Our trip to Southern Italy (to the fright of my parents who repeatedly reminded me to guard my purse) began last Friday with a 5:30 am train to Napoli (Naples). Not wanting to wake up too early, seeing as we usually attempt to sleep around 1 am due to the heat, Elizabeth and I arrived at the Santa Maria Novella Train Station 15 minutes before our departure. However, we could not find our bin (track) number on the board, after trying to board an incorrect train, Elizabeth asked me I was sure I had the right station (as Florence has two). I was sure, but checked to humor her…..our tickets were from Campo Di Marto Train Station….we raced to a taxi and sprinted up the track at a little past 5:30, praying we’d see the train. We didn’t.
Ugg. What do we do?
We looked at the board and it said 50’ RIT (tren in ritardo, train is late)!!! So we happily waited for our late train and then rode it for 4 hours to Napoli, a city which looks scary just from inside the train station. I could not believe the amount of tagging and graffiti. We then boarded the local train which reminded me of a sticky roller coaster ride with its greasy seats, poor air circulation, and sketchy people. We met two cute older ladies from New Orleans and I thought to myself, I’d like to be their ages, still touring the world, fearlessly. We hopped out at the Pompeii stop and began our journey back in time to 63 AD when Mt. Vesuvius erupted.
First of all, Pompeii is huge and hot. I found it interesting that the waters used to come up to its walls, since there was no water in sight, as we passed remnants of an ancient dock. Below is a picture of the forum on of the main areas of government (Lucy feel free to correct me when ever you feel the urge).
This picture is a plaster casting of a human who appears to be either praying or covering his mouth from the ash. He is in a pottery stand as you can see the many clay jars.
One of Elizabeth’s favorite sites was the bakery and mill below. They would hook up mules to the gray mills on the right and they would turn the pedestal to make flour and on the left is the brick oven. Sadly I don’t think pizza as we know it had been invented…although they did have bread with tomatoes as simple street food.
We then continued on to Sorrento, our home for the next two nights. Elizabeth and I joked we were on our honeymoon weekend together since the entire weekend/town was so cute. After 30 minutes of searching for our hotel, we found Franco’s restaurant and his family. Franco immediately offered us coffee or anything we wanted. He was such a nice man. His wife and grandson in stroller walked up the three blocks to our room as Elizabeth and I followed in awe of her ability to quickly push the boy and the stroller. Our room was fantastic-in blues and lemon yellows of course and with AC! We immediately showered and crashed for a couple hours before dinner.
We woke up starved and made our way to Franco’s restaurant. The streets of Sorrento are nothing like Florence. Besides that Sorrento is a beach town primarily visited by Brits in the summer for the last 150 years, it is way cleaner and brighter. (I didn’t receive a single cat call…and it’s not because we didn’t look good b/c we did…no I take that back Elizabeth saw someone remove his sunglasses and check us out, like they do in the movies…oye. But no verbal remarks). Elizabeth ordered fried shrimp and squid and I got pasta arbbiata (spicy!). Elizabeth thoroughly enjoyed eating the shrimp eats. We capped the night with gelato (she got chocolate and forest berries and I got lemon and lemon-vanilla) and sad next to the merry go round before returning to our room to sleep the best sleep ever.
On Saturday, we ventured to Capri (and it’s not said like the pants or the song, it’s CA-pri, I had a lot fun with this—ask Elizabeth). We took a 25 minute ferry over to the little island that once was the summer retreat for Augustus Ceaser. Upon arrival we took another speed boat to see the Blue Grotto (like the big boat below with the smaller row boats hitching a ride).
It was quite the ordeal. Next we loaded into a small row boat which our guide, Marco, guided through a small opening in the limestone (aka by pulling on a chain on the side while Elizabeth laid on top of me, with Marco flat on top of her) into the blue water cave. My picture doesn’t do it justice. Inside the guides all sang this Italian song and I wondered if Walt Disney had been here to get the idea for pirates of the Caribbean. It was a hoot.
Returning to the dock, we took a cable car up to Capri Town and then a bus up to Anacapri, where we ate lunch at Ristorante Columbo. It was an amazingly cute spot: terrace with hanging grape vines all around with views down to the dock. Here we had some our our best foods. We began with the antipasti chef’s sampler, seen below.
Then Elizabeth ordered the gnocchi al Sorrento (tomatoes and bufallo cheese (B. cheese is from southern Italy) and I had pesto pasta. Both were homemade pastas and delicious!
Then we took a chair lift (are you counting the types of transport so far? Foot, hydrofoil/ferry, speed boat, row boat, cable car, bus, chair lift…that’s 7) to Monte Solaro, at the very top of Capri island. It was like soaring California at Disneyland, but real. We enjoyed smells of lemon groves and sights of farms and the distant harbors and other islands.
At the top, we could see from every direction. Truly paradise. Check out the rock formation behind me in this picture.
That night we had the BEST pizza (according to Elizabeth, I think the one we had in Florence was better, but it’s pretty close) at a little restaurant that took me forever to find because tired and hungry, I had flipped the map in my head so that instead of walking towards the water, I walked inland…long story short Elizabeth was about to kill me if we didn’t find water for her parched tongue soon. Although we did stop at a pastry shop off the beaten path that she claims made the best cannoli ever. So with every downside, there is an upside. Following dinner, Elizabeth had some sandals handmade for her (they are adorable) and I had more gelato.
Our final day was spent in Positano, where “stairs are as steep as ladders” however we did not run into any of them. John Steinbeck stayed here for a year in the fifties and he is right when he says it is “a dream place that isn’t quite real when you’re there becomes beckoningly real after you have gone.” Here is a view from where the bus dropped us off of Positano’s main beach and dock.
We took a small boat with a red smiling fish to Spiaggia di Laurita (Laura’s beach) where it is lower key and more locals spend their Sunday. Check out the driver and patron…it’s the basic mentality in Positano in a photo.
And here is a photograph of the dog that jumped aboard and while he lied down the entire ride, he jumped up when we got close, in anticipation of arrival. We then docked at the most unsafe looking dock I’ve ever seen of random plywood and tires. Elizabeth and secured our sun chairs and quickly (I gradually entered) the sea. Wow. It was so clear, warm and refreshing.
We then had a great meal at Da Alfado’s steps from our chairs. Elizabeth ordered their signature dish: squid and potatoes—good choice. I couldn’t believe it was Italian, but it was. North and Southern Italy are so different…even more so that California is split. I guess its mostly because Italy is recently unified and before was a bunch of city states. I love how passionate everyone is about the region they call home.
Sadly we said our goodbyes to Positano (but not before having the BEST granita) and made our way back to Naples where we had an hour, but sadly did not have such a memorable pizza (even though this is where Pizza was “born”). We got back to Florence around midnight and crashed.
Sadly, I’m counting the days not the weeks until I return to California. However, Elizabeth and I specifically left Northern Italy-Verona, Milan and the Lake district-for a future return trip. ☺ Sadly Alyssa had to return home last Saturday to attend to some family matters and I’m missing her. Especially when I get home from class or this morning when my mind got the best of me and I thought I was being robbed. Hope things are going okay hun and you’re in my prayers.
