Italy, Part III: San Marino

I had never even heard of it, but Brendan really wanted to go to San Marino, so we went...and I'm so glad we did! Even though it was a pain to get there (two trains and a bus). But there's a reason for its remoteness; San Marino is a beautifully preserved medieval country situated on top of a mountain! Along with being the world's oldest republic (founded by Christian refugees escaping Roman persecution in 301) it's also the third smallest state in Europe (after Morocco and Vatican City). It's roughly the size of a small town, although we only explored the capital, also called San Marino (like NY, NY?)



Along with preserving their ancient traditions (we caught a military parade and band as it went by) and their love of liberty, the Sammarinese just seem like a really nice people. Again, the kind of people you might find in a small town. Everyone was so nice to us, smiling and saying "Ciao!" And it seemed like all of the shopkeepers knew each other and were good friends---I suppose because they're all neighbors. San Marino is also probably the only country in the world with a virtually non-existent crime rate. In other words, it was a wonderful, fairy tale land.



And the scenery was spectacular. We climbed up the towers of medieval castles that were built to defend the country from attack, and through the mist saw the Italian countryside stretching for miles. The air was so clean up there, and we wandered through the forest that connected each of the three towers together.





If only the requirements for citizenship weren't so difficult...you either have to be born there to parents who are already citizens (clearly too late for that now), or women can marry Sammarinese men. Of course, because it's so awesome lots of people want to live there, and in 1999 a law was passed that requires female servants to be under age 50---so that young women don't marry their much older employers for their money! But maybe if I go back there and meet a Sammarinese guy...I can dream! ;)

Italy, Part II: Florence

Our next stop was Florence, which was my favorite city in the entire trip...though it's like picking a favorite out of chocolate, gelato, and crepes! But Florence was perfect in every way: It was small, still walkable (if a bit busier than Venice), with exquisite architecture and artwork, and surrounded by the most gorgeous Tuscan landscape you could ever imagine.



Our first night there we climbed up a hill on the outskirts of town to see a view of the city at sunset. It had been the warmest and sunniest day I've experienced since coming to Europe, with temperatures in the high 70's/low 80's. It felt sweltering because I had become used to the wet and cold English winter. The plants and trees were just beginning to flower, and as dusk set in we saw both the lights of the city and the stars. It was magic.

The next day we went to the Basilica di San Lorenzo (the Medici family church) and saw the tomb of Lorenzo de Medici, which was inspiring for me since I'm a fan of Lorenzo's. As an added bonus the chapel had sculptures by Michelangelo. The Medici family, especially Lorenzo the Magnificent, were the de facto rulers of Florence for much of the late Middle Ages, and it shows. Or as I triumphantly said as I saw the beautiful churches and Renaissance art that they commissioned, "The Medici's owned this town!" Of course, it could be argued that the Medici supremacy messed up Florence's "democracy," but if Lorenzo was a dictator, he was a benevolent one.

His statue:


From there we saw the magnificent Duomo, which I believe is second only to St. Peter's in size. My favorite thing about this cathedral was its dome, painted by Brunelleschi. It truly is a work of genius; the figures all look distorted if you get close to the ceiling, but are perfectly proportional when viewed from the ground. It was cold inside, the tiled floors acting as natural air conditioning, and was a welcome respite from the sun outside.





From there we saw more evidence of Medici hegemony, the Palazzo Vecchio (a government building). In the square was the Loggia, which had reproductions of famous statutes. Diep really liked this area, as an artist and art history major! I liked the statues of famous Italians lining the road along the Uffizi Gallery, including Lorenzo, Bruni, Dante, Boccaccio, and Machiavelli.

We saw two art galleries while in Florence. We went first to the Galleria dell'Accademia with only one goal in mind: to see David. I didn't like paying a full price ticket to essentially see only one sculpture, but if anything's worth it, David is. It's so much bigger and lifelike in person; pictures don't quite do it justice. The Uffizi Gallery had some nice artwork as well, including famous Botticelli paintings, favorites of mine. Still, though, it wasn't as impressive as the Vatican Musuems. We did get to skip the ridiculously long queue with a "fast past" ticket, though! ;)

Finally, the view from the Ponte Vecchio...

