Nikolas Nikolastas and LOTS OF FETA CHEESE!

HOLY CANOLI BATMAN! It's been over a month...very bad blogger I am...not sure if anyone is even reading this anymore, so I'm simply treating it as my cyber-journal.

So...hey journal! Time to talk about GRECIA! The birthplace of civilization!

Was in Athens for 5 days and every minute was exciting...the goddess Anastasia Afendikova opened the doors to her beautiful Athenian home to 9 of her dearest friends, thanks again Nastia :)

The weekend began with some pool side relaxation and overall unwinding from a rough couple months of...relaxation and unwinding from a couple months of relaxation and unwindddinngggg...sorry

Anywho, though the pool was as cold as the Siberian tundra, the much needed tan lines were a welcome sight on my pasty white body!

Thursday we climbed the Acropolis. Ana gave molto history lessons on the styles of the columns, how the monuments in Athens are equidistant from each other, and other miscellaneous but quite useful/amazing facts. We could see the Olympic stadium from the temple of the gods, as well as other ancient and awesome thins (theaters built for wives, places where people sculpted whatever ligament was causing them pain and hoped for healing?, lots of..god like things) Anywho the city itself isn't much to fall in love with but its history is absolutely phenomenal, and we found some pretty legitimate nightlife too! 

Saturday was our biggest adventure. "Let's go to an island!" we thought...should be awesome! No...we get to the metro at 6 am to get to the port...STRIKE...get to the port via taxi (who knew FULL WELL the port was closed)...STRIKE! Our last option exhausted, we were down and out. Tails between our legs and heads sulking, we started to walk away as one Nikolas Nikolastas (not a joke...i asked for his badge to confirm) cries out "I TAKE YOU! I take you in taxi!" ....Awwww....a taxi boat! This will be so much better!...no...a taxi CAB...for three and a half hours we rolled down the Grecian country side. Nik Nik stopped at various overlooks and historical sites. Got to see the Canal of Corinth, the island of Poros, and generally gorgeous views of the Greek coast. Upon arriving at the small port, Nik Nik had a small taxi boat waiting to zip us over to the beautiful Hydra. These islands are not as big or 'touristy' as Mykonos or Santorini, but to say they weren't worth visiting would be a gross fallacy! Traditional white building with bright blue doors and shutters, gorgeous pink flowers pouring over the balconies, and old men riding donkeys while smokin' a cig. It was quite the site. We lounged by the Mediterranean, had a not-so-cheap lunch, and snapped some pics of various yachts in the harbor! All in all it was a glorious day. Thanks to Nik Nik, for showing us much more than we would have seen on the ferry boat, and teaching us life lessons like "always stop for good bread on the side of the road", "dont drive and eat ice cream at the same time", and my favorite "always stop the car on the highway and dance when Shakira is on the radio".

All in all the trip was an absolute success (as always), despite the gaining of a combined 300 lbs between the 10 of us due to mass consumption of the savory and delicious Greek feta cheese. 

Watching Mama Mia on a giant screen with surround sound capped it off perfectly. Mi piace Greece MOLTO. 

I'm sorry I'm NOT sorry for not posting as often...these take a lot of time and brain power, things I don't readily have at the moment. 

Until soon(ish) :-)

Jenna!

P.S. I love you all...dearly!

Bread...doesn't come in liters?

