I-QU6Z78UnP42pJcqfeGNLG06x/s1600/IMG_4336.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Once we'd eaten (and picked up some cups of fruit as we left the market) we headed for their accomodation, so that we could chill out for a bit and I could have a nosey (it's really nice!). Whilst we were there we looked up a couple of places to visit that night including a tapas place and a bar their friends had recommended earlier called <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="st"><i>El Bombón</i> which is in an area called the Gothic Quarter (which I've decided is my favourite bit). At about 8pm the three of us went out along with three of their housemates (also American), though unfortunately the tapas place we'd chosen turned out not to have any tapas when we arrived, so we had a wander to find somewhere else. We picked a Greek place not far away in the Quarter (I never saw the name, though, oops!) which turned out to be a good one! We all either opted for a chicken <i>gyros</i> plate or lamb <i>souvlaki</i> (including me) and it was all delicious.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="st"></span></span><br />
<span class="st"><i>El Bombón</i> was also a success. We unknowingly arrived before the crowds did and after about five minutes of hanging got a table and ordered some cocktails. It's a caribbean bar that blasts music and has disco lights - it was seriously cool, although did get very busy later on and after one drink we went out to find somewhere new. We ended up in a quieter bar for another round of cocktails, where we stayed for a little while. Having left this bar we somehow managed to leave the Gothic Quarter and, unsure of where else to go, ended up going to <i>L'ovella Negra</i> again! Where we had beers and of course the headache-inducing Panther's milk...</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7BxsSMsgJrC6nKBQndivMWfMpIrPwu8QneVlS3kaXEetrJaZtG0-3zwYSyXleNVNsQXr-B0XpK_m7jLml886lWCfdgwxlrKPCBcbbS707_iFdYQMjxechMKxKzMsEoilIez9tN6oUsvBo/s1600/IMG_4340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7BxsSMsgJrC6nKBQndivMWfMpIrPwu8QneVlS3kaXEetrJaZtG0-3zwYSyXleNVNsQXr-B0XpK_m7jLml886lWCfdgwxlrKPCBcbbS707_iFdYQMjxechMKxKzMsEoilIez9tN6oUsvBo/s1600/IMG_4340.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="st"><i>El Bombón</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUtMEvS2DpPWTp_vyTTJP-IX-BUrDq5UwgjC9iD8KpInY-QSmlc0Yle1vY_XEC3YdMkgfar8nqtQ6-m8WnaCcEV9CQC4SWLyvpsAdqCpJXRMHYCUJVjhtOYVANvgsMrwzIJDElVbDyKeos/s1600/IMG_4344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUtMEvS2DpPWTp_vyTTJP-IX-BUrDq5UwgjC9iD8KpInY-QSmlc0Yle1vY_XEC3YdMkgfar8nqtQ6-m8WnaCcEV9CQC4SWLyvpsAdqCpJXRMHYCUJVjhtOYVANvgsMrwzIJDElVbDyKeos/s1600/IMG_4344.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cocktails!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi4Ka5tjcZYV8IQ6lJvIpRftpZkp7m0C26eqvncIbv0fdLn3WdNXwZrOmqr75-O-f5vBNa57oTmx2M6uNs1_b603GKpTUQ9OM5_OIBM86WfIpG5zNrZiN6UEQbykZLhIRelwx87M4mcYWF/s1600/IMG_4287.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi4Ka5tjcZYV8IQ6lJvIpRftpZkp7m0C26eqvncIbv0fdLn3WdNXwZrOmqr75-O-f5vBNa57oTmx2M6uNs1_b603GKpTUQ9OM5_OIBM86WfIpG5zNrZiN6UEQbykZLhIRelwx87M4mcYWF/s1600/IMG_4287.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lovely 'Panther's milk'..</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLgnDjcoTkrR0MlA2CEs-UgYJsYsUT6dd-oZNQmKLIvYMWCa5l-TTeCvhoCddwewHjPUba8JMm2Pm4RwAoice9PNc7PBXFqs8pNPAILFZos34VFjBiq8Zp8BTrBHQOz5YGA2mJ4IUiRUTM/s1600/IMG_4351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLgnDjcoTkrR0MlA2CEs-UgYJsYsUT6dd-oZNQmKLIvYMWCa5l-TTeCvhoCddwewHjPUba8JMm2Pm4RwAoice9PNc7PBXFqs8pNPAILFZos34VFjBiq8Zp8BTrBHQOz5YGA2mJ4IUiRUTM/s1600/IMG_4351.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
...though this time we left the bar a little earlier, and I got back to the hostel at about 3am. Except this time I wasn't alone! There were three girls asleep in the room when I arrived, though I woke up at least two because I was rustling around. I don't think they were too bothered though and they woke me up at about 8.30am which all their rustling anyway, so!<br />
<br />
Sunday morning I felt a bit worse than I had the morning before, and I was also still coughing like a mad thing, so I was happy to get ready and check out of the hostel before 10am so that I could grab some fresh air. I met Georgina at a cafe called Pudding, where the food was delicious but the decor was definitely the best part. It had a sort of circus/wonderland theme and just looked awesome! Though my photos are awful, so I'll only subject you to two of them so you can get the general gist.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis0Ec_8QQt61ZVd2M59qHpDMfm13a6PInH351XR-qpOfje7rq7ka9YUD0cDHhpunqbIzXb3u-5zjMUiZNvnXEO6nkiy4YANydoahiNZlNZuiUXMNNAbTRxNFG5fmZR3vvN5ByvejtFOhuE/s1600/IMG_4358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis0Ec_8QQt61ZVd2M59qHpDMfm13a6PInH351XR-qpOfje7rq7ka9YUD0cDHhpunqbIzXb3u-5zjMUiZNvnXEO6nkiy4YANydoahiNZlNZuiUXMNNAbTRxNFG5fmZR3vvN5ByvejtFOhuE/s1600/IMG_4358.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu0BPTaG0uaPDOJ-3LGGlFY3JgXyYIK7hYt3Da-GVFLjyO947BpR7t8z5_OQBMPtkc5_q2br6gp2cUIoew1O77oLOUxtPzPx0jn0akpoDv5OZYfJzb2NFiSU9hnkRm403T4sUwFz8Yv910/s1600/IMG_4357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu0BPTaG0uaPDOJ-3LGGlFY3JgXyYIK7hYt3Da-GVFLjyO947BpR7t8z5_OQBMPtkc5_q2br6gp2cUIoew1O77oLOUxtPzPx0jn0akpoDv5OZYfJzb2NFiSU9hnkRm403T4sUwFz8Yv910/s1600/IMG_4357.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
Realising we didn't have very much time that day (my flight was at 3.25pm so I only really had until half past 1 to 2pm to do stuff), we decided to walk down one of the main streets taking in the (once again) glorious sunshine. Having nipped back to the hostel so that I could grab the backpack I'd left in the storage room there, we then headed towards the cathedral area where there were going to be some performers doing this climbing thing - I don't really understand it, but it's a big thing apparently where they climb up each other and it was pretty cool!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2eghNO6GZA5DnUK639Pe1G8ikW-tZWQP1KfvavblUvXMFVOHhdxnIXbd91jd86vNaX6y0itOr22D32YSj77mRjbxf4lhj8lRW9tEOSbdd_KjJsqiPiby6HfUYhq3aihKtmX9OcJyHsaAp/s1600/IMG_4362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2eghNO6GZA5DnUK639Pe1G8ikW-tZWQP1KfvavblUvXMFVOHhdxnIXbd91jd86vNaX6y0itOr22D32YSj77mRjbxf4lhj8lRW9tEOSbdd_KjJsqiPiby6HfUYhq3aihKtmX9OcJyHsaAp/s1600/IMG_4362.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
The streets were absolutely packed with people, and soon I had to be getting the bus back to the airport so we didn't stay and watch for long. With promises of seeing each other again sooner than in four years time, I said goodbye to my lovely friend who'd shown me Barcelona and was off on my way. I expected the flight to be delayed because of the snow in Bologna but we actually left and arrived perfectly on time, and the flight was brilliant as we followed the coast of Spain in the sunshine with barely any clouds and into Italy, where everything was covered in snow.<br />
<br />
So, I've clearly had a fantastic weekend! I just wish I hadn't been sick because I would have enjoyed myself a bit more I think, it was a shame that I just felt like <i>death</i> as we walked around! Nonetheless I absolutely <i>loved</i> Barcelona and I will definitely be going back one day. And on the plus side I'm feeling much better now than I was, although still coughing a little bit...<br />
<br />
And guess what? I'm now into my final two weeks here in Italy. My final two weeks in Bologna. Which is...really bizarre! I cannot believe how quickly it's all gone! But more on that later. I've got plenty planned for now, including a trip to Venice on Friday, Verona on Saturday, and two good friends will be visiting me from Monday. I have a feeling I'll really enjoy these last days here and I will keep you updated.<br />
<br />
Ciao for now!<br />
<br />
X<br />
<br />Claudia Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372463551998915225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4919671304220146299.post-31505243071571180412015-01-26T12:28:00.004+01:002015-01-26T12:28:52.869+01:00The Asinelli Tower(Full title: The Asinelli Tower, Which Julie and I Climbed When She Visited on Saturday)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqXuPjxZTXdq6ou11JDqAI7iUaUVe_Z6LthlO1InUVsJf28dFDCZqpF_1Tl5xZBm-8nF6Wa4YzuGPveSsbZpv_SvdHd9xya7zzy65MHlt5p8_Azi1YZldhK0IhUDB-fGBGuruPV1p4g7f6/s1600/IMG_4182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqXuPjxZTXdq6ou11JDqAI7iUaUVe_Z6LthlO1InUVsJf28dFDCZqpF_1Tl5xZBm-8nF6Wa4YzuGPveSsbZpv_SvdHd9xya7zzy65MHlt5p8_Azi1YZldhK0IhUDB-fGBGuruPV1p4g7f6/s1600/IMG_4182.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
So all last week Bologna was unfortunately plagued by the rain - and not the good sort, like the type that's hammering away outside whilst you're inside with a cuppa and a book. No, last week it was mostly drizzle, the kind that seems harmless but if you've forgotten your umbrella you will eventually get soaked through.<br />
<br />
However, Saturday arrived accompanied by a brilliant blue sky, bright sunshine (actually bright enough for sunglasses!) and a little breeze - perfect weather when you're spending the day showing someone round the city.<br />
<br />
You may remember that I've been out to the city of Milan a couple of times since I first came to Italy back at the end of July (WOW that feels like a long long loooong time ago now..) to visit my friend <a href="http://justthealpsbetweenus.blogspot.it/" target="_blank">Julie</a>, who I'd met a few years ago on an exchange trip to Germany and haven't actually seen since whilst living in the UK, but funnily enough we've seen each other 3 times in the past 6 months we've been living over here! This Saturday she arrived from Milan to spend the day with me here before making the short journey down to Florence on Sunday. So far whenever I've had anyone to visit, as you've read, they've had a couple of days to spend here and so I've always made the tour of the city last a while, dragging it out a bit. As Julie only had one day I was determined to pack in as much as we could!<br />
<br />
When she arrived in the morning I met her at the train station and we headed down to the Piazza Maggiore for a coffee in the sunshine. Weekends in Bologna are good because the main city center is all pedestrianised, and since it does get quite busy this makes it easier to get around. After our coffee we mooched through the center and I pointed out all of my favourite little bits. By 12 we were getting hungry, and winded up eating at a little place I'd not heard of before that we stumbled across whilst looking for another place that had been recommended to me. But we ate some fantastic pasta at <i>Il Cantinone</i> (can't find a translation of this word, but <i>cantina</i> means wine bar and there sure was a lot of wine there so I guess that works) - Julie had the <i>Ragu alla Bolognese</i> that the region is famed for, and I chose <i>Gramigna alla Salsiccia</i>, which is pasta in a sausage sauce and it was looovely.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRAzqGoNrmSRl8SHtlhCK5pqYXryCgOf1mJrZmCWJVFF64UJwWxAi_Mm8waVWEfUkmXZYV4840p0kmof7jfLiMCkmlEEBg3x9oFNQdT9Fih2zjjfFB20_LxulacvtCmNKMOZLcnENuzJl9/s1600/IMG_4199.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRAzqGoNrmSRl8SHtlhCK5pqYXryCgOf1mJrZmCWJVFF64UJwWxAi_Mm8waVWEfUkmXZYV4840p0kmof7jfLiMCkmlEEBg3x9oFNQdT9Fih2zjjfFB20_LxulacvtCmNKMOZLcnENuzJl9/s1600/IMG_4199.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpbFjW-3eqH_USH36ePQA9O_kVIVjhrX-_8O8xeSijI51XMtGpXTReHueOIs2wjyFtEmb6MRm3h4RDWznBNcwEFkywnfQmaggnA5kfE5qVqqy1BmvE2uz7MmI_HhmWkwjjxeUak8-mmoyf/s1600/IMG_4197.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpbFjW-3eqH_USH36ePQA9O_kVIVjhrX-_8O8xeSijI51XMtGpXTReHueOIs2wjyFtEmb6MRm3h4RDWznBNcwEFkywnfQmaggnA5kfE5qVqqy1BmvE2uz7MmI_HhmWkwjjxeUak8-mmoyf/s1600/IMG_4197.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cute place, right?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It's down Via del Pratello, if you're interested.<br />
<br />
After stuffing ourselves with said pasta, we had time for a little wander before we were going to conquer a feat I'd not yet managed to do here.<br />
<br />
We were going to climb the Asinelli Tower.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZnNfNn_wK5h-JDg0NytNh-gg-O_Hwp8VXfSP-cu07nLIgsy8pA2-IotH3wAkuGxI-owNP-Z5dIovzX9mJhhJ4lA2dowHilFl9TTD003XO2WSi9SxtA_uRrn12Vapw5sBnmIzcn4mDFSka/s1600/IMG_3456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZnNfNn_wK5h-JDg0NytNh-gg-O_Hwp8VXfSP-cu07nLIgsy8pA2-IotH3wAkuGxI-owNP-Z5dIovzX9mJhhJ4lA2dowHilFl9TTD003XO2WSi9SxtA_uRrn12Vapw5sBnmIzcn4mDFSka/s1600/IMG_3456.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Yep, that thing. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Zl9loh1y1aWpNZgKi53lPLlSme_MRZ118Da_ZQUqeWZ1bcixqISK-z28Dse1rlkvzx8Io6brhjGIF3N3CNT77Bp5poX8aYurrMXohTFP_DOMqSyK0E2zkWgRzgvTlAl_aRqhwK1lwHRn/s1600/IMG_4219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Zl9loh1y1aWpNZgKi53lPLlSme_MRZ118Da_ZQUqeWZ1bcixqISK-z28Dse1rlkvzx8Io6brhjGIF3N3CNT77Bp5poX8aYurrMXohTFP_DOMqSyK0E2zkWgRzgvTlAl_aRqhwK1lwHRn/s1600/IMG_4219.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
498 steps to the top, which sits at 97.2m (<a href="http://www.bolognawelcome.com/da-vedere/storia-arte/params/CategorieLuoghi_10/Luoghi_116/ref/Le%20due%20Torri%3A%20Garisenda%20e%20degli%20Asinelli" target="_blank">sauce</a>). And it's only €3 - bargain!<br />
<br />
But you can see why I hadn't done it yet.<br />
<br />
Having said that, we found the climb actually pretty easy! I'm not sure how long it took, maybe 10 or 15 minutes (bad judger of time here ok, but the view from the top was remarkable.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEu8YsM7pfrw-8e0Qe7buqIA-sDtNV62i_LFAXbvbNJlAz94YITeNYypU_OE5BVLMasmLqtidoXt1E8jbzNYp1V4PjfIGcjvMH9wEW4E3Pd_VCzfYRJVSxhqWXlSASnNs-Q2o3Psjx3Bhy/s1600/IMG_4209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEu8YsM7pfrw-8e0Qe7buqIA-sDtNV62i_LFAXbvbNJlAz94YITeNYypU_OE5BVLMasmLqtidoXt1E8jbzNYp1V4PjfIGcjvMH9wEW4E3Pd_VCzfYRJVSxhqWXlSASnNs-Q2o3Psjx3Bhy/s1600/IMG_4209.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP-VnvzHEKyE8kmzKfZ8BZxU77MbGRvrhaykn4adUM2lMrbPZDGjj33rDYS9XfVm6ubQjcxFO7flPgxlz3NsqS_OFnOMyu0MzT3VVTNyIx-Tr3-DL1EpdxUshJdaEiTelsWhTcCc2zR6Mp/s1600/IMG_4213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP-VnvzHEKyE8kmzKfZ8BZxU77MbGRvrhaykn4adUM2lMrbPZDGjj33rDYS9XfVm6ubQjcxFO7flPgxlz3NsqS_OFnOMyu0MzT3VVTNyIx-Tr3-DL1EpdxUshJdaEiTelsWhTcCc2zR6Mp/s1600/IMG_4213.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkVfhA6qUwjkR4M2MLyT7N6KyEFd5NOeJeLNJKYB6DwZCQBrAWjNfdtIbc7odnssES_xvDagXMuTqWIS4GXyAJEdio4Opqhw2l03nLSPvyC8msjsKxbRMvT7p-7NIWy1YgS9YL7CKuuRKj/s1600/IMG_4210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkVfhA6qUwjkR4M2MLyT7N6KyEFd5NOeJeLNJKYB6DwZCQBrAWjNfdtIbc7odnssES_xvDagXMuTqWIS4GXyAJEdio4Opqhw2l03nLSPvyC8msjsKxbRMvT7p-7NIWy1YgS9YL7CKuuRKj/s1600/IMG_4210.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNILR6Vg4AtlqLa4ohMCgpptryu8X7KkizG_mlVcVZ06zVlNGRntwpx11Z5gWW5l6l2_AkPNgcUG3Jx4EFNtyWIMqaWTolCZcPblnpR8o7uX0MQpBdrq-hmBDS8LnZ2zOcoso2w1uO8uOO/s1600/IMG_4211.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNILR6Vg4AtlqLa4ohMCgpptryu8X7KkizG_mlVcVZ06zVlNGRntwpx11Z5gWW5l6l2_AkPNgcUG3Jx4EFNtyWIMqaWTolCZcPblnpR8o7uX0MQpBdrq-hmBDS8LnZ2zOcoso2w1uO8uOO/s1600/IMG_4211.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirjvR8Czw6tNcdpQIUaLJ0U6iA3BdowE_aP3aJmYNuebkj_X8kz63uS08KF-1LEhJ1gVfo1X3RfGTJ8_9iC-fd19Ji_ikLyqN0czbW3htLOvzr8o8WHWMJkpwZIRewY6j4NQXwzp8Uq2yo/s1600/IMG_4212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirjvR8Czw6tNcdpQIUaLJ0U6iA3BdowE_aP3aJmYNuebkj_X8kz63uS08KF-1LEhJ1gVfo1X3RfGTJ8_9iC-fd19Ji_ikLyqN0czbW3htLOvzr8o8WHWMJkpwZIRewY6j4NQXwzp8Uq2yo/s1600/IMG_4212.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
Amazing, huh!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-JW43daefb0TJ8LBZJgjByvDKpFotluW9XFsQF6c9ay9kVL-Wsmf6hAAkAoqrLc9_hQUueHxW0cEZuOnOkhK_CYw5_-Of_JoR9qAhFtbxG3g4ZVuCIeM8ztVvv9CIT4OqUPlXWTsVk33/s1600/IMG_4231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-JW43daefb0TJ8LBZJgjByvDKpFotluW9XFsQF6c9ay9kVL-Wsmf6hAAkAoqrLc9_hQUueHxW0cEZuOnOkhK_CYw5_-Of_JoR9qAhFtbxG3g4ZVuCIeM8ztVvv9CIT4OqUPlXWTsVk33/s1600/IMG_4231.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I've already promised another friend who's coming to visit that we'll climb it and I'll be happy to do it again - to be honest, I didn't really want to come back down again!<br />
<br />
It was the coming down again that was actually quite difficult in places. Many of the steps are very narrow and some of the staircases quite steep, so it's not as easy as the climb back up! But we made it, and rewarded ourselves with a gelato (of course).<br />
<br />
Later we headed back to my apartment for a cup of tea (still English at heart) and to figure out where we'd eat that night. There's a burger place in the city center that I've been to before, and after having a trawl through their <a href="http://welldoneburger.com/" target="_blank">website</a> Julie agreed that it was the place to go. They do really good food there (including <i>fontina sticks</i> which are like mozzarella sticks but better) and we managed to arrive just before the dinner rush so we were served pretty quickly, which is always good!<br />
<br />
After our burgers we went for a drink at a favourite wine bar of mine a short(ish) walk away. I had Julie try the regional wine <i>Lambrusco</i>, a fizzy red that's quite sweet, and which everyone loves. We passed the next few hours with more of the stuff and chatting in the bar, and went to catch the bus from the stop just down the road at about 12ish - not tooo late, especially since Julie's train to Florence meant we'd be up at about half 8 the next morning! <br />
<br />
And then it was Sunday and time to go to the station, where I waved her off. She's moving to Vienna very soon and once I'm in Germany I'm hoping to get over there to see her and other friends so it wasn't too long a goodbye. A fleeting visit here but a good one no less.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVC5Yc_-q7d2utmpmsGpZ1u-cldcllzgy0i9geh-S6Q1daFj_dhiee_y0JBGH4jAuugBTZVZh5RKl38k63wyg77hkh42hEy5xIznkrfqa3zg_UnHwCcWe2Mljsq7scnnsf210rXg-pt4i5/s1600/IMG_4228.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVC5Yc_-q7d2utmpmsGpZ1u-cldcllzgy0i9geh-S6Q1daFj_dhiee_y0JBGH4jAuugBTZVZh5RKl38k63wyg77hkh42hEy5xIznkrfqa3zg_UnHwCcWe2Mljsq7scnnsf210rXg-pt4i5/s1600/IMG_4228.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
It dawned on me yesterday that in exactly a month I would be leaving Bologna for good, and that on Saturday it had been exactly four months since I had step foot in the city. Two thoughts that seem quite amazing - as everyone said it would, my year abroad is going by pretty quickly. By the time I leave next month, I will have done a handful more exams, been to BARCELONA (more on that another time), been to Venice and Verona, and have been visited by two good friends of mine. So no doubt this last month is going to fly by like the rest of it!!<br />
<br />
Ciao for now!<br />
<br />
XClaudia Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372463551998915225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4919671304220146299.post-31954352219780751372015-01-20T13:31:00.002+01:002015-01-20T13:31:29.084+01:00A Visit from MimiOooh it's been a while since I wrote anything...<br />
<br />
...I've been suffering a little bit from January blues. I'd had such a lovely time in the UK at Christmas that I miss home all the more, and not to mention I'm getting impatient to start my semester in Germany, which isn't until the start of April but it feels so close!<br />
<br />
Luckily, when I came back to Bologna on the 5th January I'd managed to drag my sister along with me for a visit.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij8mLFLyEaYoXnT4OeldqlIF7Q0UqSCwkmlV12l8-S9UZkHOr7TurpavMOcFol6IxTb2U1H3QKGaLkNFFMGSaBun8MPpVo3bKVFv6eEelS7Dj7oUDX_G_1P3q12sAKbfbwhVZkpRKxpocE/s1600/IMG_4169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij8mLFLyEaYoXnT4OeldqlIF7Q0UqSCwkmlV12l8-S9UZkHOr7TurpavMOcFol6IxTb2U1H3QKGaLkNFFMGSaBun8MPpVo3bKVFv6eEelS7Dj7oUDX_G_1P3q12sAKbfbwhVZkpRKxpocE/s1600/IMG_4169.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
We figured that this was the best time for her to come out and visit, before either of us had exams. We flew from Stansted together in the evening but had met at the airport, as I'd been at home up north and Mimi was coming from uni. Dinner at Wetherspoons in the airport (wayyy overpriced for a Spoons, and the menu was about a fifth of its usual size), a half hour or so delay (of course), a quick nap on the plane and by midnight local time we'd reached my apartment. Still got the place to myself at the moment which is pretty nice, but all the better when I have company. We were to bed pretty much straight away as we were knackered!<br />
<br />
Next day we were up at a not-too-unreasonable time, feasting on the crumpets and Yorkshire Gold tea (my fave) that I'd brought back from England (I also brought jaffa cakes, some chocolate, and a pack (or two) of sausages and a pack of bacon, because why not?!) before jumping on the bus and heading to town. At the weekend and on special occasions the city center becomes pedestrianised and today was no exception - 6th January, when Epiphany is celebrated in Italy, is a public holiday. Naturally it was very busy in town but we still wandered around for a while and I pointed out the usual interesting bits in full-on tour guide mode.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_RiRDGybtVH2D1UqzwzDEOMlX-UQVS1T7sybIOU3MDyX-42vYbdWYIcR5FKRQZhJrJm5GBzT6np-DsnafCCLlD_hKy7H-lZoSdtqAjKmId5p9HUymO7CPskPspf2CYiBaB3J4he6umFU/s1600/IMG_4170.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_RiRDGybtVH2D1UqzwzDEOMlX-UQVS1T7sybIOU3MDyX-42vYbdWYIcR5FKRQZhJrJm5GBzT6np-DsnafCCLlD_hKy7H-lZoSdtqAjKmId5p9HUymO7CPskPspf2CYiBaB3J4he6umFU/s1600/IMG_4170.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
We mooched, drank coffee and I thought it was quite nice to be back again. The afternoon we spent watching films back at my apartment, drinking tea and catching up before heading out for dinner at...obviously.....a sushi place.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOW-Xt7GvqmPhNXUz1FSE3hyphenhyphenVYx16PBhGnF3AOzdNffzziZcCCxDt2T3I3-GMl1HzgMwRBrhUgFNFvAWm_kIqI3jhsrEYT8bv66IvjUY1bi4GsupfwHfZNL8qrr9BNjQU-oB5bLfi1fSim/s1600/IMG_4017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOW-Xt7GvqmPhNXUz1FSE3hyphenhyphenVYx16PBhGnF3AOzdNffzziZcCCxDt2T3I3-GMl1HzgMwRBrhUgFNFvAWm_kIqI3jhsrEYT8bv66IvjUY1bi4GsupfwHfZNL8qrr9BNjQU-oB5bLfi1fSim/s1600/IMG_4017.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yummmmm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibFtWX1qzwm1Rv1Eda9J7Mr_xQednwhJlzs7Azm0AbR6X4O9niuiAjIA2POVKiTYBtA5G8tUMIbXeODJl3JwioK5pCO4uG5-_NS0PDZ5cYzkvPPQdcIskMxJQnvCaAoSEEqSgHwOSewsme/s1600/IMG_4024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibFtWX1qzwm1Rv1Eda9J7Mr_xQednwhJlzs7Azm0AbR6X4O9niuiAjIA2POVKiTYBtA5G8tUMIbXeODJl3JwioK5pCO4uG5-_NS0PDZ5cYzkvPPQdcIskMxJQnvCaAoSEEqSgHwOSewsme/s1600/IMG_4024.JPG" height="640" width="638" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Hey, no judging. I know I'm in Italy. But €18 for an all-you-can-eat Sushi buffet? You do not say no.<br />
<br />
The plan was to get up and catch a train to Parma on the Wednesday but, being the lazy things we are, we ended up sleeping in most of the morning and saving Parma for Thursday. So what else to do? We made pancakes, of course.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiijcsdnha_4MANXZUY7LBo1wNMWDhwy55s8EpUbWqY5S9YkeR_l11449kIOZ5osDRgaVHQShR8PeEwUa3VBp_QDuSyJrhxP6mQmiKTfQSrI-LJrjtyIb7lQjDNC1RyAfzc3bGelFhP8wi/s1600/IMG_4026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiijcsdnha_4MANXZUY7LBo1wNMWDhwy55s8EpUbWqY5S9YkeR_l11449kIOZ5osDRgaVHQShR8PeEwUa3VBp_QDuSyJrhxP6mQmiKTfQSrI-LJrjtyIb7lQjDNC1RyAfzc3bGelFhP8wi/s1600/IMG_4026.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I was in the mind that we should still do <i>something</i>, so we went to have a look at the city from the viewpoint at <i>San Michele in Bosco</i>. The building itself is a religious complex consisting of a church and a monastery - though nowadays the old monastery is the home of a orthopedic center. But the interesting part is the view that you can go up and enjoy!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPukfmXEGpHWfaHGnN_aqiWAYnaAKmUpSOL-lD6brUhGrLt3DycDQYXmYWPTbME9GanrvEilsG1LycBUsWwHbA5_Dx3zA5ux0AWH5wB70PLXWcHjEJBWxHHZp7o4i3-JLtOeNHBMlKeZ2h/s1600/IMG_4027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPukfmXEGpHWfaHGnN_aqiWAYnaAKmUpSOL-lD6brUhGrLt3DycDQYXmYWPTbME9GanrvEilsG1LycBUsWwHbA5_Dx3zA5ux0AWH5wB70PLXWcHjEJBWxHHZp7o4i3-JLtOeNHBMlKeZ2h/s1600/IMG_4027.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQIB5K7Uf3RrUhRn3McBV4ktOiFHExifyoVhVYtB9ayds7-H-cw3gU0Sg12IuaPIYBo6DMrbpVJoCdQ6z6SjsnC43HHHPacLqFaksc-IPDxuSWV6EZhE1ZRJYaJClfDtJxPpMFuDhkC0QR/s1600/IMG_4028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQIB5K7Uf3RrUhRn3McBV4ktOiFHExifyoVhVYtB9ayds7-H-cw3gU0Sg12IuaPIYBo6DMrbpVJoCdQ6z6SjsnC43HHHPacLqFaksc-IPDxuSWV6EZhE1ZRJYaJClfDtJxPpMFuDhkC0QR/s1600/IMG_4028.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
It was a bright but pretty hazy day, as you can tell.<br />
<br />
We'd got the bus up to the top (since I get lost aaaalll the time and no not because it's a big hill - it's not at all) but took the path (a little bit steep) through a little park to get back into the city.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifbCmGPbfh0Kn8jt5La1aq-dr3bk7zm82KEcm9xcfIm84NobJ6Tnar3xaORGDrqUaAva3p6CZAQz335G8gZK9ZtirgNvm96y6w_VyWSpeKA3ot7Tky0zk_yABO5LADcy3aQxQILkSo_i3p/s1600/IMG_4030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifbCmGPbfh0Kn8jt5La1aq-dr3bk7zm82KEcm9xcfIm84NobJ6Tnar3xaORGDrqUaAva3p6CZAQz335G8gZK9ZtirgNvm96y6w_VyWSpeKA3ot7Tky0zk_yABO5LADcy3aQxQILkSo_i3p/s1600/IMG_4030.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIENohThXxo1v-ZFHlgkaH5Zhqy1aOzFBSK2KJ_u7ib7DhLCj2vBBHY4W-17eMnYkyzWDLJ2e6t-drfqTAgFdWtQpnnwmKhs8QfJBSzIlwN3jnJan7GmqW98qg5_EV7_9qQNrt0m2iaRlI/s1600/IMG_4032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIENohThXxo1v-ZFHlgkaH5Zhqy1aOzFBSK2KJ_u7ib7DhLCj2vBBHY4W-17eMnYkyzWDLJ2e6t-drfqTAgFdWtQpnnwmKhs8QfJBSzIlwN3jnJan7GmqW98qg5_EV7_9qQNrt0m2iaRlI/s1600/IMG_4032.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
That night I cooked for us at the apartment - tortellini with a garlic mushroom cream sauce, which we ate with some nice ham, sun dried tomatoes, mozzarella and (my fave) <i>pane con pancetta</i> - yep, that's right, it's a bread that has little bits of bacon in it. Hea-ven.<br />
<br />
Eventually Thursday came around and we dragged ourselves out of bed and onto a train to Parma. It's only about an hour away and the train goes through a lot of countryside, so it was pretty pleasant. We arrived about 12 and set about finding our way to the center, which involved going along the river (I say 'river', it's techincally called <i>Torrente Parma</i>, which is not a river and is probably why there was so little water).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpBXLRYBojIRQT0LyAN0VUfH3E0adQVPMgP3y0C_iNFq_uOx0UvKa-OSzpDKIuWdD-p3zM2tT4jFMckeTuksYOm1yUOqpH1-LZyUYA_KU70pPF9QOeyih99sK35rkKEWWb7mara2Bq34hr/s1600/IMG_4043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpBXLRYBojIRQT0LyAN0VUfH3E0adQVPMgP3y0C_iNFq_uOx0UvKa-OSzpDKIuWdD-p3zM2tT4jFMckeTuksYOm1yUOqpH1-LZyUYA_KU70pPF9QOeyih99sK35rkKEWWb7mara2Bq34hr/s1600/IMG_4043.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Parma, it turns out, is a nice, small, quiet place. We wandered down cute little side streets and found a place for a coffee, then headed out to see the main sight - the <i>Cattedrale di Parma</i> (the cathedral, yes).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXRxCCR5wvFsGc_BZxR5zsFDMsSqohO14t4EZY3X9PrWT8OB7B7QnVigL8MlVpMA4mjZIU5oCJcwnYiqTnl8EN2tcPks3y04sUux9KuY_J1rhg9pbBgfJy9tag-vmNmWn_9IxZ8H6eKSUp/s1600/IMG_4049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXRxCCR5wvFsGc_BZxR5zsFDMsSqohO14t4EZY3X9PrWT8OB7B7QnVigL8MlVpMA4mjZIU5oCJcwnYiqTnl8EN2tcPks3y04sUux9KuY_J1rhg9pbBgfJy9tag-vmNmWn_9IxZ8H6eKSUp/s1600/IMG_4049.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTFYy59s6opejs1487K08q09Xx4h8avzilXNOXHPkhdsehMB3KI-ftXHVUc3fTZrnYHV8FsR900xbboU-PK2Act48pV5fPclC0HDHvRBS5cFp9vb9OhsV-1k7XpGjnwsFjPXOdY869DCY7/s1600/IMG_4053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTFYy59s6opejs1487K08q09Xx4h8avzilXNOXHPkhdsehMB3KI-ftXHVUc3fTZrnYHV8FsR900xbboU-PK2Act48pV5fPclC0HDHvRBS5cFp9vb9OhsV-1k7XpGjnwsFjPXOdY869DCY7/s1600/IMG_4053.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHM-hLKUp5-ZBpFCLi9hsp5t39gEee2IhczCzvq4T5QjnXh7lMeQfh6Y3YfusMv_Z8K-Gu-Oi0awanj97HhtbF4RIrd3_lI41im75san61PW95wCnntKODkSGKzCjIBPoNDtHrLHl7m82F/s1600/IMG_4054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHM-hLKUp5-ZBpFCLi9hsp5t39gEee2IhczCzvq4T5QjnXh7lMeQfh6Y3YfusMv_Z8K-Gu-Oi0awanj97HhtbF4RIrd3_lI41im75san61PW95wCnntKODkSGKzCjIBPoNDtHrLHl7m82F/s1600/IMG_4054.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Cattedrale di Parma</i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Very nice building! Shut, of course.<br />
<br />
In fact, as it turned out, so was pretty much all of Parma. I'm still not entirely sure why! But unfortunately it only made the place seem all the more empty...<br />
<br />
We grabbed a couple of slices of pizza for lunch and headed back to the river in order to cross it and check out the <i>Parco Ducale</i>. It was a pleasant enough place, although I'm guessing it would look so much nicer, as parks do, in any other season but winter.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgukRL1Gf56EtGHu6hZqy46gdzmMKnCfgsZ82XtPU8BpTh8SUhxgaB61u8vohzqmUgFXmlvyQ30NcqVEuh68kCb1kEx0SAhYpE43kZoapGFFqSqHmSxkyeYAOGgRYXkfHRSQF_cxMpU_qUF/s1600/IMG_4059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgukRL1Gf56EtGHu6hZqy46gdzmMKnCfgsZ82XtPU8BpTh8SUhxgaB61u8vohzqmUgFXmlvyQ30NcqVEuh68kCb1kEx0SAhYpE43kZoapGFFqSqHmSxkyeYAOGgRYXkfHRSQF_cxMpU_qUF/s1600/IMG_4059.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Palazzo Ducale</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />After that there was a bit more time for another wander through the little streets before we decided that we'd had enough of Parma and we went to catch a train home. We only spent about 3 and a half hours there but we'd felt it was enough. I'd like to see the place on a busy summer's day, I'm sure it'd be much more interesting!<br />
<br />
On Friday Mimi was due to leave on an evening flight, so we went out for lunch at one of my favourite places in Bologna - it's called Scalinaterra and is located down one of the side streets off the main road Rizzoli. I go as often as I can - the food is delicious, the staff very nice (and always let me speak Italian without answering in English) and everyone loves it. Mimi opted for <i>gramigna alla salsiccia</i> (pasta in a sausage sauce, which was so delicious that I'll probably order it myself some time) and I had the <i>risotto ai porcini</i> (mushroom risotto - amazing).<br />
<br />
And then we went home and drank tea whilst Mimi finished her packing, then we were on our way to the airport and she was off! The visit went very quickly and I was sad to see her go, though since the next time I see her will be March at least it's not too long a time this time.<br />
<br />
But today I have realised something - I have 36 days left in this beautiful city, which is pretty much five weeks. And I've also realised that there's a few things that I've not done here yet - like climb the <i>Asinelli</i> tower, and finally get up to the <i>San Luca Basilica</i> (I've tried this one a couple of times, in all fairness). So, I guess that now is the time to get on with these things.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijzM3kvE4soWwDz_U4hLmGC-xYXC36LB0pF9bazQHSaRGtZ0cuiASRbbiylP0ZgjIWWw1835-yYaWS_bLaTh4xmovPD8RPFPyqiTf123j8Dj0obJdfDBCKtQ73_q8_A10DhWwcHdb1GWl7/s1600/IMG_3456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijzM3kvE4soWwDz_U4hLmGC-xYXC36LB0pF9bazQHSaRGtZ0cuiASRbbiylP0ZgjIWWw1835-yYaWS_bLaTh4xmovPD8RPFPyqiTf123j8Dj0obJdfDBCKtQ73_q8_A10DhWwcHdb1GWl7/s1600/IMG_3456.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The <i>Asinelli</i> tower - only 498 steps....</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I've also got a couple of friends coming to see me soon, yay! My friend who's in Milan, who I've visited a couple of times, is finally making her way to Bologna this weekend so I get to show her the sights (and maybe tackle the tower....?) which will be fun. Then next month I have two really good friends visiting, literally one after the other, and then BAM I'll be getting on that plane myself to head home to the UK! A crazy thought, but it's still a little way off yet and I have told myself to get on with it and enjoy the time I have left here. Which I plan to do!<br />