I just got back from drawing the David and am now cramming in a few more bikes until my final project is due on Thursday. We have our farwell dinner tonight from API which should be delicious. Tomorrow we're checking out a chocolateria and then Thursday Elizabeth and I are searching for bistecca fluorine, a signature of our city. Friday we plan to spend our last day in a near by currently undecided town.
It has all gone so fast. I’ve made some great friends. Wait, I don’t want to do this wrap up thing now. I’m getting out there and soaking up the last bit.
Ciao
Jacqueline
PS I've been here four weeks and still haven't been into the Duomo...ekks (I just saw David yesterday...he's still looking good)
**So it turns out my computer will no longer let me post pictures, sorry I'll try again later**
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
After the Rain...Sunshine
“Try and fail, but don't fail to try.”
- Stephen Kaggwa
- Stephen Kaggwa
So yesterday and today have been pretty close to fabulous. We did portraits yesterday and I was very happy with my drawing of Lorenzo, our model, although my class and I decided it looks like the model and Jesus (as in the holy son of God). I'll snap a picture of it later so you can make comparisons.
Last night Elizabeth and I went to this great Greek restaurant a block from my apartment. Oddly the hummus they served us was fried to look like the fried cheese you get at Chilli's. I guess we made a face because our super gorgeous Greek waiter asked if anything was wrong. When we said we were more used to the spread, he shrugged/laughed and said that's not how they do it here. It was delicious never the less. I had a kebab for my main and Elizabeth had some gyros and some other meat--both which replenished the salt we'd sweated out that day (it is predicted to be 40C tomorrow...that over 100F!!).
Today Elizabeth and I had our Science morning--we visited the Leonardo Da Vinci museum and the History of Science museum. Embarrassed for our sector of study, we left the museums disappointed. Why is science presented so poorly? Is it some test to make sure only driven people who are slightly crazy study it? There was one interesting room at the HS museum of medical instruments...including many wax models of babies in the womb with forceps pulling them out. I mean-wow-they had ever possible position of a birth: leg first, umbilical cord twisted, arm and leg coming out, doctors arm in the womb....it was graphic never the less. They also had a brain surgery kit too. I decided those brain surgeons from that era (200 years ago) must have been literally out of their minds to do such blind surgeries....even today its a huge risk.
We rewarded ourselves for our stamina with a wonderful granita (the original slushie...it's from Sicily. They are Elizabeth's fav. She got almond flavored and I got lemon). Then we made our way to the Yellow bar, a slightly touristy pizza joint. The pizza was good, but not as fabulous as the one from three days ago. I got mine with tomatoes and buffalo mozterella. yumm
After our meal, we went our separate ways and I searched for a shady side street to paint a bicycle. I decided to do my final (7 water colored pieces, the final one as a conclusionary piece) on bikes (get excited Dad). I have two so far. I want to capture the idea of waiting and time in their shadows or perhaps include a little personalization in the wall the bikes lean against. We'll see. Marcia has been particularly taken with them, and I have really enjoyed painting them.
Which leads me to the best event of the day/week/trip......
While Marcia and I were going over my self-portrait she asked me if I had ever thought of getting a masters in fine arts (!). I know my huge smile in shock was answer enough. We chatted about what it entailed, briefly. Evidently, if you have a portfolio of work, it doesn't matter what your undergrad is in. She continually stressed the importance of the decision though. Once I go art, it's 3 years of schooling for the masters and I'd have to be okay with leaving science. I'd keep it as a "hobby" like art is now. Reading the Scientific American or well, just talking frequently with my friends, since like Liz, they are mostly science or medicine. I'm not upset I did neuroscience for the past three years, it really has taken time in science to get me where I am now.
Builds layers and character I guess, although I always wish I had someone who told me to follow it. Not someone would have said you can do it if you want, but someone like Marcia who said "she'd be excited to see what I came up with during my masters studies" It was so empowering. After being shot down by the AP board junior year, I won't lie, a little of the wind my sail died. I know it's just one person's opinion and part of me thinks I wasn't ready to come right out of high school to art school. In h/s I loved the structure: class starts here and goes to this time, tests ever week, and detailed expectations. Art school may have been too loose right out of h/s. Additionally, I've always hated the idea of specializing--probably because I hadn't found exactly what I wanted to do forever, or for a long period of time. But the fact that I keep coming back to art: oiling painting during finals week last winter quarter, taking painting classes at night when I'm at home, going to museums, taking art history classes...ect....must mean something. I don't think I want to just "be a painter" for my occupation. I don't think I'm up to that. But I'd like to think about apply it to design, photography or education....so we'll see where the next years take me.
I also wanted to thank all of you for your encouraging word with the "ciao bella"-ing. I really shouldn't be mad for someone calling me beautiful. And I wanted to write this entry as soon as possible so that you knew optimistic Jac is still in check.
Ciao!
Jacqueline
“Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."-Steve Jobs
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Wall...Face....Ouch
Hit a bit of a wall yesterday. If you missed my complaining/thought I've been too happy the last three weeks and want to see me in pain, read on, otherwise just skip it to the next paragraph.
It seems the heat sneaked into Florence while I was in Chianti and sleeping before two am is now our of the question. Waking up early due to the construction noise/heat combination, I headed to the library to use the wireless and attempt to upload pictures from Chianti. After a couple hours of frustration on both the blog website and flickr.com, I gave up. My head ached from not having my morning cup of coffee that I had religiously ordered in Chianti. (I don't like being dependent on stimulants...I might turn into my mom, aka 4 espresso joe) [ironically today when I was uploading Elizabeth's piece, there were no problems.....grr]. After this I met Elizabeth in the market, starved I grabbed a sandwich at my favorite spot, but still with a headache, somehow resisted ordering a cappuccino since I was eager to get home and finish my art assignment...I hadn't really started. Lugging around my laptop and veggies I trotted home in the dripping heat. When I got up the tree flights of stairs, I grabbed my notebook and went to Plaza S. Marco to sketch people. Since I am not aloof in any sense, I received awkward stares before I even began. Fusturated I decided to focus my series on objects rather than people and walked back to my street and sat in the door way of a near by apt. I sketched a lamp and a locked bicycle, but lacking the patience for such a technical drawing I grew more fusturated--especially when an Italian man sat next to me and started going on in Italian. I wanted to punch him although I knew he was just trying to pick me up. When he realized my lack of Italian, he ciao bella-ed me and was on his way, and I darted to the Piazza S. Lorenzo to draw more bikes (I needed 5). Here in the sun, I messily drew a few more bikes, got ciao bella-ed again but he had a bit better English. (Sometimes I'm glad I don't know too much Italian....) Then I noticed I had left my large watercolor pad with my floral trifect in it, at the apartment, and so I went back for it. Arriving in my apartment, my head throbed and I felt the beginnings of a migraine. I turned off the lights (or rather just never turned them on) and lied in the hot of my room on my bed, tearing up with pain. Not only did I not want a migraine like the only other one I have ever had, but I also didn't want to admit to myself that I had let my stress levels get so out of wack while I was having this wonderful time in Florence. I let go getting mad at myself, popped some excedrin migraine in and read my insurance information, preparing myself for the worst. (at the same time I worried about my rather pink eye that I have had the last four days). ......then after an hour in my apartment, I dusted myself off and headed down to my art class, not in any mood to draw or paint, especially naked Italian men.