Come stai mia amici!
The past two weekends have been a BLAST!
Last weekend Jacky and I spontaneously vacayed to Lakes Como and Maggiore. Both are set in Italian Alps, just near the Swiss border, and were absolutely incredible. Como was a natural wonder, having huge jagged snow capped peaks with small cliff towns peppered with palm trees!? So beautiful!
We stayed at a hostel in Menaggio, one of the small towns on the lake. It was great. The staff was awesome, it was cheap (thank god!), and we met some great people and drank some great (and equally as cheap!) wine. Our first day was a real treat. We arrived in the afternoon and decided to rent bikes and explore. To our dismay, helmets were a requirement. It made for some fantastic pictures! Off we went down the crazy tight roads through the hills of Como. We were greeted with many a honk. We determined some were simply angry that we were in the road. Others were absolutely delighted at the fact that we were wearing shorts, something that Italians have not adopted yet; this being the 21st century and all.
After a long day of riding we had a lot of laughs back at the hostel. One in particular will stick with us. As we were ordering dinner, I was reading off our list of items to the manager in order to pay. I said, "One pork, one spaghetti, two waters, and one liter of red." Red, meaning wine. He prominently exclaimed, "NO! Bread does not come in liters!"...This would be a moment for a sane person to retract and say no, I meant red wine. Instead, I replied, "What!! It DOESN'T!?!" Went on to converse with the man, trying to convince him of my joking tendencies, but the language barrier simply left our lovely hostel owner with further ideas as to American stupidity.
The next day was the real story maker, however. I spotted a church on a cliff the night before, and in our crazy stupor we decided we were going to go for it!
So we rose at dawn, had a quick breakfast, and marched up the hill. And what a hill it was. After somewhere between 700-900 stairs (NOT an exaggeration)..we arrived at the church on the cliff. As we panted and gathered our composure for about a half an hour, a pair of chipper 75 year old men greeted us at the top, completely unfazed by the enormous assent. "We are Paolo and Pascuale, we are 75 years old and we climb this hill once a week. Can your parents do that?" No Paolo and Pascuale, no they can't.
After our dissent, we saw a flyer at the hostel for a camp that had all sorts of outdoor activities. HORSE BACK RIDINGGGGGGGG! We both agreed it would be great, picturing a typical guided horse back experience with a cowboy who gives you all the do's and dont's of horse etiquette and leads you on a harmless grassy trail. Who were we kidding? This...is.....Italy.
Instead, we were picked up by one Luca the Cowboy. Drunk as a skunk, the man shipped us up in his sad excuse for a pick-up into the Italian wilderness. We climbed and climbed and climbed switchback trails until we arrived at the "ranch". Some sad lookin horses were sitting outside and we knew we were in for a reallllll ride (pun..INTENDED!)
I got Lady, the white lightning. Jacky thought she drew the big male stallion, but no, she got the slutty horse. Luca brought this broad around the corner, and all the stallions went absolutely insane, hip checking the fence, going up on their hind legs, all but hurtling over the fence and mounting the poor girl. Needless to say, we were terrified. "Luca,' Jacky asked, 'will they jump over the fence?" Luca responded, "No...I hope."
After about a mile climb up the mountain our horses were dead. Jacky's hung in there, but mine simply couldn't hack it. She was stumbling, sinking into the mud, not responding to my commands AT ALL, and even slipped 4 or 5 times on the concrete road we were walking on. I couldn't get my feet out of the stirrups, and I knew...I was going to die.
We were within sight of the house and I knew I was going to make it. Oh no no no Jenna. Lady sees the house too, and BOLTS. I kid you not. I was on the grim reapers horse and had lost all control. She sprinted, I screamed, she kept sprinting, I kept screaming. We made it to the house, she all but bucks me off, and goes and lays in the grass. Luca rolls up on his Italian stallion and simply remarks, "She likes being home." I hate you Luca.

Lake Maggiore was incredibly beautiful as well. The Borromeo family commondeered its three islands and turned them into their own homes, gardens, and general vacation spots! They were amazing. One whole floor of the palace on Isola Bella was considered a giant "grotto" and completely covered in tiny stones. It was unbelievable. The gardens were equally as breathtaking. Filled with exotic birds and various plants and flowers from all over the world; they were amazing. With more of a hill geography then mountains, we felt like we were in a Carribean getaway. Due to the lack of traumatic events to write about, it would seem that we didn't have as good of a time in Maggiore, but in fact I think I liked the atmosphere better. Very laid back beachy feel and the people were so friendly.
I give the lakes two thumbs up and recommend to all...

This past weekend was Gardaland, a huge amusement just north of Milan. I do not have enough energy right now to type out my feelings on this glorious place of God, but let's just say it was absolutely everything I ever dreamt it would be, and I will detail the excursion later!

Thank you for reading....I know this is too long but i just have a lot of feelings OKAY!
Arrivederci,
Jen

P.S. I love you all very muchhhhhhhh! :-)

We will be sculpted with cracker crumbs and hard boiled eggs....

Ciao regazzi! Long time no talk....once again have a monumental amount to cover so God help me (should be studying right now but instead I'm blogging and illegally downloading mashups...cool Jenna!)

Post Paree I visited the lovely town of Garda on Lake Garda (clever name!) Beautiful and quaint little get away. Were only there for a night but had a great time walking around some Roman ruins and snapping pics by the water. Our short stay provided little blog-worthy material but still loved it!

Roma, however, left us with a PLETHORA of stories.

