That's Happy Easter to all of you non-Italian speaking folks. This past week was a lot of fun with Thomas and Taryn visiting, plus a few others as well as Easter festivities.
First things first- I saw Sarah last Monday! Sarah is another Marquette student currently studying abroad (for those of you who don't know her) and she is living in Madrid. She was just in Florence for the day, but it was great to see her nonetheless. I am visiting her in Madrid this coming weekend, so I will have more quality Sarah time then.
Me and my little Madrilena in front of Ponte Vecchio
Sadly, Sarah left but then Thomas and Taryn showed up and we had a great week. Taryn's friend is also studying here and she is a grad student majoring in Renaissance Art, so she was an excellent tour guide in all of the museums. The four of us went to the Uffizi one day and the Bargello the other and had a good time learning random facts from Stephanie about all of the pieces and the artists.
On Friday Thomas, Taryn, and I went on a day trip to Cinque Terre. Cinque Terre translates to five lands, and that is a pretty accurate description. It's these five mini-peninsulas that jut out into the Mediterranean and each of them have a small town. There is a trail that connects all five towns, so we decided to go for a day of hiking. I think we underestimated the difficulty (it was much steeper than I expected) but luckily we are healthy young people who can handle a little exercise. We only did two of the trails, but it took us about three hours, so we were satisfied with ourselves. And, while it was difficult, it was also absolutely gorgeous. Yet another place that doesn't look real. So, of course, my pictures don't do it justice, but they still turned out nicely.
Thomas and Taryn at the beginning of the hike- before we knew what we were actually trying to do
Vernazza, the town where we stopped for some food (and a breather)
Notice the faint trail that goes up the side of the mountain. Yeah, we climbed that.
We had a nice day of hiking around in the beautiful weather and the next day they left to go back the states. I had a great visit with the both of them, and I'm so glad that they came.
Saturday I didn't have any plans, and it was weird. I'm so used to traveling every weekend, that it was nice to have a day in Florence to do whatever I want. I discovered that, when left to my own devices in Florence, I shop. It was a bit dangerous; the weather was great, I was in a good mood, I was doing a good job of haggling with the vendors... you get the idea. When I decided that I had done enough damage (don't worry Dad, not too much damage) it was time to hike up to my favorite place in Florence: Piazzale Michelangelo.
On the way I had to cross Ponte Vecchio. Note the ridiculous amount of people on the bridge. Tourist season is officially here.
Once I got to the other side of the Arno (Altroarno for Florentines) I stopped at a fruit stand for some strawberries and then made the trek to the top. Then I sat and read for my literature class.
Here's a picture from my reading spot.
So, Saturday was a nice relaxing day, but Sunday was Pasqua (Easter). Florentines take their Pasqua very seriously. They have an odd tradition where they attach a mechanical dove to a string that leads from the altar in the Duomo to a cart in the Piazza outside of the Duomo. This cart is rigged with all kinds of fireworks and when the dove hits the cart they explode. If all of the fireworks explode, it's supposed to mean that it will be a lucky year. When I first heard about this tradition I thought it was odd, because it has nothing to do with the resurrection of Jesus. Then I remembered that we hide eggs from children and blame it on a bunny, so I guess I'm not one to judge.
Anyways, my friends and I woke up bright and early to go to the Duomo and see the dove/fireworks show. We got there an hour before it started. We should have gotten there three hours before. It was absolutely packed, but I still managed to get some decent pictures.
All of the important people in costumes on the steps of the Duomo. They were playing drums and tossing flags
The cart all rigged and ready to go (Note how close it is to the Duomo. Does that make you as nervous as it makes me?)
The Italian children next to me with the olive branches that were passed out
(I got one too. Score!)
Fireworks! It's going to be a good year.
So, the whole time I was there, I couldn't help but think, "Man, they would NEVER do this in the U.S." Why, you may ask? Well,
1) They allowed people EXTREMELY close to the fireworks. I was back in the crowd several people deep, and I still have never been that close to fireworks.
2) They set the fireworks off in between the Duomo and the Baptistery, two of Florence's oldest/most significant/most beautiful/most irreplaceable buildings.
