: (

About how I have to take a 5:20 am bus tomorrow to get to the airport.

Taxis are too expensive, and the only bus after that is 8:30 which will not get me there in time for my flight.

Looks like I'm joining the not-going-to-bed group tonight! It's either that or wake up at 4 am! FAB-U-LOUS.

We stole all the breadsticks from dinner though for breakfast.

The end is near

GO BiG or GO HOME.

we're gonna do both

Day 10 - Done with class!

Just finished class - I can't believe we're done! We did the presentations in our room so we didn't have to leave.

Last night we had the ending dinner at this fancy restaurant in Padova. We had to take a 6 bus which means we had to start getting ready at 5. The bus came at 6:45 and then we had another 30 mins to burn while we waited for our reservation. Dinner was so good!

First I split a shrimp cocktail with Marisa. The shrimp were the size of the shrimp in cat food.

Then I had pasta and little meatballs.

Then I had shrimp scampi. It was the whole shrimp. Head and all. I didn't know shrimp had claws... We made them pose..

Then I had fruit salad.

I was stuffed. The wine was free and flowing heavily throughout the table (I didn't like it, I drank water). We had a great time, someone was definitely getting a little drunky drunk (hint: she proclaimed "Everyone's getting A's! Please don't tell your parents!") Then we had an awkward waiting at the bus stop for 30 mins in the dark. We didn't get back until 12:15 am, and we had to finish our project.

I'm exhausted, but it's the last day. Home tomorrow!

xoxo S

Day 9

No time to update... Sorry!

- Waited over 3 hours today waiting for buses since the schedule was completely off for the Italian version of 4th of July
- Didn't get back to the hotel until 3 pm, when we only did something in class for 90 mins + 1 hr lunch, so we could have been back at 10:30 am.
- Had to get ready for our dinner at 5 pm
- Waited for the bus and then waited at the restaurant until dinner @ 7:30 pm
- Finished dinner at 11 pm...
- Bus didn't come until 11:30 pm
- And now its 12:15 am Tuesday and we're just getting back. We need to finish our project, practice it and get to bed because presentations start @ 9 am in our suite

Fab-u-lous.

Issues with Transportation YET AGAIN

Our problems with public Italian transportation continued this morning. It's a holiday here, so the schedules are different. We took a bus at 9 am (meaning it left the station at 9 am). I sat on the right side of the bus - the first time I had ever done that. I know all the landmarks on the left side. Apparently no one was paying attention, and we missed our stop. The next stop was about a mile down the road. So then we had to wait 45 minutes for another bus to come. 4 of the Alabama girls decided to start walking... about 5 minutes before the bus came. So even though we left the hotel at 8:45, we didn't get here until 10:30ish. The Alabama girls just got here now after they got lost walking back. So class is finally about to start... oh like 2 hours late.

The grad student is presenting today and then we get to work on our projects. We're having the last lunch at the restaurant today. Then tonight we have a special dinner at a nice restaurant in the plaza in Padova paid by CEREF (the organization here that did everything for us). We're signing cards for Piera (the one in charge), Francesco (works here, took us to hospital and Padova) and Laura (the secretary that organized us breakfast snacks every morning).

It's so humid here, my hair is so ridiculously curly. I had to fan myself when we were waiting for the bus. Gross.

Ok class is starting (I think), ttyl!

xoxo S

Day 8

Goodness gracious, where to start. I think I need to do this one in note form too because waaay too much happened.