Our first day (Good Friday) was rather stressful...Sam and I made the fateful trip at DAWN to Malpensa. Making it to Rome for sunrise, we then waited in the airport for 3 hours till Blodgett and her clan arrived. Little did we know that they were coming into a DIFFERENT airport. Alas, we found them at the hotel by noon, and by the time everyone napped, showered, and reenrgized it was 430 p.m. Day 1=near fail.
BUT...it got better. Upon arriving in the city we hopped on a tour bus, thinking it would be the best way to see a lot in a short time period. GREAT choice...the lovely English man in the head phones never failed to eloquently describe each detail we passed by.
Upon exiting, we head for the Coliseum, where the Pope was supposedly reading the Stations of the Cross. We were a solid three hours early so we thought we'd scope out the scene and then grab some dinner. Considering at least a THOUSAND people were ALREADY there, we thought it best to stay put. After snatching a couple pizzas, we waited, and upon noticing that we were thirty yards from what looked like an emperor's throne, we new we were in for a treat! Big Papi arrived moments later, greeting the anxious crowd but demanding silence instantly (I wish I had the power to raise my arms and quiet 20,000 people!) Surrounded by nuns, from nearly every nation on earth, we watched as the pope stood, for TWO hours, motionless. Literally, as they read the 14 stations, he remained in the same standing position, and DID..NOT..MOVE! It was incredible. After the stations was when things truly go interesting, however. We went to the Ice Bar immediately following, and after freezing are you-know-whats off for 8 minutes MAX and grabbing some sweet pictures we were outta there. The lovely front desk man offered us what we THOUGHT were wise words and legit directions home, but OH WAS HE WRONG. Upon entering the graffiti laden subway we should have known to turn back. Instead, after nearly getting decapitated by the train doors, we were on our way to hell. Exiting the train was difficult, and once we found our way to the street we wish we would have never gotten off. Men and women canoodling in the street, drunken bums stumbling around, people sleeping on park benches....we were in trouble. Once we realized that the YOU ARE HERE sticker on the map was actually not where we were, we found our bus stop. But, alas, the buses stopped an hour ago! Woops! Back to crackhead land we traveled. I, thinking the best in humanity, went up to a man at the busstop. "Scuzi sir...dove il autobus?" As he swung around to look at me I realized that what I thought was a lonely stranger trying to get home was really a potential meth addict with Parkinson's trying to do the Macarena. After spitting some serious Italian, I had 2 cabs on the way. But we couldn't leave until we witnessed a potential homicide! A man got chased out of a bar, tackled, and shoved into a moving vehicle..Lord knows where he ended up that night..hopefully back at grandma's! Quite the ordeal...

The next day we met up with Brothers Christopher and Thomas. Both of them, upon hearing our location the night before, exclaimed "You were WHERE!?!??!!" Ya...it was that bad. Anywho..moving on..
Considering that the line to get into the Vatican Museum was longer than the line to get into a Sox vs. Yankees World Series Game 7, we unfortunately could not enter. Luckily, however, we were with two Rome experts! We went to St. John Lateran, the actual Roman Cathedral and true home church of the Pope. The Brothers pointed out that when each of the 12 disciples is sculpted, they are always portrayed with the instrument they were martyred with. For example, St. Simon is always seen with a saw since he was sawn in half. St. Bartholomew carries his skin and a knife because he was skinned alive. SO COOL! Mary Majors was also incredible, and the brothers continued to wow us. St.s Peter and Paul's heads (ACTUAL heads...) in the altar?! A piece of the Last Supper table? Unreal...
Went for a true Italian lunch. 1st course=heavy pasta, followed by salad, THEN chicken/beef, then fruit salad, and THEN dessert...YESSS....but after walking for a solid ten minutes we were up for gelato. Went to the famous gelateria that serves 140 flavors...1...4...0...Needless to say we were in there for nearly an hour but once our flavors were selected we devoured the heavenly substance.
Headed back early that night because tomorrow was the big day! Unfortunately, after 3 days of 70 degree weather, Easter Sunday brought pouring rain. However, sitting front row, the Swiss guard passing right in front of us, the Pope and all the cardinals on the altar and 130,000 of our closest Catholic buddies behind us made the experience one for the record books. The fact that so many people stood in the rain, for the ENTIRETY of the mass was so neat, and sharing it with my closest Arco buddies was great as well!
Sunday night we had a great little dinner with the "fam", and very early Monday morning we were back in Milano. Some much needed sun and rest in the park brought relaxation and less pale bodies.
Overall been a great couple of weeks! Looking forward too some travel coming up, though, and family visitors!