After much delay...Italy! Part I: Venice

Well, I'm done! My essays--such as they are--are finished, and I finally have time to update this blog. Italy has long been overdue, so I'll start with that.

Venice:

Venice was everything I'd thought it would be, from the gorgeous architecture of St. Mark's Basilica and the Palazzo Ducale, to the Bridge of Sighs, the narrow, winding streets, the canals, the gondalas, the masks, the gelato (goes without saying). And yet for me the most thrilling experience was riding the vaporetti (water bus) from the Lido to the mainland. Our hotel, which was very nice, was on Lido, a thin island that guards Venice from the Adriatic. Strangely enough, the island itself reminded me a lot of Long Island. Ok, they're both islands, so maybe not so strange! Although a bit chilly, since it was still March, it was wonderful to be out on the water again. It was just like being out on Keuka Lake back home: there were motorboats out, and sailboats, and people fishing. The sun sparkling off the water, the wind in my hair---perfection.



Venice is in many ways a fantasy city. I remember loving Disney's World Showcase pavilions at Epcot when I was a kid. It seems fitting that their representation of Italy was basically a reproduction of the Palazzo Ducale (the palace of the Venetian Doge). In many ways, the real thing is still a fairy tale world...for adults. Venice's beauty is almost unmatched; and yet, it exists almost exclusively for tourism. In that sense, I never got the sense that I was seeing the "real" Italy while I was there.



The other downside to Venice is of course the high prices. It's common knowledge that Venice is the most expensive city in Italy (even worse than Rome)! Unlike Dublin, which is apparently the most expensive city in Europe for no explicable reason, Venice is worth it. Yet it was still a bit disheartening to drop 10 Euros on a mediocre buffet dinner because it was the cheapest thing we could find. On the flip side, the gelato was the best and cheapest in Italy (only 1.50 for a huge cone)!

I also loved how Venice was such a peaceful, walkable city. There were no cars anywhere. All of the "traffic" was made up of boats and gondalas on the canals. People's houses were built right up against the canals, so that you could simply open your front door from your boat and step in! I really liked that.



Of course, at the same time there wasn't much nature anywhere...no parks, for instance. The aerial view of Venice is very brown, particularly because the streets are so narrow that they all blend together from above. And woe betide you if you're trying to find a particular place using traditional street directions. There's no such thing as getting lost in Venice, because that implies that you have the ability to navigate your way around. Which you don't. The best tactic is to just wander until you find a sign pointing back to St. Mark's Square, which is the only open space anywhere in Venice. Just watch out so that you're not attacked by the pigeons...they're everywhere!



But it is all of these things that makes Venice so special and unique. I'm so glad I had the chance to visit before it sinks into the sea. If it ever does, the world will be a lesser place as a result.

Procrastination is so much fun...

Well, three down, one to go! Yes, I am one essay away from being DONE! And somehow I can't seem to start working on it...go figure.

So instead I want to share a hilarious Daily Show clip with Jon Stewart and John Oliver debating the US vs. the UK. I think we know who wins!

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
Battle of the Banned
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Economic Crisis Political Humor

Finally, an update!

First off, I apologize for not updating in a while. I had all the best intentions to write something every day (or once a week at the very least) but then, well, life happened! I was constantly moving around this past month, doing lots of traveling during break between terms, but now I'm back at Warwick and ready to work!

Well...at least ready to update my blog again, as a useful method of procrastination! Being back has been a relaxing change of pace, and I'm enjoying it at the moment. Still, the "travel high" hasn't quite worn off yet. I did realize, coming back into the country, that Britain has become a second home to me now. What seemed so exotic and strange at first has become reassuringly familiar, especially compared to the Continent. Now, I'm not saying that I've gone native or anything like that, just that it took some traveling for me to realize how comfortable Britain has become for me.