- 6:15 - Rise and shine
- 7:30 - Bus to Padova
- Train to Deseneza aka Lake Garda (I think that's how you spell it). Get kicked out of seats.
- Walk through town, get to ferry
- Take boat to Sirmione
- Explore castle/fort and town. I'm not scared of heights, but I was scared shitless. I make it the 2nd highest point.
- Meet for lunch. Eat oceanside under vines (like the picture for the walkway to the pool)
- Waste time around town
- Take bus to train station
- Barely make it on the train. Conductor tell us that the ticket we bought which we THOUGHT was round trip was only one way. Apparently, he believes I speak Italian and starts explaining to me. I think he says 15 E... but really it was a 50 E fine. So the total was 400 E for us all to ride the train.. it should have been under 10. We get off next top.
- Find 2nd train, get on board.
- Train stops. Stays still. After 10 mins I ask Dr. Lange whats going on. We wander the train, we're the only ones on it. I find the cleaning lady. I ask her in Italian if the train is going to Padova. She reponds, "no Milano". If we stayed on there for 30 mins more, we would have been on our way to Milan.
- Get off train. See another train leaves in 5 mins. Get to that platform, train isn't there. Train isn't coming.
- Find out another train is leaving in 10 mins. Get to that platform. Get on that train.
- Train takes SO LONG to go. Seriously, slowest train of my life.
- Get off train, get on wrong side of train station aka the scary side.
- Go to the better side.
- Pay to pee (so far that's happened twice this weekend)
- FIND MCDONALDS. Buy from the 1 E menu
- Take bus to Abano Terme.
CRASH.

Now I have to work on my project and get sleep considering I got 5 hrs last night...

xoxo S

Mission Accomplished.

Grace, Rachel & I

It's a small world after all

On our way to the train station after missing our train. 3 boys overhear us talking English as we take pictures of ourselves...

3 boys: Do you know how to take the Euro rail?
Us: No... sorry.
Grace: I know this is really cheesy, but its my birthday, will you take a picture with us?
Boys: Sure
Grace: Where yall from?
Boy #1: NY
Me: I'm from CT!
Boy #1: What part of CT?
Me: Greenwich
Boy #1: I'm from Port Chester!
Me: No way! You know the Carvel on the CT/NY border?
Boy #1: Yeah
Me: I live right by there.
Boy #1: Really?
Me: Yeah, you know the skating rink on the hill?
Boy #1: Yeah...
Me: I live at the bottom of that hill
Boy #1: That's crazy!

So we took a picture with them with our camera, and then they asked if they could have a picture with us on their camera. I need to find out who this kid was. I don't know his name, but he has a picture of us. So I'm going to have to look on Facebook for him.

xoxo S

Day 7 Notes

Long day so in notes.
Venice #2 with Dr. Lange, Dr. Lange's sister, Dr. Alexander, Grace, Rachel, Jenna (Samford/AL girls)

- 6:45 - wake up call
- 7:30 - meet in lobby. walk through breakfast.
- bus to montegrotto
- train to Venice
- water taxi to St. Mark's Plaza
- lunch. Grace gets kissed by the waiter because it's her birthday
- GONDOLA ride
- water taxi to Murano
- watch guy make pretty glass horse
- be-friend pigeons we named Bobby and Peter. I fed them peanuts. Peter sits on my head.
- water taxi back to St. Mark's
- meet up with Rachel and Grace for dinner
- get lost
- get on wrong water taxi
- get on right taxi
- miss train back
- meet three boys... convo later
- Dr. Lange's sister almost gets on wrong train
- get on right train
- take bus back to Abano... and it's 12:30 am

Spent lots of money between train, water taxi day pass, food, shopping (but everything I got is so sweet and I love it all, I didnt go overboard!)

BED NOW. Verona and Lake Garda tomorrow... meeting at 7:15. EEK!

xoxo S

beep beep

92 <2

Day 7

Super long day today. Test went fine - everyone got an A. After class we took a bus to Padova and got a tour of the University of Padova - the old buildings. aka the ones that have been there since like forever. Galileo taught there. It was pretty cool... felt like we were in ruins. I bought a shirt at the gift shop for myself.

I stuck with 3 Alabama girls after that since everyone else was either leaving for the weekend or going somewhere else. Thanks to directions courtesy of me, we found our way back super quickly. We took the next bus, but it ended up just doing the long way home and it took us 45 mins for about a 15 min bus ride. We got back just in time for dinner. Dinner was gross as usual (pasta with chunks of salmon, grilled pork... ugh) but I was so hungry that I ate it.