After class got better, Elizabeth and Alyssa were cooking dinner and I relaxed with some wine. I was glad to come home to friendly faces, although I did find myself lingering in the refrigerator a bit. As pictured in Liz's entry, she made delicious risotto with chicken and green beans (she was even impressed with how delicious it was and perfectly cooked).
Don't know if I slept any better last night, but I'm taking it easier today. (don't freak out Mom and Dad, I just thought it would be a little hilarious for those who have lived with me and understand my temperament too well....)
Here are also a few pictures from the Bobali Gardens and the Pitti Palace where Elizabeth I toured on Sunday.
At the top of the Bobali Gardens looking down on the Pitti Palace and Florence
Elizabeth loved these modern sculptures at are everywhere in Florence. Here is one of my favorites of the MANY pictures I took her and her men.
Look I'm in a bathtub!...in the silver museum.....?
Gelato from Perche no? Yummy
Alyssa and Venom, trying to cheer me up.
Ciao (bella)
Jac
It seems the heat sneaked into Florence while I was in Chianti and sleeping before two am is now our of the question. Waking up early due to the construction noise/heat combination, I headed to the library to use the wireless and attempt to upload pictures from Chianti. After a couple hours of frustration on both the blog website and flickr.com, I gave up. My head ached from not having my morning cup of coffee that I had religiously ordered in Chianti. (I don't like being dependent on stimulants...I might turn into my mom, aka 4 espresso joe) [ironically today when I was uploading Elizabeth's piece, there were no problems.....grr]. After this I met Elizabeth in the market, starved I grabbed a sandwich at my favorite spot, but still with a headache, somehow resisted ordering a cappuccino since I was eager to get home and finish my art assignment...I hadn't really started. Lugging around my laptop and veggies I trotted home in the dripping heat. When I got up the tree flights of stairs, I grabbed my notebook and went to Plaza S. Marco to sketch people. Since I am not aloof in any sense, I received awkward stares before I even began. Fusturated I decided to focus my series on objects rather than people and walked back to my street and sat in the door way of a near by apt. I sketched a lamp and a locked bicycle, but lacking the patience for such a technical drawing I grew more fusturated--especially when an Italian man sat next to me and started going on in Italian. I wanted to punch him although I knew he was just trying to pick me up. When he realized my lack of Italian, he ciao bella-ed me and was on his way, and I darted to the Piazza S. Lorenzo to draw more bikes (I needed 5). Here in the sun, I messily drew a few more bikes, got ciao bella-ed again but he had a bit better English. (Sometimes I'm glad I don't know too much Italian....) Then I noticed I had left my large watercolor pad with my floral trifect in it, at the apartment, and so I went back for it. Arriving in my apartment, my head throbed and I felt the beginnings of a migraine. I turned off the lights (or rather just never turned them on) and lied in the hot of my room on my bed, tearing up with pain. Not only did I not want a migraine like the only other one I have ever had, but I also didn't want to admit to myself that I had let my stress levels get so out of wack while I was having this wonderful time in Florence. I let go getting mad at myself, popped some excedrin migraine in and read my insurance information, preparing myself for the worst. (at the same time I worried about my rather pink eye that I have had the last four days). ......then after an hour in my apartment, I dusted myself off and headed down to my art class, not in any mood to draw or paint, especially naked Italian men.
After class got better, Elizabeth and Alyssa were cooking dinner and I relaxed with some wine. I was glad to come home to friendly faces, although I did find myself lingering in the refrigerator a bit. As pictured in Liz's entry, she made delicious risotto with chicken and green beans (she was even impressed with how delicious it was and perfectly cooked).
Don't know if I slept any better last night, but I'm taking it easier today. (don't freak out Mom and Dad, I just thought it would be a little hilarious for those who have lived with me and understand my temperament too well....)
Here are also a few pictures from the Bobali Gardens and the Pitti Palace where Elizabeth I toured on Sunday.
At the top of the Bobali Gardens looking down on the Pitti Palace and Florence
Elizabeth loved these modern sculptures at are everywhere in Florence. Here is one of my favorites of the MANY pictures I took her and her men.
Look I'm in a bathtub!...in the silver museum.....?
Gelato from Perche no? Yummy
Alyssa and Venom, trying to cheer me up.
Ciao (bella)
Jac
Elizabeth's Debut Food Column
About a week ago, Jacqueline informed me that her mom was pretty upset that there wasn’t more on her blog about all the wonderful food we have been enjoying. So, here I am, the official food columnist for Jacqueline’s blog. For those who want the delicious details, I’ll take you on a culinary tour of the best gelatos, crispiest pizzas, refreshing gazpachos, and much more. You’ll probably also get a few dining and cooking tips I’ve learned along the way.
After a week of absence, Jacqueline and I were reunited Saturday. That evening, a few of us went to a Mexican restaurant called Tijuana. The best way to describe our food was Mexican food, Italian style. The salsa reminded me of tomato sauce, imagine that. The place was called Tijuana, enough said.
The next day we headed to the Boboli gardens on one of the hottest days we’ve had so far. After a few hours of touring, we were starved and of course decided to travel all the way across Florence for what the travel guide said was one of the best pizzas here. Jacqueline and I are very willing to go great lengths for deliciousness. The ingredients came from the Naples region and it was a local favorite, how could anyone go wrong? The walked seemed like it went on forever, but it was definitely worth it. The indoor seating of the restaurant was decorated to look like a quaint, southern Italian town. The decorations were complete with brick walls, street signs, hanging laundry and iron gates. The pizza was amazing, and most definitely worth the long walk back. Jacqueline had a vegetarian pizza and I had a traditional Margherita pizza. (FYI: If the pizza doesn’t have basil, it’s not a true Margherita pizza. Would an Italian flag be Italian without the green? Didn’t think so.) The crust was airy and crispy and the sauce was light and tomato-y. The pizza was cooked in a huge flaming oven by a man who “looked like he enjoyed his pizzas” (Jacqueline’s words).
On our way home we stopped at the 2nd best gelateria in Florence called Perche no? (why not?...exactly our thought process). Jacqueline got blackberry and lemon and I got a watermelon granita (a kind of Italian slushee, which I know how to make!). These gelaterias only use the best ingredients, which is why they are so popular. The fruit gelatos truly taste like you are eating the actual fruit and are incredibly refreshing after a hot day. One of the reasons gelato tastes better than ice cream is because it is served at a slightly warmer temperature, allowing you to enjoy the flavor of the ice cream as opposed to suffering from frost bite.