<br />
Ciao for now!<br />
<br />
XClaudia Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372463551998915225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4919671304220146299.post-33690974826151348472014-12-16T14:23:00.002+01:002014-12-16T14:23:42.147+01:00A Weekend in MadesimoCan you believe it's Christmas next week?! I certainly can't! I've no clue how this semester, my first in Italy, has gone soo incredibly fast!<br />
<br />
What's better yet is that on Saturday I will be coming home to the UK! I'm so excited to see everyone and take a nice little break from life in Bologna - my main plans include cuddling the dogs and eating about 67 mince pies...<br />
<br />
...But whilst last Christmas I wasn't feeling particularly festive until I actually got out of Bangor (I guess maybe the job I had in retail was killing my Christmas spirit), this year I'm already there. Though surely it's partly because of Bologna looking so dashing in all of it's Christmas lights, I think it's also got a lot to do with the fact that I've just spent the weekend playing in the snow!<br />
<br />
That's right, I've been <i>skiing</i>! And on a trip organised by an Erasmus organisation, no less. I've done a couple of Erasmus group trips already but I think that this has been my favourite yet.<br />
<br />
Before I left, I was a teeny weeny bit worried about the trip. I mean, I didn't actually know <i>anyone</i> going, and this left me with the (unwelcome) niggly doubt that I wasn't going to get on with anyone and end up spending the weekend alone. This wasn't the case at all - I was expecting there to be way more of us but in the end there were actually only about 20, including the guys who'd organised it all, and we all got on really well, so that was good!<br />
<br />
We left Bologna about 3.15am and arrived in Madesimo at some point after 9am (I slept through most of the journey and was a little disoriented when we arrived so forgive me if that's wrong) (actually that's not true, I was awake for the last half hour or so just looking at the mountains - covered in snow and so beautiful, and it reminded me so much of my time in the mountains in the summer). Once we'd sorted out rooms (I was paired with an Italian gal Margherita), and then the ski gear (I'd forgotten how heavy ski bots are!!!), and then had a bite of breakfast, it was time to hit the slopes!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHsstY6vJTOWBa6ztAtgg8WdJJtwkSlnsVN2ayysQqG1mWgiVImW-v-8bZT8IoD01l3n2sT2snajY0J1Dlcfwx6aEZ5Df5kiktoAxIM9PuZ3Q8QAMh5yc_pDyjbZTVQ85VpPE0KQB_ohbA/s1600/IMG_3875.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHsstY6vJTOWBa6ztAtgg8WdJJtwkSlnsVN2ayysQqG1mWgiVImW-v-8bZT8IoD01l3n2sT2snajY0J1Dlcfwx6aEZ5Df5kiktoAxIM9PuZ3Q8QAMh5yc_pDyjbZTVQ85VpPE0KQB_ohbA/s1600/IMG_3875.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Admittedly, I thought skiing again was going to be easy. I'd been on a school trip wayyy back in like 2007 I think, and then had a couple of trips to indoor slopes since then, and I'd been pretty good at it so I hadn't put much thought to it until I got to the top of the slope and suddenly turned into a complete chicken! I just couldn't remember how to turn or move at all and I panicked, so I got maybe 10 metres down before I struggled out of the skis and hiked back up again!! Luckily for me, my lovely roomie gave me a mini-lesson on how to ski again and slowly but surely I manned up and went for it. I mean, I still sucked and had to go down pretty slowly (and soo many falls), but by Sunday I was actually doing alright again! And after lunch at a <i>rifugio</i> (maybe you remember I talked about eating at these in the mountains in the summer? It's literally a 'refuge', so somewhere you can take a break and get some food), the skiing continued until nearly 4pm by which point we were knackered. Luckily dinner wasn't until 7.30pm so we had plenty of time to chill out/shower/nap, which is just what we did.<br />
<br />
Both dinners (so Friday and Saturday night) we had at the hotel, <a href="http://www.hotel-arlecchino.it/hotel.asp" target="_blank">Hotel Arlecchino</a>, were seriously good! It included Antipasti (but you could also get something from the salad bar too), first course, second course and pudding. My favourite courses included <i>Pizzoccheri alla valtellinese</i> <span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(like short pieces of tagliatelle (with spots on!) in the 'Valtellinese' style which meant cheese and potatoes, yum yum) and <i>Tagliatelle al Ragu</i> (so all pasta, of course!). The service was really good too.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Saturday was probably my best day of skiing - I barely fell or crashed, and I wasn't as tired as I would be by Sunday! Unfortunately through the weekend the weather worsened - while Friday had been glorious bright sunshine and air, it snowed a bit that night and a thick fog set in for the rest of the weekend, which meant that some of the slopes were closed by Saturday morning. It wasn't all bad though - I quite enjoyed the sort of spooky atmosphere given off by the fog! It made ascending on the lifts quite interesting..</span></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyhNC7GmwE4yZWr8KK11VL2nPB-7G-Bnge9AX4-eMZo-kK-RVWY0Vhr0akbXsWDZH3kP6hyphenhyphent3EOSVaNceYvNl6ffG_-a03mhJ5lcJut1BsKJJ03MVCMAI41ajjS4h5lWRTQ6NPEQXwIRJp/s1600/IMG_3863.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyhNC7GmwE4yZWr8KK11VL2nPB-7G-Bnge9AX4-eMZo-kK-RVWY0Vhr0akbXsWDZH3kP6hyphenhyphent3EOSVaNceYvNl6ffG_-a03mhJ5lcJut1BsKJJ03MVCMAI41ajjS4h5lWRTQ6NPEQXwIRJp/s1600/IMG_3863.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from our room - the fog setting in!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The hotel had a little bar/disco area downstairs so that was where we headed on Saturday night. Safe to say it was an err...<i>interesting</i> night. I don't know, the music was terrible and the age range was a bit too wide, and I think most of us agreed that we'd had more fun playing UNO in the one of the rooms earlier on. But we had a bit of a dance so that was quite fun anyway.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFDw-4dyYOMwoF09WSZSuakl1sB1OA4EJ-Ryh4WtAvqU7WHODenwv3DRGzNwdaivfyV-qmvddCd3oecpBSFnOynpptS9mFBT-bOq2Rqsj9D8w1o1v-aG_Kp3afFQCs0MIlIHix2_EPSOHj/s1600/IMG_3867.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFDw-4dyYOMwoF09WSZSuakl1sB1OA4EJ-Ryh4WtAvqU7WHODenwv3DRGzNwdaivfyV-qmvddCd3oecpBSFnOynpptS9mFBT-bOq2Rqsj9D8w1o1v-aG_Kp3afFQCs0MIlIHix2_EPSOHj/s1600/IMG_3867.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">*</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm8Ng5d62p2-VSigoxTJm-4-ponklLUd_5eAT1xM-tufVMSwDFZlNG97jkNLEujPTv0n-bB0XFjxeqsRoiZEOpSW_rhEHebyz3Rgd0ChBP89rULtTjjuf3WWpT7xwG1STyFRZ2gwlBFrCT/s1600/IMG_3874.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm8Ng5d62p2-VSigoxTJm-4-ponklLUd_5eAT1xM-tufVMSwDFZlNG97jkNLEujPTv0n-bB0XFjxeqsRoiZEOpSW_rhEHebyz3Rgd0ChBP89rULtTjjuf3WWpT7xwG1STyFRZ2gwlBFrCT/s1600/IMG_3874.JPG" height="640" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">* So cool, me</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnBZYhlhZFiSn_wtzc1XqKqr7vd7BL3mqCoVfkleQEM4roIMnnZGfsyjHZB55ITopaSLhG0uVcjtKZP3tVTpy04jmqGQ8kKOnsHhz4afVRRomBu-DJWtj5eEx1BnJdBd8Nk09wUeMcBtdk/s1600/IMG_3884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnBZYhlhZFiSn_wtzc1XqKqr7vd7BL3mqCoVfkleQEM4roIMnnZGfsyjHZB55ITopaSLhG0uVcjtKZP3tVTpy04jmqGQ8kKOnsHhz4afVRRomBu-DJWtj5eEx1BnJdBd8Nk09wUeMcBtdk/s1600/IMG_3884.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">*</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And then suddenly it was Sunday! We had to be packed up before we went out to ski, and after that was done we went up into the fog again. By now, everything was seriously achey (and I was getting sick AGAIN so unfair) so it was slow going to begin with for me. We packed in a good few hours (and I a good crash - I managed to cause a pile up having crashed into a guy skiing, but then one of the guys on the trip stopped, took off his skis and started to climb back up the slope to grab the ski pole I'd lost, only for another skier to come bombing down the hill and crash into him! Ouch) before getting lunch at another <i>rifugio</i>, which also eaten at on Saturday. After we'd eaten a few of us opted for a hot <i>Bombardino</i>. According to the internet, it's made of eggnog, brandy, and traditionally a local spirit as well - ours were topped with whipped cream and chocolate powder, and delicious!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirqbWtRc6FN_q989Sg9YslPsVmI1dvdgsv9kOEm2gZG5JH2QgxvZYJIvZZ_7e5Brz-Tty6qRhbWKSlaeSPZhD-6lpirNRBeZCoxsAiuv5ZwNm1cUYGHVh4WsWk2kal4ALglYk-mAD5z7-_/s1600/IMG_3871.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirqbWtRc6FN_q989Sg9YslPsVmI1dvdgsv9kOEm2gZG5JH2QgxvZYJIvZZ_7e5Brz-Tty6qRhbWKSlaeSPZhD-6lpirNRBeZCoxsAiuv5ZwNm1cUYGHVh4WsWk2kal4ALglYk-mAD5z7-_/s1600/IMG_3871.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bombardinoooooo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkQhHNnF01nKkI1CQRUhtDgHCfvIbshyphenhyphenjf0mz9IHEYuiHtlRY6OEtbDsHBv4Ielw-4V71m0vifjbsvfvt21OzhKSELZx36Gpcq61CISn23xmlZI6R6o0jzZeBazwbsZ7Kysc-s_Kcahvou/s1600/IMG_3870.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkQhHNnF01nKkI1CQRUhtDgHCfvIbshyphenhyphenjf0mz9IHEYuiHtlRY6OEtbDsHBv4Ielw-4V71m0vifjbsvfvt21OzhKSELZx36Gpcq61CISn23xmlZI6R6o0jzZeBazwbsZ7Kysc-s_Kcahvou/s1600/IMG_3870.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Shortly after which we were bundled onto the bus to start the journey home - including our stop I think it took about 6 hours!! Unfortunately by the time I got home I wasn't sleepy (I slept on the bus for a bit again), so it ended up being a bit of a late again, which hasn't helped my flu....urgh fingers crossed it goes away by the weekend huh!!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />So basically the weekend consisted of skiing, sleeping and eating! It was a really good one and I'm so glad I went, even if I'm still aching today...</span></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">...Ciao for now!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">X</span></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">* photos taken by another member of the group!</span></span>Claudia Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372463551998915225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4919671304220146299.post-40042328180083196072014-12-03T19:29:00.001+01:002014-12-03T19:29:26.298+01:00Adventures!You may remember that at the end of my last post I said that I was pretty excited as I had a visitor arriving that week, and that the weekend after I'd be jetting off myself to pay a friend in Germany a visit! So I have been quite busy and a-go-go with seeing people form home which has made a nice change; here's what we got up to...this is going to be quite a long one (though mostly due to being crammed full of photos), sorry, please accept my offering of some gnomes on a ski lift...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0vBzT3w9EB8qM1HJBVFjZgzLAse-rPws7wEgQC5pPUh0Hrj0nnduMEffmx4WeISm3_lNPc_WBSmuFxv-dyuXvCYKVPnGznWEZBHJ7yJLGJibormTQwtOaUovRoT0qjurMJVxD0qBO2tWC/s1600/IMG_3229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0vBzT3w9EB8qM1HJBVFjZgzLAse-rPws7wEgQC5pPUh0Hrj0nnduMEffmx4WeISm3_lNPc_WBSmuFxv-dyuXvCYKVPnGznWEZBHJ7yJLGJibormTQwtOaUovRoT0qjurMJVxD0qBO2tWC/s1600/IMG_3229.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
...So, Ciaran arrived reeaaally late in the evening of the Wednesday (the problem with flying from/to Stansted is that you need to <i>leave</i> Stansted on the evening rather than the morning flight so that you have time to get down to London, whereas you need to fly <i>to</i> Stansted on the early morning flight so that you can catch trains to wherever you need to get to in the country eg. he was coming from/returning to Wales so that's what the poor boyo had to do, which meant a looot of traveling). <br />
<br />
Thursday afternoon we ventured into the city center. I'm not sure if I've mentioned but I live not as close to everything as I could do (the cons of not knowing the city you're going to and just going with any old apartment you find online before you arrive there) - it's about 10-15 minutes on the bus to the main part of the city, which doesn't sound that long but it would in fact take me nearly 45 minutes to walk there and it's not the most exciting route. Anyway, I showed him around the city, and he got to sample his first real Italian gelato (from my favourite place, which I shall reveal in another blog post another time) and we went to look for the tortoises in the park (they've gone away, unfortunately!).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxHGOlPMG7mTMZiWcN36REWUVXAbiuQudhDiO-28vhSqPNb9LEKYYZbniFLbzZeISOgPhrCCspZDcBF_tWt3mw0SGcFy2XzN4hfYGp6uP_1LYDreXkeHufxSDFzo1yzNoO6E2b4QKRPo20/s1600/IMG_3716.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxHGOlPMG7mTMZiWcN36REWUVXAbiuQudhDiO-28vhSqPNb9LEKYYZbniFLbzZeISOgPhrCCspZDcBF_tWt3mw0SGcFy2XzN4hfYGp6uP_1LYDreXkeHufxSDFzo1yzNoO6E2b4QKRPo20/s1600/IMG_3716.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
The next day we attempted a feat that I have, thus far, failed at - to get to the San Luca Basilica, located on one of the hills surrounding the city. The first time I tried it I managed to get lost and ended up somewhere <i>totally</i> different, but I'd got some advice on where to go and figured I had it all worked out. Of course, it never turns out that way! This time we did end up going the right way, the problem was that we took the long way up (as it turns out there are two routes you can take) - we eventually whacked out Google Maps to discover that we still had at least another 45 minutes on top of the 45 minutes we'd been ascending (<i>after</i> the walk to the point the ascent began anyway) and it would soon be growing dark (it was a horrid grey day anyway) so we gave up and headed home!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAjQbDJIMhBflc9cvTAli8Kg7CkhWOQeBdRV4rzkmswH9lyOSBDZ8sif58gqZ3PiCUK8gDGDmhRh2NJ1oeX2lyCMArep2L6OnDKX2T_gaxqDr0qnnfsUUeRYMMnB4NCuzH1gV_ULTV6VCb/s1600/IMG_3706.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAjQbDJIMhBflc9cvTAli8Kg7CkhWOQeBdRV4rzkmswH9lyOSBDZ8sif58gqZ3PiCUK8gDGDmhRh2NJ1oeX2lyCMArep2L6OnDKX2T_gaxqDr0qnnfsUUeRYMMnB4NCuzH1gV_ULTV6VCb/s1600/IMG_3706.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy boyo during the unsuccessful walk!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Unfortunately on Friday night things went downhill - I got ill. That evening it just started with beginning to ache, and I thought I was just tired or had hurt my back so I loaded up on the painkillers and we went out for a burger. But by Saturday....yeah it was clear that I was ill. Mega sore throat, everything aching, headache and a bit of a fever - the full works, lucky me! So unfortunately Saturday was written off. I think all we did was watch films and make chilli nachos, which was a nice day anyway (just with me complaining about being ill every now and then), it was just a shame that I didn't feel up to doing more!<br />
<br />
However, after a slow start on Sunday (and all the painkillers) I felt up to going into the city again. It turned into something of a food day which was great - I think we packed in a gelato, a coffee with biscuits, a meat and cheese board with a bottle of Prosecco and dinner too! All whilst wandering through the city and taking lots of photographs. I decided to shoot on my film camera, so you'll have to put up with my iPhone photos for now. Walking through the city was especially fun because they'd started putting up all the Christmas decorations!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNv-QBrUDy48p5MLL2qHJBrjLOJsmh7jKKkI9ElynKc2RFd2LA7sQVHHAgmXvwoBoawpX-TAyoaMEI9DnFvYd7SjwU_8Q2kRlop_M9zNNeJhJ6xJNVk8XSx_4k97DnlKQ8b5wxFf921jB3/s1600/IMG_3730.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNv-QBrUDy48p5MLL2qHJBrjLOJsmh7jKKkI9ElynKc2RFd2LA7sQVHHAgmXvwoBoawpX-TAyoaMEI9DnFvYd7SjwU_8Q2kRlop_M9zNNeJhJ6xJNVk8XSx_4k97DnlKQ8b5wxFf921jB3/s1600/IMG_3730.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjopOG0D8NAHVyJ1jK0IE3V0rHMtqZgztKoqnUQ6N85airO0pLQqbpTI-QOfb8Saq5NMoLu0fzuVB4iMnGiN_2McF-aXi1yFj76NTB0iL0q50orR2pwLdCkrifC36-ADs9urVcKsC3hnrlu/s1600/IMG_3725.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjopOG0D8NAHVyJ1jK0IE3V0rHMtqZgztKoqnUQ6N85airO0pLQqbpTI-QOfb8Saq5NMoLu0fzuVB4iMnGiN_2McF-aXi1yFj76NTB0iL0q50orR2pwLdCkrifC36-ADs9urVcKsC3hnrlu/s1600/IMG_3725.jpg" height="640" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here we see the lesser spotted Ciaran, in his natural stance, appears to be stalking some prey..</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4xe9wnnHvza-hhOF89rxJXtngOCVgU0rHT9EazrXbR2c667e-ubOLLbNIHFKOaAIisJA3jm55nFgeNPhgCodP-ItpjMz7RmhWs9G0Ijyq_uMQ7v2BCk0e9Yv7RvOez2hMroEYehXb_Err/s1600/IMG_3711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4xe9wnnHvza-hhOF89rxJXtngOCVgU0rHT9EazrXbR2c667e-ubOLLbNIHFKOaAIisJA3jm55nFgeNPhgCodP-ItpjMz7RmhWs9G0Ijyq_uMQ7v2BCk0e9Yv7RvOez2hMroEYehXb_Err/s1600/IMG_3711.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bows and lights!<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMAJK7fDwv9jZav2EIkRM1MqFh3quhRP10cBh7vzrISoPi_5DSprl8YDZJqFIbne77xeugfJj2rsv2sPFP8qaql3USrhnWrCixypRdpVcCnHXOo5F0IkNGVCi61dB7xvV7vXXuxkWHPFW0/s1600/IMG_3720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMAJK7fDwv9jZav2EIkRM1MqFh3quhRP10cBh7vzrISoPi_5DSprl8YDZJqFIbne77xeugfJj2rsv2sPFP8qaql3USrhnWrCixypRdpVcCnHXOo5F0IkNGVCi61dB7xvV7vXXuxkWHPFW0/s1600/IMG_3720.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpE6ApWnh5w0BREaPryd4WJ0-6RYXIqOlXO6J9YnpWDpMDxxJBIleCjRT4NdTIzmHFdJk9ozWANH3S7zzTBs5oWrmbYEYEIWd96IiOkZjY2SPqGCp5pYpvctH8Jj_6dpKPvUDGoRwADHS9/s1600/IMG_3727.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpE6ApWnh5w0BREaPryd4WJ0-6RYXIqOlXO6J9YnpWDpMDxxJBIleCjRT4NdTIzmHFdJk9ozWANH3S7zzTBs5oWrmbYEYEIWd96IiOkZjY2SPqGCp5pYpvctH8Jj_6dpKPvUDGoRwADHS9/s1600/IMG_3727.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
About halfway through dinner (at a nice place that serves really good Italian food, I'll tell you about it soon) I started to feel rotten again so after eating we headed back to my flat for a quiet evening in, not least because Ciaran's flight back the next morning was really early. I think I'll leave out the details of how we had a slight problem with the bus/taxi so he veeery neeeearly missed his flight...because the important thing is that he didn't!!<br />
<br />
And that was that, our four days together. It's safe to say he's a fan of Bologna, so maybe next time he comes there'll be more to write about - we didn't get up to all that much this time so that we could have a nice relaxed weekend (although this was not helped by my becoming ill, so we ended up doing even less than I'd thought, oops!).<br />
<br />
Unfortunately I spent the rest of the week <i>still</i> under the weather...I spent the majority of it sleeping to tell the truth! So I was really excited for Friday to come around so that I could travel to Germany to see my friend <a href="http://meganya.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Megan</a>, although I still didn't feel 100% better by then either which wasn't helpful.<br />
<br />
I flew to Cologne airport that Friday afternoon and I barely remember the flight as I slept through most of it (I'm getting good at doing that!), though I do remember how NICE the plane was. I used the airline Germanwings for the first time and it made a welcome change from the last few Ryanair flights I've taken - there was way more space, I'll definitely fly with them again! Having arrived at the airport in Cologne I navigated my way to my friend's town of Mönchengladbach via the train, which was super easy and just over an hour later I was reunited with her!<br />
<br />
One big difference between here and Germany is that Germany has it a lot colder right now! So we walked pretty quickly back to her flat so that I could dump my bag, and then it was off to find some dinner. Megan had already decided where we were headed and on the way we passed through the town's little <i>Weihnnachtsmarkt</i> (that's Christmas market to you, better get used to that word!), deciding that we would definitely stop by for a hot drink after our meal. Well, it was definitely a great place to eat as they had one of my favourite German things on the menu - SCHNITZEL. As she'd already tried both the options on the menu before (you could have it in a mushroom or an onion sauce) I took her word for it and went with the mushroom one (and she for the onion one), which was seriously delicious (oh by the way get ready to be hungry because I'm going to talk a lot about food from now on haha) and accompanied by a mountain of chips and and a generous heaping of salad, too!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxE-MLIodAZCSSSg8bbm59pzxsWA2L0hY7sUCZbk1eNls2PMFG-3RitoCZ7bH_lR5IMfsK3JnyOQA9hqsMb051SlO5KzE6tB-GXQRjxLKbnffHa94fjbR08r3Q3KuBXgESkxRTVEAE7Ebx/s1600/IMG_3733.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxE-MLIodAZCSSSg8bbm59pzxsWA2L0hY7sUCZbk1eNls2PMFG-3RitoCZ7bH_lR5IMfsK3JnyOQA9hqsMb051SlO5KzE6tB-GXQRjxLKbnffHa94fjbR08r3Q3KuBXgESkxRTVEAE7Ebx/s1600/IMG_3733.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yeah. You should be jealous.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Followed by cocktails, naturally.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFHJ8CjqgZq1NmRmfKJYCseHGN5togX8geLLNF5e5Vjft8AmpT_3ljysPgOIlVEMjOG21JIBYe8qQN2_UqPDppAs77UQZ_eL7RyHRS3oKdhczNR-je5ddaKse4DIzFLB29PxNrZfkE_ZP_/s1600/IMG_3734.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFHJ8CjqgZq1NmRmfKJYCseHGN5togX8geLLNF5e5Vjft8AmpT_3ljysPgOIlVEMjOG21JIBYe8qQN2_UqPDppAs77UQZ_eL7RyHRS3oKdhczNR-je5ddaKse4DIzFLB29PxNrZfkE_ZP_/s1600/IMG_3734.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
And then we had even more drinks at the market - a mulled wine for me and a hot chocolate for Megan at the market! As you can see (awful photo, I know), you paid a deposit for the mug along with the drink price which you got back if you returned it after - having seen these we decided to start a little collection over the weekend!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVhLEV99j3CK2mkOzlsJUV0CRmBjLKHjLCrsAjDtZd3sut_JgJpnJRM_s7ZIPcBPy_APyBvC-dUWLGCZa1XhHn4wlUUly7fCllUABOAut1agn1MjMxAtk73_4GaYbVL063KHdDAnsR_1cI/s1600/IMG_3738.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVhLEV99j3CK2mkOzlsJUV0CRmBjLKHjLCrsAjDtZd3sut_JgJpnJRM_s7ZIPcBPy_APyBvC-dUWLGCZa1XhHn4wlUUly7fCllUABOAut1agn1MjMxAtk73_4GaYbVL063KHdDAnsR_1cI/s1600/IMG_3738.jpg" height="640" width="480" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Then it was home to bed to prepare the weekend's adventures. We were up the next morning at a reasonable hour that was made sweeter by the bacon that Megan had saved for us from when her family had visited! I'd not had proper bacon since September so this was absolutely amazing! Then we hopped off into town to catch the train to our next Weihnnachtsmarkt in a place called Aachen. Though it was still cold, the sun at least made an appearance. Once we'd arrived we headed straight for the market and were not disappointed! I didn't know this before, as I've never been to a Weihnnachtsmarkt before, but each market will have different sections and all decked out amazingly. Of note this town's market had the <i>Hexenhof</i> market, and since <i>Hexen</i> means witches you can imagine the decoration - everything was covered in little witches!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcbosTTpCzLPsfiWfZqcTEhZxoUF2gI-Fr6HIZVmaBeowmcUIKB_YaomkJDDtx4D7sT2eKim0l1CadEdqyv6eusJlHcEVpjGwlhyphenhyphenyloWgBMIKiBFF5pwZn2Fv_AqyWiNQE9ulFD8CjoQJm/s1600/IMG_3119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcbosTTpCzLPsfiWfZqcTEhZxoUF2gI-Fr6HIZVmaBeowmcUIKB_YaomkJDDtx4D7sT2eKim0l1CadEdqyv6eusJlHcEVpjGwlhyphenhyphenyloWgBMIKiBFF5pwZn2Fv_AqyWiNQE9ulFD8CjoQJm/s1600/IMG_3119.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
We explored the whole market (lots of food stalls but also gifts, decorations, toys, etc) and some of the town (think adorable little streets and Christmassy window displays)...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaysCT3qbjAKeJPCG1P1t7pjp7pbzpxSQRC9iFI3fLrcBUMEuuOYhS4yIE_hyn1efuIXNULPcEtc_U-iBg5D1ei2rqJTZT3E9xQv4RacJYpIfaAtmnUctAu1i4QzVou_qN3yjEM_Qu0ZG2/s1600/IMG_3131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaysCT3qbjAKeJPCG1P1t7pjp7pbzpxSQRC9iFI3fLrcBUMEuuOYhS4yIE_hyn1efuIXNULPcEtc_U-iBg5D1ei2rqJTZT3E9xQv4RacJYpIfaAtmnUctAu1i4QzVou_qN3yjEM_Qu0ZG2/s1600/IMG_3131.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2OUJ-mHFUfgZ6orkPYLlHk2eIzxLhhGmcOvQ_ohZP6UMB4gt0-FpxD7L7qSO1IOhbwHzk88sSc6rYR9wCNT1vnCAFNFcTBbuDJKI0mySviMD3YNFlVgnDk5I9vz54oMNM7YXDSmMl81Te/s1600/IMG_3166.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2OUJ-mHFUfgZ6orkPYLlHk2eIzxLhhGmcOvQ_ohZP6UMB4gt0-FpxD7L7qSO1IOhbwHzk88sSc6rYR9wCNT1vnCAFNFcTBbuDJKI0mySviMD3YNFlVgnDk5I9vz54oMNM7YXDSmMl81Te/s1600/IMG_3166.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6f7btkwh6vZIaJ4FrXbHRsmO6BJDBKDBPYSZTGevlDLZuuvIcpWisigKo1-4RDxcggJIypyOqZFWnEu1tHqIORxnfWtc09ZfzDKkwtQs4Re_VH1DEiLziILBI6PMX3Qz9J3JbBwi0Hws/s1600/IMG_3171.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6f7btkwh6vZIaJ4FrXbHRsmO6BJDBKDBPYSZTGevlDLZuuvIcpWisigKo1-4RDxcggJIypyOqZFWnEu1tHqIORxnfWtc09ZfzDKkwtQs4Re_VH1DEiLziILBI6PMX3Qz9J3JbBwi0Hws/s1600/IMG_3171.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFybvFEORuDeL8ErQPzKkxudx0VNNLYAeMebvNi0YUe4iPT_v4ZUcn4MnVOWmm_bWR1kV7KKvquo3I3MVMpJvWlK_jAZ1q_H7MHip5Ze7KK255FcoQ8JwOcAPvaITjVAjcJl_GDDiaZ49N/s1600/IMG_3189.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFybvFEORuDeL8ErQPzKkxudx0VNNLYAeMebvNi0YUe4iPT_v4ZUcn4MnVOWmm_bWR1kV7KKvquo3I3MVMpJvWlK_jAZ1q_H7MHip5Ze7KK255FcoQ8JwOcAPvaITjVAjcJl_GDDiaZ49N/s1600/IMG_3189.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
...before deciding what we were going to eat (first), and decided to head for the stall that was selling <i>Champignons</i> - mushrooms, all cooked up and served with a garlic sauce and a piece of bread. Scrummy.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3rOYW2DIkX6yP4b9Bq1WC8p8LSVW6RGgws5deS8VWieHnC3apkejbOQUKJBbVj8N7Bpcx0U1jNewqoEANvMGQbyOI2Nvijx121zxzJbqIzYWGRSqF2ozE_9y-A6qyP1hfzB3QjPLAbCnT/s1600/IMG_3156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3rOYW2DIkX6yP4b9Bq1WC8p8LSVW6RGgws5deS8VWieHnC3apkejbOQUKJBbVj8N7Bpcx0U1jNewqoEANvMGQbyOI2Nvijx121zxzJbqIzYWGRSqF2ozE_9y-A6qyP1hfzB3QjPLAbCnT/s1600/IMG_3156.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I think it was not long after this that we also opted to have a banana and nutella crepe - yep just as amazing as you are now picturing it to be!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:128;
mso-generic-font-family:roman;
mso-font-format:other;
mso-font-pitch:fixed;
mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:128;
mso-generic-font-family:roman;
mso-font-format:other;
mso-font-pitch:fixed;
mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Cambria;
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0cm;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;}
@page WordSection1
{size:595.0pt 842.0pt;
margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt;
mso-header-margin:35.4pt;
mso-footer-margin:35.4pt;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
-->
</style>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Typically we managed to pack in a little shopping too - we
located the town’s H&M and I’m now the owner of a lovely new hat! As it grew
dark it began to get even colder than it had been during the daytime, so we
headed to a nice café for a hot drink and to get the feeling back into our
fingers. The place we chose was on one of the streets of the market and not too
busy, and we sat on the second floor and had tea and hot chocolate. Once we’d
thoroughly warmed up we nipped back out into the market for our final Gluehwein
(hot chocolate for Megan, again!) of the day. Just because the evening was
coming didn’t make the market any less busy, either! (Also I don't know what's happened to the font now but I can't change it so hey ho)</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl3C_4lQpImd5qr70V5kfgoCNqOgLHfGTHNteO6W_EGhiZEIpfd_-iNa6Jt1IbFajCixzSxLmi0rV4r7lKW9YaDZptY4ld-BXIHzYq1m3BZ1riVN32CEjDF5GJ7JwFQBxsP5vL56_iIxaP/s1600/IMG_3750.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl3C_4lQpImd5qr70V5kfgoCNqOgLHfGTHNteO6W_EGhiZEIpfd_-iNa6Jt1IbFajCixzSxLmi0rV4r7lKW9YaDZptY4ld-BXIHzYq1m3BZ1riVN32CEjDF5GJ7JwFQBxsP5vL56_iIxaP/s1600/IMG_3750.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">* In love with these mugs - tiny boots!!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Afterwards we made our way
back to the station to catch our train back to hers, where we spent the
remainder of the evening chilling out, eating chocolate Santas and watching Elf