Tomorrow I'm going to Venice with the 3 Alabama girls that are staying, Dr. Lange and her sister, and Dr. Alexander. They just came to tell me that we're taking a 7:30 bus. WHAT. Normally I meet everyone for breakfast at 7:45 and take an 8:15 bus. And I'm super tired. Soo... bed is going to be really really early tonight.

Sunday we're going to Verona to see Juliet's balcony, and then to where ever George Clooney has his villa. I don't remember the town, but George Clooney lives there. That's good enough for me.

I can't wait to buy all the things from my list tomorrow! We might take the vaporetto (water taxi) to the island where they make the Murano so we can see it being done. It should be fun! Pictures to come!

xoxo S

Quotes from Day 6

Today had a lot of memorable quotes courtesy of Marisa, the Catholic U student:

At the hospital, the grad student (who is 34 btw) got the number of our hot translator. We're pretty sure grad student is gay. He had a bright yellow/green/blue speedo on at the pool among other things.
Me: "Jamie (grad student) got Olesio's number! They exchanged cards!! I'm so jealous!"
Marisa: "And you know, I never thought there would be a day where I was jealous of Jamie, but the day has come. I am jealous of Jamie."

At the restaurant, the son Alberto was tring to get my his mom Ornella to move because he was carrying our salad bowls.
Alberto (in a thick accent): "Mama.... Mama!"
Marisa: "That was just so precious."

Later at the restaurant, Alberto was taking my plate and he dropped a fork off the other plate. He like winked at me and then smiled and reached for mine.
Marisa: "I'm so glad I just witnessed that."

...After class we're waiting for the bus and Alberto comes walking down the street. His hair is wet and he's in a different outfit. He goes walking by us and as he walks by me he puts his hand on my back (I had no idea he was walking by).
Marisa: "I'm so glad I just witnessed that too."

Day 6

I've never had so much canned fruit and veal in my life. But somehow, the meals at the hotel always fills me up.

Today we toured the Italian hospital. Our translator was really hot, but the annoying grad student translated instead, so he just stood around. When we took "pictures" of the group "waiting around" just to get some shots of him. Also when the there was a picture of 4 people being taken (him included), I took a picture of just him. So far, I have multiple requests for that picture because everyone wants on. We saw the ER and the cardiac floor, they let us walk around the cardiac floor in these gowns and booties.

We walked around Padova, I went back into the Basilica San Antonio and saw the relics this time.

After that lunch was chicken - Boston Market style and a pasta with a vodka type sauce. The family that owns the restaurant is so nice to us. It's a dad, mom, and their son (late 20s?). He has curly black hair like Shirley Temple. Nothing too exciting, but there were a couple memorable quotes today... I'll be posting that later.

Test tomorrow, gotta go study!

xoxo S

PS - I have a bug bite on my ear....

Pictures

plaza in padova

ceiling of a basilica

riding the bus back to the hotel from class

Cover ya knees!

Basilica San Antonio: Attempt #1

2 orange burlap sacs: 0.60 E

Basilica San Antonio: Attempt #2

wearing a raincoat because you left your orange burlap sac in the class room: PRICELESS

Walking to the pool...

perfection.

Day 5 Highlights

Overslept this morning, but since we have to wake up so early for breakfast/bus/class I was fine. We toured a "nursing home" this morning with Laura from CEREF (the organization thats doing our class). It was not a nursing home at all. Imagine 5 Greenwich Hospitals on a massive piece of property so big that it's like it's own town - that was the nursing home. It was absolutely gorgeous.

After touring the hospital we had lunch at our favorite restaurant. They cooked us pizzas in their brick oven. It took a while because they could only do so many at a time. Tomorrow they're making us chicken and pasta! Yay! Then we had a short quiz that was a little tricky because it was short answer so they could really go either way.