For dinner we went to a restaurant that we’ve been waiting to go to for a week. Quattro Leoni had been written up in every book and was highly recommended by my teacher. Jacqueline, Alyssa and I had tried going there before but we were turned away because we didn’t have reservations. We left in awe after previewing the most gorgeous tomatoes I have ever seen. They were such a bright red and looked too perfect to be eaten. Back to our dinner. We started with tomato bruschetta with those amazing tomatoes. This appetizer is one of the reasons why I love Italy so much. Everything is so fresh and produce is only eaten when it’s in season. That is one of the reasons Italian cooking is so simple; there is no reason to cover up something that already tastes good straight from the market. Jacqueline and Colleen both got gazpacho, a cold, tomato-based soup. With a hint of bell pepper and carrot, the soup was definitely something you want to eat on a hot day. Alyssa got panzanella, a traditional summer salad made with tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and day old bread soaked in water and then crumbled and tossed with the vegetables. This recipe added some celery for an extra refreshing bite. I attempted to order grilled chicken and spinach but only ever got the spinach, which was very sad since I’ve been looking forward to this restaurant. [editor's note: Jac did ask multipule times if Elizabeth would like her to inquire after the polo...] The meal was redeemed by the pear and chocolate tart I had for dessert.
That’s it for now, but I’ll leave you with a simple recipe for panzanella. Toss diced tomatoes, onion and cucumber in a bowl with chopped basil. Add some oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Soak day old bread for a few minutes in cold water and then squeeze out the excess water. Crumble the bread into the bowl, mix everything together and enjoy!
-Elizabeth
editor's note: Tell Elizabeth she is a good writer because we want more food bits in the blog. I mean it only took three weeks of nagging to get her to write this one. Below is a photo of our risoto (Chicken, green bean and parmezan by Elizabeth) and a dish I had at the castle in Chianti (however, it was so disappointing I rather not bring it up again....) dinner last night. I'll try to upload more pictures from the Mexican resturant and 4 Leoni, however they are on liz's camera.
After a week of absence, Jacqueline and I were reunited Saturday. That evening, a few of us went to a Mexican restaurant called Tijuana. The best way to describe our food was Mexican food, Italian style. The salsa reminded me of tomato sauce, imagine that. The place was called Tijuana, enough said.
The next day we headed to the Boboli gardens on one of the hottest days we’ve had so far. After a few hours of touring, we were starved and of course decided to travel all the way across Florence for what the travel guide said was one of the best pizzas here. Jacqueline and I are very willing to go great lengths for deliciousness. The ingredients came from the Naples region and it was a local favorite, how could anyone go wrong? The walked seemed like it went on forever, but it was definitely worth it. The indoor seating of the restaurant was decorated to look like a quaint, southern Italian town. The decorations were complete with brick walls, street signs, hanging laundry and iron gates. The pizza was amazing, and most definitely worth the long walk back. Jacqueline had a vegetarian pizza and I had a traditional Margherita pizza. (FYI: If the pizza doesn’t have basil, it’s not a true Margherita pizza. Would an Italian flag be Italian without the green? Didn’t think so.) The crust was airy and crispy and the sauce was light and tomato-y. The pizza was cooked in a huge flaming oven by a man who “looked like he enjoyed his pizzas” (Jacqueline’s words).
On our way home we stopped at the 2nd best gelateria in Florence called Perche no? (why not?...exactly our thought process). Jacqueline got blackberry and lemon and I got a watermelon granita (a kind of Italian slushee, which I know how to make!). These gelaterias only use the best ingredients, which is why they are so popular. The fruit gelatos truly taste like you are eating the actual fruit and are incredibly refreshing after a hot day. One of the reasons gelato tastes better than ice cream is because it is served at a slightly warmer temperature, allowing you to enjoy the flavor of the ice cream as opposed to suffering from frost bite.
For dinner we went to a restaurant that we’ve been waiting to go to for a week. Quattro Leoni had been written up in every book and was highly recommended by my teacher. Jacqueline, Alyssa and I had tried going there before but we were turned away because we didn’t have reservations. We left in awe after previewing the most gorgeous tomatoes I have ever seen. They were such a bright red and looked too perfect to be eaten. Back to our dinner. We started with tomato bruschetta with those amazing tomatoes. This appetizer is one of the reasons why I love Italy so much. Everything is so fresh and produce is only eaten when it’s in season. That is one of the reasons Italian cooking is so simple; there is no reason to cover up something that already tastes good straight from the market. Jacqueline and Colleen both got gazpacho, a cold, tomato-based soup. With a hint of bell pepper and carrot, the soup was definitely something you want to eat on a hot day. Alyssa got panzanella, a traditional summer salad made with tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and day old bread soaked in water and then crumbled and tossed with the vegetables. This recipe added some celery for an extra refreshing bite. I attempted to order grilled chicken and spinach but only ever got the spinach, which was very sad since I’ve been looking forward to this restaurant. [editor's note: Jac did ask multipule times if Elizabeth would like her to inquire after the polo...] The meal was redeemed by the pear and chocolate tart I had for dessert.
That’s it for now, but I’ll leave you with a simple recipe for panzanella. Toss diced tomatoes, onion and cucumber in a bowl with chopped basil. Add some oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Soak day old bread for a few minutes in cold water and then squeeze out the excess water. Crumble the bread into the bowl, mix everything together and enjoy!
-Elizabeth
editor's note: Tell Elizabeth she is a good writer because we want more food bits in the blog. I mean it only took three weeks of nagging to get her to write this one. Below is a photo of our risoto (Chicken, green bean and parmezan by Elizabeth) and a dish I had at the castle in Chianti (however, it was so disappointing I rather not bring it up again....) dinner last night. I'll try to upload more pictures from the Mexican resturant and 4 Leoni, however they are on liz's camera.
Back from Chianti
hot and cool tones at the pool
An hour and half windy bus ride lead us to Castello di Meleto, our home for the week. Its beauty instantly blew us away as we pinched ourselves as we walked through the spice garden and down to the infinity pool. Our lodging was a spacious villa up the hill from the castle. Instantly we made our way to the pool to relieve any motion sickness left over from the bus trip up. Here I got in the mindset for one of my paintings, which focuses on hot and cold color tones.
view of our villa from the castle
view of our villa from the castle
Originally uploaded by jstark
Our villa is the top building on the hill. It was pretty sweet. We all had dropped jaws when we found out we'd be living there.
Lavender from the Spice Garden
wine labeler
wine labeler
Originally uploaded by jstark
This was a cool contraption. It reminded me of Will's coin sorter, but much more detailed. It's three times as big as what is pictured here.
wine box di castello di Moleto
wine box
Originally uploaded by jstark
That night we had the first of seven delicious home cooked supers of pasta al ragu and steak with grilled eggplant (or if you are Ruby, our token Scott, it’s an aubigine…comically we found it fascinating, and Ruby found it annoying, all the differences between British and American English. For example, the trunk of a car is called the boot in England). Every night we enjoyed wine from the castle that was produced locally. We even got a tour of the wine factory at the base of the castle (I thought of you Dad). I was blown away by the size of the vats and bins. Here is a photo of the wine-labeling machine. I ended up growing found of Chianti wine, at least the less pungent ones and bought a couple bottles on the last day.