– because we were feeling so Christmassy!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The next morning we were up nice and early in order to get the train to Cologne and have a couple of hours to explore their markets before I had to catch my flight at around 2.30pm. I've not done Cologne before but luckily Megan has been a few times so she knew her way around - not that it was too hard, it turns out the main station is right next to that big famous cathedral of theirs! And of course right next to the cathedral was one of the markets. As we were still a little early and the market hadn't opened yet, we mooched past the shops (nearly entirely shut on a Sunday morning, of course) and down to the river so that I could take a look around. On the way down we came across another of the markets - this one seemed to be themed around gnomes or fairytales, and there were gnome figurines around everywhere getting up to all sorts of things (hence that first photo of the skiing gnomes!) and it was absolutely adorable! They even had a skating rink but unfortunately we didn't have enough time for that one.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTAcV6vYdletzYMf6HfOxQpNJ90Ps2B7t9dBPyf_aLGQla2aPYUgqd9mWpwT1eMl00Fz5Rw8Z0mLQcKSBVp3RjHWfJvV5s87fn-rsfETvG2JVymws5YJ-hdanCeEPLGAQgFHIyvJlnI1NB/s1600/IMG_3756.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTAcV6vYdletzYMf6HfOxQpNJ90Ps2B7t9dBPyf_aLGQla2aPYUgqd9mWpwT1eMl00Fz5Rw8Z0mLQcKSBVp3RjHWfJvV5s87fn-rsfETvG2JVymws5YJ-hdanCeEPLGAQgFHIyvJlnI1NB/s1600/IMG_3756.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">*</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikTpusmmgX_JAyjn0yKw0bDCmLtE8hyCOA26TMtkHtwqD4d-OrNQLRhLX5TZ_t-dD0YezLc7wsnUKDce_F5pwzM4w7Q7HtAl8KCKsP2Yy5dywu5pGKux9R9lmXOQspXd982E0D0KUN6DDL/s1600/IMG_3217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikTpusmmgX_JAyjn0yKw0bDCmLtE8hyCOA26TMtkHtwqD4d-OrNQLRhLX5TZ_t-dD0YezLc7wsnUKDce_F5pwzM4w7Q7HtAl8KCKsP2Yy5dywu5pGKux9R9lmXOQspXd982E0D0KUN6DDL/s1600/IMG_3217.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So we strolled a little along the Rhein (it was a horrid grey day unfortunately) and then made our way back up to the market by the cathedral.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaN7QrLie6IK6mBCq-XMMGfe-GrUjcag8pBBJsyPAR_eTiBUnWqFSqPCEoMM1fO4TVh_zHc96MSXCThKdNovyzbYEzHzUAaKcpyzSuVh9OAc4zYvh3CjcKR0JOjD7FCZKyFt4ps4iRkUxo/s1600/IMG_3264.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaN7QrLie6IK6mBCq-XMMGfe-GrUjcag8pBBJsyPAR_eTiBUnWqFSqPCEoMM1fO4TVh_zHc96MSXCThKdNovyzbYEzHzUAaKcpyzSuVh9OAc4zYvh3CjcKR0JOjD7FCZKyFt4ps4iRkUxo/s1600/IMG_3264.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Having now been to two different markets that weekend we did find that this one had much the same sort of stalls as the others had, but this didn't make it any less fun! There were also some stalls from other countries at this one too, which I don't remember entirely but I think there was a Finnish honey stall, and definitely another from Belgium! And there was also a stall selling solely mustard....bleh I am really not a fan of the stuff.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We began to get hungry, so we checked out the food stalls and were not disappointed. I had a portion of Currywurst followed by another course of the mushrooms I'd had yesterday (though sadly not as good as those ones!), and Megan had a steak burger with lots of ketchup (right, Megan?! Haha) and a crepe! Of course accompanied by a hot drink - Megan had her usual hot chocolate and I tried their <i>Heidelbeergl</i></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">ü</span>hwein</i> which was mulled wine flavoured with <i>Heidelbeere</i> (blueberries!), it was nice but a bit too sweet for me.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There was still a bit of time left so we wandered back to the river in order to cross the Hohenzollernbr</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">ücke (the big bridge</span></span> in Cologne</span> which is covered in those 'love locks' that people attach to bridges and throw the keys into the river blah blah you know) and find the padlocks that Megan has attached herself. I wasn't really sure of this concept before (I mean, it's graffiti, right? That poor bridge in Paris is completely covered and sometimes I've seen random ones pop up on bridges in the UK and I just think it looks a little silly with one or two on. Apparently there's one or two on Menai Bridge (one of the two bridges that connect Wales and Anglesey, if you didn't know) and that makes me a little annoyed...) BUT actually this big old iron bridge looks a lot more colourful and kind of nice with all of them on, so I think i've been swayed a little!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwhPDtgSF-b6PPx56LFc3Ut7d7fMP7tsQIi_0rMiLlvPClTRj_eRaWhyN4vp9dhP5MSBLNzBDAj_4Wr_yiZIt5-ZcY7bVkeAOEMmGzouLl5iPW4HsyxkYO_aCOMjNz2bfj01hFY2SWczP6/s1600/IMG_3287.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwhPDtgSF-b6PPx56LFc3Ut7d7fMP7tsQIi_0rMiLlvPClTRj_eRaWhyN4vp9dhP5MSBLNzBDAj_4Wr_yiZIt5-ZcY7bVkeAOEMmGzouLl5iPW4HsyxkYO_aCOMjNz2bfj01hFY2SWczP6/s1600/IMG_3287.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing with focal points and aperture...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdC7mZ5sVgf5bVGPQMRJ98IQickfkmao539Co5mNN3b58hKu07KnXG6BSTt_TVLOODsowwVbwGek3fZXtbtaFtHOffTpfuHVxQCKEZeIsk3bOaXpzpes-ECffmoAMTa79N79aTjJUVFCu5/s1600/IMG_3291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdC7mZ5sVgf5bVGPQMRJ98IQickfkmao539Co5mNN3b58hKu07KnXG6BSTt_TVLOODsowwVbwGek3fZXtbtaFtHOffTpfuHVxQCKEZeIsk3bOaXpzpes-ECffmoAMTa79N79aTjJUVFCu5/s1600/IMG_3291.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzuA7EYXnzwjGG6QcPg0UUoA1h5XTUy4QxaWFpsiOZ785RwI1R5lPW7Z5dzwYG24VVQ6xWbaxfAnzGpPlrAxqTn1OFgjfrd2EnEwYbiaIscU_zZE-nKE3G2eTr6XEc4GOC7AFgjkkspzti/s1600/IMG_3751.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzuA7EYXnzwjGG6QcPg0UUoA1h5XTUy4QxaWFpsiOZ785RwI1R5lPW7Z5dzwYG24VVQ6xWbaxfAnzGpPlrAxqTn1OFgjfrd2EnEwYbiaIscU_zZE-nKE3G2eTr6XEc4GOC7AFgjkkspzti/s1600/IMG_3751.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">* Hey look there's a man coming out of my hat...oh and look at all those padlocks!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After this we headed back to the station to get a train to the airport, where we said our goodbyes! It was a really great weekend and quite nice to get out of Italy for a couple of days (though I'm glad Bologna is not quite <i>that</i> cold yet!) and I just love Germany so thank you to my lovely hostess!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Well done if you've got this far, that really was quite long....but at least now you're properly filled in on what I got up to these two weekends with two lovely UK people er, not in the UK! I'm here in the city for just over two weeks more and then it's home for Christmas which I'm getting really excited for - now I just need to finish my Christmas shopping...</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ciao for now!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">X</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(Photos marked with * were taken by Megan - we had a slight complication with phone chargers so I ended up not being able to charge my phone and therefore wasn't able to take any photos with it, so I've pinched these ones from her!)</span></span></div>
Claudia Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372463551998915225noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4919671304220146299.post-16088273088875641462014-11-17T20:56:00.002+01:002014-11-17T20:56:39.196+01:00Then and Now: 8 Weeks into the Year Abroad!Hullo!<br />
<br />
So, I know it's been a while since I've blogged about <i>anything</i>, but I don't want this to feel like something I have to do super-regularly or feel forced into doing it because blogging about my year abroad was also supposed to be enjoyable! But tonight I felt like writing so wahey, here's a little read for you tonight. <br />
<br />
By Wednesday I've officially be 8 weeks into my year abroad (I've had to check that like 15 times already JUST to be sure as well), and I think I'm feeling pretty differently about everything than how I felt at the start of this thing 8 weeks ago. This is going to be a post about just a few things in my life that have changed, for the better, and how stuff is going.<br />
<br />
<u>Where I live</u><br />
I'm not sure if I mentioned with all the way back at the end of October, but the only housemate I had was my landlord. He's a nice enough guy (around 50 and is some sort of editor/writer I think) and I don't see him very much as he works/is in his study/I'm out/etc, but it did mean that I wasn't living with anyone else, specifically anyone else my age. I think this impeded my start here in making friends (or at least having someone there at my disposal to talk to), but more on that later.<br />
<br />
What's new is that about 3 weeks ago, I came home from being in uni all day to find that there was someone's things in the spare bedroom (which my landlord had been trying to rent out for a long time). I immediately assumed it was the Spanish Erasmus student who'd been to visit the apartment the night before but, since no one was in to ask, I wouldn't find out until later. And it wasn't until I was cooking my dinner that I heard the front door go and my new housemate walked in...and an older Spanish lady, of about 50 to 60 (maybe that's harsh, I don't know, I'm not good at guessing ages), walked in and introduced herself! Of course I really wasn't expecting this and I felt a bit put out for a while, as I'd reeeally been hoping for someone my own age to move in. I thought about finding a new place to live, but after sleeping on it I decided to just get on with life. The trouble of finding a new place didn't really appeal, plus my apartment is really nice so I am loathe to leave it! Anyway, the long and short of it is: the Spanish lady is called Esther and has turned out to be very nice. Although we have trouble communicating (both not fluent in Italian, she barely speaks any English and me no Spanish, plus I find her Italian heavily accented and hard to understand), I don't see her that often in the flat either(she's also a student, funnily enough...) so we get on when we need to, and end of really!<br />
<br />
As well as this, my room is much more homey now too. I had a reading week at the start of November, and I used this time to visit home for a few days (which was absolutely lovely). But sleeping in my bed at home reminded me that the weather was getting colder and in Bologna my landlord had only given me sheets and a blanket for my bed - no duvet. So, when I returned to the city I went off to Ikea (on it's own little shuttle bus, of course) and bought myself a (thin but functional) duvet and a pretty set of covers for it (along with other things, like coat hangers, a cushion, some cacti plants, candles....I went a little overboard). <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj23po4r-VJHOIl5JNeFq8mTWY1Sj9b7DSu7WC3UhPmHZ9Ay3vug9PlDVXhuIpFF8Z4ibo-E7vUz2TujhW9a1excaAP5tAFqDLdLB0lsbKF-E1wClCiDm3OInVOI3DMqyIEn_ZvJCpNXLa5/s1600/IMG_3664.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj23po4r-VJHOIl5JNeFq8mTWY1Sj9b7DSu7WC3UhPmHZ9Ay3vug9PlDVXhuIpFF8Z4ibo-E7vUz2TujhW9a1excaAP5tAFqDLdLB0lsbKF-E1wClCiDm3OInVOI3DMqyIEn_ZvJCpNXLa5/s1600/IMG_3664.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty bedding!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD5F1dwrnimtdYjmcMp64-HUYJbJX2ZM7imCKLD3HNAkdKJJ4F2tMd37G9KbS3D3axOg52RbpoEMlSUgpJinKtIscvTVAH9GEDbL8-Z4p_xvyCwRl3psilCz9cCniiFowbLZZXPosCgFf4/s1600/IMG_3663.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD5F1dwrnimtdYjmcMp64-HUYJbJX2ZM7imCKLD3HNAkdKJJ4F2tMd37G9KbS3D3axOg52RbpoEMlSUgpJinKtIscvTVAH9GEDbL8-Z4p_xvyCwRl3psilCz9cCniiFowbLZZXPosCgFf4/s1600/IMG_3663.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My new little friends!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<u>Social life</u><br />
So I've moaned, during the first few weeks, to various friends and family at home about how I'd made few lasting connections with other students out here. And this wasn't through a lack of trying - I'd been chatting to other students in- and outside of lectures, at tandem nights and other events but I just hadn't made anything stuck. I was saying before how I think it didn't help that I wasn't living with anyone my own age, which I stand by, although there's no telling who you're going to get on with, even if you live with them (as I have heard from other fellow year-abroaders!). This just made me miss my friends back in the UK all the more!<br />
<br />
That, at least, seems to have been changing in the last couple of weeks - I now know enough people that I can meet people through them, or regularly speak to and see them, which has been really good. In retrospect I think I was just expecting the whole meeting people and making friends business to be easier than it has proved to be; I think my first year at my home university has spoiled me on this front, because I lived with so many different people and I found it easy to find the people I got on with and so I made friends quite quickly. I was also half-expecting to befriend more Italian students than I have and so with most of the people I've been socialising our common language is English - which is fine, because I'd rather be speaking in English than not speaking at all, anyway.<br />
<br />
It's still great to talk to people back home too, whether they're currently back home or off somewhere abroad too - last Saturday I took the (slow, by accident) train up to Milan (no really it 3 hours instead of like 1) to visit the same friend I met there at the end of August, who I'd met on the UK-German Connection event many moons ago. She had a friend visiting her - someone else who'd been on that trip, so it was really nice to have a little catch up and a mooch about the city! Milan is a really nice city, I've decided - very different to Bologna, and it feels more like a city because it's huuuge, which is nice.<br />
<u><br /></u>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTNGQUwKwvS0D52LYUnkoFu_0NVi_ibAmytmWdTD7bSpwLYA39PxFZ68dYqYZP83G9cuTmInEb84VcfQ_Pk05Y4JcJOfE8u3J4FjNW9_WqxgctX5tUCV9BAtckswgjitdCqE8PQnGa8kom/s1600/IMG_3590.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTNGQUwKwvS0D52LYUnkoFu_0NVi_ibAmytmWdTD7bSpwLYA39PxFZ68dYqYZP83G9cuTmInEb84VcfQ_Pk05Y4JcJOfE8u3J4FjNW9_WqxgctX5tUCV9BAtckswgjitdCqE8PQnGa8kom/s1600/IMG_3590.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Kumpels auf Tour in Milano!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<u>Language</u><br />
And speaking of languages, despite all the chatting in English my Italian has improved leaps and bounds - compared to when I started here 8 weeks ago, and also compared to when I first stepped foot in this country at the end of July to begin my summer au pair job. I've not spoken much on here about my au pair experience since, and maybe I will at some point but right now I will just say that I'm glad I did it - although not solely from a language point of view, this has been the best outcome of the experience. I don't know all the words and grammatical bits and bobs, but I will happily babble along in a conversation, even if I'm aware at the time that <i>that </i>adjectival ending does not go <i>there</i>! As (by the way) I didn't get the chance to enroll on the 'Italian for foreigners' course here (I missed the deadline, whoops!) I've been using the tandem language nights that I go to every other week to get some help from the Italian students on things that I need clarifying (as well as conversation practice, of course!).<br />
<br />
Other than that, I am totally becoming Italian merely due to all the coffee I'm drinking and pizza I'm eating. Yep, definitely. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuh0LWzUtyk8zMDiH0M-zV2CAZ4xcQ3Td9UmBRA3JWm5JnyWjC24nz1cmRRe5TWmSANq3aXCqbHZT-zJoCOHEMoofiwMPkN9-fNZbwkf6GWbuvGCnqR3HiRyqjT9ca-JRZya5xza3giXuE/s1600/IMG_3662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuh0LWzUtyk8zMDiH0M-zV2CAZ4xcQ3Td9UmBRA3JWm5JnyWjC24nz1cmRRe5TWmSANq3aXCqbHZT-zJoCOHEMoofiwMPkN9-fNZbwkf6GWbuvGCnqR3HiRyqjT9ca-JRZya5xza3giXuE/s1600/IMG_3662.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
That's all you'll get out of me for now, I think! I've got some good (or at least I think they are) ideas for some things to write about in the next few weeks, not to mention I have a visitor arriving on Wednesday and I shall be making a visit myself next weekend! Wednesday my boyfriend arrives all the way from England, which I’m really excited for! So he’ll be here for the weekend, and then the week after I’m going to Germany to visit my friend in her year abroad town, and we are going to a real life <i>German Christmas market</i>! I’m super excited because not only have I <u>never</u> been to a German Christmas market, I get to go to Germany (which I love) and have Schnitzel und <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Glüh</span></span>wein und Currywurst wahoo!<br />
<br />
Ciao for now,<br />
<br />
x<br />
<br />
P.S. just checked, just to be sure, and it really is 8 weeks. Wow.<br />
<table class="tblf1 tblf-fullwidth tblf-alternate"><thead>
<tr><th colspan="8"></th></tr>
</thead></table>
<table class="tblf1 tblf-fullwidth tblf-alternate"><thead>
<tr><th colspan="8"></th></tr>
</thead></table>
<table class="tblf1 tblf-fullwidth tblf-alternate"></table>
<table class="tblf1 tblf-fullwidth tblf-alternate"></table>
<table class="tblf1 tblf-fullwidth tblf-alternate"></table>
Claudia Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372463551998915225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4919671304220146299.post-45700570343356665922014-10-25T13:28:00.000+02:002014-10-25T13:28:00.826+02:00Tales of FlorenceAs promised, here are the details of the trip Mum and I took to Florence last weekend! Watch out, it's a long one...<br />
<br />
We were up around the time I have to get up Monday-Wednesday for lectures - Horribly-Early AM (I have lectures that start at 8.30am, shudder) but since this was so that we got the whole day in Florence it wasn't so bad. We got the bus to the train station and then went to buy our tickets. The train we had wanted to get (a slower, but cheaper train) apparently went to the furthest away of the several train stations in Florence, so the ticket guy advised us to get a different one. For some reason that I couldn't quite grasp we couldn't buy the return ticket, so just figured we'd do it when we arrived in Florence.<br />
<br />
The train journey was only about half an hour and unfortunately we were in tunnels for most of it, so Mum didn't get to see any of the countryside as she had hoped! I can only assume it's because we were on one of their really fast trains, but I'm not sure. When we finally emerged from the tunnels closer to Florence, the world outside was grey and misty and I was feeling a bit silly in my summer dress, as we'd been promised good weather! Luckily it burned off (as Mum said it would, naturally) and it ended up being an unbelievably hot day, yet again!<br />
<br />
Fresh off the train, we had a look at the tickets for a return train to Bologna but, since we couldn't decide what time to go back, we thought we'd just buy the tickets when we got back to the station after our day out. So instead we headed for the tourist information office across the road from the station in order to find a map and, once armed with one, we headed straight for one of the main attractions - the <i>Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore </i>(cathedral) in the <i>Piazza del Duomo</i>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ECjIA7ZZO-whl_E7SNGCT9iAulCT-p1xOvIF3OvqeE1dtM3MkpZ9bE6dWuDu1379aQppa61k5RDYhMQZsR4J1HT4WJQz9hDgzGNXB-wkQcToQTf2bjxt6XlrWMddhf6JFltZ0ld4XpF5/s1600/10686875_10204115227654973_7285111517281622303_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ECjIA7ZZO-whl_E7SNGCT9iAulCT-p1xOvIF3OvqeE1dtM3MkpZ9bE6dWuDu1379aQppa61k5RDYhMQZsR4J1HT4WJQz9hDgzGNXB-wkQcToQTf2bjxt6XlrWMddhf6JFltZ0ld4XpF5/s1600/10686875_10204115227654973_7285111517281622303_n.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc40JSQoG1h0Mto4rAXfyyBhX3aPMt3YtP1qxtXfqnJUWNGn5WQu2pZOUTdfhQtyYV_h71Zqa_tcunTH8UEzg3LBNI1CShxhd4T1tpzqtbDVvjKZMwoOpiRKiDWX4mWBb9JtjxunS9FFCu/s1600/IMG_3468.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc40JSQoG1h0Mto4rAXfyyBhX3aPMt3YtP1qxtXfqnJUWNGn5WQu2pZOUTdfhQtyYV_h71Zqa_tcunTH8UEzg3LBNI1CShxhd4T1tpzqtbDVvjKZMwoOpiRKiDWX4mWBb9JtjxunS9FFCu/s1600/IMG_3468.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:128;
mso-generic-font-family:roman;
mso-font-format:other;
mso-font-pitch:fixed;
mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:128;
mso-generic-font-family:roman;
mso-font-format:other;
mso-font-pitch:fixed;
mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Cambria;
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0cm;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;}
@page WordSection1
{size:595.0pt 842.0pt;
margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt;
mso-header-margin:35.4pt;
mso-footer-margin:35.4pt;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
-->
</style>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">We couldn’t actually get inside to see the place properly until
1.30pm, so first we just took a stroll around the outside of it. A pretty
impressive sight, seeing as work first started on it in 1296 and (I’m reading
directly from the guidebook we bought later on, by the way), along with the
baptistery outside that faces towards the front of the cathedral, the green and
white marble used in the geometric design of the building is in the 13<sup>th</sup>
century style, despite being worked on throughout the Romantic and Gothic
periods. Good work, chaps!</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The piazza itself was filling up with tourists despite being relatively early (I think we arrived not long after 10am), so after having a good look at this we decided to head south to find the river. Before we reached it, we came upon the <i>Piazza della Signoria</i>, where you can find the <i>Palazzo Vecchio</i> and the <i>Galeria degli Uffizi</i> (which we were going to later on). Standing in the brilliant sunshine something caught our eye...</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx07i9u_jLbjsOkO0fwDqXcIenSIdaqNmOAdDAmkCJWisnzuuL1217ixsoHPHcY4bE2eMWfTT5OORKL17_vIGrxia_XB1woufqrEj_7owBTojeBa53x5OtK17vU_e0ihfY8HYwwFWSG8K_/s1600/10672107_10204115237535220_6015614982690048091_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx07i9u_jLbjsOkO0fwDqXcIenSIdaqNmOAdDAmkCJWisnzuuL1217ixsoHPHcY4bE2eMWfTT5OORKL17_vIGrxia_XB1woufqrEj_7owBTojeBa53x5OtK17vU_e0ihfY8HYwwFWSG8K_/s1600/10672107_10204115237535220_6015614982690048091_n.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">...that's right, the GUCCI museum!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">It turns out it's a limited time exhibition that showcases the brands history in the form of bags, clothes, etc - so we thought we'd check it out, and we weren't disappointed.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Inside it was dark and cool, and completely empty (save for the bouncer-style security guards who did seem to be following us around...), so it was nice to get away form the otherwise quite busy Florence.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_AL4bxOKqft1SgmcrHnOZzSVQXsowwxN4_J9k7b5XayAKHvEHaOE9g1e5w-xcqnEJUHDSLrtfgLdHZd1oRuQwWTgseK2DfqOC5JTVqWbyXNMOVSRzlwSg0OZF8CrTWypdAXT_LWnZo3iq/s1600/IMG_3471.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_AL4bxOKqft1SgmcrHnOZzSVQXsowwxN4_J9k7b5XayAKHvEHaOE9g1e5w-xcqnEJUHDSLrtfgLdHZd1oRuQwWTgseK2DfqOC5JTVqWbyXNMOVSRzlwSg0OZF8CrTWypdAXT_LWnZo3iq/s1600/IMG_3471.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The classic red and green stripe on their luggage..</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicdlk374AHlgThk5OlcDfIhh90wK5oihBCMWW_R8tiEAq3fLhUoAeKqIXkksvF0fTlS_oglcnu_8HjPl_MyjGgXmmQ5A0Fgd0w6-lmtskgrEos1F8UB3UDFRENcCTMhhZRFQt1DQWfiSO6/s1600/IMG_3472.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicdlk374AHlgThk5OlcDfIhh90wK5oihBCMWW_R8tiEAq3fLhUoAeKqIXkksvF0fTlS_oglcnu_8HjPl_MyjGgXmmQ5A0Fgd0w6-lmtskgrEos1F8UB3UDFRENcCTMhhZRFQt1DQWfiSO6/s1600/IMG_3472.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIiab9T-mqZunR5GkKHfpSLIGQumOiRWMQLEv3PeDYEjU8TQKegZUiX3X6PLsr3swth8ZBRD4kBHNk89Ia-TYgZ7yopcddzeU5CCmsdpNeLj1MPCO4Zpr2tuSneV3nibKvYpDFGzU0T-GI/s1600/IMG_3469.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIiab9T-mqZunR5GkKHfpSLIGQumOiRWMQLEv3PeDYEjU8TQKegZUiX3X6PLsr3swth8ZBRD4kBHNk89Ia-TYgZ7yopcddzeU5CCmsdpNeLj1MPCO4Zpr2tuSneV3nibKvYpDFGzU0T-GI/s1600/IMG_3469.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
That's right, a Gucci car! Their logo in gold on the hubcaps, and the interior was a classic Gucci pattern. There was only a certain number of these babies released back in the (if I remember the poster correctly) eighties.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7by_gwI499QB0d10uNDjN63EAZI8Mk6xRqkl5fV8FndhT88b_2KMCvqfLjt-M11DhqxxpQyi6ENZinl0W8HAgdtppBBy4pCRjYMHTem9UvcpSg_G2R4m8wksrrqOpiNoY9-9KyXyiN9Fq/s1600/IMG_3474.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7by_gwI499QB0d10uNDjN63EAZI8Mk6xRqkl5fV8FndhT88b_2KMCvqfLjt-M11DhqxxpQyi6ENZinl0W8HAgdtppBBy4pCRjYMHTem9UvcpSg_G2R4m8wksrrqOpiNoY9-9KyXyiN9Fq/s1600/IMG_3474.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Some of the more famous Gucci gowns worn on the red carpet.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVGslA67e4nyDFyrt11R_T4eH-vaMMZsUFlEbGpHwnlvMt4AZgudIqGtrB3bKJb3-ih3l8INbyNbb39xeS2nLHiHUdzRfcxhXBXixa82me0ogCozy0iDmujNxe-S42q_GXrqgdHaD_SKxV/s1600/IMG_3476.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVGslA67e4nyDFyrt11R_T4eH-vaMMZsUFlEbGpHwnlvMt4AZgudIqGtrB3bKJb3-ih3l8INbyNbb39xeS2nLHiHUdzRfcxhXBXixa82me0ogCozy0iDmujNxe-S42q_GXrqgdHaD_SKxV/s1600/IMG_3476.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
This one was worn by Blake Lively a few years ago (I know that's not Blake Lively on the wall, I didn't manage to time my photo right with the projection!). Many sequins. Wow.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Safe to say we were impressed!</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Back outside, Mum had spotted a sign pointing to <i>Casa di Dante</i> (Dante's house!) so we decided to follow it, down narrow and very un-touristy streets. We only ended up having a nosey in the little gift shop attached to it, where we bought our guidebook. Following this, I decided that I could navigate us to the river from there using just the map. Eh. And so I did, sort of. I mean, we did <i>get</i> to the river, it just took us a while and we got a little bit lost...</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
...and by the time we reached the river, it was lunchtime and naturally we were both <i>starving</i>, and quite tired from all our walking around. So after admiring the river from the <i>Ponte alle Grazie</i> (I am checking all these names on my map, just for you guys) we crossed to the other side in hopes of finding some lunch.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32ZMRZjRaQuMKTeXzR7pb_HHE3QU72qynzySH5sxbJrg_0WNcKIhkfojg4amYVNz8N4sMH2MCRiyouHxyLshP5MOihWU8wif3Qd8eWXOieBqaErF4obqr_KbDLuutEyj1iMbRJmgY2YTu/s1600/1798356_10204115235415167_8901905727289582590_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32ZMRZjRaQuMKTeXzR7pb_HHE3QU72qynzySH5sxbJrg_0WNcKIhkfojg4amYVNz8N4sMH2MCRiyouHxyLshP5MOihWU8wif3Qd8eWXOieBqaErF4obqr_KbDLuutEyj1iMbRJmgY2YTu/s1600/1798356_10204115235415167_8901905727289582590_n.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Me posing like a true tourist on said bridge, that's the big famous <i>Ponte Vecchio</i> in the background too!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />For lunch we shared a really good tuna pizza and a <i>caprese</i> salad (tomatoes and mozzarella, mmm) at a place that we deemed not to be too touristy (Mum's code is 'nowhere with pictures in the menu' which I think is a good one), although later the surrounding tables were filled with American tourists, so perhaps not.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
From here we wandered back across the river via the <i>Ponte Vecchio</i>. It was packed with tourists and people there to sell things to tourists - phone gadgets, little paintings, caricatures, so not particularly interesting. The bridge itself is lined with little shops however, like fancy jewellery shops, silverware places and that sort of thing, so we had a good peek through all the windows.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3xRMR1cvBjNWWbfZ4-dsGrABGOjIyqXu91-mCLL5d7oqbDLyWQFDF5Wf1RcbzbGZXe6D76l5pkJIVOMv-E0kiA7kTHOtMdW_szgs0uGlDSwYOpbDebllvhYz4up1W3H_j1ocbqTSbxdX2/s1600/10704184_10204115235575171_7425405056283678823_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3xRMR1cvBjNWWbfZ4-dsGrABGOjIyqXu91-mCLL5d7oqbDLyWQFDF5Wf1RcbzbGZXe6D76l5pkJIVOMv-E0kiA7kTHOtMdW_szgs0uGlDSwYOpbDebllvhYz4up1W3H_j1ocbqTSbxdX2/s1600/10704184_10204115235575171_7425405056283678823_n.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
We carried on down the road once turning off the bridge so that we could get a good view of the other side of it, then headed back towards the center of the city. The street we ended up on turned out to be one lined with all the designer brands - there was Gucci, Prada, well just about everything! Eventually we were led back to the <i>Piazza del Duomo</i> which was now absolutely heaving with tourists, but we still queued to get inside the cathedral. It was enormous on the inside and much cooler than the hot day outside, so after wandering around we stopped to sit for a few minutes and then headed out again. Still exhausted, we took a little street off the piazza and sat down for a gelato in the shade - I had mango and lemon and it was just perfect. Here we made our plans as to what we would do next. There was just over an hour before we were due at the <i>Galleria degli Uffizi</i> (you have to book a time slot in order to get in) so we planned to wander over slowly and have a look around anywhere we found. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The route we took ended up going through an 'antiques zone', which meant we got to look in more gorgeous shop windows and we even went in an open studio of a designer who made the most beautiful clothes from vintage fabrics (Mum was very taken with this place). It didn't feel like this route took ages, but by the time we reached the <i>Piazza della Repubblica</i>, a small but very famous piazza in Florence near the <i>Uffizi</i>, I realised that it was 5 or so minutes before we were due to collect our tickets so we had to hurry a little to get there but we made it no problem.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Upon actually entering the gallery after picking up the tickets, we headed up to the cafe to grab a Coke because it was still so hot out! The cafe also has a rooftop area from which you can admire the tops of the surrounding buildings, including the top of dome of the cathedral.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The gallery itself is in a large old building, and the second floor (same floor as the cafe and rooftop area) is made up of one long corridor that winds round with windows to the outside on one side and the gallery rooms on the left. This is the view from one corner of the corridor that looks out to the <i>Ponte Vecchio</i>.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIlRjquxlNpklL0_HZ5Gb9fXi4-zI8F-OYAl_Cn6n8z_bslg1cBUT2GvE9UaXttYU1Sf0b0ftDJzDpKMjKinNTbk_K3ZwR9Zil2iVgw-HDvub4PAshHXcjFyir8o0ZN7DKeiZF2fgp6mAD/s1600/IMG_3480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIlRjquxlNpklL0_HZ5Gb9fXi4-zI8F-OYAl_Cn6n8z_bslg1cBUT2GvE9UaXttYU1Sf0b0ftDJzDpKMjKinNTbk_K3ZwR9Zil2iVgw-HDvub4PAshHXcjFyir8o0ZN7DKeiZF2fgp6mAD/s1600/IMG_3480.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Golden hour already?! The day had quickly slipped away from us, it seemed. We spent a good amount of time wandering the gallery and upon finishing there, we decided it was also time to end our day in Florence and we made our way back to the train station as it began to grow dark (why does it get light so late and dark so early, already?!).</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
So you remember earlier I said that we hadn't bought our return train tickets yet? Well, that turned out to be a big mistake. Using the self service ticket machine, it quickly became clear that you could only buy tickets for <i>seats</i> on the trains and that you couldn't just buy a ticket and stand....so when the seats run out, the tickets run out. This is what happened to us. No 2nd class, no first class tickets left on the next couple of trains - so we ended up having to buy 2 'executive business' class tickets! A <i>little</i> pricier than our morning tickets...yet, as Mum put it, still cheaper than having to stay the night in Florence and get a train the next morning, so we went for it.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
It turned out to not be all that bad. I asked a guy who worked at the station if we'd get anything included in our ticket, and he said we'd get complimentary food and drink - when we took our seats (big, leather recliners, mind) on the train, the (hrrm, I think this would be the right word) attendant handed out sweets to us and offered us a drink. We took this a cue and asked for glasses of prosecco, of course! There was something quite hilarious about the situation at this point, and we just giggling away at the back of the carriage (which only had 6 seats in, too!). When I asked we also got given some snacks (foccacia bread and some cracker things), and the guy brought us the only English magazines he could find (wonder how he figured out we're English...). Success! After a long day the comfy seats were very welcoming and when our stop came half an hour later it was hard to leave!</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
And whew! Finally we were home, I think it was probably 9.30pm by the time we were back at the apartment, so it had definitely been a looooong day. Our verdict on Florence is that it's, of course, lovely - however we definitely prefer Bologna. Florence seemed very touristy and the place was absolutely crowded, whereas Bologna is not. This could be due to the fact that we went on a Sunday though, so perhaps it's not all bad. That's one more thing to do ticked off my list, anyway!</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Well done if you've made it this far with me! It's been a long post today, so I'll round it off now with a quick overview of what I've been up to this week and what my plans for the next few weeks are. Mum left on Tuesday morning, and for the rest of the week I've been in lectures and doing various things, like going to the <i>Giardini Margherita</i>, a tandem evening and to the shops. Wednesday and Thursday it was actually <i>cold</i> which made a nice a change, it was even windy! It felt properly like autumn for the first time. That changed yesterday and now it's hot again...</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
...and as for the next few weeks, well in one week I'll be heading home for a few days, as we've a week off lectures! I'm very much looking forward to that little trip. Two weeks after I return, my boyfriend is coming out for a visit (yay!), the weekend after that I'll be visiting a school/uni friend who's out on her Erasmus in a little town in Germany, and then not long after that an old friend is hopefully coming to visit me before I go home for Christmas. So I'm going to be busy! I will keep you updated, hopefully more regularly now that I've got back into this blogging lark.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Ciao ciao!</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
