It is 4:00am and the 'Movistar' ringtone suddenly awakens me as it echoes right through the paper thin walls of my little Italian apartment.  Considering I had only fallen asleep 3 hours earlier, I could barely get up enough energy to turn the thing off (and yes Movistar is the name on my cellphone).  In just 5 hours, one loaded backpack, and a tour bus, me and my roommates headed to the Italian Alps for an unforgettable weekend adventure.

We finally got to the highest town on the Italian alps called Madonna Di Campiglio.  The drive up there was beautiful (when I wasn't sleeping).  Once you left the city, your were just surrounded by the Tuscan country side.  Green hills and farmlands lined the highway with scattered homes about.  Just wished we could have pulled over so I can get a better look at those beautiful farmhouses! But we did have the chance to see the sunrise which is something I can't remember ever seeing (no one should ever voluntarily be awake that early).

Anyhow, once we reached the town, we stepped out of the bus and began our lovely 8 mile hike through the Alps in 50 degree weather. Although ill-equipped for such conditions (dressing warm is quite the broad term), the hike was still the most beautiful thing ever. We hiked about 3 or 4 miles and stopped as the most amazing waterfall.  Although not large, it was an incredible sight.  We even got a chance to walk underneath it! Right across from the waterfall was this tiny little bar (bar means coffee shop in Italy) that served the best little cappuccinos. We relaxed there for a good while then began our hike even further up the mountains.

After the 8 mile hike we got back on the bus and headed for our hotel in the city of Trentino. We stayed at Hotel America (so fitting I presume).  At that point anything was better than sleeping on a bus for fives hours! Once we got checked into the hotel we headed downstairs to have a group dinner.  The food was decent, nothing spectacular but it was food. After dinner we thought it would be a great idea to go walk around the city.  Trentino is quite the bore at night but we managed to find this African festival (who would have thought).  They were playing some pretty awesome traditional African music and the front row of spectators were just going to it. It was pretty legit but too many creepers were there so we left and decided to crash for the night.

The next morning we headed to the Garda Lake to the town called Sirmione. The views were breathtakingly beautiful. If you are looking for somewhere different yet with a touch of the Mediterranean vibe, Garda Lake is the place to choose. The beaches are not very crowded and you are located in the middle of the Italian Alps.  The views just can't get any better. We first entered into this old castle called Rocca Scaligera.  I got some amazing photos from the top of the castle. You could see the entire bottom half of the lake.  At the moment I wish I had one of those crazy cool cameras and was a professional photographer so that you could see exactly what I was looking at and capture it to its full beauty.








We got back on the bus and headed for Verona.  Now Verona is apparently the city of love where Romeo and Juliet began. Well thats all a lie, sorry to break it to you! The balcony was built in the 1930's I believe and the story did not even originate in Verona! But we only spent   only 2 hours in Verona which was a disappointment because the city is beautiful and all the buildings are so ornate.



Well that is a little bit about my weekend adventure.  This following weekend is Pisa/Siena a Florentine soccer game and Cinque Terre!

Ciao until next time!

Beatrice

After just one week, here are some observations 
1. Italian men somehow always dress better than their women.
2. Most fashionable Italians dress in neutrals
3. one word: GELATO
4. Everyone smokes in Italy
5. The E in grazie is actually pronounced! oppss
6. "Pedestrians have the right of way" is a phrase unknown to Italians
7. Italians drive like MANIACS. (Its only a good thing when you are in a TAXI)
8. You either WALK, ride a VESPA, or drive one of the following: Mercedes, BMW, Audi
9. In the centro, coffee shops are not for lounging nor reading.
10. SHOES SHOES SHOES
11. You can't get lost.  There is a Piazza every few blocks
12. Good luck trying to find school supplies that don't have some CRAZY unattractive design on the front that consists of hello kitty, flowers, and other unmentionables.

Today is the conclusion of my first week of classes!. That is right, my classes are only Monday-Wednesday. These past few days have been filled with taking too many notes (my hand is still feeling the pain), spending too much money (who thought lab fees could be THAT MUCH!!), cooking all day long (with the best ingredients I've ever tasted), and napping.  That is right NAPS!  I can't remember the last time I had "free time to NAP.

Today we experienced quite the thunder storm.  I was rudely awaken by the rumbling outside. Our building is so old it literally shook me out of bed. Followed by intense winds and then some down pour.  So i decided I should take a jacket to class. BAD IDEA.  Even through a thunder storm its is incredibly humid but none the less, the day was still splendid. First class of the day was Drawing and Composition.  So excited to get back into my grove of art.  My life is so crazy back home, I've forgotten what drawing felt like. My professor (oh so nice to look at ;) ) took us down to the local art supply store were we purchased all the supplies we'll need. Can't wait to get started.

I also purchased by Visual Merchandising book (hefty penny unfortunately) but the class will be splendid.  Between visual merchandising and consumer behavior I have to observe store shoppers as well as visual displays.  You know what this means, so long traveling and hello SHOPPING!......yah i wish but i can dream :)

After spending a good hour at the market on Tuesday (and getting mistaken for an Italian by an Italian which made my day)  I got into a very domestic mood.  The ingredients here are so fresh, they taste NOTHING like back home and that is a good thing. I can't stop cooking.  Here is a little of what I've been making :)

Buonanotte Amici!