Our hikes were nowhere near as strenuous as I thought they would be. Our longest one was an hour and a half long up hill. The heat was sometimes more of our enemy than incline, but we took many stops so Marcia could catch her breath and we could take pictures. Here are only some of my favorites:
il cinquecentro
cinquecentro
Originally uploaded by jstark
On our way to Barbischio. We all fell in love with this little car, a cinquecento I believe (Will double check me on that). Marcia drives a newer version. Take about gas mileage....or would that be kilometerage???
sunflowers
sunflowers
Originally uploaded by jstark
These sunflowers were the only ones we saw in a small family garden. No big fields of sunflowers in Chianti…, which is fine. I'd rather drink wine that eat sunflower seeds any day.
red resturant
red resturant
Originally uploaded by jstark
This restaurant up in Barbischio stole our hearts away with its red accents. A couple of the girls painted it, capturing its quaint almost fairy tale appearance.
Cross watercolor
Cross watercolor
Originally uploaded by jstark
I don't really like the left side of the painting....however Marcia has a firm no cropping rule once you've already constructed your composition....so here it is.
cross house picture
cross house picture
Originally uploaded by jstark
But instead I painted this house with the cross in front of it. I find the Catholic roots of the country so interesting. While divorce is still founded upon by the older generations, affairs are almost expected or at least more common. We definitely came to understand this normality as we watched Italian movies after super a few nights. Check out “the Ignorant Fairy” it was our group’s favorite of the week…not bad eye candy either…
runaway sign
runaway sign
Originally uploaded by jstark
This sign cracked us up. I believe it is so run away children know where to meet. J/k
favorite spot at the castle
fav spot
Originally uploaded by jstark
Marcia took this picture of me working at one of my favorite spots at the castle in the archway leading out of the spice garden. There is a close up too, showing all you that yes, while the pictures may look like I just lounged all week, I did in fact work very hard on some water colors.
Here is my latest work for an assignment to produce a trifecta (a mini series of three works). I chose the flowers of Chianti and used diagonal lines to dramatize the composition.
It was a splendid week, especially the food (did I mention the barbeques we enjoyed? There were two weddings at the castle while we were there so we enjoyed the free wine and meats (Will you have a bit to learn on the BBQ…chicken, steak, ribs, sausages with hardly any seasoning but the natural ones from the grill…). I also loved the sliced tomatoes with olive oil over a piece of bread with a little red pepper spice that left your lips a bit warm. We had four-cheese pasta, but I must say I am very partial to my mom’s version of the dish. On our last night we had a typical Italian summer dinner of white wine and pesto pasta followed by red wine and proscuitto and melon as well as this meat similar to proscuitto but from the cow with melted parmesan cheese and arrugala (the bitter lettuce). Wow. I’m going to make that again at home or here in Frieze. The wine was fabulous as I’ve said…and amazingly cheap. We tried grappa one night (it is Marcia’s favorite). We joked that we could use it remove our nail polish (yes it was that bad…and you’re expected to SIP it!). I feel in love with their after dinner wine that tasted like brown sugar. One night we had a chocolate come for a tasting. If you didn’t know chocolate and wine are difficult to impossible to pair. We tried 99% coca chocolate (like baker’s chocolate…sorry mom, it was gross!).
I also had an incident with a scorpion at the pool. It was about two inches in length and scared me half to death when I picked up my shorts to put them back on to discover it hiding in the cuff. A Belgium family and Marcia helped calm me down and reassured me that the scorpion had "left the building". The Belgium family had two girls who were 13 and 8 who were so enamored by our class and hung on our every word. They even tried drawing. It was pretty adorable. Kristen and Geland help teach them to do handstands in the pool one afternoon.
The same night as the chocolate and the wine tasting we enjoyed a tour of the castle. I wish I took pictures that night, but you can check it out online. All the “marble” is faux since the “trick of the eye” technique was so popular in the Baroque ages when the castle was expanded. We ate in the grand dinning room and felt like royalty. The staff is exceptionally close to Marcia, so not only did we get a series of perks but also everything was cheap or we were told not to pay for it. Marchia, Marcia’s closest friend at the castle, makes jewelry and I picked up a bracelet with purple shells to remember my visit. Speaking of shopping, when we returned to Firenze we found all the shops to be having their sales (typical Italian tradition since stores want to clear their inventory before all the Italians leave for the coast in August)….with that said, I’m off to the market to stock up the house and reunite some friends.
Hope all is well where ever you are.
Ciao
Jacqueline
Friday, July 6, 2007
In search of shorts
So tomorrow afternoon I leave for Chianti. I thought I'd just give you one more update before the one-week hiaduous.
Today I went on a search for athletic shorts for our 4 hour hikes in Chianti (INTENSE!) because smart Jacqueline left her athletic clothing in the laundry room in California...oops So if you've been to the gym with me or seen me play basketball, you know I am very particular about shorts. I like soccer length shorts-not the long basketball ones. However, in Europe, first of all women's athletic gear is super hard to come by. If they have women's sporting gear it is usually capri pants or spandex shorts-hot I know. So finding a pair of running shorts took me two hours today. One lady asked me if I really wanted to try the men's shorts on and sort of laughed at me when I did. (which made me wonder how into equal rights they are, or on loosing the classical image of a woman's feminality (sorry I don't think that's a word)) I finally found a store that sold womens clothing and had the style I liked. They happened to be sea foam greeen, but hey, Im picking my battles here. If I close my eyes, they are perfect.
Sadly, my roommate Alyssa is sick with a stomach ache the last two days and personally Ive been feeling a bit faint and queesy too. Don't freak out Mom. I think it was the burgers we had for the fourth, I haven't had that much meat in two weeks. You can pick up your jaw Will, yes a burger is a lot of meat for me now....
There isn't much left to tell. Yesterday we did our first watercolor outdoors at Santa Croce (where Dante, Galilio, and Michealangelo have their tombs, although M and D's bodies are not there...wierd I know), but I hardly finished mine. Just like in reading, Im also a slow painter. I've done 4 still lifes and have 3 more to do for homework tomorrow. I did some flowers, sunglasses, a couple cups, and a bottle. During the critique of our first pieces of a monochromatic style life, Marcia really liked my piece (!) which suprised me since I've had the least formal artistic training. Im kinda seeing how everything is connected. I pull composition techneques from photography, color theory from scientific ideology, and perspective from math. In a way Im more free in my painting because I haven't had all the basic training the other girls in my classes have, so my paintings are different from theirs. Im in no means the best, but Im unique, which is much more than I had hoped for after our first work.
Ill post some pictures when I return from Chianti.
Is this the life I dreamed of? Or is this just the way it all went down? But damn right I sure am happy with this crazy piece of life I have found. -Pat Green "California"
Ciao!