Test this week....work has really become an insurmountable task! :-) But I think we're headed to Lakes Como and Maggiore after, which will be a precious reward!

Talk soon...much love,
Jerds

P.S. I Love You All like a fat kid loves cake!

Parlez vous francais?!?!?!

Bonjour Bonjour Bonjour!
Visited the gorgeous Paris, France this past weekend with Ms. Aleksandra Rance..and boy did we put a few notches on the ollleee....belt!
Friends Anastasia and Laura (and Jill...yikes) hosted us for the weekend! Thanks to them again...
Upon our arrival we were obviously immediately struck by the beauty and grandeur of this fair city! Berets and croissants and mustaches galore! After settling in, we were ready to explore! First stop was the Champs-Elysees. Casually strolling up and down the beautiful street, we took in the sites and sounds of this city of lights. Had a WONDERFUL dinner and were back to the apartment...preparing for a huge day to follow!
Upon waking up we were primed and ready to take on Paree. Baguettes, cameras, and water in hand we were ready for a day of fun. And fun it was indeed. First stop...the Louvre. I do believe in French this term means "Maze of Death", but some translations differ. This side-winding, criss-crossing, confusingly mapped, art-filled, head-sculpted, overly-heated, stair-laden hell trap led the Tripod (Me, Rance, and Nastia) on the biggest art themed death march of our lives (since we will have multiple themed death marches). Hammurabi's code would have been better used than observed...Dear Louvre, get a new map! We nearly lost 10 lbs attempting to see "the biggies" in the museum, but I must say that Mona in her glory, lots of sculptures from the neck up, and hilarious moments made the trip well worth it. Loved it! Next up was the basilica Sacre Coeur du Montemartre, (Sacred Heart Cathedral). It was gorgeous and the views of the ENTIRE city weren't bad either! Last stop was the Arc de Triumph. Got to climb inside of it and took some fab pictures at the top! After dinner, Anastasia was nearly attacked by a labradoodle after its owner told me to hold its toy...getting mauled to death was not in my itinerary and after blindly throwing the toy over my head, the pup was after Nastia! She survived....
Friday night was truly epic, however. It began in the penthouse sweet of one Calo Ospina, or friends of his. Located a stones throw from the Eiffel Tower, this lovely apartment afforded us a view of the sparkling steel structure that most would dream of. A glass of champagne and fancy outfits on the terrace may have been common to these lucky Parisians, but Aleks, Jorge, Camilo, and I sure stood out as we had our own photo shoot on the veranda. After this..pre-'party'...it was off to Club Cab. Calo got us in to the VIP section, but soon after our entry it became clear we did not belong. After sitting awkwardly for almost an hour, we were casually invited to the table next to ours that had been adorned with flaming bottles of Grey Goose for what appeared to be days. The men, who claimed to be Turkish princes (false...there is no royal family in Turkey...thank you Blackberry) offered us drinks and we politely declined because we 'felt bad that they paid for them.' However, upon seeing the money clip that looked more like a green phone book fall out of Prince Ali's pocket, we felt a little less guilty.  We danced our hearts out and once the clock struck 5 we were told the club was closing. BUMMER....but NO...Prince Ali and his entourage were off to another...open until 7 a.m...Needless to say the return to Anastasia's apartment at 7:30 (while most were leaving for work) was one for the record books.
Saturday was a rough wake up call...but we were up to the task once more. Our 1 o'clock arrival to the Eiffel Tower left us unable to ascend to the very top, but floor 2 was high enough for me ;-) Some great pictures and many laughs later we were off to Versailles. Nothin' like a casual evening trip to a giant palace. We were only allowed inside for 30 minutes, seeing as we arrived so late, but walking around the gardens was so great! Thank youuuuu Louis.
Night three did not disappoint...round two with the Istanbullians? Of course! This time we were off to another apartment get together, which just so happened to be directly within the circle of the Arc de Triumph. Jorge took some much needed Facebook photos while we mingled...all in all another great night with the tres chique group in Paree!
Many crepes, memories, and fantastic pictures from the gorgeous city! Only wish I could eat at Breakfast in America and scream PARLEZ VOUS FRANCAIS!?!?! at the top of my lungs every day!
All in all a huge success and great check mark off the list of destinations....

Lake Garda update tomorrow...I have fajitas to make and cards to play...some sort of Hispanic old lady I am!