After class Jane, Sarah Fuller, Jess, Michelle (Sacred Heart) and Marisa (Catholic Univ. in DC) headed into Padova. We saw this Basilica that had a car parked in front covered in flowers. Curious we went inside, only to witness a couple being married. Jane got their 1st kiss in a picture - that's a keeper. Took tons of pictures inside there because it was allowed. We then wandered around this giant circle with statues, which was the main plaza. We made our way to the Basilica of San Antonio. Marisa and I had skirts on that didn't cover our knees (the other girls had on bermuda shorts but were allowed in). Marisa and I had to make an offering to San Antonio, and then we were giving basically an orange burlap sac (SEXY!) to tie around ourselves. First we thought we had to cover our legs completely but the security guard just explained that our knees needed to be covered. Since we had to "buy" that, we got separated from the group and were split into 2. We walked around (mass was going on there) but we completely missed the main point of the church - St. Antony's mouth/tongue/vocal chords. Apparently they were in a room but we missed it because we were looking for everyone else. Cameras weren't allowed inside for obvious reasons, but pictures would not do it justice. I have never seen anything so amazing and beautiful in my life. I'll have to search online to find some pictures. I also bought somethings for ahem someone who just had their anniversary/birthday 1 month and 3 days ago and got the same thing except it was in Spanish. wink wink (for those that get this - keep it a secret since I know she won't read this!)

We wandered in Padova after that in search of our bus. After looking at this pretty fountain with a statue of Mary in the middle, we realized we were at a hospital (possibly the one Dr. Gallo works at or the one we're going to tomorrow). We then got lost searching for our bus. We couldn't find it. We saw every bus (3, 11, 12, 13, 18, 22, 24) MULTIPLE times but none of our buses (A, AT, M). We even got on a bus on one side of the plaza, and got off about 1/4 mile down the plaza. We finally found our bus after a very nice ::cough cough: Italian woman explained to us that our bus has been coming the whole time and that we could have taken any of them. Sooo we immediately got on the next one.

We got back to the hotel 10 minutes into dinner, so perfect time. We were all so sweety though! It was 85 today, hot and humid like they've all been. After dinner we worked on our project which is due Tuesday.

Now I've got to finish up my postcards and head to bed. Since Carolyn said she thinks this is like GossipGirl...

xoxo,
Gossip Sarah

(Hi Aunt Joan and Aunt Marty!)

Day 4 Highlights

Three highlights of today:
1. Getting on the WRONG bus home from class today. We were walking to the bus stop, and a bus goes by us. Even though it says "22" and we take "A", someone yells "BUS!" so we all started running down the street. We were pretty far, but it stopped, waited. And we got on. We got the exit, but whatever. We then realize that yes, indeed we are on the wrong bus. So we got off the next stop and waited 15 minutes for our bus to come. When it did come, we got on with Dr. Lange and Dr. Alexander (the Alabama prof.). Whoops!

2. Since we got out of class early today, we got to spend the entire afternoon by the pool. And by pool, I mean bath since the water is no lie probably 85 degrees. Our first day here we witnessed a water aerobics class which consisted of all senior citizens since that is 98% of the guests here (us being the other 2%). So when we saw the woman come today to teach the class, we jumped at the oppportunity (and it was free too). The 'class' was hilarious. We were all the way in the back and kept laughing and having fun with it. Everytime she started counting we did our best to count to 10 in Italian, some of the other people that were participating too were helping us with the pronounciation.

3. There was finally chicken for dinner! And it was soooo good. Lunch tomorrow is pizza.. yumm!

I haven't uploaded any pictures today, so this is from the hotel website. Yes it's that gorgeous in real life.

Ok test tomororw, gotta go study! Tomorrow we're going to visit a nursing home that has a spa! Sounds like the hotel :)

xoxo S

Also - some of the people here are going to Rome and Florence this weekend. Leaving for Rome Friday afternoon and coming back Sunday night from Florence. Yes or no do I go? Obviously, it's going to cost money for the train/hotel/food.

Good morning!

It's a little before 9 and we're just sitting in our classroom - Dr. Lange missed the bus to the class this morning so now we have to wait until she gets here on the next bus.

All the other guest at the hotel come to breakfast in bathrooms and come to dinner in suits/dresses. We're all overdressed for breakfast... yet underdressed for dinner. Story of my life. Breakfast is nothing special whatsoever. I have peaches and granola every morning. The orange juice tastes like crap because its 1/2 water so I just get water.