Jacqueline
PS sorry no spell check...or well it has spell check but it is in Italian...I apologize for my errors
Today I went on a search for athletic shorts for our 4 hour hikes in Chianti (INTENSE!) because smart Jacqueline left her athletic clothing in the laundry room in California...oops So if you've been to the gym with me or seen me play basketball, you know I am very particular about shorts. I like soccer length shorts-not the long basketball ones. However, in Europe, first of all women's athletic gear is super hard to come by. If they have women's sporting gear it is usually capri pants or spandex shorts-hot I know. So finding a pair of running shorts took me two hours today. One lady asked me if I really wanted to try the men's shorts on and sort of laughed at me when I did. (which made me wonder how into equal rights they are, or on loosing the classical image of a woman's feminality (sorry I don't think that's a word)) I finally found a store that sold womens clothing and had the style I liked. They happened to be sea foam greeen, but hey, Im picking my battles here. If I close my eyes, they are perfect.
Sadly, my roommate Alyssa is sick with a stomach ache the last two days and personally Ive been feeling a bit faint and queesy too. Don't freak out Mom. I think it was the burgers we had for the fourth, I haven't had that much meat in two weeks. You can pick up your jaw Will, yes a burger is a lot of meat for me now....
There isn't much left to tell. Yesterday we did our first watercolor outdoors at Santa Croce (where Dante, Galilio, and Michealangelo have their tombs, although M and D's bodies are not there...wierd I know), but I hardly finished mine. Just like in reading, Im also a slow painter. I've done 4 still lifes and have 3 more to do for homework tomorrow. I did some flowers, sunglasses, a couple cups, and a bottle. During the critique of our first pieces of a monochromatic style life, Marcia really liked my piece (!) which suprised me since I've had the least formal artistic training. Im kinda seeing how everything is connected. I pull composition techneques from photography, color theory from scientific ideology, and perspective from math. In a way Im more free in my painting because I haven't had all the basic training the other girls in my classes have, so my paintings are different from theirs. Im in no means the best, but Im unique, which is much more than I had hoped for after our first work.
Ill post some pictures when I return from Chianti.
Is this the life I dreamed of? Or is this just the way it all went down? But damn right I sure am happy with this crazy piece of life I have found. -Pat Green "California"
Ciao!
Jacqueline
PS sorry no spell check...or well it has spell check but it is in Italian...I apologize for my errors
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Fourth of July Fun and Then Some
I've been in Florence a week and I'm getting pretty settled in. Minus the intense construction going on in the floor below us, everything is great. (Mom, it's like the jack-hammers are literally below me)
Two nights ago we went to Fort Belvedere on the other side of the river, where API was giving out free ice cream. We enjoyed stunning views as well as an exhibit on photographs from Tibet. The Medici family used this fort as a safe house when they needed to get out of Firenze.
The sculpture and the lighting was stunning at almost dusk.
We earned our ice cream on the hike up to the fort. Here is picture of a typical house we passed. The iron window gatings made me thing of AEPhi....
We stumbled on one of the best gelaterias in town two nights ago, called Vechio (Elizabeth will probably correct this spelling). The gelato tasted just like the food it was flavored after. Elizabeth also told us that the big fluffy gelato is not the authentic type. This made Alyssa quite sad, since she likes the way it looks.
Alyssa, myself, and Elizabeth excited about our gelato
The flavor line up (l to r): Fig/cantelope (Elizabeth), coffee/tiramisu (Alyssa), raspberry/lemon (me)
Yesterday Elizabeth and I again frequented our favorite eatery in the Central Market. I had pasta al ragu with a greek salad and she had this turkey dish (below). They servers almost know my name...I kinda stick out being a tall blonde girl...Ill work on convincing them to give me their secret recepies.
That night, I held a Fourth of July potluck at my apartment for about 10 other students in the program. We had burgers with garlic, onion, and asiago cheese in them, as well as steak fries, fruit & pasta salad, watermelon and gelato for dessert and of course plenty of vino. Everyone really enjoyed having familar foods from home and made comments about how this was the most they had eaten in one sitting since arriving in Rome--What better way to celebrate being American than stuffing your face? We swapped fourth of July traditions and our families.
Buffet Line for our Feast
Then a group of us went out to a club called Faces. It was filled with Southern fraternity boys (Christina, now I understand why you were in culture shock when you arrived at SMU). It was pretty hillarious. They even had sparklers on top of bottles of champange. I'll try to track down some pictures...
I'm off to Santa Croce to paint outdoors! Just a reminder, I leave for Chianti on Sat for a week and I won't have internet.... :( So look forward to some good pictures from the country side.
Ciao
Jacqueline
Two nights ago we went to Fort Belvedere on the other side of the river, where API was giving out free ice cream. We enjoyed stunning views as well as an exhibit on photographs from Tibet. The Medici family used this fort as a safe house when they needed to get out of Firenze.
The sculpture and the lighting was stunning at almost dusk.
We earned our ice cream on the hike up to the fort. Here is picture of a typical house we passed. The iron window gatings made me thing of AEPhi....
We stumbled on one of the best gelaterias in town two nights ago, called Vechio (Elizabeth will probably correct this spelling). The gelato tasted just like the food it was flavored after. Elizabeth also told us that the big fluffy gelato is not the authentic type. This made Alyssa quite sad, since she likes the way it looks.
Alyssa, myself, and Elizabeth excited about our gelato
The flavor line up (l to r): Fig/cantelope (Elizabeth), coffee/tiramisu (Alyssa), raspberry/lemon (me)
Yesterday Elizabeth and I again frequented our favorite eatery in the Central Market. I had pasta al ragu with a greek salad and she had this turkey dish (below). They servers almost know my name...I kinda stick out being a tall blonde girl...Ill work on convincing them to give me their secret recepies.
That night, I held a Fourth of July potluck at my apartment for about 10 other students in the program. We had burgers with garlic, onion, and asiago cheese in them, as well as steak fries, fruit & pasta salad, watermelon and gelato for dessert and of course plenty of vino. Everyone really enjoyed having familar foods from home and made comments about how this was the most they had eaten in one sitting since arriving in Rome--What better way to celebrate being American than stuffing your face? We swapped fourth of July traditions and our families.
Buffet Line for our Feast
Then a group of us went out to a club called Faces. It was filled with Southern fraternity boys (Christina, now I understand why you were in culture shock when you arrived at SMU). It was pretty hillarious. They even had sparklers on top of bottles of champange. I'll try to track down some pictures...
I'm off to Santa Croce to paint outdoors! Just a reminder, I leave for Chianti on Sat for a week and I won't have internet.... :( So look forward to some good pictures from the country side.
Ciao
Jacqueline
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Watercolor Workshop Day 1
So I finally had my first art class last night. My teacher, Marcia, actually went to Cal State Fullerton and then UCLA for the rest of her degrees. She spent her 3 yr abroad and fell in love with it. She has lived here since the late 70's and goes back to LA every year to see her family. She has been teaching the Florence and Chianti Watercolor class for eight years (this is my class) so basically, she has one pretty sweet life.