X</div>
Claudia Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372463551998915225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4919671304220146299.post-73803817791880014192014-10-21T18:27:00.002+02:002014-10-21T18:27:48.536+02:00Four weeks in!I realise it's been a few weeks since I last wrote my blog, and I'm happy to announce that I have not in fact dropped off the planet, I've just been a little bit otherwise occupied.<br />
<br />
(A little bit)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipQWJOx0J8tuaXLxXutSDQt0lYFtdln4ILcOfGHflilegZg2nPyYfHGkoMHlncpgwlLfqQrwuP4OWO5aqhoopnuuF9tpKL6v50qobARIPZCDNZRXk-cSdI9fhaQ_gfU8ppkBf5PMoohUBS/s1600/IMG_3428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipQWJOx0J8tuaXLxXutSDQt0lYFtdln4ILcOfGHflilegZg2nPyYfHGkoMHlncpgwlLfqQrwuP4OWO5aqhoopnuuF9tpKL6v50qobARIPZCDNZRXk-cSdI9fhaQ_gfU8ppkBf5PMoohUBS/s1600/IMG_3428.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Piazza Maggiore</div>
<br />
I guess I am now fully settled in! As of tomorrow I'll have been here four weeks and on Friday it'll be exactly a month - and as you so often hear about these sort of things, oh my how fast it has gone. Well, fast and slow at the same time - it feels a) as if I just arrived yesterday, and b) that I've been here for years. I think that four weeks here has definitely gone quicker than my first four weeks of my au pairing job did, which is interesting but I guess just down to doing more on my own etc - this one is all my own adventure.<br />
<br />
I do not have too much to fill you in on - I have been going to lectures, not eating much pizza, drinking a lot of tea and wandering around the city: in truth, much of what I'd been doing if I were in Bangor for uni, actually! The main difference (bar the language thingy, ya know...) is probably the glorious weather here - it's <i>October</i>, like mid-October, and it sometimes still reaches 26 or so degrees at the hottest point of the day. <i>How wonderful!</i> you are probably thinking - but oh no no. I do not do consecutive days of unbearable humidity and burning sunshine! Add stuffy bus rides and murderous hoards of mosquitoes (out of interest I have just looked up the collective noun for plurals of mosquitoes - it's a <i>scourge</i>) and you may understand better why I am pining for true autumnal weather (although Bangor you can keep your gale force winds). Having said that, a few times it has rained and when I say rained I mean <i>bucketed</i> it down. My landlord has said that Bologna is like London/the UK in general - it rains a lot! Home from home, eh... <br />
<br />
There have been a few special things happen though. Some of the highlights of the last few weeks can be summed up in the form of tandem nights and meeting people from pretty much everywhere, finding turtles in the pond of the <i>Giardini Margherita</i>, cool wine bars, a tortellini festival, seeing Piazza Maggiore in the rain late at night, receiving Dairy Milk chocolate in the post from Mum, actually understanding my lectures and realising that I know my way around the city quite well.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivnMb1gUeyx2KERHaX931V0lrWkoKPVlBL6OGqfww3VcLXJpVs0wY_JhMubHe1kScFd-0qV6d18xLV9SzoOHnTJ-nBPFAMfdDaEvW7uAi7agKEdaJvkFxhyphenhyphenG13rQlGLgfX6tDp2okpmLQQ/s1600/IMG_3377.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivnMb1gUeyx2KERHaX931V0lrWkoKPVlBL6OGqfww3VcLXJpVs0wY_JhMubHe1kScFd-0qV6d18xLV9SzoOHnTJ-nBPFAMfdDaEvW7uAi7agKEdaJvkFxhyphenhyphenG13rQlGLgfX6tDp2okpmLQQ/s1600/IMG_3377.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
From the tortellini festival - tortellini in a mushroom cream sauce. Bliss.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqAeb6JkrmgJfEFv1fmGIFzxSFHIoN1B4CrmPa2XisMRGmTEyTzyGeoGvM1K4iPQScT7KMcnWM3L0N733hQxAjT-DUac5LCISBwhFI51OsUixtXHsUh0m8TYLErqymXCzDTWUDcT8zwifw/s1600/IMG_3413.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqAeb6JkrmgJfEFv1fmGIFzxSFHIoN1B4CrmPa2XisMRGmTEyTzyGeoGvM1K4iPQScT7KMcnWM3L0N733hQxAjT-DUac5LCISBwhFI51OsUixtXHsUh0m8TYLErqymXCzDTWUDcT8zwifw/s1600/IMG_3413.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
LOOK AT THESE GUYS. I got SO excited when I found them.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Now that I look at them again, they might be tortoises, but I've been telling everyone they're turtles...hope no one reads this now...)</span></div>
<br />
Last time I did write, I said I'd been feeling very lonely on my birthday (wow ok I turned 21 three weeks ago today...) and yes sometimes I still do feel a little lonely - but I've put it down to missing my friends and family back home/off on their own year abroads (years abroad?), and not to do with having less of a social life over here (possibly also a good thing, my social life since starting at Bangor two years ago has rocketed sky high). However, I hope no one is worrying about me back over there in good ol' Blighty, for I am doing better now! I have had and will have more social occasions, and I'm looking forward to making and receiving visits to/from friends in the run up to Christmas. <br />
<br />
And speaking of visits, I've had one this weekend! Mum arrived on Thursday evening having flown in from Manchester. My first visitor was also the last person to see me off to my flight from England, and it was lovely to see her! She arrived around 8pm, and since we were both quite hungry by the time we got back to the city center via the <i>aerobus</i> (the town to airport bus, so useful) we headed straight for a cool-looking Asian restaurant I'd found not too far from where all the students hang out here. As well as a restaurant, the place featured an all-you-can-eat <i>sushi buffet</i> (on a conveyor belt like at Yo Sushi etc) and I've been keen to try it - all I can say is that we definitely got way more than our money's worth (and at €18 each, that's a lot of sushi) and I think we tried nearly everything that came around on the belt! It was absolutely brilliant and I'll definitely be heading back there again as soon as I can!<br />
<br />
When we eventually got back to the apartment after a short bus ride, Mum unpacked and laid out all the things she'd brought for me from England - I'd asked for a few things that I'd forgotten or been unable to bring with me three weeks previously like my onesie, umbrella, film camera, a pair of shoes, the next Game of Thrones book....and she'd also brought me what seems a tonne and a half of chocolate, some Percy Pigs, jaffa cakes and crumpets and a few other treats - British bliss! Thanks, Mum!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyh3msg8EsjyHwCxq9nbS0THhEmI_q-TnFxD9Fu2O2cmdRdiPIUzNsXmJRzb_wVvsnHxpZCXA77OHLZxkbBjKfS8Cq3WOkVkCLU-i0yf4QX8hFY6KdcUMBAf4srotwPqxo9ncxTuEbwVU1/s1600/IMG_3445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyh3msg8EsjyHwCxq9nbS0THhEmI_q-TnFxD9Fu2O2cmdRdiPIUzNsXmJRzb_wVvsnHxpZCXA77OHLZxkbBjKfS8Cq3WOkVkCLU-i0yf4QX8hFY6KdcUMBAf4srotwPqxo9ncxTuEbwVU1/s1600/IMG_3445.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
Not to mention TEA - yay!!</div>
</div>
<br />
We spent Friday in the center of Bologna - I got to play tour guide and point out some interesting bits and bobs that I knew about. Unsurprisingly Mum loved the city, as it is incredible! There were some firsts for me too though, like the open-top bus tour we took with the 'City redbus' - it took us through the center to see places like Piazza Maggiore and the two towers, and then too us further afield, to places like San Michele in Bosco, which I believe is an old monastery and there's now a hospital located next to it too. It is right on the top of one of the hills not far from where I have my lectures and the views that are offered from up there are absolutely stunning! Another thing I'll definitely be doing again, or if not the tour itself I at least know where to go to reach it.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiknM4hd-zGSCIijwT1nCWXyKc41xDpTOgLqI5qD60A3_7ZpaB_hCkY4P9AqTzo31KU6RuZno5tWXJZdSJFjchFQTVX9Qp8-huEVljLERSMWD72BrwrzNyN7v2O9MBCaD9yaZ2g2DHjqIE-/s1600/IMG_3459.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiknM4hd-zGSCIijwT1nCWXyKc41xDpTOgLqI5qD60A3_7ZpaB_hCkY4P9AqTzo31KU6RuZno5tWXJZdSJFjchFQTVX9Qp8-huEVljLERSMWD72BrwrzNyN7v2O9MBCaD9yaZ2g2DHjqIE-/s1600/IMG_3459.jpg" height="442" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The view from the top! </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAeJlYaau71AYX_tCXrUxB6kvPRTQ1U5NsM9rYyN4SSU9A_TbB2jh3SF7dGZCKArkTQff9Zsua4MZW0fzJx_-rO3PfyWL-AYMMGyysS2ynMtiW1JkaSl3B_ldz77yfXDWruMMMCcdWFcAD/s1600/10422123_10204092788934019_1345984048476269165_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAeJlYaau71AYX_tCXrUxB6kvPRTQ1U5NsM9rYyN4SSU9A_TbB2jh3SF7dGZCKArkTQff9Zsua4MZW0fzJx_-rO3PfyWL-AYMMGyysS2ynMtiW1JkaSl3B_ldz77yfXDWruMMMCcdWFcAD/s1600/10422123_10204092788934019_1345984048476269165_n.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
'Tour bus selfie'- the headphones for the descriptive audio guide, not us being antisocial!</div>
<br />
After our tour we explored the <i>Quadrilatero </i>- an area of Bologna that consists of amazing shops and stalls on old cobbled streets, selling vegetables, fish, meats, pasta, wine...everything! I'd wanted to find this are so I'm quite glad we did. We sat outside a nice bar on high stools at little (well not little) tables made of old barrels, and opted for glasses of prosecco and a plate of <i>braesola</i> and soft cheese to accompany cheesy bread - lovely!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcoX2CcSzrseDanGUADWgge4FNrzGTWi6uWhLTpw66882ryhGO_PtvWZ847Mb_rD9WNsFViC22oF41Pn7MtV1jOIZU7EwU46WhqL5doTRqYr_hnxZtSshtxndYH0Aic6SZalqEhQ6ctS2Z/s1600/10256589_10204090098706765_8458921048735363215_o(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcoX2CcSzrseDanGUADWgge4FNrzGTWi6uWhLTpw66882ryhGO_PtvWZ847Mb_rD9WNsFViC22oF41Pn7MtV1jOIZU7EwU46WhqL5doTRqYr_hnxZtSshtxndYH0Aic6SZalqEhQ6ctS2Z/s1600/10256589_10204090098706765_8458921048735363215_o(1).jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh831l72ZbcRrnNeNsoyNbiOhpFRjS7NAwJOSvjbovUoZX4elOjuVMcxsWvHrdgbJbEsXq2kcOykTmOqyOrdfO0AHm7A5PLnKt0j2AKE8L7B9NgLa9hd8229ViB5K9krmu0lZlJwZvwjgvr/s1600/IMG_3462.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh831l72ZbcRrnNeNsoyNbiOhpFRjS7NAwJOSvjbovUoZX4elOjuVMcxsWvHrdgbJbEsXq2kcOykTmOqyOrdfO0AHm7A5PLnKt0j2AKE8L7B9NgLa9hd8229ViB5K9krmu0lZlJwZvwjgvr/s1600/IMG_3462.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
After another wander through some charming streets we stopped at a nice place for dinner,o n a tucked away street that turned out to be next to two <i>very</i> cool bars (which, again, I'd like to go back to). We ended up picking two dishes from the starters menu and sharing them, after which we headed back home, feeling absolutely shattered!<br />
<br />
Saturday was spent much the same way, although we got up later and went to my local supermarket to get some food for the evening before heading into the city again. We bought some coffee so that we could make it in the apartment, and planned to have the regional specialty for dinner - <i>tortellini</i>. We picked a variety that were triangle-shaped and stuffed with roast vegetables, which we ate with a mushroom sauce (which I made and was very pleased with!) and followed with bread, cheese and hams. Derishous.<br />
<br />
In the city we went to a nice <i>gelateria </i>I'd been to the weekend before, looked in some nice shops and stopped for some cool cocktails (Caiprinha, I think? Rum, mint, lime, sugar, mmm) on the way back home where we cooked up the aforementioned feast. Then it was an early night, because on Sunday we getting up horribly early to catch a train to Florence....and the tale of our adventures there shall have to wait for my next blog post, as they shall make this already long post somewhat more lengthy.<br />
<br />
Hopefully you won't be waiting too long for said tale...<br />
<br />
...more to follow, ciao for now!<br />
<br />
xClaudia Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372463551998915225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4919671304220146299.post-28959591980226011322014-10-02T21:09:00.002+02:002014-10-02T21:09:48.279+02:00One Week In: On the city, university, my birthday and missing home.<br />
I cannot, no really, <u>cannot</u> believe that I've been here for a week. Like, really?! It feels like I've been here for absolutely ages (and yet no time at all) and it is such a strange feeling.<br />
<br />
So here's what I've been doing! In one week there have been high points (being told my Italian is decent, midnight
gelateria trip) and naturally low points (getting hopelessly lost, being
homesick) but overall I think I'm doing okay!<br />
<br />
First of all, I've been doing a lot of walking. I did my buy my <i>abbonamento </i>(essentially a bus pass) on Saturday (and after queuing for close to an hour, to be told that I could have also bought it at my local <i>tabaccheria </i>(shop that sells basically everything - smokes, bus tickets, magazines, stamps...), ah well!), but this place is just so big that I still end up walking a lot each day. Which is good! I like walking - and I've found that the more I walk, the more I seem to know my way around and the more interesting places I find.<br />
<br />
The city is just beautiful, with sweet little tucked-away alleys and cobbled streets, and grand architecture that makes you walk around craning your neck back to take everything in. Piazzas, statues, churches, the two towers (that Bologna is famous for, I didn't know!), the palaces...it's amazing. Here are some photos for you, although I've only taken them with my iPhone camera and I plan to go out this weekend armed with the real camera!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIS74gTnu7VnFa7EWLCSq_4qQXvjq7nQHbAF-vjPKbPBMPDHQEMpVEspwvF7Ln8zzL5qQwNB4j84v3W31ksuW3Khh7RC7f3_UhzooiIdQNakqeIqYpCRKgyeXOd1DmMYqKCD0ddCgaxFMJ/s1600/IMG_3334.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIS74gTnu7VnFa7EWLCSq_4qQXvjq7nQHbAF-vjPKbPBMPDHQEMpVEspwvF7Ln8zzL5qQwNB4j84v3W31ksuW3Khh7RC7f3_UhzooiIdQNakqeIqYpCRKgyeXOd1DmMYqKCD0ddCgaxFMJ/s1600/IMG_3334.jpg" height="640" width="480" /> </a> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This was taken at <i>Parco Montagnola</i> (yes those are pomegranates) which is near the station and <i>Piazza dell'otto Agosto</i>. It's a nice green area that also seems to have a primary school in it, and a lot of runners. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCNz7lkS4Aa28-p3ylNVXjRWpsJPvKhPiUr5U4iinya4aPD7HOx_-MovqD7IYdeC-jazgQVmIaDMUvMHs3FxWSIEgJlf__CoF8ysdjTR4blzo4oyjIjA1HRycFI8mc1-G56MB7c3OyVogE/s1600/IMG_3335.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCNz7lkS4Aa28-p3ylNVXjRWpsJPvKhPiUr5U4iinya4aPD7HOx_-MovqD7IYdeC-jazgQVmIaDMUvMHs3FxWSIEgJlf__CoF8ysdjTR4blzo4oyjIjA1HRycFI8mc1-G56MB7c3OyVogE/s1600/IMG_3335.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The view from the same balcony at <i>Montagnola</i>.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvroTgtLUgz_f3T6yBRGJlwv3lXp1CnfzKIHA1narOZs-Tnt7QuXxzs9N1NAX48G0sRVwnd2V2uygXACnOdT0l2Cm1DVLDsaZusz7bQF2dEVAOi4vICu7-Wm3Lbo5SusQ_jEmFBHyT-99B/s1600/IMG_3341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvroTgtLUgz_f3T6yBRGJlwv3lXp1CnfzKIHA1narOZs-Tnt7QuXxzs9N1NAX48G0sRVwnd2V2uygXACnOdT0l2Cm1DVLDsaZusz7bQF2dEVAOi4vICu7-Wm3Lbo5SusQ_jEmFBHyT-99B/s1600/IMG_3341.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMyNzDmxy08M5vDuv_WGYqKmEGzLTye9Rd6COQa7T2rC9HlbDU_wTdhUwjF96o9Itlc_3sGWznAF5hnk4pTq8gboXrSR8pxsciYMiLgpGjF1OWzm0l03M9b0QHr9aJG50BOpp5d9Jxx_8k/s1600/IMG_3345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMyNzDmxy08M5vDuv_WGYqKmEGzLTye9Rd6COQa7T2rC9HlbDU_wTdhUwjF96o9Itlc_3sGWznAF5hnk4pTq8gboXrSR8pxsciYMiLgpGjF1OWzm0l03M9b0QHr9aJG50BOpp5d9Jxx_8k/s1600/IMG_3345.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
So this is a cathedral! <i>Cattedrale di San Pietro</i>. It's only a side view so you can't quite see it, I know (oh and yes that's the Disney store on the right, no I haven't been in (yet)), but I really want to go in and have a look around so maybe soon, eh! </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih2nCG58kJJp5_hjWJTPjV_sPd-yZBrPOO3-L55cJn1HK4jDmZp2UJ89jEXlq0yBMjlqSPTT9qGItDnPbUDc5QOi5Tl-OO5n9WJHXvFKF6LSpWI1gqk121aqy7l0ErUUI4ovVKbdeqXUTI/s1600/IMG_3351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih2nCG58kJJp5_hjWJTPjV_sPd-yZBrPOO3-L55cJn1HK4jDmZp2UJ89jEXlq0yBMjlqSPTT9qGItDnPbUDc5QOi5Tl-OO5n9WJHXvFKF6LSpWI1gqk121aqy7l0ErUUI4ovVKbdeqXUTI/s1600/IMG_3351.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
This is the <i>Basilica Santo Stefano</i> (in <i>Piazza Santo Stefano</i>), also known as <i>Sette Chiese</i> (Seven Churches), because they had to keep on re-building it! Another somewhere I'd like to visit properly.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvQdoYIZkTW6ApjMDPShsIOBpNo88D3SsrkHrGYIbGg0k94qBMZGBLc9h68VGTMWh07MxzOA8n9aUp4f1U31eaG6_UJKYTmci4dXGmV9Kf5Pcp_3j2-YnS8KtgKpXKL7Nctdi5XHJ-PYMp/s1600/IMG_3362.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvQdoYIZkTW6ApjMDPShsIOBpNo88D3SsrkHrGYIbGg0k94qBMZGBLc9h68VGTMWh07MxzOA8n9aUp4f1U31eaG6_UJKYTmci4dXGmV9Kf5Pcp_3j2-YnS8KtgKpXKL7Nctdi5XHJ-PYMp/s1600/IMG_3362.jpg" height="480" width="640" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7t2aboH8B8RTvSFGOF5JYwSAfC0Tpywz6Pq6SLrSScPVFlq-kuk9lqY-8bcAaAY55AYXXXgkD_gxMnfN7HPtc4iSKwWd4P5MGeWbmyIOb2AGV4Rkl_gQJMyspdNvQ1DOQEkrnLTk12-KZ/s1600/IMG_3364.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7t2aboH8B8RTvSFGOF5JYwSAfC0Tpywz6Pq6SLrSScPVFlq-kuk9lqY-8bcAaAY55AYXXXgkD_gxMnfN7HPtc4iSKwWd4P5MGeWbmyIOb2AGV4Rkl_gQJMyspdNvQ1DOQEkrnLTk12-KZ/s1600/IMG_3364.jpg" height="640" width="480" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Ancient arches at <i>Santo Stefano</i>.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDJHFuoUGkYOdI9ytAr6qSytW7_jV9OCSR3gn9t1xMNXDfUWMlaijvotft824kY1JjVn_9THXtbyE_-u3RUfOUmiQZ7aCfzvpUqTqgmpH6NcpAaGN7ZsAvJUO5zPKL7V7TzAdWc60phR4J/s1600/IMG_3368.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDJHFuoUGkYOdI9ytAr6qSytW7_jV9OCSR3gn9t1xMNXDfUWMlaijvotft824kY1JjVn_9THXtbyE_-u3RUfOUmiQZ7aCfzvpUqTqgmpH6NcpAaGN7ZsAvJUO5zPKL7V7TzAdWc60phR4J/s1600/IMG_3368.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
And this is part of Via Zamboni - aka student central! I first discovered this place on my second night here when I went to the 'tandem language event', as it was 9pm it was heaving with students in and out of the bars that line the square. In the daytime it's kinda the same, except they drink coffee not cocktails!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Phew! Sorry for the overload of photos, but I really wanted to share them! So there's just a little taster of how amazing this city is.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Anyway, I've been out and about every day since I got here bar Sunday, when I stayed in my pajamas all day and did not go out once - bliss! It was good to properly chill out before uni started - and my first lecture was at 8.30am on Monday. Never again will I complain of 9ams (except that I will, of course).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
And I've finally managed to sort out what modules I'm doing! I've chosen Italian Literature (8.30am Mon-Wednesday and I cannot keep my eyes open), General Linguistics (good, I enjoy it), Contemporary History (not bad) and of course German Language and Linguistics (I will be joining the 2nd/3rd year students rather than the freshers like in my other classes). I'm going to attempt to find a German who I can tandem with or something, since I'm clearly out of practice - today I went to speak to my lecturer for German and she spoke to me <i>in </i>German - I understood of course, but I seriously struggled to put my words into any language other than Italian. Since when have I been able to remember my Italian better than German?! Clearly all my time abroad, Milan and Bologna, has really been a big help in that department..</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I've spoken to a lot of people before/after classes (including an Italian Claudia on Tuesday, how funny!) but not exactly made any proper friends yet. Not that I mind exactly - I think that so long as I keep going with it I'll eventually have some! Unfortunately I've still no roommates but, while I sometimes get lonely and wish I had some, it's quite nice that the time I get at the apartment is just for me and it's quite relaxing.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
On the topic of feeling lonely, and I'm going to be quite honest about so sorry guys, I felt this way very much so on Tuesday - my birthday. In the morning and early afternoon I was out and about for uni, it was unbelievably hot (like 26 degrees, no joke) and then I got lost looking for some Erasmus conference-thing, which just made me irritable as I hadn't eaten/drank much that day...anyway when I finally got there I sat down and plugged into the wifi, at which point I read all the lovely messages I'd received from people on Whatsapp and Instagram wishing me a happy birthday - that was the last straw! I felt like crap so headed back home, trying not to look too upset on the bus. When I got back, there was a package on my desk from my Mum - my notebook of Italian grammar notes, some blue-tack and a bar of Cadbury. I couldn't help it - I burst into tears, very messily too. I just wanted to be home!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Anyway, I eventually manned up after drinking tea, watching Friends and eating the entirety of said bar of chocolate, and called home to chat with Mum which was nice, hopefully she's going to come out and see me soon! After tea I skyped with my boyfriend, and then I sat and had a beer with my landlord and his girlfriend. Though it was pretty late, they then took me out for a gelato in the city center (he had seen me upset earlier and, having learned it was my birthday, invited her over so that we could)! He then proceeded to show me some of the sights of Bologna (most of which I'd already seen, although not by night) - got back home at around 1.30am and had to be up at 7, but it was totally worth it.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibVkAUzki9c3yZ06fmgH9rn_dj0xL594gMOuC911Y1bzp8ZOD7nWhqK6xqc3PHMAji-qpULcFdMOFV6VnCtsyi1qdy-ygs69ZgHHxuAfPga8xVm9WNC-j65125Kh8f9al9JcJ5XwCIdoRE/s1600/IMG_3349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibVkAUzki9c3yZ06fmgH9rn_dj0xL594gMOuC911Y1bzp8ZOD7nWhqK6xqc3PHMAji-qpULcFdMOFV6VnCtsyi1qdy-ygs69ZgHHxuAfPga8xVm9WNC-j65125Kh8f9al9JcJ5XwCIdoRE/s1600/IMG_3349.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Oooh reading that back it was a bit sad/boring but I'm leaving it in! Long story short, I miss home. This new chapter is in some ways harder and in some ways easier than my summer was, but I just need to keep trundling on! I think after Tuesday I reached a breakthrough - until then, every day I'd gotten a little teary at the thought of home. Since then, I haven't! I know it's only been two days since Tuesday but that has to count for something, right?!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In other news, there's apparently some sort of 'tortellini festival' going on near me on Saturday and I'm definitely going to go and check it out! And since I can use my bus pass anywhere I want to, I might go for a little trip out somewhere. I've also managed to stick up a few photos on my wardrobe, with more to come. And, on my way home I spotted a sale on in H+M so I'm going to take a gander in there after my lectures tomorrow...the main shopping street also has other stores nearby called 'Jennyfer' and 'Pimkie' which are basically just like H+M (but in a good way, yeah!) AND there's a Kiko Milano, a really good but decently priced makeup store. Must behave, guess it's a good thing my student finance hasn't come in yet!! (Late, as ever).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Well, you've had enough of me for one evening I think. I need to make a cup of tea and sort out whatever it is I'm going to watch tonight (I've been watching a lot of films and Friends this last week..)...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
...Ciao for now!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
X</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />Claudia Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372463551998915225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4919671304220146299.post-52208682380656944912014-09-26T16:45:00.000+02:002014-09-26T16:45:09.184+02:00The Big Move
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Times;
panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:128;
mso-generic-font-family:roman;
mso-font-format:other;
mso-font-pitch:fixed;
mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:128;
mso-generic-font-family:roman;
mso-font-format:other;
mso-font-pitch:fixed;
mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Cambria;
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0cm;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
p
{mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0cm;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0cm;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Times;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;}
@page WordSection1
{size:612.0pt 792.0pt;
margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt;
mso-header-margin:36.0pt;
mso-footer-margin:36.0pt;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
-->
</style>
Ciao a tutti! Here I am! I'm in Bologna!!!<br />
<br />
I’m into my third day now and I’ve certainly been busy considering how
little time I’ve been here. I’ve located the main university areas; which
bus(es) I need to get/how far it is to walk (TOO far in some cases) to reach
said areas; one of the main streets for shopping (essential) and the
supermarket. Today I (finally) managed to register with the uni at the Erasmus/International
Relations office, after two failed attempts – once on Wednesday (it was closed
when I arrived) and once yesterday (copy of your passport AND a passport
photo). I’ve accomplished little things, such as buying myself a good-sized
mug, and big things, like turning up at a ‘tandem language’ event organised by
the uni on my own and getting chatting to people (thoroughly enjoyed it and
will be off again in a couple of weeks). Phew!<br />
<br />
The journey here was considerably easy, after some of the pants ones I’ve
had recently. And whilst flitting between excitement, dread and sheer terror
prior to my departure from the UK, since my mother abandoned me at the airport early
Wednesday morning I have been very calm. Which is nice! My flight was fine,
taxi got to the apartment okay and my landlord seems nice too. He's staying
here for a little while too, whilst he sorts out some other tenants (I'm still
the only one at the moment!) and I was surprised to find that he speaks pretty
good English, since we'd only communicated in Italian in our emails (now we speak nearly always Italian but he often tries to practice his English and it's a good balance).<br />
<br />
Aaand onto something very important: the apartment! It's in a nice quiet area a bit of a way out of the city (perhaps more than I'd realised): well, quiet besides the occasional low-flying plane (we're near the airport) or extremely rackety freight train that goes over the bridge down the road. My room is huuuuge which is a bit
of a shame since I don't have very much to fill it with. I brought along some
bunting and lots of photos/postcards to put up - unfortunately I did so without
bringing any blu-tack (which is ever so slightly annoying) but luckily Mum's
already posted some out for me, yay! Here are some photos for those of you who
are nosey.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTE83Fc9ryg3JEwFX-5dCFteuVxqM7QAlVtfCe0JF4foh9_yb5tDCOCYo0nplYuR2fic8EXShQZU9ogA3_VoEIxu6IPjWldR5wIvdpWmkARNugkCC2-PfVr4WebG7CRNV6s_O2EevJN3jM/s1600/IMG_3316.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTE83Fc9ryg3JEwFX-5dCFteuVxqM7QAlVtfCe0JF4foh9_yb5tDCOCYo0nplYuR2fic8EXShQZU9ogA3_VoEIxu6IPjWldR5wIvdpWmkARNugkCC2-PfVr4WebG7CRNV6s_O2EevJN3jM/s1600/IMG_3316.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL7dNqUGnlbzorrbIAIKjVG10AysuWsXM5MoPNgKvY4n8D47frSCCArsZ0RICz4Rt-pNBCS01Vy_3yxyxSpJ2utfccBWTdmoI2Jyi-ejOI_qoBgesjH9CkEN7JBjXNXScrQtBOWvfdRync/s1600/IMG_3317.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL7dNqUGnlbzorrbIAIKjVG10AysuWsXM5MoPNgKvY4n8D47frSCCArsZ0RICz4Rt-pNBCS01Vy_3yxyxSpJ2utfccBWTdmoI2Jyi-ejOI_qoBgesjH9CkEN7JBjXNXScrQtBOWvfdRync/s1600/IMG_3317.jpg" height="640" width="480" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_VFmaQpYG8k3LBorNhWNDNDAkhPaCaUHS1qBY6RoncO-F8wGFd5PlfsWQOGJoTCnghDm11hyJm81TQ50BpUyzhA1qDEzMlhNI4Moi7nDkUciFrEnDBYh2xUv6Ql0mePi8d-O7QrSRmB5Q/s1600/IMG_3318.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_VFmaQpYG8k3LBorNhWNDNDAkhPaCaUHS1qBY6RoncO-F8wGFd5PlfsWQOGJoTCnghDm11hyJm81TQ50BpUyzhA1qDEzMlhNI4Moi7nDkUciFrEnDBYh2xUv6Ql0mePi8d-O7QrSRmB5Q/s1600/IMG_3318.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
(Don't worry I do have pillows, just took this photo before they were put in place)<br />
<br />
And the kitchen too….<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTKLiF0Ai9PWi4ymto6jNDlpdC0UqpPhjwsRdAJNbSB1CysI-73uEOTj1Zwnqgz_7SHZE0SvPWztqR8N0LQejm7rauPl2LXkHgxCrRe9gv0l_MSj4YedHvglVx2-h4CYdYO8_04S03wLSA/s1600/IMG_3321.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTKLiF0Ai9PWi4ymto6jNDlpdC0UqpPhjwsRdAJNbSB1CysI-73uEOTj1Zwnqgz_7SHZE0SvPWztqR8N0LQejm7rauPl2LXkHgxCrRe9gv0l_MSj4YedHvglVx2-h4CYdYO8_04S03wLSA/s1600/IMG_3321.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKZjMQL5Gl6EOdc4jQQlw7QqtfR9quLOR6gI8Nq8WYY1eCZo4bjWFVm0qGG9YnRRMZqDIkgsFFcYTjZ5G7FBxlpOz8EFyU5ZJKQG0Yave0QdRlq-UdG3akrRXakrVCFiknCzqEKZ9DP5mD/s1600/IMG_3322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKZjMQL5Gl6EOdc4jQQlw7QqtfR9quLOR6gI8Nq8WYY1eCZo4bjWFVm0qGG9YnRRMZqDIkgsFFcYTjZ5G7FBxlpOz8EFyU5ZJKQG0Yave0QdRlq-UdG3akrRXakrVCFiknCzqEKZ9DP5mD/s1600/IMG_3322.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Despite it only being my third day, I've already managed to go through nearly my entire chocolate supply (I didn't bring <i>that</i> much...), travel on the bus without a ticket (purely accidental) and get locked in the bathroom for five (kinda panicky) minutes. On the other hand, I've have been striving to speak oodles of Italian to absolutely everyone and anyone - my landlord, people at this tandem language event, two girls in the street when I had to ask directions, and a very snotty woman at the Erasmus office just to name a few! So far I'd say it's going swimmingly, possibly all due to having spent my summer with an Italian family getting used to the language - looks like it's done the trick!<br />
<br />
Of course, I am getting the (now somewhat strangely familiar) pangs of homesickness. They usually come knocking when I've run out of things to do, so the obvious thing is to go and find something to do (as I wrote <a href="http://claud-abroad.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/homesickness.html" target="_blank">in this post</a> shortly after arriving in Milan at the start of August). On my first night when I felt a bit lonely (I was also exhausted which never helps) I watched<i> Atlantis: The Lost Empire</i> (yes, Disney!), and this afternoon I'm going to try and watch an Italian film (read - stumble through half of one, then give up and find something else to watch). Oh, and devour the last quarter of my chocolate. Dairy Milk, thou art perfection.<br />
<br />
Wheew not too much more to say just yet. Lectures start on Monday and I *think* I've got my options sorted. As an Erasmus student, you don't seem to have to properly register for your courses, but you have to know which you're doing in order to create a 'study plan' which is VERY important as that is what gets sent back to my UK university....I think. And I also have to fill it in on the Erasmus Learning Agreement (a lot of paperwork, not a lot of fun), and register to attend the exams (not til November), and make sure I'm doing the right amount of credits...sorry that's probably dead boring to read about, but it's mostly all I'm thinking about right now!<br />
<br />
<br />
More news soon. For now, the long and short of it is - I'm fine!<br />