My foot is really red and hurts this morning - but I brought stuff with me to class to put on it throughout the day.

ok gotta go,
xoxo S

pretty flowers

Day 3

Today was the first day of classes. It was rather long, but not too bad because we didn't really do anything. For lunch we walked to a restaurant nearby - we finally had normal pasta! It was soo soo good.

After classes we sat by the pool for a little to do work. But ended going swimming. Shower caps and all. The water is really warm (it's like a bath) and there are various random jets and built in hottubs in the pool. We went from inside to outside... you swim through these plastic flaps (like a carwash). At one point, my feet went over a sharp piece of rock. My foot really hurt but I didn't think anything was wrong - until I got out. The whole bottom of my foot was cut up and had one really good slice along the side of my foot. I was probably bleeding in the pool the whole time and had no idea. Good thing I packed nerosporin! I got some band-aids from the desk and patched myself up.

Dinner tonight was some super fancy gala. All the old folks had on like suits and dresses. After dinner we got gelatto nearby and I've got work to do for tomorrow so I've got to go.

xoxo S

Venice in 3

I can describe Venice in 3 pictures.

Gorgeous Houses. Water. Flowers. Boats.

Narrow pathways. (there were smaller ones)

Feeding the pigeons.
yes, my face pretty much looks like this in every picture.
but there are 1 or 2 where I'm smiling

Click to enlarge!

Day 2: Venice!

Woke up and meet everyone for breakfast this morning at 9ish. Breakfast was … interesting. They had fruit and granola but I had that, but my the fruit juice got everything soggy. We put our bus passes to use and took the bus to Monte something with a V. From there we took a train into Venice. Arriving at Venice was like pulling up to Atlantis. Words cannot describe it.

It’s so weird that there are no streets, but rather big rivers and little rivers. There is no grass. The houses and buildings are close together, and there are flowers everywhere. It’s rather flat but there are so many steps up, bridge, steps down to go over the water. We walked around for 7 hours. It was hot and humid. It started raining at 2, so that’s when we stopped to get lunch. What’s ridiculous is that here you pay for water. Instead of “No thanks, I’ll just have water” its “I’d like a still water please”. And it’s like 2 E for a bottle. So expensive! We saved the bottle so we can refill it with tap. As you walked further into the town, souvenirs got cheaper. Things would be 12 E, then 10, then 7.50, then 7 then 5. I got some gifts so far, just small things, but I’m not saying what. We may go back another afternoon to get more stuff towards the end because there are other things I want to buy but I might find other stuff.

We walked to San Marco Plaza. I took lots of videos because the stuff was just so incredible 360 degrees around, that pictures couldn’t do it justice. Then, Jane and I fed the pigeons. We had taken cookies at breakfast, so we crushed them into our hands and put them out. Those pigeons were vicious and not afraid at all. Someone videotaped it. The video consists of me shrieking and pigeons going everywhere. Some complete strangers were videotaping Jane and I because everyone was watching us and laughing hysterically. The pictures are priceless.

We hopped the train back at 7 and got to dinner late. Thank god the appetizer filled me up (it was thick round spaghetti with parmesan cheese) filled me up because once again I was forced to eat some foreign meat.

Dr. Gallo (Ida’s friend) called the hotel asking for me and they came with the phone asking for me. It freaked me out because I had no idea who or why anyone was calling for me. He wants me to go to his house for lunch, but since I have to go to lunch with the group I can’t. I’ll probably end up doing dinner though.

But I’m sweaty and gross and exhausted. I’m going to try to add pictures (I can summarize today in 3 or 4 pictures) so fingers crossed it works. We have to meet at 8:15 tomorrow morning. WOW.

Xoxo S

Did I mention that we can't wear jeans to class?! Not even nice ones. Hope they think my skirts are acceptable!

note to Natalia: I took over 200 pictures today...
note to Aunt Toni: I saw a "Hotel Bruno" today. I took a picture (or 2) to show you :)

Day 1 in 2 photos

our tub. natalia - you would be in heaven.

the scenery: lots of greens. pretty houses. mountains in the background

...and it won't let me upload anymore.