On Saturday, my class of nine girls, leaves for a castle in Chianti, where we will be staying for a week! Our typical day will be as the following: breakfast at nine, hike out to towns in Tuscany (many of which dont even sell coca cola they are so remote), paint for 4 hours, hike back to the castle where we'll have free time until dinner to sit by the infinity pool, draw, relax ect, dinner will alway be completemented by good wine of the region (evidently the castle has its own private stash we get to dip into, sorry you're not here to enjoy this Dad...and too bad I so prefer white wine to red...guess I'll learn to like Chianti after a week of good stuff-ie not 2 buck chuck or any boxed wine (Allie, Nicole, and Rachel...I hope you've updated from the boxed wine party we had last year in our apartment to something better this year....ps how is life in LA?) and then after dinner we'll watch movies (anyone who knows me knows I LOVE movies). We'll be watching Italian and American made ones! According to Marcia, if we'll drink wine and get "as happy as a lark", watch these movies and just get to know eachother. [Sidenote: a girl from Lucy's class at Menlo is in class, Gayland Avery. Crazy how you run into people on the other side of the world.]
While I've never done watercolors in an academic sense besides the couple of portraits I did in AP Art (like the one in your office Dad), Im really excited to learn something completely new. Watercolors scare me because you have to be okay with starting over. It isn't like oil painting where you can move the paint around on the canvas and it takes forever to dry. Nope. Once you draw that line, it's there forever. So I'll have to let go of my perfectionism and embrace the trail and error process I've learned to love/hate during science labs.
Views from the Arno River and Ponte Vechhio at Sunset
We had a nice dinner with the entire LDM art school on the river bank next to the ponte vechhio at sunset with the best and only white wine I've been able to get my hands on so far. Tonight we're going to a Tibet themed photo exhibit at the fortress. Tomorrow I've planned a 4th of July potluck for my apartment (Im making burgers). It's going to be crazy fun. Alright, I'm off to enjoy the day. You should get off the computer and do so too.
Ciao!
Jacqueline
On Saturday, my class of nine girls, leaves for a castle in Chianti, where we will be staying for a week! Our typical day will be as the following: breakfast at nine, hike out to towns in Tuscany (many of which dont even sell coca cola they are so remote), paint for 4 hours, hike back to the castle where we'll have free time until dinner to sit by the infinity pool, draw, relax ect, dinner will alway be completemented by good wine of the region (evidently the castle has its own private stash we get to dip into, sorry you're not here to enjoy this Dad...and too bad I so prefer white wine to red...guess I'll learn to like Chianti after a week of good stuff-ie not 2 buck chuck or any boxed wine (Allie, Nicole, and Rachel...I hope you've updated from the boxed wine party we had last year in our apartment to something better this year....ps how is life in LA?) and then after dinner we'll watch movies (anyone who knows me knows I LOVE movies). We'll be watching Italian and American made ones! According to Marcia, if we'll drink wine and get "as happy as a lark", watch these movies and just get to know eachother. [Sidenote: a girl from Lucy's class at Menlo is in class, Gayland Avery. Crazy how you run into people on the other side of the world.]
While I've never done watercolors in an academic sense besides the couple of portraits I did in AP Art (like the one in your office Dad), Im really excited to learn something completely new. Watercolors scare me because you have to be okay with starting over. It isn't like oil painting where you can move the paint around on the canvas and it takes forever to dry. Nope. Once you draw that line, it's there forever. So I'll have to let go of my perfectionism and embrace the trail and error process I've learned to love/hate during science labs.
Views from the Arno River and Ponte Vechhio at Sunset
We had a nice dinner with the entire LDM art school on the river bank next to the ponte vechhio at sunset with the best and only white wine I've been able to get my hands on so far. Tonight we're going to a Tibet themed photo exhibit at the fortress. Tomorrow I've planned a 4th of July potluck for my apartment (Im making burgers). It's going to be crazy fun. Alright, I'm off to enjoy the day. You should get off the computer and do so too.
Ciao!
Jacqueline
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Venice...on Speed
If you can go to Venice, get there, even if it is for one day (even if it only for 7 hours like our trip). If I describe our mood it would be similar to Loony Toon’s Speedy Gonzales after a shot espresso. We shot around the city like crazy people. We had a plan, which was fairly well executed until we missed our “bus” (I quote because the buses, vaporetto, is really a boat, of course, it’s Venice) because we couldn’t squeeze out of the crowds easily enough.
Ponte di Rialto. We bought a mask for Elizabeth’s sister and some glass jewelry on this bridge.
On accident we went to San Marco’s Square first which is the architectural highlight of Venice.
We went to the Petty Guggenheim Museum, which houses her personal collection of contemporary and modern art: Picasso, Magritte, Miro, Braque and more artists I studied last quarter. I acted as our tour guide, giving Elizabeth insights to the artists’ lives and their significance. It also houses an impressive sculpture garden. Here I am sitting on the museum dock.
This gives you an idea for how lush the sculpture garden is at the museum. This is a view of the cafeteria.
A wise bench outside the museum
From the Guggenheim, we connected to the 41 to Murana, an island famous for their glass blowing.
Since it was Sunday the furnaces were not on, but Elizabeth and I got a peak of an old man blowing a vase. It was so cool. The glass they produce are beautiful. It’s easy to see why they are world known tradesmen.
*Murana glass colonial figures (i'll add the pic later)
Next we shuttled to Found. Nuove where we worked our way back to the Ponte di Rialto to do a little shopping. We got a bit lost, but this is where I snapped some of my favorite pictures. (I took 126 this day!)
*(i'll add this picture later) An apartment in what was the Jewish Ghetto of Venice. Notice how tall the building is with its four matching green shutters. Since the Jews were not allowed out of this area, they had to build up in order to expand. Remember this is all built on WATER!
A typical Venician vender
Mama Penguin. Don't worry I didn't buy these for you, since I know you hate clutter. Thought you'd like to see what your kind looks like in Murana glass.
All the Gondala drivers and bus drivers wear aviators. I found this hillarious and thought of Nicole, who stole Mike's aviators at the 80's date party sophomore year. So stealth.
A Gondola on our way back to the train station sails along the glistening waters.
After Elizabeth broke a glass earring, we trekked up to the train station to catch the last train to Florence at 16:38, although we wished we could have lingered. Exhausted, we found our way to the dinner car where we had a leisurely dinner of pesto pasta, beef and fruit (we tried to make it last as long as possible since our tickets were SRO). We were quite impressed how good our meal was (although it was expensive) since it was on the train. In the States, this would never happen. The Italians take such pride in their food and culture. It’s admirable and speaks volumes for their system of values. Elizabeth chatted almost nonstop, despite our exhaustion, for the three and half hour return ride. I’m so glad she’s here to do this trip with me. We’re good travel buddies who don’t mind splurging for food, are interested in history, are trilled to be here and we always seem to jump from deep conversations to the next. While we pledged the house together in the fall of our freshman year, our schedules always kept us apart. It’s a good thing when you pinch yourself and realize you’ve had friends you’ll always have, no matter the miles, time or events that may follow.