<br />
x Claudia Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372463551998915225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4919671304220146299.post-30783998714575589052014-09-23T00:39:00.006+02:002014-09-23T00:39:50.730+02:00Packing Up And Buggering Off (Again)So I leave the country on Wednesday morning, yes, but I leave my <i>house</i> Tuesday afternoon, which means I need to have packed by then. Excellent. So far I've managed to put it off by doing as much as possible. I don't know why I hate packing so much (see <a href="http://claud-abroad.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/the-worst-thing-about-going-away.html" target="_blank">my post</a> from when I was packing last time around), I just do.<br />
<br />
One thing I've been doing, and yeah I'm bragging a little bit here, is practising my photography with the snazzy little lens my boyfriend got me for my birthday. For example: <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1gYcEFIZyzwd_ayDR1lYt4yvvmzNPFendC3XdO30GpTSpx2x46AGyf30RgVNpe3hxX0FSc452U-qrkGxWViYaTIqU7NYrTZs8tl-nh50jmhn1jpJsFhm6ruQJM0zIX1Wc94K5UbEiAKlf/s1600/IMG_2894.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1gYcEFIZyzwd_ayDR1lYt4yvvmzNPFendC3XdO30GpTSpx2x46AGyf30RgVNpe3hxX0FSc452U-qrkGxWViYaTIqU7NYrTZs8tl-nh50jmhn1jpJsFhm6ruQJM0zIX1Wc94K5UbEiAKlf/s1600/IMG_2894.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
LOOK at that focus. That is sexy. I am a firm believer of my university's Photography Society's motto, 'it's not how big it is it's how you use it' (steady sailor, I'm actually talking about equipment - no, really, I mean lenses and all that jazz): in that if you can't use your camera, just getting a better lens or whatever won't magically make them better, but <i>WOW</i> my photos got a lot better with this lens!! Although I think it does also help that I've been improving a lot over the summer. Yay!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPhfRzioJUYhlMck-xk3eA37hyphenhyphenGv-fjU2FgXfVkwvvG4TRrrlOzwQIH-rRit2lwOSpFMFNvu3uibH3UGH5F9viUoIOmh5pTcozrPFm3b5SPABS7F2HCr7Ty3HlGffftoxO5hxyxIRytvDi/s1600/IMG_2931.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPhfRzioJUYhlMck-xk3eA37hyphenhyphenGv-fjU2FgXfVkwvvG4TRrrlOzwQIH-rRit2lwOSpFMFNvu3uibH3UGH5F9viUoIOmh5pTcozrPFm3b5SPABS7F2HCr7Ty3HlGffftoxO5hxyxIRytvDi/s1600/IMG_2931.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLBDihVcJq5wjI5D2UKZr14XCzi4DniLNVkgEPR2XX-xc0plvgSMx6NqH8aH87huWWn_cARl64Rq3Ur5Mw_Mm76DUMj5puQlGOwanQ4wtasEUcwQpt4YVJ8yRYtzj4suu2rfCm1j0gky3j/s1600/IMG_2941.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLBDihVcJq5wjI5D2UKZr14XCzi4DniLNVkgEPR2XX-xc0plvgSMx6NqH8aH87huWWn_cARl64Rq3Ur5Mw_Mm76DUMj5puQlGOwanQ4wtasEUcwQpt4YVJ8yRYtzj4suu2rfCm1j0gky3j/s1600/IMG_2941.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
And reminiscent of my Italian summer, the day we went to the woods near me and got these photos happened to be the perfect time to spot all these fantastic fungi! I love this red one especially, my boyfriend (quite rightly) called them 'fairytale mushrooms' (haha). What even is there real name?<br />
<br />
ANYWAY I'm supposed to be writing about packing. So here we go.<br />
<br />
I'm mainly writing this as a guide to remind me how to pack for the next time I have to go through this bloody awful process, but maybe it'll help someone else with their packing at some point too.<br />
<br />
You definitely want to begin <i>at least</i> a couple of days before your flight. For one, it gets it out of the way and for two, especially if you're like me and get distracted every five minutes, it leaves you plenty of time to get it done.<br />
<br />
Okay, before you start, check out your chosen airline's baggage information - that's hand luggage and checked baggage allowances. Mine allows me 20kg of checked baggage (gulp) and 10kg of hand luggage (which I plan on using to the full). Bear this in mind whilst packing. <br />
<br />
I'd also suggest getting some sort of idea of how many clothes you're going to take. I'm aiming for a two week rotation of clothes (including undies), since I know for a fact that I'll be going shopping while I'm there. That means taking fewer clothes that make up more outfits, yadda-yadda-ya. Boring, I know.<br />
<br />
Optional: Make a list. Now, you don't need to list every single tshirt and detail every pair of pants you want to pack, but it may be as well to at least jot down things you do really need (or you're worried you'll forget) as you go along (for example - hair dryer (mini, guys), some breakfast tea, your grammar book from uni, the charger for your laptop). I've gone for somewhere in the middle, so my list details how many rolls of film, how many pairs of pants and which coat to take.<br />
<br />
<u>Step 1:</u> Choose your weapons. That's your suitcase, hand luggage bag/suitcase, makeup and wash bags. I've got a big blue bugger for my checked baggage, a small suitcase for hand luggage, my favourite makeup bag and a cute wash bag with lots of pockets (a birthday present - thank you again if you're reading!!).<br />
<br />
<u>Step 2:</u> Begin with the basics. Pants, bras, socks, tights, your pjs. Simple, easy, and takes up some space in your suitcase so it actually looks like you're getting somewhere - works with me anyway!<br />
<br />
<u>Step 3:</u> Bulky or non-clothes items. I've added in my mini hairdryer, mini kettle (thank you <a href="http://ionaashleigh.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Iona</a>!), umbrella, camera and assorted accessories for now. Various chargers, my laptop, straighteners and shoes will come later.<br />
<br />
<u>Step 4:</u> Clothes. As I'm trying to pack as lightly and carefully as possible, I'm picking what I can get the most outfits out of/what I really really want to take with me first, then adding in a couple of extras like a jumper or two.<br />
<br />
<u>Step 5:</u> Toiletries and makeup. These will be packed into their bags but not actually packed into the suitcase until the last minute. I'll be cramming in as much of my makeup as humanly possible, but only taking essential toiletries and minis to tide me over when I'm there until I go out and buy some proper sized stuff. So for example on my 'essentials' list goes toothpaste, mini shampoo and conditioner, dry shampers, leave-in conditioner, moisturiser, the fancy-pants anti blemish solution, deodorant, makeup remover (to wipes or solution? That is the question) and my toothbrush. <br />
<br />
<u>Step 6:</u> Home comforts. This is whatever you decide it to be: I am tea mad, so in goes the cute little tea caddy filled with all sorts of goodness that was a birthday present from my sister. I'll also pack a jar of Marmite, and probably some Hobnobs if there's room. But home comforts for me also includes a little decoration for my new room in Bologna, so I've sorted out a little envelope filled with photos and postcards to adorn the walls along with some bunting left over from my birthday party.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOdYjjXmXVe_AUz2k3Ycheck6kuKYmgOF1skP_RvE2oE1SucnjGjKzSGXuOgzeBr5NMM4N4d6YbZ002dYoQfWJN6riVMd5_RahtMwYEGz_C3M7ZYcqub5hbC_Op0W_6T7AwJg4GY0tJCRO/s1600/IMG_2955.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOdYjjXmXVe_AUz2k3Ycheck6kuKYmgOF1skP_RvE2oE1SucnjGjKzSGXuOgzeBr5NMM4N4d6YbZ002dYoQfWJN6riVMd5_RahtMwYEGz_C3M7ZYcqub5hbC_Op0W_6T7AwJg4GY0tJCRO/s1600/IMG_2955.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I was feeling pretty good as I tapped this 'guide' out on Sunday whilst throwing random items into my suitcase. I was feeling very grown up and adulty, here's Claud packing up and going off to a brand new uni ooh it's in a different country, so exciting!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And then I did something very....<i>un</i>-adulty. I cried my eyes out and wailed and buried my head under a pillow - and when that didn't seem to be helping, I went and found Mum downstairs, and had a cuddle and a cup of tea (watching Friends helped too). I was just feeling a bit pooey about going away, and she pointed out that I had felt exactly this way two years ago when I was getting ready to ship myself off to my first uni, which is in the tiny little <i>city</i> (if you can believe that's what it is) of Bangor. I did <i>not</i> want to go. But ya know what, turned out to be one of the best things I ever did do - and Freshers week 2012 has to be one of the best weeks of my life. Meeting people, a new place, a new room, new experiences...it's all kind of the same but completely different, doesn't make much sense but it does (I am not being helpful am I). The bottom line is, I'm going to be fine, and freaking out and crying a little (alright, alright - a lot) doesn't mean all is not well and doom and gloom and etc. <br />
<br />
It took me two days to pack, as expected...so here's the rest of this list:<br />
<br />
<u>Step 7:</u> All the other stuff you've forgotten or haven't packed yet! This for me was my pocket dictionary, reading glasses, film for my camera (and the camera, unsurprisingly), and some other bits and bobs.<br />
And <i>finish</i>! Yaaay! You should be all packed and ready now! Oh...you're not? Nah don't worry, me neither. So much for that! I hate packing.<br />
<br />
I can imagine that this has been neither insightful nor helpful, so if you're going off on your own year abroad and are wanting for some extra tips, the website <a href="http://www.thirdyearabroad.com/before-you-go/what-to-pack.html" target="_blank">Third Year Abroad</a> is all around fantastic help for us <i>yearabroadians</i> (technical term right there), but their section on packing did provide a little insight as to what exactly I need to take.<br />
<br />
X</div>
Claudia Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372463551998915225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4919671304220146299.post-3822026677561226602014-09-19T21:22:00.001+02:002014-09-19T21:24:02.022+02:00Home!Oops! Guess it's been a little while since I last updated...here we go anyway! This is just a little one to keep you going.<br />
<br />
I've now been in the UK about two and a half weeks, and it's been great. When I arrived home I was welcomed with a cake my sister had made me, and that same night I went out with the family for dinner - lovely! Here's my cake:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzC2gycs_cd3GXHaJDa-fJwPxQyBKcpJOdvJW6kLqteZZJsj4Gcy8ijGRHyg2R0nkgLPcwYp-8cHBwAxQlhsNNsTyjHMBFRUtnnXDIm6eBwIsvY4X9VzFUE3yIaexV_5t3V4Gd86P0zzT-/s1600/IMG_3159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzC2gycs_cd3GXHaJDa-fJwPxQyBKcpJOdvJW6kLqteZZJsj4Gcy8ijGRHyg2R0nkgLPcwYp-8cHBwAxQlhsNNsTyjHMBFRUtnnXDIm6eBwIsvY4X9VzFUE3yIaexV_5t3V4Gd86P0zzT-/s640/IMG_3159.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Such a cutie, my sis.<br />
<br />
I spent my last few days in Milan not only doing the usual bits and bobs - English lessons, helping cook, playing with the girls - but also barely being able to contain my excitement to go home. I missed England whilst I was away, which was one more reason why it was nice to meet a friend from England, who I'd not seen since we first met three years ago, in Milan on the final Sunday. We'd actually met in Germany on an exchange organised by the UK-German Connection (Google 'em). We mooched around near the cathedral, had lunch, a gelato and a cocktail, and it was nice to catch up, especially as we were chatting in English!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrQ1L_giS6u4y5vcZtVmhASmEtm66AeNLRLucaiiIH1rRs5MIYJ1VXo6HjTOcRwwO2fJpOJ0b9M7RBvNzHlqqSgXU1Lk_5Kozv8C6Caj0GkZNl17FK3FqBP5px103s4w-h4OHopTaYDgOk/s1600/IMG_3133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrQ1L_giS6u4y5vcZtVmhASmEtm66AeNLRLucaiiIH1rRs5MIYJ1VXo6HjTOcRwwO2fJpOJ0b9M7RBvNzHlqqSgXU1Lk_5Kozv8C6Caj0GkZNl17FK3FqBP5px103s4w-h4OHopTaYDgOk/s640/IMG_3133.JPG" /></a></div><br />
I've managed to pack a lot into the short time I've been home. I caught up with a couple of friends I'd not seen in a while, baybsat for an entire weekend, went to London for high tea (birthday present from a bestie - thank you bestie!), began preparing for the next stage of my year abroad, my boyfriend came to stay for a few days and not to mention the wee bash I had for my upcoming 21st birthday (it was not 'wee' in the slightest, and my birthday is actually at the end of the month when I'm already in Italy!). It has been just <i>lovely!</i><br />
<br />
And now that all of my friends are going back to uni or going abroad or starting new jobs, I can no longer be distracted by anything and get onto packing. Orrrrr not. As I've talked about before, I'm not good at concentrating on packing, so I've been trying to make a list. Obviously there's clothes, and socks, and pants (I'll probably forget these). But there's other things to think about too - for example, even though the weather maybe still be warm some days, I'm spending my <i>entire</i> autumn and winter away, which means I also have to think about things like my winter cot, a scarf, thicker socks and long sleeved jammies. And where do my home comforts (tea and marmite, guys) fit into this?! You see my problem.<br />
<br />
So said next part of my adventures begins on Tuesday. Mum and I are traveling down south to stay near the airport for the night, as I'm getting an early morning flight on Wednesday. When I get to Bologna I'll be heading straight for my new home and meeting the bunch of complete strangers I'll be spending the next approximately five months with (or possibly not, the last time I asked, about three weeks ago, there were not any other tenants...gulp). Scary stuff, but how I am looking forward to it. My language-studying friends have been writing their own blogs (loving these guys) and posting photos on Facebook of their adventures that have already started and I'm green with envy! I hope it's going to turn out as good for me as it has for them.<br />
<br />
This really is a bit of a short update, as I've bullied myself into writing this evening so that I wouldn't drop out of the habit entirely. In the next few days I'll be writing a sort-of review on my au pair experience (just thoughts really) and then getting into my extensively boring packing routine - it's going to be thrilling.<br />
<br />
(If you look to the right side of my blog, underneath my profile photo there's a little box you can pop your email in to receive updates whenever I write a post - please sign up if you're my friend on Facebook and want to continue reading my blog, as I'm not always going to remember to share my posts on there! And if you're not on my Facebook? Sign up for updates anyway! Thank you guys)<br />
<br />
Ciao for now!<br />
<br />
x<br />
Claudia Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372463551998915225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4919671304220146299.post-17769421763476168932014-08-30T22:47:00.001+02:002014-08-30T22:47:10.603+02:00The Hike with Three LakesThursday's walk was a long one - I knew that on Wednesday, before we'd even gone, for two reasons:<div><br></div><div>1. Mama B told me that we'd up at 7am the next morning. An early start = a big hike. </div><div><br></div><div>2. Papa M went hunting in the cupboards around the house after dinner. He eventually found what he was looking for - three torches and a head lamp. I decided that must mean we were coming back late. </div><div><br></div><div>And I was right on both accounts. </div><div><br></div><div>Fortunately Mama B let us three girls sleep in until 7.30am. She comes in to wake us up every morning, and every morning I'm already awake - though on this day it was not the case!</div><div><br></div><div>So we set out early that morning on a route that we'd taken before. (Oh yeah, we went in the jeep - and I remembered to get a photo!)</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0MOfH3DEE5NtpaBE_akh7FGOvaSK4VZcN_OvYUqyiAqepRPAXjsU6_TIhz6wFT33rTGiCLl0xlcZygg6Zs1hwY16T5aAKRYIA60LWlX96ElAbthVNP-SA4vSa5-nLWyBGthND5b9hP9_5/s640/blogger-image--1064958381.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0MOfH3DEE5NtpaBE_akh7FGOvaSK4VZcN_OvYUqyiAqepRPAXjsU6_TIhz6wFT33rTGiCLl0xlcZygg6Zs1hwY16T5aAKRYIA60LWlX96ElAbthVNP-SA4vSa5-nLWyBGthND5b9hP9_5/s640/blogger-image--1064958381.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>When we reached the fork in the path, where last time we'd gone left, this time we went right. After about 45 minutes or so hiking we hit the first stop: a bar-restaurant at Lago Muffe. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfkucf9ZnFLXi75u-_UHDbMCWdAWQA8dakoRrBCNJRN9ns47eyzcBTqyJVz1EqrAW7p9g5e77EMqx8ByLaC884hedhS-JgvdWOUtIxuzNBDRPrNzsP1AuOOa2_clGNnJrGbL-GjbLWevvr/s640/blogger-image--443163113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfkucf9ZnFLXi75u-_UHDbMCWdAWQA8dakoRrBCNJRN9ns47eyzcBTqyJVz1EqrAW7p9g5e77EMqx8ByLaC884hedhS-JgvdWOUtIxuzNBDRPrNzsP1AuOOa2_clGNnJrGbL-GjbLWevvr/s640/blogger-image--443163113.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>We paused for a 15 minute break and left some extra layers in a bag there, as we'd be stopping there for dinner before we finished our descent. The view from this point is pretty impressive. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtySkwqHQKUPKOM6zyYZvlJPkDpC6-JZgiSC7rfU2LFtdukDi_nhuxxZN781mEDsDzmODr79QExQFjOqiP6NVIi87dvjaBEZTb73fROFJgm6fHfvqPkJU3lDU0kNSUUwBksX0igcYtdDnc/s640/blogger-image--1047368216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtySkwqHQKUPKOM6zyYZvlJPkDpC6-JZgiSC7rfU2LFtdukDi_nhuxxZN781mEDsDzmODr79QExQFjOqiP6NVIi87dvjaBEZTb73fROFJgm6fHfvqPkJU3lDU0kNSUUwBksX0igcYtdDnc/s640/blogger-image--1047368216.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>We continued up and up until we reached the highest point of one of the mountains: which we then descended. As the sky was so clear, you could see all the way across the valley to these peaks still covered in snow! And it was getting warmer and warmer. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN9ju3jmyEdFeAlNDkG2RfiftA1QkGzW1njuVj4ixbkcTR0Mj-RC-4HzNgO_Swo4rZYzHshPgwl1YClP8eKqspsC4NQZsNWRY-uh4lNxb0VL3una-7Ipb2wp67XdFsyyTHzMnMkhx1IV59/s640/blogger-image-492682792.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN9ju3jmyEdFeAlNDkG2RfiftA1QkGzW1njuVj4ixbkcTR0Mj-RC-4HzNgO_Swo4rZYzHshPgwl1YClP8eKqspsC4NQZsNWRY-uh4lNxb0VL3una-7Ipb2wp67XdFsyyTHzMnMkhx1IV59/s640/blogger-image-492682792.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Eventually we came down to the <i>rifugio</i> at Barbustel (what a name! Pronounce the 'u' as 'oo') and stopped again for a breather (and a peach juice box, yay!) (do I mention the juice boxes too much? They really are great. Mama B asked me the other day what my favourite part of being here has been - I replied the mountains, the mushrooms we've eaten, the amazing views, of course, although the juice boxes crossed my mind briefly...). </div><div><br></div><div>From this <i>rifugio</i> you can walk to the three lakes, for which I have named this hike. <i>Lago </i>(lake) <i>Bianco</i>, <i>Lago Nero</i> and <i>Lago</i>...oldest, I've forgotten the name. I think it's along the lines of <i>Cornuto</i>, as Mama B explained that the name means 'horned' and that's the translation of it!! Anyway, we took a route that passed around the last two lakes and continued up the mountain towards yet another lake: <i>Gran Lago</i>. The lakes up here are all beautiful - and such a gorgeous colour! </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNkWHZ79Z5RMk4s8uVkcif_V9ZOtKQQSiG0FfsUrH9etsSiu16Jtn9DJfWpz83m40oawQfp1OCTtHUf0mBu5mnNlsEuTqT5dPwMCrfq5WeP2hh4nEPdcU7lPeBEg_Xaj72G2EQ_vBIX2Po/s640/blogger-image--714827064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNkWHZ79Z5RMk4s8uVkcif_V9ZOtKQQSiG0FfsUrH9etsSiu16Jtn9DJfWpz83m40oawQfp1OCTtHUf0mBu5mnNlsEuTqT5dPwMCrfq5WeP2hh4nEPdcU7lPeBEg_Xaj72G2EQ_vBIX2Po/s640/blogger-image--714827064.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>The path we were taking was long and hard and continued up for ages - the girls complained loudly. But for once I was not tired! (Well, obviously I was tired but not as much as usual, anyway) We soldiered on until we reached it, at which point we stopped for lunch. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidxqCT8CkyIXyJxoghY_CHe1iF5QMA1q7TFiqBOHtNtr-DtVKd4VQ87Q55lsVr766Jpiw4Wi3du6kPqfAKdNlE4pmoHYVG3pt_9r_UqB5uk2hPJvAfBdQUsMe9FrIS3tG8n3ztql0Z2D0m/s640/blogger-image--1050155344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidxqCT8CkyIXyJxoghY_CHe1iF5QMA1q7TFiqBOHtNtr-DtVKd4VQ87Q55lsVr766Jpiw4Wi3du6kPqfAKdNlE4pmoHYVG3pt_9r_UqB5uk2hPJvAfBdQUsMe9FrIS3tG8n3ztql0Z2D0m/s640/blogger-image--1050155344.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>The lake itself was pretty big, and it was surrounded by mountain so quite sheltered - or so you would think. It must have been because we'd gone up so high, because up there it was pretty windy! The wind blew the lake into waves that broke on the rocks at the edge of the water - instantly making me think of the sea, and the beaches on the Isle of Anglesey where my family has, as usual, spent their summer. It made me feel homesick and kind of sad, and while I ate my lunch I thought about how different this summer this summer would have been, had I been with them. </div><div><br></div><div>The wind began to make me cold, but then Mama B dragged me on a walk up some rocks to look out at the view across the valley - the walk warmed me up, plus the view was quite stunning what with the fog coming in. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcXjtPLpnnYMmflO4tRNLC7Oqi38z40zlCLp7p83hQvpWT_oT7Iytjn_w7Ju5Yg9YKXfXRBoQUDN_cYxp_76_NO9v6h6p2DsTesDWS6nqYBFkuRxyBEEsUXuCkM3ntMB1f1Yl7TaJEfqhx/s640/blogger-image--955314454.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcXjtPLpnnYMmflO4tRNLC7Oqi38z40zlCLp7p83hQvpWT_oT7Iytjn_w7Ju5Yg9YKXfXRBoQUDN_cYxp_76_NO9v6h6p2DsTesDWS6nqYBFkuRxyBEEsUXuCkM3ntMB1f1Yl7TaJEfqhx/s640/blogger-image--955314454.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiJpqBwpRUQkgLTFTX5tCPH8jbufAwors62XTTLkpVfR5Ebf_WYMTF_YgpLcHY0UKVN5zjCOKR1acuH0B3yXpdqmMWE5SQLw4-Xo_dhovwt8LyMUalXCfjrsfVsETb6j1kTQKfbFRjZHmZ/s640/blogger-image--698915154.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiJpqBwpRUQkgLTFTX5tCPH8jbufAwors62XTTLkpVfR5Ebf_WYMTF_YgpLcHY0UKVN5zjCOKR1acuH0B3yXpdqmMWE5SQLw4-Xo_dhovwt8LyMUalXCfjrsfVsETb6j1kTQKfbFRjZHmZ/s640/blogger-image--698915154.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>As we began our descent back down the way we came, the fog continued to appear (it was still really warm though).</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvrtrcDmSawvCJdx9v6378HKeUZOLGhIVbpFQ55NMb7hHlWh87vEe1UaJHTaKa0CRNbsbOkYTWY5UQwpHQxD9qvX623ZzRbaycc7hKMhaC5lFYtHqEAs221yA-aHcEu74k7FUicFtZiKO1/s640/blogger-image--1097036770.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvrtrcDmSawvCJdx9v6378HKeUZOLGhIVbpFQ55NMb7hHlWh87vEe1UaJHTaKa0CRNbsbOkYTWY5UQwpHQxD9qvX623ZzRbaycc7hKMhaC5lFYtHqEAs221yA-aHcEu74k7FUicFtZiKO1/s640/blogger-image--1097036770.jpg"></a></div> </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vZk59P6fB6tFKtorM7sd0fY0s2zug74sKhDLqFIee2KHdN73P3b-9ejvY5KhCKJowrZKMtagOniYkP9cb0cKOgUOmJ-eoFXti-BiX93i7tTaCnfLR_ZUYFHtYhuTAf7vVh5bwvF4UNsZ/s640/blogger-image-14005731.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vZk59P6fB6tFKtorM7sd0fY0s2zug74sKhDLqFIee2KHdN73P3b-9ejvY5KhCKJowrZKMtagOniYkP9cb0cKOgUOmJ-eoFXti-BiX93i7tTaCnfLR_ZUYFHtYhuTAf7vVh5bwvF4UNsZ/s640/blogger-image-14005731.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuxaQpzIejvFj9YnAOq67_drh23vUG_acD1jGHAQbIQIIW1_brzZkEiYGnPrzN1xd1ysbj1In1Vg_suon65fvjR5bdirMRYgMxY5Cvn4PABSgEy0MBnvXq4Uh5OQ-8qaeXywdk9kKZh-6w/s640/blogger-image-855108162.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuxaQpzIejvFj9YnAOq67_drh23vUG_acD1jGHAQbIQIIW1_brzZkEiYGnPrzN1xd1ysbj1In1Vg_suon65fvjR5bdirMRYgMxY5Cvn4PABSgEy0MBnvXq4Uh5OQ-8qaeXywdk9kKZh-6w/s640/blogger-image-855108162.jpg"></a></div> </div><div><br></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">We paused again at Barbustel (seriously what a name) before making our final ascent to the top of the mountain point, down the other side of which we would descend. This time when we arrived, the fog made it impossible to see anything! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl1_Rm_AedCMgpQqIK7byEfLW4PEDbTtV3Y8xsfioPda008QRJLEvSHowVBPVcEscNb0to9n2eJA6-AGX2XY54R4mrfAmNteU2pMel-I_kOPY07Uylm5Xw_LLv-pIaPoh6D4DEFQz9al4Y/s640/blogger-image--1679765899.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl1_Rm_AedCMgpQqIK7byEfLW4PEDbTtV3Y8xsfioPda008QRJLEvSHowVBPVcEscNb0to9n2eJA6-AGX2XY54R4mrfAmNteU2pMel-I_kOPY07Uylm5Xw_LLv-pIaPoh6D4DEFQz9al4Y/s640/blogger-image--1679765899.jpg"></a></div><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3uHq0RYUCKlOWuEp0i2yebtUe6vqT8m-S1QdO8YAwrExfNf3wn7qHUsVzwv5lWM5DgvgyzNu0DAYF8d_TiDCLQ-zuDjgATfPWDMSAARFAmtS9vb8P8RKvRMgf3POpZ8LWNS-68h_-B0SU/s640/blogger-image--2130011583.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3uHq0RYUCKlOWuEp0i2yebtUe6vqT8m-S1QdO8YAwrExfNf3wn7qHUsVzwv5lWM5DgvgyzNu0DAYF8d_TiDCLQ-zuDjgATfPWDMSAARFAmtS9vb8P8RKvRMgf3POpZ8LWNS-68h_-B0SU/s640/blogger-image--2130011583.jpg"></a></div><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ucR8atNBJnazY-SdG_F5M3_X4QV1h_nscS_CU5IR3Kbyk0QAHYs3PER-NbebHlGyEUIjYT7end4-mamWuSmbQgvYJgomLW1zHPJcpJnlU9xVHaOyA1k5sdg6cKIqnOtbWSVpn2CGrQTh/s640/blogger-image-874959232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ucR8atNBJnazY-SdG_F5M3_X4QV1h_nscS_CU5IR3Kbyk0QAHYs3PER-NbebHlGyEUIjYT7end4-mamWuSmbQgvYJgomLW1zHPJcpJnlU9xVHaOyA1k5sdg6cKIqnOtbWSVpn2CGrQTh/s640/blogger-image-874959232.jpg"></a></div><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Finding our way down was slightly difficult, as the fog continued to appear!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Eventually we came to a stop at the bar restaurant at Lago Muffe. It was about 5pm by this point and we weren't going to be eating for around two hours, so we ordered hot drinks instead (a peach infusion tea for me, delicious) and sat watching the fog and chatting until it became too cold and we moved inside, where the owner had lit a fire. Just before we are, we nipped back outside to admire the beautiful evening light: we'd hit the golden hour and everything was bathed in a golden glow. I took lots of photos on my camera and I hope they're as good as I think they are! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">The restaurant was small (having been concerted from a cottage/cow shed in I believe the last 20 years) but lovely. We ate antipasti including ham, salami, cheese (that the owner had made herself at her cottage not far away) and the most wonderful stuffed courgettes. This was followed by (the mountain's favourite???!) polenta, sausages, and a sort of beef stew. There was even pie to accompany the coffees that came after this but I was just too full to eat anything else! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1oKlKDXzKp37T3qP1s5n47Pe2Vlvj75gDg-Jk3kDuewrKYtrs6bwYUJ80cJygI-rvALRrFN3J8nNQv_1nx80HxZvCFIi4gD5XskmzH6fApVlFEDYTYcc5I_7ogSFhZ25b4aVmeRjtEkAa/s640/blogger-image--472505584.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1oKlKDXzKp37T3qP1s5n47Pe2Vlvj75gDg-Jk3kDuewrKYtrs6bwYUJ80cJygI-rvALRrFN3J8nNQv_1nx80HxZvCFIi4gD5XskmzH6fApVlFEDYTYcc5I_7ogSFhZ25b4aVmeRjtEkAa/s640/blogger-image--472505584.jpg"></a></div><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">When we finally found the energy to move, the view outside looked something like this:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDK-FMe4KX3hxq3EkGLZ5iWBx9AfQxXJOQSQ1lSCKwlaR69tdIwn-YtnD3gEWA8upTS_GT43LWfsZFKS8jExEKxFVPqAIzlqnhm96yn437u6pQzCg2rWzPgLF-UiQLDmjB9Qv-EgT7XdQH/s640/blogger-image-936791404.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDK-FMe4KX3hxq3EkGLZ5iWBx9AfQxXJOQSQ1lSCKwlaR69tdIwn-YtnD3gEWA8upTS_GT43LWfsZFKS8jExEKxFVPqAIzlqnhm96yn437u6pQzCg2rWzPgLF-UiQLDmjB9Qv-EgT7XdQH/s640/blogger-image-936791404.jpg"></a></div><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyJGgvDXbv2UkfgLqTNeuyJp6xX2OiwqqFl9-qfi2zVlnLPSFgxXs8x63-S38mmJG4eIxEEkjPHI5OToD33MTphOX_u7HaCKqRc6tUJDdkknGBvut_qo1fvtNhvVryjdVOmkKA2DD4x1U-/s640/blogger-image--1542100477.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyJGgvDXbv2UkfgLqTNeuyJp6xX2OiwqqFl9-qfi2zVlnLPSFgxXs8x63-S38mmJG4eIxEEkjPHI5OToD33MTphOX_u7HaCKqRc6tUJDdkknGBvut_qo1fvtNhvVryjdVOmkKA2DD4x1U-/s640/blogger-image--1542100477.jpg"></a></div><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8GndlW5le8Sf2g3gB27HvYYnm2uu-dIsDnUegQ3h_uVCSoLLcXnlo-CtOnnFkAaBL9m5YbBynTLDK8e9ypvK2ZkkMLAZwZDmSajTI-1BKyVfRuNza1Qq18SujL6yFLbkeVR995M1vVwwN/s640/blogger-image--1054531000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8GndlW5le8Sf2g3gB27HvYYnm2uu-dIsDnUegQ3h_uVCSoLLcXnlo-CtOnnFkAaBL9m5YbBynTLDK8e9ypvK2ZkkMLAZwZDmSajTI-1BKyVfRuNza1Qq18SujL6yFLbkeVR995M1vVwwN/s640/blogger-image--1054531000.jpg"></a></div><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Yep. Wow. And we were headed right down into the valley and into the fog!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">The final descent back to the jeep probably took us about 45 minutes, and it grew dark quickly as we clambered down the path that went through the forest (in which it was VERY dark). Then a quick 10 minute journey in the car and we were home. Phew! But there was more to come....</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">...I undid the laces on my hiking boots, took off my socks and looked down. My leg was strangely red and I didn't understand why, until it clicked. It was <i>sunburn</i>! Horrified I rolled up the legs of the gym pants I'd been wearing and stared at my legs whilst the family laughed (no really the Italians seem to find sunburn hilarious). Here's what it looked like. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfVS5URawymteYQWTPmkEMHZFIB0qqZFzy3uu9E5ZND2omglEft2dzpOnXeR92PlQbfXZCpXkFFL62-miSuVEt92CCz6nDGaiRqZxpRnb_qrV2fyOAG_TtldhRHzX0lD_3RpGIsfdu5c_z/s640/blogger-image--738005657.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfVS5URawymteYQWTPmkEMHZFIB0qqZFzy3uu9E5ZND2omglEft2dzpOnXeR92PlQbfXZCpXkFFL62-miSuVEt92CCz6nDGaiRqZxpRnb_qrV2fyOAG_TtldhRHzX0lD_3RpGIsfdu5c_z/s640/blogger-image--738005657.jpg"></a></div><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZp4_nCXge9KypL0xQ5VYs1Z3NatBlYkrAMF5dKn-TibEHwn8wyrsZC-Ec4o790NrUg0tL7S59v1lf4IvE2a4ogUc9rlYm2Nf8E-LvST3408uYVmS9KdrkLX2CnWVBuJRHfsYBvPGkl68W/s640/blogger-image--898306796.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZp4_nCXge9KypL0xQ5VYs1Z3NatBlYkrAMF5dKn-TibEHwn8wyrsZC-Ec4o790NrUg0tL7S59v1lf4IvE2a4ogUc9rlYm2Nf8E-LvST3408uYVmS9KdrkLX2CnWVBuJRHfsYBvPGkl68W/s640/blogger-image--898306796.jpg"></a></div><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Excellent. Now I look like more of a loon than ever. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Friday was spent relaxing - I read outside (but avoiding the sun), did two English sessions with Gaia and played cards with the family in the evening. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Today we were up at a reasonable time and began packing up to leave the mountains. The girls' <i>nonno</i> (Grandad) arrived in time for lunch, bringing <i>bistecche </i>(STEAK) and figs from his garden - they were lovely! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">And just when I thought my last walk was over, Mama B suggested that G and I go up to the library to use the internet whilst they go visit some friends: it was like a mini hike, I'm not joking. The library is in the next village but that means heading UP! Typically Italian, the library wasn't open again until 3pm and we had to sit outside for 20 minutes - luckily we found some shade and by the time we went inside I was no longer pink-faced from the walk up!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">I'd been in the library once before, a couple of weeks ago, in order to print off my Erasmus+ forms that had been emailed to me from the uni - now there's a tale. I received said email on the Thursday, and read it on the Saturday. I had to print the forms, read, sign and return them in the post to my uni by a week on Thursday. Piece of cake, I wrongly thought.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">I mentioned this to Mama B the next morning. She phoned the library to find out when it was next open - Tuesday at 2pm. So on Tuesday we rambled up to the library where I had up wait nearly half an hour to get at a computer, but managed to print the forms. Having finished here we went to the post office in the village - not to post my letter mind, to find out when it was open. It had closed 15 minutes before we'd arrived, of course. It was next open Thursday and Saturday. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">On the Thursday when we got to the post office it turned out that you couldn't buy envelopes there - something that even surprised Mama B. So we went to the grocer's down the road to buy one, had to queue there, then again at the post office and voila! It was sent and luckily arrived in time. What a palava. I'd known Italy was going to be disorganised, but come on!!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Anyway, I'm now back in Milan - with proper internet, how nice it is! On the other hand, I've been back about two hours and already have about ten mosquito bites - not pleased. Tomorrow I'm venturing (by myself, gulp!) out to Milan to meet up with a friend I've not seen in years - cannot wait!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">X</span></div><div><br></div>Claudia Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372463551998915225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4919671304220146299.post-33167276840908619672014-08-29T13:11:00.001+02:002014-08-29T13:11:13.301+02:00The Beginning of the End.<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">(The 'end' being my final week here) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfIcHCHj2BhsJZuX_uAq5gLfS3F9pDQjvOvV59LGIUgdHElF713Tem5iH6ZtVZOahyphenhyphenQTWvBv6Y8H4g9Jlb6eztyzRk21DtJbFRByP_oZ2G74hkvcEq_QhEKS8QCGD6SwXomMj7wDKoMJGN/s640/blogger-image--1491795566.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfIcHCHj2BhsJZuX_uAq5gLfS3F9pDQjvOvV59LGIUgdHElF713Tem5iH6ZtVZOahyphenhyphenQTWvBv6Y8H4g9Jlb6eztyzRk21DtJbFRByP_oZ2G74hkvcEq_QhEKS8QCGD6SwXomMj7wDKoMJGN/s640/blogger-image--1491795566.jpg"></a></div></div><div><br></div><div>Sunday saw the arrival of one of the couples who'd arrived last weekend to go for a hike, Papa M's friends, and the plan was to set out on Monday to a <i>rifugio </i>(an inn) way up in the mountains. </div><div><br></div>Unfortunately our plans for Monday and Tuesday did not go ahead. On Sunday night we discovered that the weather, as usual, was going to change and that meant that on Tuesday it would be chucking it down - that's no good for hiking up or descending down mountains! So instead we took a long hike on the Monday. <div><br></div><div>Beginning early (now there's a surprise), we'd parked up the jeep (dammit I forgot to get a photo <i>again</i>!) by 9.15am and began our walk to Lago Miserin (that's a lake to you). We passed the Rifugio Dondena and then began climbing up. And up. </div><div><br></div><div>For what I think was the first time, my knees began to ache on the way <i>up</i> (the right one, anyway). My stupid knees. Previous thoughts of joining the walking society when I return to my British university next September vanished as with each step a stabbing pain shot through the joints. Not a happy bunny. However,<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> after the way began to level out a little it got easier. And, as usual, I was rewarded with a grand view. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWCs5h_QhA-3m3Rp8H54EsFgPyB23N4Uhjp3MFM1NTggki1fuaWzGMO7I6p0KVIhb33ykwMoqIebK4Sk9egZwWZuzV_goZ79H-tkSO1YIRXZRluSvKVVM9cdpGqO4xPa0pLo5fv6S-34Ql/s640/blogger-image-864006387.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWCs5h_QhA-3m3Rp8H54EsFgPyB23N4Uhjp3MFM1NTggki1fuaWzGMO7I6p0KVIhb33ykwMoqIebK4Sk9egZwWZuzV_goZ79H-tkSO1YIRXZRluSvKVVM9cdpGqO4xPa0pLo5fv6S-34Ql/s640/blogger-image-864006387.jpg"></a></div><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Yep. Wow. The only problem was the slight eyesore....</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXnbddN0qU9h149mKmWpvu488JgqmSPllg-DPM0-6dyEs43u0VGE4GcrRixf7gYMDGzfNlW6NrhQZ8Wy09nD70JLrFAIyxRfTMn5RLUAOw7_sl1ZVHdfuInARBOzcNbJ9HFBCNgUvGGCwF/s640/blogger-image--834814400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXnbddN0qU9h149mKmWpvu488JgqmSPllg-DPM0-6dyEs43u0VGE4GcrRixf7gYMDGzfNlW6NrhQZ8Wy09nD70JLrFAIyxRfTMn5RLUAOw7_sl1ZVHdfuInARBOzcNbJ9HFBCNgUvGGCwF/s640/blogger-image--834814400.jpg"></a></div><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">These pylons were <i>enormous</i> and you could hear the electricity humming very loudly above (slightly unsettling). Mama B said that they were French power lines (and not in a pleased tone). </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">We continued on and as we climbed the air grew colder (although maybe that was because the ground had levelled out and I was not panting and sweating as I had been previously - good god I need to exercise more). After a while the fog started to roll in. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19QPoliT57pHV-PDy-Eb5uhDM1qUTz-SqgM136-vx5cWoh3-nRCa9BIhBbW7hFMhBSwolXgUbhHHB9SWA91gC7H7eHm5gYovER_PLXV-6pC9WDPcA30K7H5eHixw0U_YuAt2GZteCTmcc/s640/blogger-image--1541639335.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19QPoliT57pHV-PDy-Eb5uhDM1qUTz-SqgM136-vx5cWoh3-nRCa9BIhBbW7hFMhBSwolXgUbhHHB9SWA91gC7H7eHm5gYovER_PLXV-6pC9WDPcA30K7H5eHixw0U_YuAt2GZteCTmcc/s640/blogger-image--1541639335.jpg"></a></div><br></span></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">As predicted, of course. </font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">After just over two hours of hiking, we reached the lake, and I saw why such a fuss was made of this place: it was beautiful. </font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPfCliyPyFzItYhJrbEuUHNqBmTArxfoooSwmEahk7JWis1EqGp6thk3bEAHT036f9ftUhffqpDchSgiL_4aiJcQU-Ff1gq4iwfkjoGC-uTQB3e8_toApjba9GpvDY01TiTTZ7Yjb8xykn/s640/blogger-image-1972778449.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPfCliyPyFzItYhJrbEuUHNqBmTArxfoooSwmEahk7JWis1EqGp6thk3bEAHT036f9ftUhffqpDchSgiL_4aiJcQU-Ff1gq4iwfkjoGC-uTQB3e8_toApjba9GpvDY01TiTTZ7Yjb8xykn/s640/blogger-image-1972778449.jpg"></a></div><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbswbI4lsxYWnedDpJ4b_Wn6JXW7w7ULjWSuWtHASbKNytgQfgZ1Xcxwru3KQmA_-QOmRiasRmaO28s58xHHynJhirCyCKE6DTOCEyov4Yysmro2RPekuy1wm8mw2laoNquDRCNRLVsQe7/s640/blogger-image--866675142.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbswbI4lsxYWnedDpJ4b_Wn6JXW7w7ULjWSuWtHASbKNytgQfgZ1Xcxwru3KQmA_-QOmRiasRmaO28s58xHHynJhirCyCKE6DTOCEyov4Yysmro2RPekuy1wm8mw2laoNquDRCNRLVsQe7/s640/blogger-image--866675142.jpg"></a></div><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjyXD-TpqzNgYA6NymrQ3euaUF8Tkcy37_-dz0mNv7tfMZwrZ6OifK-vyCk0QYfwlwOvRdP-V80L7VQManpzD67wpP01DyuMmDXYBL9vQEM6OPi21Ln2nbFs7l7_kuTuDEM2-hMPQFOtYf/s640/blogger-image--860291888.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjyXD-TpqzNgYA6NymrQ3euaUF8Tkcy37_-dz0mNv7tfMZwrZ6OifK-vyCk0QYfwlwOvRdP-V80L7VQManpzD67wpP01DyuMmDXYBL9vQEM6OPi21Ln2nbFs7l7_kuTuDEM2-hMPQFOtYf/s640/blogger-image--860291888.jpg"></a></div><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">Ahhh. Beautiful. </font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">After a walk around the lake (and a lot of cows), we headed for the Rifugio Miserin, where we'd planned on spending the night. A quick discussion and it seemed we were all for a hot lunch inside the inn instead of the usual homemade sandwiches outside in the now <i>freezing</i> cold, for which I was very glad. We were listed the choices for today's lunch and I choose <i>pollo e peperoncini</i> (chicken and peppers - although I still swear I heard 'pepperoni', oops), which to my pleasant surprise turns out to come with rice and in a sort of curry sauce - like korma, which is by far my least favourite type of curry but it's been so long since I've had one that I lap it up. </font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">Mama B had wanted to continue up for a bit after we'd eaten, but by this point the fog was descending further down the mountains towards us (<i>and</i> it was starting to rain) so that was a no go. We took the road down (not much of a road - I certainly wouldn't want to drive up or down it!) which was luckily a lot more gently sloped than the path up had been.</font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">We reached the jeep and drove back down the mountain road - but about a third of the way down Mama B asked to stop so that she and her friend could walk down instead, following a path through the forest. I decided to join them (I'm still not a fan of the bumpy rides in the jeep with Papa M's less than desirable driving along mountain roads that have a long drop down on one side, surprisingly...) and I'm glad I did. It was cool but not cold in the forest although at times the fog was so thick you could barely see one foot in front of the other! It was, in a way, beautiful, and we made our way over streams, through the trees, and found wild strawberries to snack on on the way down. </font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">The undesirable weather continued into Tuesday. The fog was thick and constantly moving, and it rained a little bit too. Yet we still decided to take a stroll around the village, which is pituresque even in such weather. </font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCumi-oPefM5OOw91_eSEdFagUNXe0FtbhrYCLLBgzaR6Jp-HlduHsNRWKENznb-79QhtcnkBakeG2vwrDsf0O1jAGu4jNAmCAjuqE-5zqFvuvhcCihK-udaLEkf-qcZVFXp81FUruPvit/s640/blogger-image-1519839150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCumi-oPefM5OOw91_eSEdFagUNXe0FtbhrYCLLBgzaR6Jp-HlduHsNRWKENznb-79QhtcnkBakeG2vwrDsf0O1jAGu4jNAmCAjuqE-5zqFvuvhcCihK-udaLEkf-qcZVFXp81FUruPvit/s640/blogger-image-1519839150.jpg"></a></div><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8NGBoestwO1UTiSzS1gvfb4Dehdw94xOdX4PnocCKwCNrMvPWXoPJPgeS3rHRP2O_hyphenhyphenQHYVWs2IppicKj9awOi5TDFWDprjDZ1RV9af2Aa-Hm2LtoaP-zjOTKxB0qjHEfimWXxQyBXr4H/s640/blogger-image--1686341450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8NGBoestwO1UTiSzS1gvfb4Dehdw94xOdX4PnocCKwCNrMvPWXoPJPgeS3rHRP2O_hyphenhyphenQHYVWs2IppicKj9awOi5TDFWDprjDZ1RV9af2Aa-Hm2LtoaP-zjOTKxB0qjHEfimWXxQyBXr4H/s640/blogger-image--1686341450.jpg"></a></div><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPcpD49uyb_8tXmgmgVEi5SbxU8mQ9iexFUItffixSBx6yu9Dsr-xB4gnTR43AJprKcdLiDrsmUE1_uAjU9CaroqRxWtPXYZQNGk6xWV5cGESHHg9-YPuf3Bf8248h74U0dNw4N2Y1EElO/s640/blogger-image-945942931.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPcpD49uyb_8tXmgmgVEi5SbxU8mQ9iexFUItffixSBx6yu9Dsr-xB4gnTR43AJprKcdLiDrsmUE1_uAjU9CaroqRxWtPXYZQNGk6xWV5cGESHHg9-YPuf3Bf8248h74U0dNw4N2Y1EElO/s640/blogger-image-945942931.jpg"></a></div><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">Lovely!</font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">We made three enormous pizzas for lunch (much like the first time, although this time I had gorgonzola, prosciutto ham, tomato, black olives and mozzarella on my part - delish!) and, after the friends had left, we spent the afternoon indoors doing English lessons, reading, and playing Just Dance on the wii (which I'm terrible at, for the record). </font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">Wednesday was a different story altogether. The sky is clear of cloud and has been all day! After a late start, in the morning we went up to the next village to check out the weekly market (mountainous activity (my own personal term right there) clothing; home decor; tshirts; fruit and veg; huge cheese wheels and bread). Then G and I took our English lesson outside in the glorious sunshine - although Mama B bid me wear a cap, of which I did not greatly approve. </font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_jx8u7Sh8hVHbN6FAFSQaYgKu9gAyJQgeLIlYj-x2SReF9O2k0dziAJ0dNO9o1rAfV-K9MToP16Ui5ulGJ35nNZ398gppzjOqUBt0MdLpHZ9E_lcZC6CR_jlWCocKs_7V1c36BVoTArM/s640/blogger-image-1727604548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_jx8u7Sh8hVHbN6FAFSQaYgKu9gAyJQgeLIlYj-x2SReF9O2k0dziAJ0dNO9o1rAfV-K9MToP16Ui5ulGJ35nNZ398gppzjOqUBt0MdLpHZ9E_lcZC6CR_jlWCocKs_7V1c36BVoTArM/s640/blogger-image-1727604548.jpg"></a></div>Said offending article. At least it's Disney...</font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">In our lesson I decided to ask G what parts of the English language she struggled with the most, since I'm officially into my last week here and we may as well go over the hardest bits for her before I go. Normally in our lessons we work through exercises in the numerous workbooks that Mama B has provided us with - grammar, reading, UK culture etc. Plus a bit of chatting in English and her begging me to only test her on ten verbs and their forms (I agree, but for every one she gets wrong we have to do another, so normally around fifteen in total). Now we have a short list of things to go over in the next week, so that's good! </font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">Yesterday we went on a hike that took all day - we left early in the morning and returned late in the evening, and I'll have to blog about it another time as I'm too tired to today! </font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">X</font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><br></div>Claudia Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372463551998915225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4919671304220146299.post-79717301892045764032014-08-24T14:02:00.001+02:002014-08-24T14:02:36.893+02:00A Long Walk And A Castle<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_3UkaQc-mqPqvfbbKzcZCtuHbv0iDvlZn8pv65zaAXiCEhg1CotjpTF7qoYC7cCWCPPISa_Q3zHzGW2ypoYPpOlfy5pASuuUL7Ea3vbyBHE7Wkvv5xVRgesDoyv-jrgukVq6BZknW96hl/s640/blogger-image--988140987.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_3UkaQc-mqPqvfbbKzcZCtuHbv0iDvlZn8pv65zaAXiCEhg1CotjpTF7qoYC7cCWCPPISa_Q3zHzGW2ypoYPpOlfy5pASuuUL7Ea3vbyBHE7Wkvv5xVRgesDoyv-jrgukVq6BZknW96hl/s640/blogger-image--988140987.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>I'm still here! Still in the mountains! But only until next weekend, then it's back to the family home near Milan for a few days and then I'm flying home again! It's hard to believe how long I've been here, and although I shall miss it here I'm also looking forward to going home (I've got lots planned and lots to do before the next leg of my adventures!) - and I know that these last ten days (TEN. HOW) are going to fly by. </div><div><br></div>On Thursday I experienced my hardest hike yet - however it was not so much the going up that I found difficult so much as the coming down again, which took nearly two hours. We also took the ski lift up part of the way so that made it even easier!<div><br></div><div>By 8am on Thursday we were in the car on the way to said ski lift. We arrived at 8.20am, as Mama B had thought that it opened at 8.30am. Wrong! It opened at 9am. I grumbled inwardly at the thought of the extra half hour I could've slept that morning!</div><div><br></div><div>I'd been on a ski lift before (the school ski trip in year 8, although I was shocked to realise that that was SEVEN YEARS AGO YOU GUYS HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE) but that still didn't comfort me - it was quite a bumpy ride. I was for once more glad to begin the actual hiking. </div><div><br></div><div>The climb was hard, but by 10am we'd reached Becco di Laris (at 2231m) and took a break: Mama B insisted on this photo of me. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg7uRNNZP3czeQ95tJW0AGNy1KaWCW_lRv8wOW625Kc44AeAHi0ZgmsL90SFjPE5GQGKiueMvNToixbAF0FG-vjBVmTR_d0jx2W7dy7ClO8Ec1GnnXlI3YQ0qMh3AJahpL4pBbNXGymTnj/s640/blogger-image-1587171590.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg7uRNNZP3czeQ95tJW0AGNy1KaWCW_lRv8wOW625Kc44AeAHi0ZgmsL90SFjPE5GQGKiueMvNToixbAF0FG-vjBVmTR_d0jx2W7dy7ClO8Ec1GnnXlI3YQ0qMh3AJahpL4pBbNXGymTnj/s640/blogger-image-1587171590.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Too bright to see, obviously. And as per the views were stunning!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5WYY9eHK8N40StRIQrtp-LYk96pjXMgMYuZ7GFYgpsTL-EU056xNGxu4FwYJ6QUkhTiDq9gHYfCWc7UVX-kxltX27D2dBmh7y9LL2gTPg-0nwLT-8O4lw1kCcWF3E6nuM9jzJyD-lybmL/s640/blogger-image--363989769.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5WYY9eHK8N40StRIQrtp-LYk96pjXMgMYuZ7GFYgpsTL-EU056xNGxu4FwYJ6QUkhTiDq9gHYfCWc7UVX-kxltX27D2dBmh7y9LL2gTPg-0nwLT-8O4lw1kCcWF3E6nuM9jzJyD-lybmL/s640/blogger-image--363989769.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>We continued onto a small but very beautiful lake (Lago do Vercoche) where we made time for peach juice boxes (like my favourite thing ever) and biscuits. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD9umjhCszMPDQEb8udWhV8QpN3O1RPfXoDdWXT1pHlglLmMU-tknar_GWGMKLrDsxq78y0h_ZBLAVJD_77RFUTYje_cSaZobsnrB-leOekKjDZnK2PApvquS7_if1dQsomiaHAV2bjlW8/s640/blogger-image--64788355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD9umjhCszMPDQEb8udWhV8QpN3O1RPfXoDdWXT1pHlglLmMU-tknar_GWGMKLrDsxq78y0h_ZBLAVJD_77RFUTYje_cSaZobsnrB-leOekKjDZnK2PApvquS7_if1dQsomiaHAV2bjlW8/s640/blogger-image--64788355.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHgFJFVuMBRQAfhkbGA7XYduQW992xUqKrZOJmA03nAFbk-9RO1kodBLYtcuwABWZo1By8oemjlOva0zVxHHmkcmY-WQ3get0g3Wmor1LX6Eu40_F3hIWWetGos1UakezsbwqRhwJ4LKTk/s640/blogger-image--1570508661.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHgFJFVuMBRQAfhkbGA7XYduQW992xUqKrZOJmA03nAFbk-9RO1kodBLYtcuwABWZo1By8oemjlOva0zVxHHmkcmY-WQ3get0g3Wmor1LX6Eu40_F3hIWWetGos1UakezsbwqRhwJ4LKTk/s640/blogger-image--1570508661.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div>After this we began the descent: and oh how it dragged on. We were heading for the spot by the stream that we'd picnicked at last week with the family's friends - it took us about two hours to get down there though, and nearly all of the time going down rather than across anywhere. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpQijLm_dqhPe8XURv2G0aJ6i0uFPDCOhv0uZ2vZjd5FLRMxc_cQVb9YOuUydA-cZD0qzC5lwVtbTppzaY5BhPHmRmEHO7ba0BYrFqbzvo7whh0rJ1m4wqK9q6_-zzfwVLKbltnM85STrd/s640/blogger-image-2033678234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpQijLm_dqhPe8XURv2G0aJ6i0uFPDCOhv0uZ2vZjd5FLRMxc_cQVb9YOuUydA-cZD0qzC5lwVtbTppzaY5BhPHmRmEHO7ba0BYrFqbzvo7whh0rJ1m4wqK9q6_-zzfwVLKbltnM85STrd/s640/blogger-image-2033678234.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLNUhJjORwUchN-I5tgV44ejgvZL9QU2jcvPvhoG3tDoUn4Y4EQMQ4WckKQffsTQ5EIVyTwEdLncyP3KIbRdjzVRucF65iNh9SLkYbsBQilV9jTKhv9uuVeCn4DL6r8kvCveQdxUSO07Ia/s640/blogger-image-482266932.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLNUhJjORwUchN-I5tgV44ejgvZL9QU2jcvPvhoG3tDoUn4Y4EQMQ4WckKQffsTQ5EIVyTwEdLncyP3KIbRdjzVRucF65iNh9SLkYbsBQilV9jTKhv9uuVeCn4DL6r8kvCveQdxUSO07Ia/s640/blogger-image-482266932.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>By the time we did reach the spot, I was in a bit of a foul mood (not that I said such to the family). The main reason was that my knees were aching (I think I've got my mother's knees), but also that I was very tired, hungry, I had a headache and my shoulders ached. Luckily when we eventually sat down at our desired spot, most of this was remedied (the Percy Pigs if brought from England had accompanied us on this trip, and they seemed to help). After lunch, we continued the trek down the mountain and went home, where I promptly made myself a cup of 'tea' and later fell asleep on the sofa. </div><div><br></div><div>Friday was a 'day for relaxing' as declared by Mama B - I was glad for it since my legs were still aching unbelievably. Mid-morning I was peckish and so enquired after what we were having for lunch - I immediately regretted it. 'Cuore', said Mama B. Heart. Oh boy. (As I claim to eat nearly everything I thought I'd give it a try, but needless to say I was not a fan). Luckily for me dinner made up for this - we went out to a local restaurant to eat dinner with the same family we'd picnicked with the day before. We ate antipasti first (which included salami, hams, <i>lardo</i>, goat's cheese, roasted pepper and bread) followed by a choice of either pasta or tortellini in sauce or ragu, or polenta and meat (I chose the second option: I'm becoming a fast fan of polenta. This time it was baked with a cheese called fontina and was absolutely delicious). </div><div><br></div><div>On Saturday afternoon the family and I ventured out to visit a castle near Gressoney called Castel Savoia (so named as it was built in the 15th century Lombard style that was used in South France, especially in Savoy). The exterior is just stunning. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX5YMCgPRyXq-tEcHNUdfuua98TJpTwpEuMTiZsxHAhQWSbS8FZb3Ap3Y_J2bfgD5fcCQjUvQx0tJE1ra5dTvjQimACOfMyNUiTYLXXGzrjAh5CEFHMdQo3H06V8ae0ptmoeOGbJZlculN/s640/blogger-image-623418409.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX5YMCgPRyXq-tEcHNUdfuua98TJpTwpEuMTiZsxHAhQWSbS8FZb3Ap3Y_J2bfgD5fcCQjUvQx0tJE1ra5dTvjQimACOfMyNUiTYLXXGzrjAh5CEFHMdQo3H06V8ae0ptmoeOGbJZlculN/s640/blogger-image-623418409.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4LMlefS177jSqF5_ys76Tj1HwIjOoz-4mq1iqTvnjUgWF2BcUHQ0CcOAOuDMA-TH4fwHQe-ivfl8K8rr7FFyKhQ_MS2vfzRmVQN4gfZl8c8PZf0j8CQxJtW_0NB_l6z5Vgs0Qm00YIKAZ/s640/blogger-image--470269839.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4LMlefS177jSqF5_ys76Tj1HwIjOoz-4mq1iqTvnjUgWF2BcUHQ0CcOAOuDMA-TH4fwHQe-ivfl8K8rr7FFyKhQ_MS2vfzRmVQN4gfZl8c8PZf0j8CQxJtW_0NB_l6z5Vgs0Qm00YIKAZ/s640/blogger-image--470269839.jpg"></a></div></div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1O1SNgrp1jBYxQ9s-x6vw0aaM69NX3n4l83tMBYtQIq-Q1RolZubR4Nxmj-_0eIWPaC-t-2J2XsBQV1Rvdr4vLSDlPvoDaFVvKbiflfRDlK7w9oClA43IQrSba9ZM3KeX2C2DzS0gaedk/s640/blogger-image-983348799.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1O1SNgrp1jBYxQ9s-x6vw0aaM69NX3n4l83tMBYtQIq-Q1RolZubR4Nxmj-_0eIWPaC-t-2J2XsBQV1Rvdr4vLSDlPvoDaFVvKbiflfRDlK7w9oClA43IQrSba9ZM3KeX2C2DzS0gaedk/s640/blogger-image-983348799.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>The castle was only finished in 1904 (it's quite new compared to some of the other castles in Vallee d'Aosta) and it's also nicknamed Queen Margherita's Castle, as it was predominantly built for her. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN3CvOoX88ZVSF6YmvDHjiGD9iprmOlCT_ZMJJAdPbA9b5gFEkXnw7Rm984Y68wuosDADCVxkOVMgYHY7Fgg_Zx35VBq-wuNB75_2jtfyU_zXih24QSlJf9_7xnk4XlB8Q9pBiAv4e_9_Q/s640/blogger-image-1859130337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN3CvOoX88ZVSF6YmvDHjiGD9iprmOlCT_ZMJJAdPbA9b5gFEkXnw7Rm984Y68wuosDADCVxkOVMgYHY7Fgg_Zx35VBq-wuNB75_2jtfyU_zXih24QSlJf9_7xnk4XlB8Q9pBiAv4e_9_Q/s640/blogger-image-1859130337.jpg"></a></div>Queen Margherita - quite a handsome woman. </div><div><br></div><div>We took a guided tour of the castle and had to wear these covers over our shoes, to protect the floors from damage. They were fun to slide along the floors in - and since nearly everyone in the group found this way too tempting it meant that we couldn't always hear the guide. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6uWJ9WKkrVWl2RfXPRsG8Idq0VOI9NtYx5X-BZ1di0MISyVDf-D0ImyWQLwusvOVwE2DT5SoTzBnyuzbbsvj7GNKm_i3bcBoPXzDVMT0UPGPMO7fztc4SF0UsYFZzFx_wIfkfLcLs_mI7/s640/blogger-image--1921589515.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6uWJ9WKkrVWl2RfXPRsG8Idq0VOI9NtYx5X-BZ1di0MISyVDf-D0ImyWQLwusvOVwE2DT5SoTzBnyuzbbsvj7GNKm_i3bcBoPXzDVMT0UPGPMO7fztc4SF0UsYFZzFx_wIfkfLcLs_mI7/s640/blogger-image--1921589515.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>On the ground floor there's a beautiful central staircase and open-plan rooms. The ceilings are all beautifully decorated (in the Medieval style, so my English brochure tells me). </div></div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQs9T_1gA1XznA-MakIbqlM4gEuUfJiFR-KNo5iDqqczxZJtsqjqsjzBMTf1vfA8_KyLfvUHNlbGdbZXlROTaH0vxltkEZg0Buk3oY-bwIRnI9ZZGWq8_aO9SP1mUKPanWLLVAr9xjdjO5/s640/blogger-image--505495790.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQs9T_1gA1XznA-MakIbqlM4gEuUfJiFR-KNo5iDqqczxZJtsqjqsjzBMTf1vfA8_KyLfvUHNlbGdbZXlROTaH0vxltkEZg0Buk3oY-bwIRnI9ZZGWq8_aO9SP1mUKPanWLLVAr9xjdjO5/s640/blogger-image--505495790.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3MW8soXRb8VS0WgIoWD9iJ5Hd6gkWGim-x0JM1Mrz7lwpkoD29lyJyCwzMe2vFA4HsFLt85tTfoqbho2Oz_Sy8Rs8Th5Bzft8S3NSP43z51xwDVpkmHN77PQAKwGIML6O_HwTtuKLDylV/s640/blogger-image-854201798.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3MW8soXRb8VS0WgIoWD9iJ5Hd6gkWGim-x0JM1Mrz7lwpkoD29lyJyCwzMe2vFA4HsFLt85tTfoqbho2Oz_Sy8Rs8Th5Bzft8S3NSP43z51xwDVpkmHN77PQAKwGIML6O_HwTtuKLDylV/s640/blogger-image-854201798.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>This amazing contraption was her sled: Queens don't often have to walk up and down mountains, apparently. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxwvlylSPMCqOlwWv63Rs1uSrlxZIJdZkarJ-VFIPIX8NCNd-QyxZR80zlXsLnThzEcfvrMsjeHYIwcMy6hyEbEtZgskK-0lIPfOZKU9-yIoN-MshTmhnMVbKu8tq94N_qJ6ZMZ0yLwSom/s640/blogger-image--1150003392.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxwvlylSPMCqOlwWv63Rs1uSrlxZIJdZkarJ-VFIPIX8NCNd-QyxZR80zlXsLnThzEcfvrMsjeHYIwcMy6hyEbEtZgskK-0lIPfOZKU9-yIoN-MshTmhnMVbKu8tq94N_qJ6ZMZ0yLwSom/s640/blogger-image--1150003392.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div></div><div>In her castle, Margherita had a little reading room with her own chair by a beautiful stained glass window, much like the others in the building (the view from it was stunning). I decided there and then that I would like a castle with a reading room and a view like this. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuJdamZddaDGK3vS3h9MzcEmhHHkohDvHoiTKlGnrm4BZhoOzexaGHdrU7JWrvApicLf14G6EWdvFKmGbGk6bvKV5_4_dWSj4C8XWdx5o2WbTMt0OWg-jhfnRSKuImizwE3g5qkydp_gAG/s640/blogger-image--320272359.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuJdamZddaDGK3vS3h9MzcEmhHHkohDvHoiTKlGnrm4BZhoOzexaGHdrU7JWrvApicLf14G6EWdvFKmGbGk6bvKV5_4_dWSj4C8XWdx5o2WbTMt0OWg-jhfnRSKuImizwE3g5qkydp_gAG/s640/blogger-image--320272359.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Bzvg1T3cD-QsM64tBbrtqxbqLICWtO3HQ7rUpsAtsyPnKohMKrvr9N_m02wZLAGQpO0yG7nsMs7ZapoqNWUqvX7Van2Shki7Qy0WCLn7-G6taUSXkQ1l8EAlAsZPfhEd3uF6dzKH5qnM/s640/blogger-image--1981900727.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Bzvg1T3cD-QsM64tBbrtqxbqLICWtO3HQ7rUpsAtsyPnKohMKrvr9N_m02wZLAGQpO0yG7nsMs7ZapoqNWUqvX7Van2Shki7Qy0WCLn7-G6taUSXkQ1l8EAlAsZPfhEd3uF6dzKH5qnM/s640/blogger-image--1981900727.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>From this window you could also see the beautiful rock garden, with typical plants of the Alps and also <i>margheritas</i> (daisies!). It was a lovely trip. </div><div><br></div><div>This morning I helped prepare mushrooms that Papa M and his friend went off to hunt for in the wee hours - washing, chopping and sorting, what fun...</div><div><br></div><div>Tomorrow night we plan to stay at a small hotel in the mountains - to get there we must hike a long way, and then a long way back the next day. Hopefully I'll make it and be able to write about it in the next few days! </div><div><br></div><div>X</div>Claudia Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372463551998915225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4919671304220146299.post-86834376887775469182014-08-20T20:53:00.001+02:002014-08-20T20:53:36.417+02:00A Trip To AostaThe mountain village where I'm staying with the family is part of a larger district called Vallee d'Aosta. Today we've been to the town of Aosta, which is about a half an hour or so drive away and really beautiful, for historical sight seeing and a spot of shopping. Aosta is an important Roman town, it turns out!<div><br></div><div>On the way we stopped at little C's favourite place - the chocolate factory shop!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhNuHfPghczcwBk13xM8XKlDFSqlRzOOAo0EjIB69fSaO1z0B5iXjAKYngQQ6Bk9_xR0lEyaeSdV6T4iDdnZNfu1Tw9-5fg5RCa-wVfhMEoan32YDgA43ZnjmrJc32mKmy5xFFfA-CrhPu/s640/blogger-image--762392528.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhNuHfPghczcwBk13xM8XKlDFSqlRzOOAo0EjIB69fSaO1z0B5iXjAKYngQQ6Bk9_xR0lEyaeSdV6T4iDdnZNfu1Tw9-5fg5RCa-wVfhMEoan32YDgA43ZnjmrJc32mKmy5xFFfA-CrhPu/s640/blogger-image--762392528.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Luckily I managed not to go too overboard....I was actually only buying for people back home, since I don't really have much of a sweet tooth (no photos of what I bought in case they're reading!). </div><div><br></div><div>When we arrived at the town and parked up, the first stop on our list was the <i>Arco d'Augustus</i>, now placed quite unfortunately on a roundabout so getting a nice photo was difficult...</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO-yQgr3IJZf0L5xAo1M7ID8TgCiYbx01LDvQ_jG08lpCLjGVg-lTvRPc9vpLJR-_UsGEsUg-2IgvzQV-gaomqFPctHKWIZnmvUuQem9kv9cGw2B_q3DxPraHrA8iKYBVG8CPWC4lbXxgd/s640/blogger-image-258529026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO-yQgr3IJZf0L5xAo1M7ID8TgCiYbx01LDvQ_jG08lpCLjGVg-lTvRPc9vpLJR-_UsGEsUg-2IgvzQV-gaomqFPctHKWIZnmvUuQem9kv9cGw2B_q3DxPraHrA8iKYBVG8CPWC4lbXxgd/s640/blogger-image-258529026.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>...see?</div><div><br></div><div>The little street we went down (<i>Via Sant'Anselmo</i>) was just lovely - paved stone, cute little shops and lots of flags!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN_Fz50b4zdqz_7pBrdjyy7uaOCEn3OPbDY_Fu1sz6fvZbYl8vpo764u2xPISxXW6959dk2ASwJ-1PcQg4rtLo2vdSYHyTPx68qYlrd4gd8MaWhR7hb3mSBHbtc6NDS0zIYuXPdwMSkrme/s640/blogger-image-659585318.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN_Fz50b4zdqz_7pBrdjyy7uaOCEn3OPbDY_Fu1sz6fvZbYl8vpo764u2xPISxXW6959dk2ASwJ-1PcQg4rtLo2vdSYHyTPx68qYlrd4gd8MaWhR7hb3mSBHbtc6NDS0zIYuXPdwMSkrme/s640/blogger-image-659585318.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>We stopped for lunch at a nice quiet cafe on this street - that did fantastic burgers, finally!</div><div><br></div><div>Next on our tour was this little courtyard attached to the <i>Collegiata di Sant'Orso </i>(Saint Orso Collegiate Church). Mama B dragged me along after a family to eavesdrop on them because she thought they were speaking English! (They were not, they were German)</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrIQHeo0pS4o-UrX8AWLN8E9Tj__SxQKbnoRRtpQZjfv9SN8tqdk_v7A1yZbCnvHLJ7GyxTHe5NWvfyo6Y7ZxXLEd90HacgdxQAwG0Qca3FjGfjU8JLT1xvxVqXIOT4fl_lZFRs224qNaB/s640/blogger-image--1604262585.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrIQHeo0pS4o-UrX8AWLN8E9Tj__SxQKbnoRRtpQZjfv9SN8tqdk_v7A1yZbCnvHLJ7GyxTHe5NWvfyo6Y7ZxXLEd90HacgdxQAwG0Qca3FjGfjU8JLT1xvxVqXIOT4fl_lZFRs224qNaB/s640/blogger-image--1604262585.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>This was quite a nice little place to stop. I especially liked the passageways that surrounded the courtyard. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0aCLwN0wVZW_WVN4A0ALxoqBOmTJExUz8w80E5QMESiN9r8wduLEEl4es6Bojog8tPm2hnJXZYE-HUifmWwFWidSOqyy6zWKNzg422R1psca45Kooc34TMSs8dj2ttxDQ27W83sd4rZFe/s640/blogger-image--1252219180.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0aCLwN0wVZW_WVN4A0ALxoqBOmTJExUz8w80E5QMESiN9r8wduLEEl4es6Bojog8tPm2hnJXZYE-HUifmWwFWidSOqyy6zWKNzg422R1psca45Kooc34TMSs8dj2ttxDQ27W83sd4rZFe/s640/blogger-image--1252219180.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Next we entered the church. Catholic Churches are quite something! It was nice and quiet in this one. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH0hqSZyHSzAzqHQ8HWPstAHBOPbZXm2xqHyECCFmUVM3pTN94SjsxVnVmw9U5Zwnqoe86ZAVukr09eb0Qybj0hHiY3rTO1Xhz6TQ0xfZlVrIz1-Y02rGFIqu8ebxkrsNSftm8WR9RbD3Z/s640/blogger-image--1309279467.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH0hqSZyHSzAzqHQ8HWPstAHBOPbZXm2xqHyECCFmUVM3pTN94SjsxVnVmw9U5Zwnqoe86ZAVukr09eb0Qybj0hHiY3rTO1Xhz6TQ0xfZlVrIz1-Y02rGFIqu8ebxkrsNSftm8WR9RbD3Z/s640/blogger-image--1309279467.jpg"></a></div> </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV32NA2T8Ef4F7VvbxLVhp6zEp1SSL5MMB8lvagwCpGF8NY6sFLkvg9_chgdFBRcyC7DMEdWRKly1o4ZFE0YyNNeljdI2d6MSs_ma1AEPjdBYATgMAa8V_ww1dO4igPwLFiO0vEQLCDxtj/s640/blogger-image-1484421992.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV32NA2T8Ef4F7VvbxLVhp6zEp1SSL5MMB8lvagwCpGF8NY6sFLkvg9_chgdFBRcyC7DMEdWRKly1o4ZFE0YyNNeljdI2d6MSs_ma1AEPjdBYATgMAa8V_ww1dO4igPwLFiO0vEQLCDxtj/s640/blogger-image-1484421992.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Outside it was beginning to get really hot (I think at the hottest it was about 27 degrees) and having been up in the relatively cool (in comparison) mountains, I was not prepared for this, being in jeans. Unfortunately I spent most of the day with a headache - the sun and I don't really get on for long periods of time. Ah well. </div><div><br></div><div>We also visited the Roman Theatre (or remains of it) in the town. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjATUkcxoliHBdR6wmRANpeUtrlllXuU1vSNfgW_BwerBOACD9Q3KJagTeTf6zTZhIibkDAmUkwF0PDliVQiEBIq-UTsifrkxoZgLLPaP_mD1qJ9nAzPaYkGjPasFMklGmgCo2xPd07BVY_/s640/blogger-image-1294829384.