Thanks for reading this long winded account...

Jenna

P.S. Je vous aime!

MOD 14B MOD 14B MOD 14B MOD 14B!!!!!!

Hi all,
This is apparently becoming a once-every-15 day blog...not acceptable...so I'm going to start separating my thoughts! WE GOT A MOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We'll be living at 14B next year in BC's gated community...for those of you who don't know what these palatial homes are, they were temporary housing in the 70s and have stood ever since! Seniors vie for them, but only about 20% of the class gets one! These lovely cabin like structures are adorned with cheap wooden cabinets, lovely backyards, charcoal GRILLS, and the occasional drunken freshman. It has made looking forward to senior all the more torturous and I CAN'T WAIT! Although being here in Italy, and casually jet-setting all over Europe is making it a little easier to resist. :-)
Off to Lake Garda for today and tomorrow to see Miss Ryanne Fenimore! Will write about Paris on the train (because it will take a while ;-) and about Garda tomorrow!

Almost halfway finished with this crazy abroad experience! Can't believe it...:-(

Spring's almost here...
Jen

P.S. I love you all very very much!

Are you cold?

EPIC BLOG FAIL! SO SORRY!.....so much to tell

Parma came for a visit last weekend....we turned my lovely single dorm room into a luxurious 3 person suite :-) Showed them the sites and sounds of Milano which was grand. The Castle Sforzesco was a hit! Aside from the HUNDREDS of stray cats running around, we had a blast. There was a carnival just outside the draw bridge, and yes, bumper cars! These b-cars, come to find out, were no place for children. Upon paying our 1 euro fair we hopped in the little buggies of death and were OH so excited. I, having just bought a crepe, was driving with one hand while mangere-ing on this delectable delight, fully confident that i could maneuver the small vehicle and enjoy the heavenly snack all at once. SO WRONG! Ten asians and the 5 Americans voyaged out into the open arena, but we were not alone. The lovely italian gentlemen who "worked" at the establishment joined the fun as well. Instead of sitting in their cars, however, they mounted them like demon horses and were violently demolishing anything in their path. Upon first contact, I suffered severe whip lash and was up on the side barrier...and then BAM! The little Asian brother and sister duo took me OUT...crepe...everywhere. From then on it was pretty much a game of cat and mouse...Americans=mouse...Italians + Asians=cat....horrifying...but all in all we agreed it was the best euro we've spent thus far!
Then, it was off to Parma this past weekend to see Rance and the crew...what a cute lil place it is! Had an absolute blast just casually riding bikes on the cobble studded streets with. It was quite warm on Friday, so I, being the summer lovin' type, went out in a t-shirt. Due to the predominantly geriatric population in Parma, this choice was deemed outrageous! In our short ride from the gellateria, to the Essalunga Supermarket, and back home again, i was asked by 8...yes..8 people, "Non e freddo?!"...."Aren't you cold!??!?"...the general concern was heart-warming (no pun intended) I guess a tall blonde in a t-shirt with a messy bun with gelato on a bike singing That's Amore causes a stir...bizarre! :-) That night was grand as well...had an epic dance off with a Parmesan rugby player...you would have thought we had paid a choreographer! Fantastic stories...
Verona was our day-trip destination on Saturday. A beautifully sunny, love-filled trip it was! SUCH A GREAT TOWN! We toured "Juliet's House", from the epic Shakespearean tale. Even got to touch her boob (meant to bring good luck with your love life???) We'll see how that little myth turns out! Explored the Roman ruins, had a reenactment of Romeo and Juliet on the 1st century theater stage, and took nearly 7,000 photos in some cute little arches overlooking the city. Sunset...on a 1,900 year old Roman terrace..overlooking a gorgeous city=successful Saturday! Many pictures being uploaded!