Day 1

It is now 10:30 at night. After I last posted we received our "gift bags" from the hotel. Inside? A bottle of champagne, chocolates, cookies and stuff like bus passes (I'm Miss StempLen). After settling into the room, we changed into our suits and headed out to the pool. You are required to wear a bathing cap in the pool and the hotel charges 3 Euro for them...so we're going to use our shower caps and save money. Oh and towels are 3.50 E for a 2 week use... so we're going to use the smaller towels from the shower. The pool has a grotto and spa, you can swim from the inside to the outside - like the seals do at the Maritime Aquarium.



We figured Jane and the other people on the group flight would be arriving soon, but their flight was also delayed, so they missed their layover in Madrid and had to take a different flight 3 hours later. They didn't arrive until 5ish.

I slept for a couple hours after coming back from the pool. Then we showered and went to our opening thingy. The woman (Piera) opened champagne for all of us, and she told us about stuff we're going to be doing. Then we headed over to dinner - so fancy and so cramped. Everyone has to dress up - shorts and tank tops are not allowed. I'm so glad I packed all those jean skirts now. When we were sitting we were all on top of each other and other tables...it was like a cafeteria. Then menu, oh man. First course was a salad bar. Second course we choose the "wide noodles capri style". They were... wide noodles that were funky in color but tasted oh so good. The choices for the next course were 2 fish options (don't eat fish) and 2 veal options (baby cow - no thanks). Of course the meals have all weird names. One was fricandeau. Freak-can-do? We were joking that someone should order to see "what the freak really can do". Turns out it's veal. Since I had no other option I ordered the "grilled calf steak". Gross. But I was brave and tried it. It wasn't bad, but I can't bring myself to eat baby cow. Thankfully those wide noodles and the breadsticks (like Centro's) were filling me up. And then we had... GELATO. It tasted like cake batter ice cream (I picked vanilla) because it was just so incredibly sweet.



The hotel lobby has wireless so now I can go on my computer and don't have to worry about the other one. Some keys had 3 symbols! Besides the shift key, I had no idea how to get to them so it was definitely confusing. Plus they were in different places. There is some piano bar thing going on now, all these old couples are dancing a-la Dancing with the Stars. Cute.

Ok I'm exhausted so I'm going to head off to bed. I feel like I'm still on the plane when I lay flat. Feels like a roller coaster ride.

I'm here!!

Flight was delayed 90 mins but we only arrived at the airport 45 minutes late. They gave us a meal on the plane - it was super weird though. I got 0 hrs and 0 mins of sleep. I can literally tell you everything they played on the flight (Mad Money, Golden Compass, New Adventures of Old Christine, Friends, Fraiser, music videos...yeah)

The airport was SO tiny! When we were coming in it looked like a picture out of a movie. All the houses are Mediterranean style with the red brick roofs - love it! I've taken tons of videos so far. There is no wireless in the room, so right now I'm using the hotel computer so pictures are going to have to wait. Hopefully I can bring my computer to class and can pick up the internet there and post a few.

Jane, Jess Lavine, another girl and I have the entire fourth floor to ourselves. It's insane. Everyone else is in double rooms but we have a suite. We have a living room, kitchen (but its blocked off), the elevator only works with our key, we have our own staircase. There are two bedoroms with windows that open to the roof. We have 2 bathrooms with showers. We have ANOTHER bathroom with a JACUZZI tub. How about that?! Then we have our own private entrance to the roof - literally the roof. We see the entire hotel, we're right behind the front letters. So nice. Anyway, got to go let the other girls use it... ttyl!

xoxo
merrr <3

this computer's keys are mad weird

ps - you can add comments to me. it should be pretty easy.

1

tomorrow!

2

It's winding down... and I'm finally starting to pack.

3

4

5

6

7

8

Got Euros today, they're stinkin cute.
And I practiced taking money out of the ATM, it was exciting.

9.

suitcases - check.

Let the countdown begin.

outlet adaptor - check.

passport - check.

health insurance - check.

textbook - check