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjATUkcxoliHBdR6wmRANpeUtrlllXuU1vSNfgW_BwerBOACD9Q3KJagTeTf6zTZhIibkDAmUkwF0PDliVQiEBIq-UTsifrkxoZgLLPaP_mD1qJ9nAzPaYkGjPasFMklGmgCo2xPd07BVY_/s640/blogger-image-1294829384.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguTFfZHDqIKLmzsiHCy0qkSqEfxu83RCCw1OxGLolaOLNt8uAjAXodxEwaC8RUJAAGQg4D6CjhxfW18idCmJW7nRPJTry_nwPwoex9D8lSj3yEhEtDv8WYy6ABSc5sYK84-mbEelo1uOoe/s640/blogger-image-1919421708.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguTFfZHDqIKLmzsiHCy0qkSqEfxu83RCCw1OxGLolaOLNt8uAjAXodxEwaC8RUJAAGQg4D6CjhxfW18idCmJW7nRPJTry_nwPwoex9D8lSj3yEhEtDv8WYy6ABSc5sYK84-mbEelo1uOoe/s640/blogger-image-1919421708.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>I didn't take many photos or pay much attention here (which admittedly I regret now) as due to my headache I was not in the mood for sight seeing...</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbzmt4fhQeeaP_96Os94qgcPvn_sricniSo5O6wesKPTZ6QTm3_q7iCSNO5P9B5u5egXnAGLMJe5dd7pJGp0M1eKFxK58_D-kTLzt_xGb5dYPqcdBdaj2omZrB_Z-lX78t3LV1pq8O-W96/s640/blogger-image-1594817159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbzmt4fhQeeaP_96Os94qgcPvn_sricniSo5O6wesKPTZ6QTm3_q7iCSNO5P9B5u5egXnAGLMJe5dd7pJGp0M1eKFxK58_D-kTLzt_xGb5dYPqcdBdaj2omZrB_Z-lX78t3LV1pq8O-W96/s640/blogger-image-1594817159.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Luckily we stopped for a drink in the beautiful <i>Piazza E. Chanoux</i>. In the shop next to the bar at which we stopped I found this key ring with my name on it (I was very excited, because as you can imagine I don't find my name on things that often in the UK). Shame I didn't like it otherwise I'd've bought it!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK_Mcu9IrDrhdITgT4hnjrFUmqI6IYel2c5b6_3BCC2gDqJhJrkz3u4RxJJZ-FL2zfTNyLiIyFhmVv3b_701NvmTWfWrnRq71EuHPXT3xNHd-v3i6Gp1w7u0hi2pggZcIU3llx02Hcn2fK/s640/blogger-image--870807850.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK_Mcu9IrDrhdITgT4hnjrFUmqI6IYel2c5b6_3BCC2gDqJhJrkz3u4RxJJZ-FL2zfTNyLiIyFhmVv3b_701NvmTWfWrnRq71EuHPXT3xNHd-v3i6Gp1w7u0hi2pggZcIU3llx02Hcn2fK/s640/blogger-image--870807850.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRmZBQRQ_TDc8_7KJE-ZCZfQ_yMFSLeWSW8_COfyLJewPna3cJpKjSdfNELC_Jljqd1w3MEdyay66fAlOysUygCMmbTnRX7CpEf3uwDYjPoINjosbRrJ1s-fOnj-mdvXennG8VCfcyDAOB/s640/blogger-image-651901774.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRmZBQRQ_TDc8_7KJE-ZCZfQ_yMFSLeWSW8_COfyLJewPna3cJpKjSdfNELC_Jljqd1w3MEdyay66fAlOysUygCMmbTnRX7CpEf3uwDYjPoINjosbRrJ1s-fOnj-mdvXennG8VCfcyDAOB/s640/blogger-image-651901774.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>And this magnificent building is the cathedral! It's pretty small for a cathedral (Mama B said so too), but it was pretty cool. We went down into the crypts below it. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCshAAgODYFDBdfLXGQXGjBej9Ar31n5jV2e3_MxcR-Luq-t59go5FeRFSKMx1fd0oSrJSU8X-SDnkgIH7VEQzG57o10aA815AfMZBhG1LxBq_OFjoiChQYkU93DwE96W8vhHSEjPUVZY0/s640/blogger-image-1683157526.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCshAAgODYFDBdfLXGQXGjBej9Ar31n5jV2e3_MxcR-Luq-t59go5FeRFSKMx1fd0oSrJSU8X-SDnkgIH7VEQzG57o10aA815AfMZBhG1LxBq_OFjoiChQYkU93DwE96W8vhHSEjPUVZY0/s640/blogger-image-1683157526.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Down here there was some weird piano music playing. I think it was meant to be atmospheric, but to me it was just creepy. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxwIVgEokaLqkqxxYYjn_DQBzidlkCNryXV26vCdSKqUi8HygpzJlB-nQZ1SneSSi1yO-Zm3UNWKgm_lGQkkdXsr8qcIIUr8Fm4tIqsRXoAhwDvRJoFcvkuMzxmO3x-bqoOc7BJw8lxTUt/s640/blogger-image-1145202316.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxwIVgEokaLqkqxxYYjn_DQBzidlkCNryXV26vCdSKqUi8HygpzJlB-nQZ1SneSSi1yO-Zm3UNWKgm_lGQkkdXsr8qcIIUr8Fm4tIqsRXoAhwDvRJoFcvkuMzxmO3x-bqoOc7BJw8lxTUt/s640/blogger-image-1145202316.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This photo was taken near the crypts but could really be any street in the town, since they all have so many flags! This street did only have French flags though - as we're quite near to France, all the road signs and information about the historical sights are in both Italian and French (not much use to me unfortunately - the only thing I can do in French is say hello and order a ham sandwich...). </div><br></div><div>After the crypts we began to retrace our steps down the cute narrow streets back to the car, stopping on the way for a gelato of course. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia1QLA2rFF4_-pn6qXD65Pn3ff39Hjn_I-D3cbleZL4Kn6HRvLuBznp995rHxoQbbDzviBypfEcV71DSQosL5QlRFSokTwli7LZi8Li7uv6omWvDwWWsxrRIku3kmOjDFSHFcs14Y1QeNZ/s640/blogger-image-624655498.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia1QLA2rFF4_-pn6qXD65Pn3ff39Hjn_I-D3cbleZL4Kn6HRvLuBznp995rHxoQbbDzviBypfEcV71DSQosL5QlRFSokTwli7LZi8Li7uv6omWvDwWWsxrRIku3kmOjDFSHFcs14Y1QeNZ/s640/blogger-image-624655498.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>It was still quite hot, so I justified having a large tub with three scoops - <i>fragola </i>(strawberry, and the best yet), <i>frutto di bosco </i>(fruits of the forest) and <i>limone </i>(well, I asked for lemon but got melon somehow...). Delicious. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_IaqdLGhI9v21WfuyO0_oLC9nf2F73DDZMOxhqIIDlI-3UWFCcE0eeUnrp2oiqP9UEq48Yr6OF_lNtUk3l_5CeD23Snqs_BvONX9T5gaXDjexbq8t-cvcYyTeMGpQsIbJqsjrO5ydWpL7/s640/blogger-image-1907360284.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_IaqdLGhI9v21WfuyO0_oLC9nf2F73DDZMOxhqIIDlI-3UWFCcE0eeUnrp2oiqP9UEq48Yr6OF_lNtUk3l_5CeD23Snqs_BvONX9T5gaXDjexbq8t-cvcYyTeMGpQsIbJqsjrO5ydWpL7/s640/blogger-image-1907360284.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>We had a long but lovely day in the beautiful Roman town. By the time we reached home (having stopped at the supermarket on the way) it was nearly 7pm and time for dinner - luckily, as I was somehow hungry again (not unusual for me actually). We ate tortellini in a tomato sauce along with bread and cheese (the cheese here is bloody fantastic), followed by some sampling of the chocolates that Mama B had bought in the factory shop. When I finally got to bed I fell asleep straight away!</div><div><br></div><div>Today has been a bit of a nothing day - English lesson for G (double since we didn't have one yesterday, to her dismay), reading and a short walk. I've also been thinking a lot about the last few weeks - two weeks today is my final day here, and it's hard to believe I've been here just over three weeks already!</div><div><br></div><div>It's so much easier to fit into conversation now - just this morning I was introduced to a couple, old friends of Mama B's from when she was little, and even though it was the first time I'd met them I spoke to them with ease and without 'err'ing and mumbling for a change. Mama B and I have great long conversations in the evening about anything and I'm finding it especially easier to answer the questions little C poses me (I don't really know why, but for a while after I arrived here the thought of her talking to me did scare me in a way...). I'm still not really sure what she thinks of me though - she's only just 7 and seems to understand that I don't speak her language as well as she, but she has never mentioned England to me, so who knows. And even better, TV programmes make more sense to me (especially cartoons, since it's usually the girls who are in charge of the remote (that was difficult, to write 'remote' - for reasons I forget, in my house it's called the 'gadget'). So now I'm a fan of Doraemon, One Piece and Adventure Time). </div><div><br></div><div>Tomorrow we have three options: if the weather is good, we'll go hiking; if it's alright, a wildlife park and then a castle; and if it rains (most likely) there's an afternoon trip to a closer castle planned. I've got my fingers crossed for option two!</div><div><br></div><div>More adventures soon. </div><div><br></div><div>X</div>Claudia Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372463551998915225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4919671304220146299.post-86220396726018709302014-08-17T17:36:00.001+02:002014-08-17T17:36:01.514+02:00A Busy Couple Of Days<div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">As it says on the tin, I've done a lot these last two days and there's lots to tell. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Friday was a special day. 15th August is a Saint's day and we got together with some of the family's friends (the family with whom we went hiking yesterday) for a big lunch. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKqMZOCBqD0TMjYUUoXwSool6zf4o3cSvvH9N0hT7p95BHKl2IMwi82P9TGGSfqonUnjxvmZ_ycnhGN8CMJeT6vrxl6DmA44UFZ_7vFfvL22AIX9xHS2NsQkaaax5-8PCwCXkpehbAO9KE/s640/blogger-image--1168733157.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKqMZOCBqD0TMjYUUoXwSool6zf4o3cSvvH9N0hT7p95BHKl2IMwi82P9TGGSfqonUnjxvmZ_ycnhGN8CMJeT6vrxl6DmA44UFZ_7vFfvL22AIX9xHS2NsQkaaax5-8PCwCXkpehbAO9KE/s640/blogger-image--1168733157.jpg"></a></div></span></div><div><br></div><div>I helped Mama B prepare the <i>pane nero</i> (literally 'black bread' but it's just brown bread in reality) - with <i>miele</i> (honey) and <i>lardo</i> (like parma ham with a hella lotta fat, but it's amazing stuff). </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYB2Nu8aaYD-v7MkM0kyQyyn9Kko8W4JxWkhHy3IxbVE1b5fnAMDcqPFznRDLHbgWzC409FNTMk0GE5zNtU5sn0xV7B6PjZwHQVMhcnG8OZgwvyPkSEJnDgf0UqOEfAWUjHMpmyL1o1X99/s640/blogger-image-2008261532.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYB2Nu8aaYD-v7MkM0kyQyyn9Kko8W4JxWkhHy3IxbVE1b5fnAMDcqPFznRDLHbgWzC409FNTMk0GE5zNtU5sn0xV7B6PjZwHQVMhcnG8OZgwvyPkSEJnDgf0UqOEfAWUjHMpmyL1o1X99/s640/blogger-image-2008261532.jpg"></a></div></div><div><br></div><div>The men cooked meat over a stone barbecue - pretty cool. Ribs, sausages, belly pork, onions and jacket potatoes. I was practically drooling by the time we sat down to eat. </div><div><br></div><div>After we'd eaten we went for a coffee (of course) and then sat outside for a few hours because the weather was so nice. I chatted with Mama B and the mum of the second family, R, about British things - R loves Coldplay, and had no idea that Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow had split! (She was pleased, apparently not a fan of GP) We also talked about the royal family (they love them) and British/American bands (they thought the name 'Arctic Monkeys' was beyond strange). </div><div><br></div><div>Later on the two families went off to the church for Mass and I stayed at the house to ring England. I spoke with my sister (had to rush off to work), then my boyfriend (he was locked out), and last but not least one of my best friends (who has just gotten into university - congrats again if you're reading this!). Time well spent, it's really nice to catch up with home. </div><div><br></div><div>Yesterday featured the arrival of Papa M's friends - two families and a friend on his own, which meant an extra five adults and three kids (ages 5, 9 and 15): a lot of people. It was a little overwhelming, but they were nice. </div><div><br></div><div>We went on the same walk we did last Friday - though this time it was longer and in much better weather! It was nice to see the same views but in a different light. It was just <i>beautiful</i>!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWmmRBYgXCATSZRdcNEIjPAvHTU203PrJ96koha7_RxAvNRhodhKgLFPAdKQ7LOPRQV0GyYQEVTj_VOmc4gnAENK3W0318urDqV1E7kKcUjkhxthv7uOgfY_MmzhFbZ65RytrXmQiYcfWR/s640/blogger-image--1036962668.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWmmRBYgXCATSZRdcNEIjPAvHTU203PrJ96koha7_RxAvNRhodhKgLFPAdKQ7LOPRQV0GyYQEVTj_VOmc4gnAENK3W0318urDqV1E7kKcUjkhxthv7uOgfY_MmzhFbZ65RytrXmQiYcfWR/s640/blogger-image--1036962668.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO2aLP3udtDICBN93lSvwdioGxLi4vOvTD-Nqe4NqdEcmXFy3694WfaT-OMA7XqUHjTJcnG-tw-mPns29hbv5bWNGkfL-hpzGM3f25k3Cw2J_LvA-wAxgrUhd53kOKkafGbJWYDvGsve5-/s640/blogger-image-2053180274.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO2aLP3udtDICBN93lSvwdioGxLi4vOvTD-Nqe4NqdEcmXFy3694WfaT-OMA7XqUHjTJcnG-tw-mPns29hbv5bWNGkfL-hpzGM3f25k3Cw2J_LvA-wAxgrUhd53kOKkafGbJWYDvGsve5-/s640/blogger-image-2053180274.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmzkvcE2Zu9LNyUlQstoy7oFYZDE1Bg1ajh9VqWqhd6w-9ZQ4w0SXLs0djwQrg9IpVCzF8dMdEPKoeSCrUm7sUz4j6Int8UBye7QVsdNCttMpqKK0qQ8OGMyll0RHNdsY_2RdCbWIBwbq1/s640/blogger-image-1157371221.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmzkvcE2Zu9LNyUlQstoy7oFYZDE1Bg1ajh9VqWqhd6w-9ZQ4w0SXLs0djwQrg9IpVCzF8dMdEPKoeSCrUm7sUz4j6Int8UBye7QVsdNCttMpqKK0qQ8OGMyll0RHNdsY_2RdCbWIBwbq1/s640/blogger-image-1157371221.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg27vQch1unOSEPY_rmVG9JV-PlnjPV3HEFpRz3YAPreYZs7rcy8sB3OgDTdRsSD_NyAaX4Ykyyd1tAsfuCYysFOU2CzKSCX7Znvty_adLLSIaSnBscApLEQs0P7kr9aoY_0aKQdwlBIEXS/s640/blogger-image--1077649230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg27vQch1unOSEPY_rmVG9JV-PlnjPV3HEFpRz3YAPreYZs7rcy8sB3OgDTdRsSD_NyAaX4Ykyyd1tAsfuCYysFOU2CzKSCX7Znvty_adLLSIaSnBscApLEQs0P7kr9aoY_0aKQdwlBIEXS/s640/blogger-image--1077649230.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>At the inn where we'd previously stopped for a hot chocolate, this time we stopped for lunch (and boy was I ready for it! I was <i>starving</i>). We started with baskets of bread and platters of salamis and more <i>lardo</i>, along with little pots of what turned out to be warm chestnuts - gorgeous. After this the younger kids went out to play and the second course arrived - I believe it was called <i>zuppa</i> (although that means soup so I'm not entirely sure, since it definitely wasn't soup!). A dish apparently only found in this district, this course was one of the best things I've eaten here. It was bread, cabbage and cheese in a sort of broth and then baked - oh, that makes it sounds awful! It was honestly amazing! No photos because, as I'm sure you can imagine, it looked a little like a deconstructed pie: not pretty. </div><div><br></div><div>After this I was stuffed. I could not have eaten another crumb - so imagine my surprise when yet another course arrived!! Dishes of polenta, sausages in sauce and some sort of beef in a different sauce: I just about managed a few forkfuls of polenta (it's great stuff) with some of the sauce from the sausage dish, just to be polite (I'm <i>clearly</i> British!). </div><div><br></div><div>And after that, I was expected to continue walking up the mountain! Groaning inwardly I trekked along with the group. But, once we got over one certain hill, I realised why we'd gone further up: the view. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX0owiE6HkqgGFbMlvmil925XKtYWL4JPCx92Lg-Kltkw40ZUnawLEKwetQJNdSbCiADXF3uhbOjky5sn9gxFscRU5trcjQhk2EkfwiVx_AGJnSQWh0-1lV-KSbHE7meNaGZG2_Td7jyNh/s640/blogger-image-1880192902.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX0owiE6HkqgGFbMlvmil925XKtYWL4JPCx92Lg-Kltkw40ZUnawLEKwetQJNdSbCiADXF3uhbOjky5sn9gxFscRU5trcjQhk2EkfwiVx_AGJnSQWh0-1lV-KSbHE7meNaGZG2_Td7jyNh/s640/blogger-image-1880192902.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpvGwNL74EeEkBTP9c1CEyz5icGi8igCYkHOefglK8HAzAzSxjZHRZsTOqElDA5M-KtTWKJ7XJfkGRQMVXBxvVOaz-PFVOMS3b9TXZY9gHoXN9OqNDdFvRnW0MEhQDZaSZqndKp9JdHpQ/s640/blogger-image--1047947884.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpvGwNL74EeEkBTP9c1CEyz5icGi8igCYkHOefglK8HAzAzSxjZHRZsTOqElDA5M-KtTWKJ7XJfkGRQMVXBxvVOaz-PFVOMS3b9TXZY9gHoXN9OqNDdFvRnW0MEhQDZaSZqndKp9JdHpQ/s640/blogger-image--1047947884.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_XUHrRscQOmPVmTgDX8CrawPN3U7NwDwKqGGym7H3u_EoEu41rWtzAmBv9riRGaLB_POXx5dMqlt9HxO3Bm4jgQVIUP2n8Tt1FWSfPf0OJvxTcx3agxPqgxWSNKqnkGDYna-xovN7rJnM/s640/blogger-image-1254313466.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_XUHrRscQOmPVmTgDX8CrawPN3U7NwDwKqGGym7H3u_EoEu41rWtzAmBv9riRGaLB_POXx5dMqlt9HxO3Bm4jgQVIUP2n8Tt1FWSfPf0OJvxTcx3agxPqgxWSNKqnkGDYna-xovN7rJnM/s640/blogger-image-1254313466.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Yup, now you can see why too. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTb09XPy5NQRxceNYua1hmlH8MwM0zAxhVyxnjhaRb_O_kqJSIUYp26ZOeCEOFvhRnaj5JPoE0WWpJuVQILNHiA85uOuqPW7K0m4BvJTSQU7G_W1iS27joxRldVisAvjazOt3T2BleVd02/s640/blogger-image-970469580.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTb09XPy5NQRxceNYua1hmlH8MwM0zAxhVyxnjhaRb_O_kqJSIUYp26ZOeCEOFvhRnaj5JPoE0WWpJuVQILNHiA85uOuqPW7K0m4BvJTSQU7G_W1iS27joxRldVisAvjazOt3T2BleVd02/s640/blogger-image-970469580.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>We also found <i>Stella alpina </i>(edelweiss)! Mama B pressed one inbetween the pages of a book for me. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAyplV8E4T3FPjVvfL7oIsX-_h3fm4TSYcLpsNNjLTGnlYxAqZPOFBGQNqzhHbSe2NqFRV6PFVxAKrrm8z3ObPGm8H7uXf1DoJh8gcKLP7jHeI7EVzp6-Pq22I3ztoLcRBUtL5fNYTbEVM/s640/blogger-image--399692779.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAyplV8E4T3FPjVvfL7oIsX-_h3fm4TSYcLpsNNjLTGnlYxAqZPOFBGQNqzhHbSe2NqFRV6PFVxAKrrm8z3ObPGm8H7uXf1DoJh8gcKLP7jHeI7EVzp6-Pq22I3ztoLcRBUtL5fNYTbEVM/s640/blogger-image--399692779.jpg"></a></div></div><div><br></div><div>Eventually we descended, stopping again briefly at the inn for another hot chocolate (so good). </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM9gXFVuRQxYraHo2mypTX5dtXJnFUL9phiXov10ynNT4YrWF3htozzDc5qq6LqhPUshI3tSnXr88ugIbDkRtBs8r08pavRM03VHGRgQ3eqI3rbvQw_XW4lAk_o2tR4zim3ARyFggwMekA/s640/blogger-image--1606002259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM9gXFVuRQxYraHo2mypTX5dtXJnFUL9phiXov10ynNT4YrWF3htozzDc5qq6LqhPUshI3tSnXr88ugIbDkRtBs8r08pavRM03VHGRgQ3eqI3rbvQw_XW4lAk_o2tR4zim3ARyFggwMekA/s640/blogger-image--1606002259.jpg"></a></div></div><div><br></div><div>Half of the group, me included, went ahead of the other and ended up having to wait nearly 20 minutes when we reached the cars (we were in the jeep again, but I forgot to get a photo before it went back in the garage!) - I didn't mind at all, because this was the view....</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhExOCXsSkmBcdxmD2TVXhhLgB9O4msEn70xY5l_f5V9IyiPAbd9Sq6-L_dxOb23Y_TnPHC71rzqCNWKce6oUhtpQGvu9RCbqLdEfSzEfD2Larfhe3puXMviNGqLphEdYVEKZPnTC7xbY_/s640/blogger-image-1198704072.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhExOCXsSkmBcdxmD2TVXhhLgB9O4msEn70xY5l_f5V9IyiPAbd9Sq6-L_dxOb23Y_TnPHC71rzqCNWKce6oUhtpQGvu9RCbqLdEfSzEfD2Larfhe3puXMviNGqLphEdYVEKZPnTC7xbY_/s640/blogger-image-1198704072.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Bx8h2JPgtTxw_RUU1cSVd56elPKhhM2qyBfOHebJ4jKuAgZE5zioJCuY7DvmDP5ZtwaIL5azC_3f9vRpk5IBG5Dj9ksqj9dpRgADlRt6B1T9gGW9dL1JYM8JBrJiu-OFjrA73QUOydNI/s640/blogger-image-163045677.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Bx8h2JPgtTxw_RUU1cSVd56elPKhhM2qyBfOHebJ4jKuAgZE5zioJCuY7DvmDP5ZtwaIL5azC_3f9vRpk5IBG5Dj9ksqj9dpRgADlRt6B1T9gGW9dL1JYM8JBrJiu-OFjrA73QUOydNI/s640/blogger-image-163045677.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The photos don't do it justice, the mountains are amazingly beautiful. I'm still not used to seeing them every day and I'm definitely going to miss them when I leave - I'm about halfway through this au pair thingy now, and it was only when I was on the phone on Friday night that I realised how quick the last (nearly) three weeks have gone. I may be pining for home a little bit sometimes, but for the rest of it I'm really enjoying myself. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div>It was gone 7pm by the time we got in, and I was relieved to sit down with a mug of green tea, to await whatever adventures lie in store for me in the next few days. </div><div><br></div><div>X</div><div><br></div><div>P.s. update on breakfast - I've been on fruit (usually a banana) for nearly a week now. Mama B actually got quite flustered Friday morning when she didn't think there were any left for me! (She found some in the fridge, and really seemed quite relieved, very cute)</div><div><br></div>Claudia Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372463551998915225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4919671304220146299.post-4984603091606137922014-08-14T20:23:00.001+02:002014-08-14T20:23:59.185+02:00Much mountains, so walks.<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOdtWtBvotdByCeGaJYHUj7yBSl6vUGkUIp8wp_dH3hL3a_mT2K-KGeLJ7aWqYk8UYpVLHThIh59xBsJElYJ8AQU6cDHSGy5r8aTT0Lok1LdvvIrLAeZqjEgeNET2E16vi4qNANKihtrfE/s640/blogger-image--37747996.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOdtWtBvotdByCeGaJYHUj7yBSl6vUGkUIp8wp_dH3hL3a_mT2K-KGeLJ7aWqYk8UYpVLHThIh59xBsJElYJ8AQU6cDHSGy5r8aTT0Lok1LdvvIrLAeZqjEgeNET2E16vi4qNANKihtrfE/s640/blogger-image--37747996.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>The mountains here are just b-e-a-uuuutiful. While I have been enjoying the view from the ground, I've been introduced this month to a new way to see them - hiking. </div><div><br></div><div>I've been twice in the last few days - it's not something I've done before but, whilst struggling with it, I'm really enjoying it. I went on Tuesday this week and also today - here's what it was like. </div><div><br></div><div>Tuesday morning I was unwillingly woken up by Mama B opening the curtains at 7.30am. Groan. By 9am we were out of the door - and it was then that I noticed the weather. The usual morning fog was nowhere to be seen - instead, the air was fresh and sharp, there was blue sky above and the view of the mountains was the clearest I'd seen it yet. It was beautiful. </div><div><br></div><div>We piled into the car (the Volvo again) - here Papa B stopped me as I was putting on my seatbelt. He told me that I don't have to wear it here (I'd noticed that the others hadn't been wearing theirs). When I asked why, he replied that there was only 'one police' round here so it wasn't necessary - as if that was reason enough.... I buckled myself in all the same. </div><div><br></div><div>We drove for 10 minutes, parked up, and then we began our walk. Five minutes in and I'd peeled off my university jumper - it was quite warm, and the going steep. And it got steeper. </div><div><br></div><div>I had expected it to be difficult, but it was even worse than I'd thought. The little family of mountain goats skipped on ahead of me, whilst I trailed behind, sweating and panting at the back of the herd. It was bad. I'm not exactly the fittest I've ever been - I enjoy going to the gym, although I never manage it that regularly, and I prefer a nice long walk to a run, which is probably why I was struggling to get up the mountain. </div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>After nearly an hour of walking uphill, I was completely beaten. My legs felt like lead and my knees were aching (safe to say I've got that from my mother).</div><div><br></div><div>But, I have to say, it was completely worth it. When we arrived at the top the panoramic views were stunning and the sun was shining warmly down on us. It was lovely. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn_tmj0QfybbtowySblVAmKAixPlk2aKvVYYYNzwi7O5QAoAWPm_I4ofTDwEhXrKNwGac7f4dMKvkbZs8hUoim9bfKXGBxtstQ-j5o6vBqyqPCTrVWlbLCfvuo-oH7wD15aCJRABpB43Qq/s640/blogger-image-754159449.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn_tmj0QfybbtowySblVAmKAixPlk2aKvVYYYNzwi7O5QAoAWPm_I4ofTDwEhXrKNwGac7f4dMKvkbZs8hUoim9bfKXGBxtstQ-j5o6vBqyqPCTrVWlbLCfvuo-oH7wD15aCJRABpB43Qq/s640/blogger-image-754159449.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibKA7JH9c92Pl50PltDPnpJ5HGqJJdDtcAeRqZDV066sQfN7dN5aFStnLoRVA-Br2cnZgLi6Bsyck0sAmJoRhWK9ZPxgRl1ciR_H2RaEtEgC8ztKdVjYT8p3ng2cduUQ-zLAj_ley_73-e/s640/blogger-image-2070925953.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibKA7JH9c92Pl50PltDPnpJ5HGqJJdDtcAeRqZDV066sQfN7dN5aFStnLoRVA-Br2cnZgLi6Bsyck0sAmJoRhWK9ZPxgRl1ciR_H2RaEtEgC8ztKdVjYT8p3ng2cduUQ-zLAj_ley_73-e/s640/blogger-image-2070925953.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjer-cwrmgpO3broQ19cYXjw0ONrlUTdjuZsnBdU2oehVQBFqSxII6VpyTN10KSS1oJ8T3c6-4XpSJ9zercmiCdx6uNVYrLnYTnhtR238pmsa6XEydSPF70mEfVKKrrG3H5Jy3EOcOV9UpM/s640/blogger-image-1656038124.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjer-cwrmgpO3broQ19cYXjw0ONrlUTdjuZsnBdU2oehVQBFqSxII6VpyTN10KSS1oJ8T3c6-4XpSJ9zercmiCdx6uNVYrLnYTnhtR238pmsa6XEydSPF70mEfVKKrrG3H5Jy3EOcOV9UpM/s640/blogger-image-1656038124.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>However, after having admired the view, the descent began. This, in some ways, was worse than the hike up. I am neither a little mountain goat nor am I light footed. Ask anyone I know and they will tell you of my lack of balance and how often I trip or fall over (hint: it's a lot). On top of this I have a bit of a funny fear of falling. Perhaps, knowing all this, you may understand the struggle I went through getting back down the stupid mountain - it was quite bad. Eventually I got down! </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUNS5hVvQ-QslnGJUwCCY8rmc6uVmAHz7ZnXK2Bwy24vmis2GW4gfs-f5DNRboPfNPN7w2QUywh7hbrRannZD6FXB8wxQdI3fd2phSPdklMD0YGh-pTFI27ecmtkBJYIvxA2dZtAO7EMT2/s640/blogger-image-2058898821.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUNS5hVvQ-QslnGJUwCCY8rmc6uVmAHz7ZnXK2Bwy24vmis2GW4gfs-f5DNRboPfNPN7w2QUywh7hbrRannZD6FXB8wxQdI3fd2phSPdklMD0YGh-pTFI27ecmtkBJYIvxA2dZtAO7EMT2/s640/blogger-image-2058898821.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> Yesterday's walk was cancelled due to the rain; today however it's been beautiful - and luckily we were not leaving as early as Tuesday! We left the house at about 11am this morning and drove to a different car park. From here we began walking with a family that they're friends with and who I've got to know over the last two weeks (a couple with two young children and a baby, very nice people). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Today the going was much easier than Tuesday - I've put it down to several variables: the weather was a little cooler, the path not as steep, I was not dressed all in black as I was the other day, and my backpack was lighter. A combination of all I think. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigp3u30N2VcVTPvDaept6zPevsT61p3BxjrOswE3gyF6-tQTOTr0PPMZHqGoT-yTePOSxrstbTvnIbYwoeeEIiLufPMuj-GH8t_AJHxHOt2kwpAUK2GyiZ3Iq3AxBduLCgxr84Yxs7BkVn/s640/blogger-image-1162807441.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigp3u30N2VcVTPvDaept6zPevsT61p3BxjrOswE3gyF6-tQTOTr0PPMZHqGoT-yTePOSxrstbTvnIbYwoeeEIiLufPMuj-GH8t_AJHxHOt2kwpAUK2GyiZ3Iq3AxBduLCgxr84Yxs7BkVn/s640/blogger-image-1162807441.jpg"></a></div><br></div>We walked for nearly an hour again and then stopped for a picnic next to a stream, which lasted several hours!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMqRcYlon_IeGc84zWVkB3a3CufRAI47dirkV3kZSAV_xxZHoixSzFKU20J47S4U2w479s0zniYjC4nkGJBOKELkSW7cZrkIg4p52Oict6iSHq08aEYDYwiboOXKCLiKxRqV3L4kn6lrqj/s640/blogger-image-1117944637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMqRcYlon_IeGc84zWVkB3a3CufRAI47dirkV3kZSAV_xxZHoixSzFKU20J47S4U2w479s0zniYjC4nkGJBOKELkSW7cZrkIg4p52Oict6iSHq08aEYDYwiboOXKCLiKxRqV3L4kn6lrqj/s640/blogger-image-1117944637.jpg"></a></div><br></div></div><div>Nothing like a peach juice box. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-iciRpsJFhn34DLc_tmyCUCn136vfIsdJgCFUZdaW3qjBtaRG-rt1oLhQ9IbrXFCo83EgXNVCDfo24DUHokvnRXlwLWsdR_9kyQ0Ws0Tf45JDRBbxVzu8vADGfU9gtZZL4NkthqE1hJ0s/s640/blogger-image--1922017063.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-iciRpsJFhn34DLc_tmyCUCn136vfIsdJgCFUZdaW3qjBtaRG-rt1oLhQ9IbrXFCo83EgXNVCDfo24DUHokvnRXlwLWsdR_9kyQ0Ws0Tf45JDRBbxVzu8vADGfU9gtZZL4NkthqE1hJ0s/s640/blogger-image--1922017063.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg181hK2wijWRg1-rGTUWLuKRGUV1n_BF_gQ12DPbaPStPYosp5SEX9JzdVz-6aXJoWLuE1yKH_A-XbW5CdNl9kRuWRKhdZ0FhR4Se6xa5NVb4Lo5-N7t4iUzpmO35x64o4IdK503gW_xVt/s640/blogger-image-784433723.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg181hK2wijWRg1-rGTUWLuKRGUV1n_BF_gQ12DPbaPStPYosp5SEX9JzdVz-6aXJoWLuE1yKH_A-XbW5CdNl9kRuWRKhdZ0FhR4Se6xa5NVb4Lo5-N7t4iUzpmO35x64o4IdK503gW_xVt/s640/blogger-image-784433723.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>It was extremely pituresque - the trees, the mountains, the stream, and the cows!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1UoaiKZjneNeGruGLSCZm22S9xg3rzFiJeBTpLmzZtBrxn6u83JALpRiw0azCZ9N9wCNx3or5diR-dFG0vrVwv76mfeW6qZRd_fGyVMOw6C-jZS0h_NnbucSppq_iJv-j5TjN16GczI_e/s640/blogger-image--891899273.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1UoaiKZjneNeGruGLSCZm22S9xg3rzFiJeBTpLmzZtBrxn6u83JALpRiw0azCZ9N9wCNx3or5diR-dFG0vrVwv76mfeW6qZRd_fGyVMOw6C-jZS0h_NnbucSppq_iJv-j5TjN16GczI_e/s640/blogger-image--891899273.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Later, on the way back down, we made a new friend:</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1CU3pB6C8CjZpn8XdhOfQ-L6c5IQcWPPqD1lKswPUqASPMFIA6wAz6OWgOjRt_Y0h-R3WdV-LRST4nCN5fY_TSsVCZOIKhhQ2QKADtH_SFN0jPsgZNRGggxq94e2Sb4CEz7Hp7KKs3Xo_/s640/blogger-image--1550207353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1CU3pB6C8CjZpn8XdhOfQ-L6c5IQcWPPqD1lKswPUqASPMFIA6wAz6OWgOjRt_Y0h-R3WdV-LRST4nCN5fY_TSsVCZOIKhhQ2QKADtH_SFN0jPsgZNRGggxq94e2Sb4CEz7Hp7KKs3Xo_/s640/blogger-image--1550207353.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>When we arrived home, everyone flopped down outside, and I snuck off to make a cup of tea - the one thing the picnic was lacking in!</div><div><br></div><div>X</div>Claudia Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372463551998915225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4919671304220146299.post-8992253116945098092014-08-10T11:35:00.001+02:002014-08-10T11:35:31.489+02:00Mountains, pizza and hunting for mushrooms.<div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">We're now back in the mountains! Although you wouldn't be able to tell this morning, since the fog is so thick...</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqd8wUYv1sMfF317_Q7utJuCgIItom2BtfEy5N5PLg-bD86O-IEeDSrSo1E0eWtdoCba0XLMaUEq_opnBAs_6iKNsTE_uG2KXmzoihWuIQ8PNJyfAlGJ5aJyrMEImUnpbKxu5cxd-SgyJP/s640/blogger-image--1334860089.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqd8wUYv1sMfF317_Q7utJuCgIItom2BtfEy5N5PLg-bD86O-IEeDSrSo1E0eWtdoCba0XLMaUEq_opnBAs_6iKNsTE_uG2KXmzoihWuIQ8PNJyfAlGJ5aJyrMEImUnpbKxu5cxd-SgyJP/s640/blogger-image--1334860089.jpg"></a></div><br></span></div><div><br></div><div>Papa M returned Wednesday morning having been away with work (he left the day I arrived) - he's a bit strict and smokes a lot, but cracks jokes and is generally quite nice, so all's good. Friday morning we got up early and had left for the mountains by 8am - I slept for most of the journey, can't be doing with these early starts! (Luckily for the last two days I've been able to sleep in til 9am yay!)</div><div><br></div><div>In the afternoon on Friday we met up with some of their friends and went for a small hike up a large part of the mountain. In order to get up there we swapped their usual car for a 32-year-old British jeep that they keep in a garage up here (it lives in the garage, hence no photo). The engine makes alarming noises but it's a bit more fun than the Volvo, anyway. </div><div><br></div><div>The road up the mountain was amazing. Having arrived here by windy roads, this road came as no surprise, however the going was slightly worse (it took us three or four attempts to get up one particular hill - I did not enjoy that). The higher we went, the more fog there was, it was quite amazing. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNY8kSJqzcVAAXpuW2ydiMv0nclMXeb6ygNK8ZLjUgsoliZcxRMfuxaDEx2O-BbhZTFrHXiFPs-ypc9Cm5QVxmMJQ6DtnU4OjPn1aUrR_u9u-J_4PGGVdk4lYsm1fCQEXJxABWEJchKl1C/s640/blogger-image--1637990576.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNY8kSJqzcVAAXpuW2ydiMv0nclMXeb6ygNK8ZLjUgsoliZcxRMfuxaDEx2O-BbhZTFrHXiFPs-ypc9Cm5QVxmMJQ6DtnU4OjPn1aUrR_u9u-J_4PGGVdk4lYsm1fCQEXJxABWEJchKl1C/s640/blogger-image--1637990576.jpg"></a></div></div><div><br></div><div>We eventually arrived, parked up and went walking up the mountain, until we reached a sort of inn-bar-restaurant - at which point we had hot chocolates.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu7ANATxqcBXmCdl7WWMkDk9BDd2XzikMX73evcn_hhyphenhyphenKUcw4YajqJLMHNxXW-TOfbE4ZKlNnJjGSUYAWB6T5roaZmXATtEek7_aXGdg0mEUttWVGo35zdYG4eDpa18X56jeXdsi2KKgbf/s640/blogger-image--868598955.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu7ANATxqcBXmCdl7WWMkDk9BDd2XzikMX73evcn_hhyphenhyphenKUcw4YajqJLMHNxXW-TOfbE4ZKlNnJjGSUYAWB6T5roaZmXATtEek7_aXGdg0mEUttWVGo35zdYG4eDpa18X56jeXdsi2KKgbf/s640/blogger-image--868598955.