Of course, there's still a lot of Britain that I haven't seen---but over break I did get to go to Scotland. In fact, a remote Scottish island. I went to a holy place: the Isle of Iona with Christian Focus for Students' Week, where we stayed in the old abbey and met lots of other uni students from Bath, Kings in London, and Cologne, Germany. It was a week that I really needed, a chance to reflect, pray more, and of course experience the beautiful nature on the island. I spent one week there, and I want to go back so badly! It was such an idyllic place, with wonderful people (in the Iona Community and the local residents) and a sense of being removed from the chaotic outside world. For instance, there aren't any streetlights on Iona. That means we needed to use a torch everywhere we went, but it also meant we were able to see the stars.

The abbey and cloisters:

One of the days we went on a pilgrimage to see the sacred sites of the island, like the beach where St. Columba landed in the 500's to establish his monastery. I went on the off road pilgrimage, which on Iona means that I waded through boggy swamps and moors, trying unsuccessfully to keep my jeans from getting muddy and wet. I failed on all accounts---I not only got mud up to my knees, but I also went too close to the shoreline on the beach and got my shoes soaked by a giant wave! It was worth it, though. The next day we took a boat trip to the island of Staffa, which is similar to the Giant's Causeway in Ireland. I got to sing in the famous Fingal's Cave, which has the acoustics of an opera house. We even passed seals sunbathing on the rocks on our way there.

Staffa:

The rest of my time was taken up with daily life in the Iona Community. Having a daily schedule, a routine and rhythm to the day was a respite from what had become my usual vagabond existence. Here's an example of a typical day:

7:30 AM: Wake up to the sounds of the Rising Bell (or, once, singing!)
8:15: Breakfast (cereal, toast, tea, or coffee--I even tried marmalade, but I'm afraid I don't care for it as much as Paddington Bear does)
9:00: Morning worship in the Abbey (an ecumenical service)
10:00: Chores. Yes, we had chores. I was in the Puffin group, which meant that I helped set the table for lunch and wash up afterwards. It also meant that we got bathroom duty...luckily, my task was mopping the floor so it wasn't too bad.
10:00-12:30: Sessions
12:30 Lunch, which included delicious homemade soup, homemade bread, and fruit
12:30-6:30: Free time, mainly spent exploring the island or hanging out in the Common Room
6:30: Dinner (mostly vegetarian meals but we did get a wonderful Sunday roast)
7:30: Sometimes a presentation, or music rehearsal
9:00: Night service (we had a variety of them, like a silent service and healing service)
10:00: Nighttime fun! Monday night we went to a ceilidh, which is traditional Scottish folk dancing, similar to New England contra dancing. We even heard a member of the community play bagpipes! Or we would go to a "prayer meeting" (in quotes). I think that one is self explanatory.
Midnight: Bed!

All in all, it was a busy and yet rejuvenating time. I loved hanging out with everyone, meeting people from other universities, learning a new way to play Mafia (Werewolves), and coming closer to God during Lent. Especially since I was in Amsterdam for Easter! ;)

Port Ban, the most beautiful of all the beaches:

Things I learned from this trip:

-Iona is "a very thin place...with a thin boundary between Heaven and Earth" (apologies to George McLeod!)
-Black pudding is NOT pudding! Well, no British pudding is pudding in the American sense. "Pudding" refers not to the delicious treat that comes in a plastic cup, but to desserts of any kind. Technically, chocolate cake is pudding. So wrong. Black pudding is worse though...it's filled with disgusting things and...bleh. I didn't even bother trying haggis.
-I don't like Scottish whiskey. Enough said.
-A "cream tea" does not refer, as common sense would make people (ok, me) think, to creamy tea. It means tea with cream (not whipped cream, far more buttery) and scones (rhymes with "on" instead of "own"). I also learned that the cream is meant to be spread on the scones like buttered toast. I saw what the scones looked like---fruity American biscuits--and immediately
dumped a dollop of cream on top of the scone as if it was biscuits and gravy! And, well, the end result was not pretty. And the cause of much amusement to the Brits. And neverending teasing. It was still delicious, though. I still feel like a barbarian because I drink my tea black, without milk.
-Don't let the Caribbean-like blue waters fool you...Scotland is COLD! I spent many happy hours sitting by the Common Room fire. ;)

It was a special time, a special place, and I'll never forget it.