Lesson for the day: Florentines like to walk on the wild side.
First things first- I saw Sarah last Monday! Sarah is another Marquette student currently studying abroad (for those of you who don't know her) and she is living in Madrid. She was just in Florence for the day, but it was great to see her nonetheless. I am visiting her in Madrid this coming weekend, so I will have more quality Sarah time then.
Me and my little Madrilena in front of Ponte Vecchio
Sadly, Sarah left but then Thomas and Taryn showed up and we had a great week. Taryn's friend is also studying here and she is a grad student majoring in Renaissance Art, so she was an excellent tour guide in all of the museums. The four of us went to the Uffizi one day and the Bargello the other and had a good time learning random facts from Stephanie about all of the pieces and the artists.
On Friday Thomas, Taryn, and I went on a day trip to Cinque Terre. Cinque Terre translates to five lands, and that is a pretty accurate description. It's these five mini-peninsulas that jut out into the Mediterranean and each of them have a small town. There is a trail that connects all five towns, so we decided to go for a day of hiking. I think we underestimated the difficulty (it was much steeper than I expected) but luckily we are healthy young people who can handle a little exercise. We only did two of the trails, but it took us about three hours, so we were satisfied with ourselves. And, while it was difficult, it was also absolutely gorgeous. Yet another place that doesn't look real. So, of course, my pictures don't do it justice, but they still turned out nicely.
Thomas and Taryn at the beginning of the hike- before we knew what we were actually trying to do
Vernazza, the town where we stopped for some food (and a breather)
Notice the faint trail that goes up the side of the mountain. Yeah, we climbed that.
We had a nice day of hiking around in the beautiful weather and the next day they left to go back the states. I had a great visit with the both of them, and I'm so glad that they came.
Saturday I didn't have any plans, and it was weird. I'm so used to traveling every weekend, that it was nice to have a day in Florence to do whatever I want. I discovered that, when left to my own devices in Florence, I shop. It was a bit dangerous; the weather was great, I was in a good mood, I was doing a good job of haggling with the vendors... you get the idea. When I decided that I had done enough damage (don't worry Dad, not too much damage) it was time to hike up to my favorite place in Florence: Piazzale Michelangelo.
On the way I had to cross Ponte Vecchio. Note the ridiculous amount of people on the bridge. Tourist season is officially here.
Once I got to the other side of the Arno (Altroarno for Florentines) I stopped at a fruit stand for some strawberries and then made the trek to the top. Then I sat and read for my literature class.
Here's a picture from my reading spot.
So, Saturday was a nice relaxing day, but Sunday was Pasqua (Easter). Florentines take their Pasqua very seriously. They have an odd tradition where they attach a mechanical dove to a string that leads from the altar in the Duomo to a cart in the Piazza outside of the Duomo. This cart is rigged with all kinds of fireworks and when the dove hits the cart they explode. If all of the fireworks explode, it's supposed to mean that it will be a lucky year. When I first heard about this tradition I thought it was odd, because it has nothing to do with the resurrection of Jesus. Then I remembered that we hide eggs from children and blame it on a bunny, so I guess I'm not one to judge.
Anyways, my friends and I woke up bright and early to go to the Duomo and see the dove/fireworks show. We got there an hour before it started. We should have gotten there three hours before. It was absolutely packed, but I still managed to get some decent pictures.
All of the important people in costumes on the steps of the Duomo. They were playing drums and tossing flags
The cart all rigged and ready to go (Note how close it is to the Duomo. Does that make you as nervous as it makes me?)
The Italian children next to me with the olive branches that were passed out
(I got one too. Score!)
Fireworks! It's going to be a good year.
So, the whole time I was there, I couldn't help but think, "Man, they would NEVER do this in the U.S." Why, you may ask? Well,
1) They allowed people EXTREMELY close to the fireworks. I was back in the crowd several people deep, and I still have never been that close to fireworks.
2) They set the fireworks off in between the Duomo and the Baptistery, two of Florence's oldest/most significant/most beautiful/most irreplaceable buildings.
Lesson for the day: Florentines like to walk on the wild side.
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