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj93jYB4V_-7noVPGTCoWJBxuZ1UvVI2fgS7IV8i2MjM1fzHEqOugXRGDoVN10MkjExkhEkQ5sFHbJh3L8MydSxIe91HRrYKm09x0SrBXcT8qy2EwFJx5oc2nVq22TC1KQyJS58riYCJFAn/s640/blogger-image-1640505945.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj93jYB4V_-7noVPGTCoWJBxuZ1UvVI2fgS7IV8i2MjM1fzHEqOugXRGDoVN10MkjExkhEkQ5sFHbJh3L8MydSxIe91HRrYKm09x0SrBXcT8qy2EwFJx5oc2nVq22TC1KQyJS58riYCJFAn/s640/blogger-image-1640505945.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Gg_A8tX1-DLONth2KD8-svLrxbLobsgi553Dxj_jajNqCxZndG1_8JSK-OUqtdDGpppnf0WtVkcd6Co5YMiRPmYoDrlKRTXkKYbbrrvvNTsAAOJ899bPszrZjflhooPsQRUhi7q_HXWB/s640/blogger-image-1010877905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Gg_A8tX1-DLONth2KD8-svLrxbLobsgi553Dxj_jajNqCxZndG1_8JSK-OUqtdDGpppnf0WtVkcd6Co5YMiRPmYoDrlKRTXkKYbbrrvvNTsAAOJ899bPszrZjflhooPsQRUhi7q_HXWB/s640/blogger-image-1010877905.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div> You still couldn't really see anything due to the fog, but then all of a sudden it started to clear and the views were amazing!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic9YKIFmnzByH3WpuoBXCC-6ocoOeJMfF1Uk4o_tgIDN5wjbMAPuFQmIiBCEZyEaDlBsdN_U3kvsSOdLfejW5UpleIwuKWigmQPhMjRb3rBEX4EqzmA1XpVo2SFY0gn6tu-BROt6WSg6d-/s640/blogger-image--1791269071.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic9YKIFmnzByH3WpuoBXCC-6ocoOeJMfF1Uk4o_tgIDN5wjbMAPuFQmIiBCEZyEaDlBsdN_U3kvsSOdLfejW5UpleIwuKWigmQPhMjRb3rBEX4EqzmA1XpVo2SFY0gn6tu-BROt6WSg6d-/s640/blogger-image--1791269071.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCs50PomxGic3mydF1SeCMfMkzo2iobBqc1iqtnH_UjjGUOhzypl2c16i0TPp433X1v-o8OdaQ44ww4wEEUOUcatd2Y9CQ4GELyHDwmrLkvLANthX9K3VWF_z9RpO9K6zh5jQgT0ZDsFDE/s640/blogger-image--938857912.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCs50PomxGic3mydF1SeCMfMkzo2iobBqc1iqtnH_UjjGUOhzypl2c16i0TPp433X1v-o8OdaQ44ww4wEEUOUcatd2Y9CQ4GELyHDwmrLkvLANthX9K3VWF_z9RpO9K6zh5jQgT0ZDsFDE/s640/blogger-image--938857912.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7I2qHUdgl7LQGa6xFne-y5SKlbMGfvMH-mz_uWENwDy6eqbg6ETyZFtLqOq7SPjMe2ewLMAnaAYK14Jq8S_MXNg7kxaUJXZprSUZsWeprbpijrZhskBb2rlVcG0yboCkwHpuWKRfVtwzQ/s640/blogger-image-1533346959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7I2qHUdgl7LQGa6xFne-y5SKlbMGfvMH-mz_uWENwDy6eqbg6ETyZFtLqOq7SPjMe2ewLMAnaAYK14Jq8S_MXNg7kxaUJXZprSUZsWeprbpijrZhskBb2rlVcG0yboCkwHpuWKRfVtwzQ/s640/blogger-image-1533346959.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>I took this last photo with an app called '360' - you take a panorama and it does the rest of the work! Very clever and the girls were amazed by it. </div><div><br></div><div>On the way back down it started to rain...</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzYvSDmPcKhHYQunHJiOC3Ymhn1PR_tFtYs4BbV0cqaBQdwEm7Hwyqp_q2rYs4NxXr4uyYgGzdMGyBe1z11SYYZJ88QWKzg4GwSyL74bOIpDtYK2tz0VVgsk21a6PlfQT9xDrJG-fh_fb2/s640/blogger-image--747420120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzYvSDmPcKhHYQunHJiOC3Ymhn1PR_tFtYs4BbV0cqaBQdwEm7Hwyqp_q2rYs4NxXr4uyYgGzdMGyBe1z11SYYZJ88QWKzg4GwSyL74bOIpDtYK2tz0VVgsk21a6PlfQT9xDrJG-fh_fb2/s640/blogger-image--747420120.jpg"></a></div></div><div><br></div><div>...but it was still beautiful!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFghD5Q9qvxKeRWAXCfOpZmjESm7Q4J4G0lEdoUyBIAovKq16xrcsZN4nWje2QDvwRQREUbwF4jyFhhF5vHJ9DoU54ObpjhcEiKWI65A68OcSVcmc0juTFzOr1N-IyNDcmu3uUOw435J9Z/s640/blogger-image-2146627872.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFghD5Q9qvxKeRWAXCfOpZmjESm7Q4J4G0lEdoUyBIAovKq16xrcsZN4nWje2QDvwRQREUbwF4jyFhhF5vHJ9DoU54ObpjhcEiKWI65A68OcSVcmc0juTFzOr1N-IyNDcmu3uUOw435J9Z/s640/blogger-image-2146627872.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJV0OhvYBx1Ph_LojZ8kdT1ZEqyNc-lAJdmUvN13dI2e_I2tlSnbad8SX7v8BWba1BPXdhXRaMPKmG8IC33S5nnmsZ05ukhc_n3ZuoMxWzwr9l-CSjjGo6TBb15MtnAdTGqVmVmv4RKXb1/s640/blogger-image--331047794.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJV0OhvYBx1Ph_LojZ8kdT1ZEqyNc-lAJdmUvN13dI2e_I2tlSnbad8SX7v8BWba1BPXdhXRaMPKmG8IC33S5nnmsZ05ukhc_n3ZuoMxWzwr9l-CSjjGo6TBb15MtnAdTGqVmVmv4RKXb1/s640/blogger-image--331047794.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>My 'yay I'm walking in the rain face'. </div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Then, yesterday, Mama B taught me her recipe for making pizza! </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV2ZrOlAEvk6zabLUy-zTtxJnFGterLAcIO4HtBQhFtGlg_dg0bJCLL-l3XFZmj2OODSg7UT8cpAOm4Z6qK6Fzwc2hppahLOlDnK-vE1kY65IjlBPu2VU8YW67UaMhNru0iLVjlq9Uwg-e/s640/blogger-image--813292144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV2ZrOlAEvk6zabLUy-zTtxJnFGterLAcIO4HtBQhFtGlg_dg0bJCLL-l3XFZmj2OODSg7UT8cpAOm4Z6qK6Fzwc2hppahLOlDnK-vE1kY65IjlBPu2VU8YW67UaMhNru0iLVjlq9Uwg-e/s640/blogger-image--813292144.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Start with 250g <i>farina</i> (flour), and add a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar. Add 2 to 3 dessert spoons of olive oil. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO0b3a6WJ9RA9WeUQpbp3K1sc6bz4HKHstrmIVKeP9316jEU_50MikSSzJ2r8Q1FATLLBPKJurP3O1whSMH5GtGLXfNZbUM1GvlEk3q3onVK6CD3ikc6GHj6d3ONELlL_T16t2JemfW9BV/s640/blogger-image--1168841255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO0b3a6WJ9RA9WeUQpbp3K1sc6bz4HKHstrmIVKeP9316jEU_50MikSSzJ2r8Q1FATLLBPKJurP3O1whSMH5GtGLXfNZbUM1GvlEk3q3onVK6CD3ikc6GHj6d3ONELlL_T16t2JemfW9BV/s640/blogger-image--1168841255.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Mix half of a block of Lievito fresco (which is essentially fresh yeast; she says you can use the powder version too) with tepid water, and pour onto the flour in batches and mix with your hands. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIWuAnNyNKw0ubMh_Lc3ctkrCOfw3ZjiTYzI7huWa84CsUnmuGeTEAqSDp_pzKX3_6Cav82Dp2wJHUnbgtkEqZDFgCJw_FbJ2_J3hfNEW5-ZLC3tHB928gGiJiIktOxcd-kgaSJq7gp-_A/s640/blogger-image--1539551421.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIWuAnNyNKw0ubMh_Lc3ctkrCOfw3ZjiTYzI7huWa84CsUnmuGeTEAqSDp_pzKX3_6Cav82Dp2wJHUnbgtkEqZDFgCJw_FbJ2_J3hfNEW5-ZLC3tHB928gGiJiIktOxcd-kgaSJq7gp-_A/s640/blogger-image--1539551421.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Knead for about five minutes, sprinkle with flour, and leave to rise for about half an hour. After that, add a tomato sauce and your toppings - I had tuna, gorgonzola and mozzarella on mine - it was amazing. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOY97zDXYH2FR_okuoJiUQ61eZh3Ir6pXN2LT26hIpWHw7fg8mioQuaiMuBKSV0tqiLhlY0zqcgFxpHqGVR8o3SLYLWDR7OHoVM-xQEl7X9sCgkPXJ1IXFnKokKMa8jc1OAP2u7Yo6-woI/s640/blogger-image-1831864818.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOY97zDXYH2FR_okuoJiUQ61eZh3Ir6pXN2LT26hIpWHw7fg8mioQuaiMuBKSV0tqiLhlY0zqcgFxpHqGVR8o3SLYLWDR7OHoVM-xQEl7X9sCgkPXJ1IXFnKokKMa8jc1OAP2u7Yo6-woI/s640/blogger-image-1831864818.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtxQzr9YaecnqyDNR0u5spk2CbN4zOn31gjRK0yobW7R8zNoVza-Ue_mY7ZAjmfusihd5p8mtuPsSzNU5rCC09iRRcKwTFfqy9PXccwRPrPFU7qErq41uFdYk-AAnUP5rIEifeox0vcTuW/s640/blogger-image-1970374639.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtxQzr9YaecnqyDNR0u5spk2CbN4zOn31gjRK0yobW7R8zNoVza-Ue_mY7ZAjmfusihd5p8mtuPsSzNU5rCC09iRRcKwTFfqy9PXccwRPrPFU7qErq41uFdYk-AAnUP5rIEifeox0vcTuW/s640/blogger-image-1970374639.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>In the afternoon we drove down the mountain and then headed off by foot to hunt for mushrooms. The forest was beautiful and, after crossing a bridge over the stream, we went off the beaten track and hiked further up the side of the mountain. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirkm99p1tuaK-uTB63cTYMucq9mrtR1sQCNpgoPbXRw2RrEZj88inHoWLqVHWT9Rt-5qAJGkrponoed2nfHRN9oXoHfIR5dgIM1XReP3MjsV7j4VV1XyGD3qWJ6EhSkZLFZLAB6Ui_W_X0/s640/blogger-image-1569989379.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirkm99p1tuaK-uTB63cTYMucq9mrtR1sQCNpgoPbXRw2RrEZj88inHoWLqVHWT9Rt-5qAJGkrponoed2nfHRN9oXoHfIR5dgIM1XReP3MjsV7j4VV1XyGD3qWJ6EhSkZLFZLAB6Ui_W_X0/s640/blogger-image-1569989379.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>We found <i>fragola di bosco</i> (wild strawberries - tiny ones!) and kept an eye out for <i>caprioli</i> (deer). </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIHf9izX5Si6ORPAFkIFqK_G5i7M1T5SzZL7_TiXfPA4ThDwbv8kQVMNYPkV64CgLhcxqOjms1Wu_iXImCglikJkeJl3j5tyQzkhEE10ceiXtXA_nEY80q8iul0nTA2IaOtNxQS5FcCfd4/s640/blogger-image-1787764341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIHf9izX5Si6ORPAFkIFqK_G5i7M1T5SzZL7_TiXfPA4ThDwbv8kQVMNYPkV64CgLhcxqOjms1Wu_iXImCglikJkeJl3j5tyQzkhEE10ceiXtXA_nEY80q8iul0nTA2IaOtNxQS5FcCfd4/s640/blogger-image-1787764341.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZSq6ISRpDoUG_n-QthArpP_kRQfJ6Mg6Z98hvp7aiCme__ta9hh7PSchMfW6-EbSq_N2mPF6hNV6P1vQdZuqo1sVx8JgmyUxaL22VhfckVkVDBkwSruwX3bzjWpQmRVAcs2kZ-UCnZ-3A/s640/blogger-image-894360652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZSq6ISRpDoUG_n-QthArpP_kRQfJ6Mg6Z98hvp7aiCme__ta9hh7PSchMfW6-EbSq_N2mPF6hNV6P1vQdZuqo1sVx8JgmyUxaL22VhfckVkVDBkwSruwX3bzjWpQmRVAcs2kZ-UCnZ-3A/s640/blogger-image-894360652.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>There were lots of these gorgeous little stone houses, all abandoned years ago. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHahn7Wij1RFwHUoXDiWe-zmsUkoVc51djlGhVxNNUAgzaGPmJP0ZVnqvys3qTyFXnNwZty1zbc6GFrr39X8Zx7jOJ1KtXP_pRaYfrYVa2xm1Zw2Rf5eXX641F0lkFEsnqnSz1KpgtxVVV/s640/blogger-image--1401207220.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHahn7Wij1RFwHUoXDiWe-zmsUkoVc51djlGhVxNNUAgzaGPmJP0ZVnqvys3qTyFXnNwZty1zbc6GFrr39X8Zx7jOJ1KtXP_pRaYfrYVa2xm1Zw2Rf5eXX641F0lkFEsnqnSz1KpgtxVVV/s640/blogger-image--1401207220.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaHIu41YEO8K0qj5H5O0WVNXxx7DWDt5PJzGRpI0CZ6X5ygq2bOlacI2932DfDsq076d3MSIh7MMXUv-GVOfUEJTPJ2cGnqD-CxsVZoS6AiS1ASr00-bBJc_xOWklITcJhBP__jBY8gvQv/s640/blogger-image-1390867237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaHIu41YEO8K0qj5H5O0WVNXxx7DWDt5PJzGRpI0CZ6X5ygq2bOlacI2932DfDsq076d3MSIh7MMXUv-GVOfUEJTPJ2cGnqD-CxsVZoS6AiS1ASr00-bBJc_xOWklITcJhBP__jBY8gvQv/s640/blogger-image-1390867237.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg39cz5Cn8Yh4K-UOAdFMUIGq43TIUeAw_5LQ9v4v_JEo8njwaV9l9Zpc3SQoPRZdjyNm41xw_8TSnG9YEpaU_IEpEHQkcqnsFxCyXSdznpbkal6RcnAMun2z_pUMK7-ggGL2UIXuL4AvLD/s640/blogger-image-1596987008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg39cz5Cn8Yh4K-UOAdFMUIGq43TIUeAw_5LQ9v4v_JEo8njwaV9l9Zpc3SQoPRZdjyNm41xw_8TSnG9YEpaU_IEpEHQkcqnsFxCyXSdznpbkal6RcnAMun2z_pUMK7-ggGL2UIXuL4AvLD/s640/blogger-image-1596987008.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>And, of course, lots of wildflowers. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOjk5vNcXwaQDKm0IrfNMBXv70A_jPUC1vzSczxLGJmHG2pxR78NoVnbxS0LdpphbdTwJYsFrVx9FiHwSdeyhGRtdJ1LYcCHRJuiNh5iUeE0acHjOZcRSrctmfv42eCUxunxGjKZUwOf3M/s640/blogger-image-1409095703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOjk5vNcXwaQDKm0IrfNMBXv70A_jPUC1vzSczxLGJmHG2pxR78NoVnbxS0LdpphbdTwJYsFrVx9FiHwSdeyhGRtdJ1LYcCHRJuiNh5iUeE0acHjOZcRSrctmfv42eCUxunxGjKZUwOf3M/s640/blogger-image-1409095703.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijLK8jP07wSHK6MQRpE9zbuWcVYsexwooRfwOdgc4HyUSMHIQ0ChkWHkq62_L5NIvHOriiMhf_zQgBIblZSRA2gV7VGyNVbqYkc_muv_C1Aj4RLMQSZk_2pddz_0haafjbtClKqapuLple/s640/blogger-image-436105983.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijLK8jP07wSHK6MQRpE9zbuWcVYsexwooRfwOdgc4HyUSMHIQ0ChkWHkq62_L5NIvHOriiMhf_zQgBIblZSRA2gV7VGyNVbqYkc_muv_C1Aj4RLMQSZk_2pddz_0haafjbtClKqapuLple/s640/blogger-image-436105983.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrdO4YAjeEJHMmDuWKcUDkSIEIzewoaXMW67uV8R8Dxu-P4CLarwcIBFFgF3eabX-llh0EaMKOjrTg0D8zHijsFm_sgoOIJmi7tlQ7dS_NTGH9OyWQYFzET0uH85UDrX5uyFF1shTE-7Do/s640/blogger-image-1522000668.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrdO4YAjeEJHMmDuWKcUDkSIEIzewoaXMW67uV8R8Dxu-P4CLarwcIBFFgF3eabX-llh0EaMKOjrTg0D8zHijsFm_sgoOIJmi7tlQ7dS_NTGH9OyWQYFzET0uH85UDrX5uyFF1shTE-7Do/s640/blogger-image-1522000668.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>When we returned home, we coated the large, flat mushrooms we'd found in egg and breadcrumbs, and fried them in butter and oil, as we did with the steaks last weekend. This was fantastic, and by far the best way to eat mushrooms!</div><div><br></div><div>So I'm officially in love with the mountains - hopefully this afternoon I'll see more of them as there is a walk planned, although only if we can actually see where we're going!</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Claudia Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372463551998915225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4919671304220146299.post-15347600173973734892014-08-07T14:53:00.001+02:002014-08-07T22:12:11.878+02:00Ten Thoughts On My Life In Italy.<div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Ciao!</span></div><div><br></div><div>So today I have written a list - a list of things I find strange, or interesting, or annoying, or just different about my life so far in Italy. Here's what I've come up with:</div><div><br></div><div>1. <b>Sugar</b>. There is a lot of this stuff around. At breakfast, which for us doesn't really seem to exist (see thought 8), the choice seems to be biscuits or...nothing. Once or twice the girls have had Rice Krispies - however, they covered them in sugar. I don't know if it's just the way I was raised (no sugary cereals (or sugar on cereal), only allowed sweets and crisps at weekends, etc) (which I am glad about) but the excess of sugar, to me, is mad. There seems to be a never ending supply of chocolates, biscuits and puddings in this house! Which I'm sure most people wouldn't mind but the thing is that I don't really have a sweet tooth...so I'll just stick to my fruit after I've had my lunch, thank you. </div><div><br></div><div>2.<b> The family don't really make much use</b> <b>of the oven</b> (so far, I've only seen in it action to bake a cake and cook a calzone), so what they're left with is frying things. Last weekend we ate these <i>bistecche</i> (steaks) that were cut extremely thin, covered in egg and breadcrumbs, and fried in a huge amount of butter. Don't get me wrong - they were <i>fantastic</i>. But when I'm cooking I tend to avoid frying, or if I do I certainly don't use quite as much butter or oil as they do here!</div><div><br></div><div>3.<b> TV programmes</b>. I've noticed that nearly everything the kids watch, and even one or two of the documentaries that Mama B watches, is translated from it's original language - which just so happens to be English, or if not then American English (apart from<i> I Daltons</i>, which I believe is French originally). So why on earth does the language department at uni <i>insist</i> we watch and read things that are originally in Italian, when they don't do that over here?! (No, I don't really mind this. And it's certainly entertaining watching iCarly, Zoey 101 and Peppa Pig in a different language)</div><div><br></div><div>4. <b>Catholicism</b>. I hadn't really thought much about the religion of Italy prior to coming here. Mama B has told me that about 95% of Italians are Catholic (her estimation anyway). Last Saturday night, whilst still in the mountains, I actually attended a Catholic Church service. I didn't have to go but I thought it would be interesting (in truth, something got lost in translation and I didn't quite realise where we going until we were out of the door. But ah well), which in truth....it wasn't really. There was a lot of repeating things back to the err....hrrm....the guy at the front; some singing; communion; and at one point we had to turn and shake hands with our neighbours - and unfortunately I didn't really understand most of the rest of the service. Interesting, maybe. But next time I think I'll spend that hour on Saturday night at the house. </div><div><br></div><div>5.<b> No kettle</b>. I repeat: <b>no kettle</b>. Let's get one thing out there - I drink a lot of tea. Or should I say, in England I drank a lot of tea. Here not so much. It took me a couple of tries to fully grasp the art of making the perfect cuppa without said necessary item: 2 minutes 40 seconds (at least) in the microwave, leave the tea bag in (<i>shudder</i>) and just a small amount of milk. Well, it's not perfect, but it will do. </div><div><br></div><div>6. <b>Swimming caps</b>. So on Monday G and I went with four friends (ages 13 - 19, thankfully) to the <i>centro sportivo</i>, which was essentially a small waterpark attached to a gym, a pool and some tennis courts. Mama B gave me a swimming cap to wear and I was thinking "No friggin' way am I wearing this shit". But, I wore it. Why, you may ask? On a hot day in a waterpark? Because <i>everyone</i> was wearing them. Literally everyone. It was the most bizarre thing: considering I haven't worn one since being forced to at school, and I figured I would stand out like a sore thumb if I had worn mine - but nope!</div><div><br></div><div>7. <b>There are lizards.</b> Everywhere! And NO ONE that's right NO ONE seems to notice!! (Besides little C that is. She, just like me, loves the little buggers) They are <i>adorable</i> and I want them all. They sit in the grass in the sun and wriggle around in the bushes - fascinating. But here? Normal!</div><div><br></div><div>I attempted to get photos of them but they're just too quick. So here's my <i>artistic</i> impression of them:</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIrbPz4l5BUttUjAA2WGpJBCEbyh0l3PsswCAID7J9cWsh81sbdbf24eCvzAqT1M5lyXqx74PWuOcb2oF-sAJlCdglNJ0T6C6JDO7pWlEseG7HOxKpHFgsMIyLa6di9rVGBSmTPFIKkMJc/s640/blogger-image-2057007345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIrbPz4l5BUttUjAA2WGpJBCEbyh0l3PsswCAID7J9cWsh81sbdbf24eCvzAqT1M5lyXqx74PWuOcb2oF-sAJlCdglNJ0T6C6JDO7pWlEseG7HOxKpHFgsMIyLa6di9rVGBSmTPFIKkMJc/s640/blogger-image-2057007345.jpg"></a></div></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>8. <b>Lack of breakfast</b>. This is something that displeases me greatly. I figured it would be different (when on a school exchange in Germany I ate tiny pieces of toast with Nutella or fruit for breakfast), however I wasn't expecting nothing. My breakfast these days comprises solely of a cup of tea (if you can really call it that), sometimes a biscuit (I can't bring myself to eat biscuits for breakfast. It's wrong. My boyfriend, however, would just love it!) and sometimes a coffee when the cleaner arrives (which is 2 - 3 times a week). </div><div><br></div><div>This morning I received a Snapchat from a good friend who is currently on holiday in Malaga - it was of an English cooked breakfast. My stomach actually rumbled at the sight of it. </div><div><br></div><div>9. <b>Recycling</b>. Something I'm very glad about. As I attend a pretty green uni back in the UK and practising recycling at home, I'm glad to see that the Italians like to recycle everything - even at the waterpark there were separate bins! Yay!</div><div><br></div><div>10. <b>Mosquitoes</b>. Now this is mildly interesting - I have never really been bothered by mosquitoes. They usually leave me be, bar the odd bite or two. Italian mosquitoes, however, are different. It would seem that they thrive on English blood. I get at least ten bites a day - and I'm not exaggerating! I've now taken to spraying myself with insect repellent as soon as I'm dressed in the morning - at least they get to have breakfast, the lucky little buggers. Thankfully in the mountains it's a bit too cool for them, so at least I'll be safe there. </div><div><br></div><div>Hope this list has shed some light on how different things are for me over here! I'm sure there are other things, but I thought that these would be the most entertaining to write/read about. </div><div><br></div><div>Tomorrow morning we return to the mountains - I promise lots of photos!</div><div><br></div><div>X</div><div><br></div>Claudia Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372463551998915225noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4919671304220146299.post-76550934511987931362014-08-06T15:04:00.001+02:002014-08-06T15:04:46.847+02:00Homesickness.<div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">There's a funny feeling that I've been getting recently. It first struck me last Friday, and then again yesterday. On the Friday I moped around feeling quite empty, not understanding why. Eventually I realised that I was homesick - I was missing my home, my family, boyfriend, friends, dogs.... </span></div><div><br></div><div>Homesickness is not a nice feeling. To miss something (or some things, someone) so dearly....well, it hurts. I proceeded to spend most of the day trawling through Facebook or photos on my phone. This didn't really help at all. In fact it probably just made it worse! But since we had no plans I didn't really have anything else to do but read - reading, I found, did help as it would take my mind off home for a while. </div><div><br></div><div>Over the weekend I was fine, then it struck me again yesterday. This time, it was much worse - I had nothing to do (G was studying and the others were out), I had finished my book on Friday and wanted to save my only other English book until later in the month. So, I sat down outside with a little sketchbook and my new set of sketching pencils and......I <i>cried.</i> I really couldn't help it - the tears just came pouring out. I had no idea what else I could do to cope with this horrible, horrible feeling. </div><div><br></div><div>However later on, when the others had returned, and we sat down to eat dinner, and went out for a walk by the river and got a gelato each, and watched Pirates of the Caribbean (turns out G loves Johnny Depp!)....I felt fine. I've realised that when I have nothing to do, I feel crap, and then I miss home more. On top of that, I get quite tired in the day, due to it being pretty warm, the early starts (usually around 7.30am. I don't mind early mornings, but not <i>every </i>morning...) and the lack of breakfast (more on that next time). </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1pl-ZCgJDi4equLL4-S_-OC8oUo8SODyCgCuSC1TVfaiHAwiQPeybiVJ4lW4Nca1elFu4wPXcc_s3e1p2vJ9t1TARs9GFOBo4lPiVV8rypTYbdJqc35kghJVYbp7X9gionX9cF1RgYuob/s640/blogger-image-346160023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1pl-ZCgJDi4equLL4-S_-OC8oUo8SODyCgCuSC1TVfaiHAwiQPeybiVJ4lW4Nca1elFu4wPXcc_s3e1p2vJ9t1TARs9GFOBo4lPiVV8rypTYbdJqc35kghJVYbp7X9gionX9cF1RgYuob/s640/blogger-image-346160023.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>So now, to overcome the homesickness, I have a plan: things that I can do when I feel this way, and when there's nothing going on because G is studying. </div><div><br></div><div>1. Find something to read - in either language. This morning I've bought two magazines, plus borrowed two books from the library when I went with G earlier, all in Italian, and I have one last English book. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgF8BwHsElX5K9Ui5QsIeei6lnBDurMXaM7W8Upek3OqTnZzx0qnMKy6DnWhV7qWdYVWrRcvW0iuFIOnJO_VMQ8zKcCYc6YzDJcF66H0O6q0LJYKO-2-hg2jJ2N_hbxt3OyNqYi236wy0r/s640/blogger-image--470577972.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgF8BwHsElX5K9Ui5QsIeei6lnBDurMXaM7W8Upek3OqTnZzx0qnMKy6DnWhV7qWdYVWrRcvW0iuFIOnJO_VMQ8zKcCYc6YzDJcF66H0O6q0LJYKO-2-hg2jJ2N_hbxt3OyNqYi236wy0r/s640/blogger-image--470577972.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>2. Go for a walk in the sunshine. The weather seems to be getting better, and I seem to know (at least part of) my way around town now!</div><div><br></div><div>3. Listen to music. This is a little difficult as I didn't really put much on my phone before leaving...all the same, I've managed to create a little playlist. Today I've had this song stuck in my head:</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj21tznccudzNxrmGtPUOeVPZ9b2Uoz2Rrndzvpc9oK7c0atXK2aHo62CCqHvbiNMUEpD1vtB-555dpoPB5qt8wtVN8fYkypQjQ34V8T3IGI57talG9nZeHMF8K1GoOtdcSdM0yMZI8rrwM/s640/blogger-image--616930228.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj21tznccudzNxrmGtPUOeVPZ9b2Uoz2Rrndzvpc9oK7c0atXK2aHo62CCqHvbiNMUEpD1vtB-555dpoPB5qt8wtVN8fYkypQjQ34V8T3IGI57talG9nZeHMF8K1GoOtdcSdM0yMZI8rrwM/s640/blogger-image--616930228.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>4. Have a nap. I know that nine times out of ten I think I'm feeling homesick, when I'm actually just exhausted. </div><div><br></div><div>5. Think happy thoughts! About how I'm here in Italy, I've taken a big step into the big bad world all by myself, I'm learning and I really, truly, am enjoying myself. I don't know how well this works for other people, but when I think happy, I become happy. </div><div><br></div><div>And if all that fails...I can't bloody well <i>cry.</i> I need to learn to man up! I'm doing something similar next month, where I go off to an unfamiliar place, by myself, and god knows if my new housemates will speak any English, for any comfort whatsoever! </div><div><br></div><div>It's time to acknowledge this for what it is: an adventure. It's difficult, but it's certainly an amazing experience. </div><div><br></div><div>Keep your fingers crossed for me. </div><div><br></div><div>X</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Claudia Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372463551998915225noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4919671304220146299.post-54263370759490124392014-08-03T22:38:00.001+02:002014-08-03T22:38:57.810+02:00What. A. Week.<div>Where do I even begin? I've already had an amazing time here and done so much. It certainly feels like I've been here longer than week! (Although, of course, it also feels like I got here this afternoon...)</div><div><br></div><div>I've settled in with the family and, though I did already know this, they are just lovely. They have made me feel so at home and communication has gotten a lot easier through the week. Already I find it easier to listen to conversation - I'm still not very good at butting in with my opinion but I am getting better at quickly answering questions (a good sign, I like to think!). Here's a couple of things I've got up to so far (besides drinking coffee...I'm officially addicted). </div><div><br></div><div>After an early start, Wednesday morning began with a lesson in English with G, which we do every morning. In the afternoon we walked around their town, picked up C from the asilo (like a play group) and then after dinner with their nonno (grandfather) we went for a walk at Lake Maggiore. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIVomMRwjEz-hk5-q_TMZUhfxbdOoBCCGOP8DvV4YcyQw_29xqI1F62SLvLrlQvvOawPzXnxzyv7rZBaZwH287uo6kqX3n84M0QrNaLSB8kVKjczq76kvVQbCXAHTFDQtRJFi1_u5Exm7b/s640/blogger-image-1270927720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIVomMRwjEz-hk5-q_TMZUhfxbdOoBCCGOP8DvV4YcyQw_29xqI1F62SLvLrlQvvOawPzXnxzyv7rZBaZwH287uo6kqX3n84M0QrNaLSB8kVKjczq76kvVQbCXAHTFDQtRJFi1_u5Exm7b/s640/blogger-image-1270927720.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFGAVOAV60Q5hclJl_iL77msDUF5lH-Op-HDwxEgjnAv3rPblzF6O7DQeC8_R6Hhj481Zd7cty5BuQGeMwqjui3AuVxX-cVCV_CrxgEv-zAGjY68oDC-I50YYyRaXWQEOY-fPMx_JdxTaX/s640/blogger-image-2076635904.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFGAVOAV60Q5hclJl_iL77msDUF5lH-Op-HDwxEgjnAv3rPblzF6O7DQeC8_R6Hhj481Zd7cty5BuQGeMwqjui3AuVxX-cVCV_CrxgEv-zAGjY68oDC-I50YYyRaXWQEOY-fPMx_JdxTaX/s640/blogger-image-2076635904.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>It was a beautiful warm evening (once it had stopped raining), and we walked for a while and fed the ducks before stopping off for a gelato across the road. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgenfI0N2opA7NHJkNhBToTvZR3iAlazZyqQGUdMI9jhS_NTuqmxBKCbLgCdN4mhKODYFyNp29AIjXs4slBuS_jkqOys8nThy8h9EnQlWLOPCi-5nGShm9OfLszORYG30F19yp33Em4ue6V/s640/blogger-image--1342056168.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgenfI0N2opA7NHJkNhBToTvZR3iAlazZyqQGUdMI9jhS_NTuqmxBKCbLgCdN4mhKODYFyNp29AIjXs4slBuS_jkqOys8nThy8h9EnQlWLOPCi-5nGShm9OfLszORYG30F19yp33Em4ue6V/s640/blogger-image--1342056168.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>I picked <i>fragola </i>(strawberry), because when it's properly made it is delicious (okay, I admit it - I got flustered, panicked and just picked strawberry). I'm dying to try some other, proper Italian flavours though. By the time we got back to the car it was nearly dark, and I was exhausted!</div><div><br></div><div>The next day it was ridic hot, and in the afternoon I went with the girls and Mamma B (along with her friend Monica and her two girls) to visit a beautiful church on Lake Maggiore. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLyMvIx8crOxt4nQ-9dTWBZIE8OgSPUi4ekEGoUbIwTFy4A5Rz5AvqM5st0aWonS-z9lwDBa0Yf4K5xYE7WuAqhyeYb7tzEwd7Bz9i0CMoprFWK7J_tuUxrsNcKfkDmUWBORfYvCW6iGCg/s640/blogger-image--801204807.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLyMvIx8crOxt4nQ-9dTWBZIE8OgSPUi4ekEGoUbIwTFy4A5Rz5AvqM5st0aWonS-z9lwDBa0Yf4K5xYE7WuAqhyeYb7tzEwd7Bz9i0CMoprFWK7J_tuUxrsNcKfkDmUWBORfYvCW6iGCg/s640/blogger-image--801204807.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>You find the <i>Santa Caterina del Sasso</i> down a long winding flight of stone steps that lead you to a cliffside overlooking the (extremely blue and dreamy) lake. On the way back up the steps may make you gasp for breath, but it is completely worth it. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglGyjp9rOWp40E5GikiPH5ZmwPxDnp8vscjP_Qf9sogPW9ASvVC-eN51I4ay-IybTjnXNhf7vTH42CH9aY2L7Xj5hpjVtCK-HDulIY4bnBYArZYmMb9OkpeVdOgLKlt9XTjRi60RXr43Qa/s640/blogger-image-682754094.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglGyjp9rOWp40E5GikiPH5ZmwPxDnp8vscjP_Qf9sogPW9ASvVC-eN51I4ay-IybTjnXNhf7vTH42CH9aY2L7Xj5hpjVtCK-HDulIY4bnBYArZYmMb9OkpeVdOgLKlt9XTjRi60RXr43Qa/s640/blogger-image-682754094.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Then, early on Saturday morning, the four of us (Mama B, the girls and me) left for the mountains. They've a house up there and it took us about an hour and a half in the car. After nearly an hour into the journey, they appeared. The mountains. They. Were. Enormous. Because of the odd weather we've been having (rain to sun to thunderstorm, and Mama B has been insisting that this is not at all what their summers are usually like), there was this amazing fog that hung over the giants. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbFAYkpMoroMbZ8YRtQP6C7vgY-oCjtJ0bAoa_OkkxthCQfiexkRnIJPk0JpFX6WlhiIZgBF4i5VjYfxtsXeb7IWkq2D2sMSIf1EOFwjB01bqTVN-NZbZvCK6ArYgikpsttbpziYH_Foxb/s640/blogger-image-694388291.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbFAYkpMoroMbZ8YRtQP6C7vgY-oCjtJ0bAoa_OkkxthCQfiexkRnIJPk0JpFX6WlhiIZgBF4i5VjYfxtsXeb7IWkq2D2sMSIf1EOFwjB01bqTVN-NZbZvCK6ArYgikpsttbpziYH_Foxb/s640/blogger-image-694388291.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>To get to the village we drove through the mountains and up the side of the mountains, on long windy roads with incredible views. Though we arrived at about 10 in the morning, it wasn't until 7 in the evening that you would even know what the house was surrounded by! </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeFCpaO71xLaaGhrZcsTJWduN-wbSpdbFzFUl9mH_DbvS2Le2x8u8PxOId6iohCIKIsZR-h86rFfiZWchyphenhyphenDzJZtXH4_bcyPLfVu1St_inQePKPAn-et0PQc6kfPooTT7wVWG37yFYrZxF3/s640/blogger-image--1485237387.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeFCpaO71xLaaGhrZcsTJWduN-wbSpdbFzFUl9mH_DbvS2Le2x8u8PxOId6iohCIKIsZR-h86rFfiZWchyphenhyphenDzJZtXH4_bcyPLfVu1St_inQePKPAn-et0PQc6kfPooTT7wVWG37yFYrZxF3/s640/blogger-image--1485237387.jpg"></a></div></div><div><br></div><div>This weekend has passed in more of a blur than the week (we're already back at home!). Walks in the fog, coffee outside a hotel, spotting a fox and two deer in the forest, the comfort of a log burner in the house (it gets damn chilly up there!) and the crepes with Nutella that we bought from a stall in the village last night. It has been a fantastic weekend!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-YdNkw6GMk16jNLt5Br7STJVdVBWLcpl1p4GQznADAz1KaLwk1yyqiXOdjZo4naPeFyiBQjEQpGsrijeW50FbKWmurRfSHLyVknv2Wd3Dar1he5r45VmcCpluLHQRQ0iME3dv1JfBg0-P/s640/blogger-image-586024924.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-YdNkw6GMk16jNLt5Br7STJVdVBWLcpl1p4GQznADAz1KaLwk1yyqiXOdjZo4naPeFyiBQjEQpGsrijeW50FbKWmurRfSHLyVknv2Wd3Dar1he5r45VmcCpluLHQRQ0iME3dv1JfBg0-P/s640/blogger-image-586024924.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>No doubt I'll have more to tell soon - right now I can barely keep my eyes open, and I need to be awake tomorrow because G and I are going to a water park - eek!</div><div><br></div><div>X</div><div><br></div>Claudia Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372463551998915225noreply@blogger.com0