Today is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.
We will not offer to God offerings that cost us nothing.

Next up: I'll eventually be getting to Italy and the Germanic countries!

Italia

I've just returned from a wonderful whirlwind tour of Italy! Almost two weeks and seven cities: Venice, Florence, San Marino, Rome, Naples, Pompeii, and Sorrento. And we managed to not only go to Italy, but two more countries as well...San Marino and Vatican City!

I'll probably write more detailed entries for each city later, but for right now, presenting my completely biased look at Italy...

Food:

Of course, the pizza and pasta in Italy was excellent! The pizza was a bit different than NY style---but still good. ;) And I learned that in Italy you eat pizza with a knife and fork. It's much too firm to fold over like you do with New York pizza. It's also quite basic: the classic Margarita (just mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, and basil) or Neapolitan (no cheese). The real treat, however, was gelato. Not ordinary ice cream by any means! It's similar to the Rochester classic Abbott's frozen custard in that it's much creamier and thicker than your average ice cream. Also it came in so many unusual flavors: tiramisu, lemon, Nutella, honey, caramel, Kinder biscuit, and I even saw popcorn flavored gelato (I didn't try that one).

In fact, real Italian gelato is so good that I made this pie chart to demonstrate:



So...the verdicts?

Best pizza: Naples, by a long shot. After all, it was invented there.
Best pasta: Florence.
Best gelato: Venice, by a long shot. It had the cheapest and most delicious...mmm....
Best coffee and cannolis: Rome. Also the best food overall.

Favorite city for...

Peaceful, relaxing atmosphere: Venice
Beautiful art and architecture: Florence
Nature: San Marino
History: Tie between Pompeii and Rome
Sheer craziness: Naples, hands down. I feared for my life in that city! Mopeds driving on sidewalks, no pedestrian crossings, no traffic lights, no lanes! Let's just say that taking a taxi in Naples was one of the most interesting moments of my life. I didn't know that it was possible to drive like Mario Cart in real life!

All in all, I loved Italy! It's such a beautiful country, and (except for Rome, which was weirdly chilly) it was so warm and sunny! I felt like it was summer!

More to come later!

Why I love the Chaplaincy

So, I realized that this blog is turning into a travelogue, so I thought I'd write about one of my favorite things about Warwick--the Chaplaincy! Not only for the awesome people there, but also because it's so different than UConn. To be honest, I now wish UConn had a chaplaincy, instead of a bunch of separate places of worship that don't usually interact.

So what is the Chaplaincy, you might ask? Basically, it's a little hexagonally (?) shaped building on campus that has a small chapel, lounges, a kitchen, offices, and an interfaith worship space for services. It's also the place where all the different religious societies hang out (hence one of the posters reading "Abandon all work ye who enter here"). I love how the same space can be used for Mass Sunday morning and then Christian Focus cricket Sunday night!

I like how it's interfaith--for example, one Friday night a few weeks ago I got to go to a Shabbat dinner hosted by the Jewish-Israeli Society. Not only was it interesting to learn about the Shabbat, the food was delicious!

Speaking of food, the Chaplaincy kitchen is amazing to have. Every Sunday night Christian Focus has a social with a main meal and dessert, all cooked in the kitchen. Of course, the rest of us who don't cook have to help wash up afterwards, but that's when the shenanigans start... ;)

Also, it's ecumenical. I've met all three of the wonderful chaplains--Catholic, Methodist/Free Church, and Anglican. And--I'm so excited about this that I can't wait to post about it in a few weeks--over the break I'm going with a bunch of Christian Focus friends to the Isle of Iona, off the coast of Scotland, to spend a week living with the Iona Community in an Abbey! Iona is an ecumenical community that is known for its great music (more information on their website here).

Speaking of music...I also love being part of the Music Group of the WCF (Warwick Catholic Fellowship). I'm seriously considering bringing back some of our music to St. Tom's. The WCF is so awesome, we even have our own "Warwick" melody for the Our Father and the Sanctus! ;)