My favorite Elizabeth question followed my drool-fest on Italian life and how I wanted to live here forever. She asked, “If you move to Italy, do you loose nine ours of your life?” Being I, I answered in a technical scientific answer about relative time, not realizing the philosophical power behind her question until later. We, people of this Earth, are only here for a finite amount of time. In the end my, life probably won’t matter too much on a global level. It’s unlikely I’ll have a city named after me like Romulus (Rome) that survives 2725 years and counting or have a wooden statue of myself in the first University like Hippocrates. Romulus and Hippocrates didn’t act they way they did in order to be remembered. They did what they saw was right and followed that path. While time may pass without respect for location or circumstance, it is a constant renewal, almost a gift (sorry I’m getting cheesy). Some of you may have heard me speak of my AP Art Portfolio in high school. Its central theme was the loss of childhood with time, portrayed as a cruel robber of innocence. Four years later, I believe I’m finally seeing that time isn’t a robber but rather just the opposite—philanthropic. In the end I’m reminded of a favorite quote of mine by Robert Frost, “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on”. I don’t want to miss another minute of it wishing for the past. With that said I’m off to kick around Florence until my art class starts at 4:15. It will be interesting to see where my art leads me to now after making this realization.
I would apologize for the personal-ness of my blog but that would lead me to another quote: “Never apologize for showing feeling. When you do so, you apologize for the truth” by Benjamin Disraeli. Those who know me well know that I make it a point to be true to myself and do what I think is right in all aspects of my life. I don’t mean to preach because seriously if you managed to read through my lengthy lousy writing (which I give you a round a applause for), you most likely know me well. Thanks for listening/reading. Feel free to e-mail me how you are doing or philosophical thoughts. As you know, especially those I have lived with (Christie), I can spend hours on these topics. I miss you all and hope life where ever you are is everything you want it to be and if it isn’t--don’t be afraid to change it.
Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you. -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Con Amore-
Jacqueline
PS I’m not sure if I mentioned this but Elizabeth will be doing some featured posts on food since she’s the expert. I’m her official photog. Look for that next week.
PS If anyone has any web based photo storage sites please let me know. I want to be able to share high resolution pictures and be able to print them off the same site, as well as be able to load them easily from a mac. I'm looking into webshots. Does anyone know any other mac friendly ones? I have a ton of 10MG pictures so it has to be pretty large storage wise. I
Ponte di Rialto. We bought a mask for Elizabeth’s sister and some glass jewelry on this bridge.
On accident we went to San Marco’s Square first which is the architectural highlight of Venice.
We went to the Petty Guggenheim Museum, which houses her personal collection of contemporary and modern art: Picasso, Magritte, Miro, Braque and more artists I studied last quarter. I acted as our tour guide, giving Elizabeth insights to the artists’ lives and their significance. It also houses an impressive sculpture garden. Here I am sitting on the museum dock.
This gives you an idea for how lush the sculpture garden is at the museum. This is a view of the cafeteria.
A wise bench outside the museum
From the Guggenheim, we connected to the 41 to Murana, an island famous for their glass blowing.
Since it was Sunday the furnaces were not on, but Elizabeth and I got a peak of an old man blowing a vase. It was so cool. The glass they produce are beautiful. It’s easy to see why they are world known tradesmen.
*Murana glass colonial figures (i'll add the pic later)
Next we shuttled to Found. Nuove where we worked our way back to the Ponte di Rialto to do a little shopping. We got a bit lost, but this is where I snapped some of my favorite pictures. (I took 126 this day!)
*(i'll add this picture later) An apartment in what was the Jewish Ghetto of Venice. Notice how tall the building is with its four matching green shutters. Since the Jews were not allowed out of this area, they had to build up in order to expand. Remember this is all built on WATER!
A typical Venician vender
Mama Penguin. Don't worry I didn't buy these for you, since I know you hate clutter. Thought you'd like to see what your kind looks like in Murana glass.
All the Gondala drivers and bus drivers wear aviators. I found this hillarious and thought of Nicole, who stole Mike's aviators at the 80's date party sophomore year. So stealth.
A Gondola on our way back to the train station sails along the glistening waters.
After Elizabeth broke a glass earring, we trekked up to the train station to catch the last train to Florence at 16:38, although we wished we could have lingered. Exhausted, we found our way to the dinner car where we had a leisurely dinner of pesto pasta, beef and fruit (we tried to make it last as long as possible since our tickets were SRO). We were quite impressed how good our meal was (although it was expensive) since it was on the train. In the States, this would never happen. The Italians take such pride in their food and culture. It’s admirable and speaks volumes for their system of values. Elizabeth chatted almost nonstop, despite our exhaustion, for the three and half hour return ride. I’m so glad she’s here to do this trip with me. We’re good travel buddies who don’t mind splurging for food, are interested in history, are trilled to be here and we always seem to jump from deep conversations to the next. While we pledged the house together in the fall of our freshman year, our schedules always kept us apart. It’s a good thing when you pinch yourself and realize you’ve had friends you’ll always have, no matter the miles, time or events that may follow.
My favorite Elizabeth question followed my drool-fest on Italian life and how I wanted to live here forever. She asked, “If you move to Italy, do you loose nine ours of your life?” Being I, I answered in a technical scientific answer about relative time, not realizing the philosophical power behind her question until later. We, people of this Earth, are only here for a finite amount of time. In the end my, life probably won’t matter too much on a global level. It’s unlikely I’ll have a city named after me like Romulus (Rome) that survives 2725 years and counting or have a wooden statue of myself in the first University like Hippocrates. Romulus and Hippocrates didn’t act they way they did in order to be remembered. They did what they saw was right and followed that path. While time may pass without respect for location or circumstance, it is a constant renewal, almost a gift (sorry I’m getting cheesy). Some of you may have heard me speak of my AP Art Portfolio in high school. Its central theme was the loss of childhood with time, portrayed as a cruel robber of innocence. Four years later, I believe I’m finally seeing that time isn’t a robber but rather just the opposite—philanthropic. In the end I’m reminded of a favorite quote of mine by Robert Frost, “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on”. I don’t want to miss another minute of it wishing for the past. With that said I’m off to kick around Florence until my art class starts at 4:15. It will be interesting to see where my art leads me to now after making this realization.
I would apologize for the personal-ness of my blog but that would lead me to another quote: “Never apologize for showing feeling. When you do so, you apologize for the truth” by Benjamin Disraeli. Those who know me well know that I make it a point to be true to myself and do what I think is right in all aspects of my life. I don’t mean to preach because seriously if you managed to read through my lengthy lousy writing (which I give you a round a applause for), you most likely know me well. Thanks for listening/reading. Feel free to e-mail me how you are doing or philosophical thoughts. As you know, especially those I have lived with (Christie), I can spend hours on these topics. I miss you all and hope life where ever you are is everything you want it to be and if it isn’t--don’t be afraid to change it.
Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you. -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Con Amore-
Jacqueline
PS I’m not sure if I mentioned this but Elizabeth will be doing some featured posts on food since she’s the expert. I’m her official photog. Look for that next week.
PS If anyone has any web based photo storage sites please let me know. I want to be able to share high resolution pictures and be able to print them off the same site, as well as be able to load them easily from a mac. I'm looking into webshots. Does anyone know any other mac friendly ones? I have a ton of 10MG pictures so it has to be pretty large storage wise. I
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