And today classes begin.  I woke up at 8:00am and of course had coffee is my little Italian kitchen.  Our neighbors cat decided to join me so I was not quite alone.  If the kitchen window is shut she sits there and tries to push it open with her paw so  (because I'm a sucker for animals) I let her join me.  She's quite the clever one.  If i open the window she wont hurry in.  She takes her time as if it wasn't me who let her in.  Although I'm not a cat lover, I'm growing fonder of this one. 

First class of the semester was at Consumer Behavior in the Fashion Industry. It was literally a 2 minute walk from my apartment door. My professor is such a funny lady.  I'm actually excited about going to class!  (never thought that day would come). I took 6 pages of notes today and thought my hand would break off.  And our grand total number of students in class is.......5! yup that's right 5 students to 1 professor.  Talk about small student to teacher ratio!

Went to the Mercato Centrale today to shop for groceries and fresh produce.  They truly do use every part of the animal (I saw things there that I wish to never see on a plate).  Then got some Gelato with a friend and now I'm here writing to you.

The streets of Firenze are really easy to navigate. It is quite difficult to truly get lost because you have so many land marks to help you get to where you want to go. I even learned how to somewhat navigate the bus system....or so I think.  :) After 4 nights of sleeping on what feels like a desk and a "pillow" (if you can even call it that) me and my roommates decided to was time to locate that IKEA we had seen when we landed in Firenze. So Sunday afternoon we waited almost 2.5 hours (after missing the bus 30) to trek there.  I never thought I'd be so happy to find an IKEA.  I bought the nicest pillow I could find and can report that i slept like a baby last night. :)



But the best exploration walk I've taken yet was to the Piazzale Michelangelo. The walk took quite some time but it was well, well worth the breathtaking view. We crossed the Arno river through Ponte Vecchio. The other side of the Arno is much less touristy which is more to my taste. It was absolutely amazing but I will let the photos speak for themselves.


Ponte Vecchio

It is 2:00am here in Firenze, Italia and I just finished up a lovely evening of dinner with a friend and her French roommates.

But before I describe the incredible experiences I had tonight, lets begin with Day 1/2:

Tuesday August 31st, I got to the airport at around 8:30am, met up with Chapman girls and headed through security.  Our first stop was in Chicago.  From Chicago we headed to Zurich, Switzerland landing in Zurich September 1st. This is where things got interesting.  The plane ride from Chicago to Zurich was a nightmare for me considering I was sick the entire 8 hours slash my body can't sleep in a sitting position.  But I met Philip, a guy from Munich, Germany who entertained me the entire plane ride there. He wasn't too bad to look at either :).

Anywho, I think I fell in love with the Zurich airport the minute we landed considering its lavish shopping center.  "Want a Gucci with that latte?" is all I could hear them saying in my head.  It felt like I was walking through the Beverly Center. Who doesn't want to be in Switzerland after that experience?

Once we arrived to Florence, (the airport was a breeze..no CUSTOMS!) we took a taxi to the student point on Via Giglio 4.  We got the keys to our apartment and started lugging half our luggage down the cobble stone streets of Florence while attempting to locate our apartment.  Mind you I'm a girl and I packed about 45lbs and a smaller 35lb worth of clothing . Lugging those suckers was not the most exciting moment of my life.  But we made it. Our apartment is  a street from school and it is located in the center of Florence.

I'm sharing a 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom apartment with 5 lovely roommates: Katie, Lauren, Jessica, Kara



First night, (after unpacking as always) we went to dinner at Ristorante de la Spada. The 4 course meal was AMAZINGGGG. Followed by unlimited wine.  Best wine ever tasted. Side note: Italians drink wine like its water. You drink it with every meal.

Day 3: one word ORIENTATION!
BORING BORING BORING

We got a Free Orientation dinner at The Club House (so American). Dinner was pretty delicious. We headed back to apartment through a Piazza and found a free acoustic band covering Dave Matthews Band.  The guitarists were freaking amazinggggg. Sat right on the ground and just absorbed everything: the air, the music, ITALY!


Day 4:  After waking up (incredibly late of course) met up with a friend and a roommate and decided to explore more of Florence.  We finally went a saw the Duomo.  The thing is freakin massive. Yet incredible considering it is about a 10 minute walk from my apartment.  Words and photos cannot do it justice. Later we decided to do some "window" shopping. BAD IDEA. Italy will deplete my wallet.  Zara in Italia is fantastico! anyhow i refrained from any purchases thank heavens.



Later friday night (or i should say early saturday morning) I met up with my friend's roommates who are from Holland, (blonde locks and all).  Our night began rather late and ended rather early (one hour turned into 5)...lets just say all stereotypes of Italian men are TRUE. A rather interesting yet ENTERTAINING night filled with even more interesting events and we shall leave it at one word: Flo.

OK Sorry for the bore but i wanted to give you a low-down of what my fews days in Florence have been like..I missed many details and could go ON AND ON but you got the gist.  Its crazy to walk down the cobble stone streets and extremely narrow roads with Vespas flying at you left and right (I swear Italians must have really really great breaks on their cars)  and not to think it is all FAKE.  All the buildings, monuments, streets, everything seems like its out of a movie.  Still has yet to hit me that after all the tourists leave, I'll still be living in the CITY!

Tomorrow I will attempt to wake up early to take a run around the city!

Ciao, Buona Notte