Some more BC-ers en route today....The Last Supper, Napolean's palace, and hopefully Torino are in the works for the weekend! Olympic cities seem to be our thing....:-)

I will post tomorrow! Need to get back on track...
From Milano,
Jerdle

p.s. I love you all very much and thank you for reading! :-)

Basketball for the Deaf

Ciao everyone!
An interesting update today....On Tuesday I had the pleasure of practicing with an Italian basketball team. The trip was one for the record books. First I met up with Ciro, the head coach, a wonderfully short Italian man with a passion for "basket". Before departing, however, I was introduced to the only other American on the team. A blonde named Jenna. HA! So we jumped on the tram, then switched trams, then switched trams again! Finally ending up at a lovely athletic establishment "near" Milan. After the ballerinas and ribbon dancers departed, it was time to get down to business.
This is when things got interesting. Jenna had explained to me that practice would be "normal but different". Wasn't quite sure what she meant by that but I soon found out. One girl on the team spoke broken English and was able to translate every time Ciro yelled. We ran simple drills that I could pick up on, but it was when we began to learn plays that I truly began to feel as though I had lost my sense of hearing. "CAMBIO CAMBIO!" Ciro would yell. "Be PLAYMAKER! You..PLAYMAKER!" Yes Ciro, I'm a play maker, I was born to be a play maker baby! But no...playmaker here means "point guard", because they call the plays. Here's the ball Jenna...go be a playmaker! Embarassing....anyhow, the practice went well and the team was pretty decent. Overall it was a worthwhile experience, but after finding out that they are in a league with 50 year old women and 14 year old middle school boys, I'm not sure its going to be my cup of tea. I will attend again, just for kicks, but this time forego exclaiming that I am in fact, a "playmaker".
Classes have begun and they are great! Comforting to know that one thing in Italy is running so well. Our teachers speak great English and the level of the courses is outstanding. Definitely going to learn something while we're here, at least something other than techno, skinny jeans, pointed shoes, pizza, paninis, and pastries!
A domani, mia amici!
Arrividerci!

P.S. I Love You All!

Barcelona...Home of the 1992 Olympic Games

Hola everyone! Happy Valentine's Day <3 <3 <3!
Been a while...we just returned from our epic vacation (from vacation) in Barcelona, Spain. Had the pleasure of rendezvous-ing with some LOVELY Boston College folk, including the likes of my two lovely and gorgeous roommates, Lizzie Smith and Alex Saevitz. Ladies, take a bow.
Upon arriving in Barcelona we realized that the weekend was going to be as cold if not colder than the previous weeks in Milan. Hey, guess the only cold front to move into Barcelona in 500 years HAD to come during this past weekend to make us feel at home right? Well anywho, despite the frigid temps, we still had an outstanding time! We walked around the city our first day, touring the shops and side streets near La Rambla. Also visited the apartment buildings designed by epic architect Antoni Gaudi. These modern marvels were just about as odd as the guards protecting the front doors, but the view from the street was enough for us!
That night we attended a 70's style dance party. After searching for and collecting 20 euro worth of "hippy gear", we made our way to the dance floor. Having created Saturday Night Fever Part. 2 for around 4 hrs, the group departed, with a North Face jacket, camera, apartment keys, and two pairs of sunglasses either missing, "stolen", or stomped to death by the heard of wild Spanish elephants on stage. Needless to say, Boston College and its respective bank accounts did not ONLY contribute its $15 ticket fee that night.
Once recovered from the past evening's degeneracy, we embarked on a city bus tour. Despite the arctic temps, we found strength and headed up to the top deck of the open air double decker bus. This is where the fun began. Upon entering each leg of the tour, we couldn't help but notice that literally EVERYTHING our wonderfully British audio-tour guide was describing had SOMETHING to do with "the 1992 Oh-Lym-Pic Games". Now, from what we heard these games were pretty spectacular. However, it became abundantly clear that nearly everything that has happened in Barcelona since the fall of the Roman Empire has had a relation to the 1992 Games. "On your right you will see a large metal structure. This structure represents strength. For....the athletes...of the 1992 Oh-Lym-Pic Games." Or even, "The lawn just up ahead to the left was pristinely mowed....just before...the 1992 Oh-Lym-Pic Games." And lastly, "This bus, and its toilet, were not FULLY completed and cleaned until just after...the 1992..Oh-Lym-Pic Games". Hence, for the rest of the trip, anything and everything that could not be explained or attributed to any legitimate cause or event, became immediately related to "the 1992 OH-LYM-PIC GAMES!"
Our third day, however, was the best. The group split up and conquered the city. Both groups got to see La Sagrada Famiglia, the church that Gaudi constructed for 40 yrs before his tragic death that will most likely not be completed in our lifetime. Katie and I got to see the inside, and get a detailed description of the exterior which was ABSOLUTELY amazing...no words. After this, however, Caterina and I were off to Montserrat. A hot little flier that had been hanging in out hot little hostel said we were 40 minutes away from the coolest place in the WORLD! Naturally, we packed up and jumped on a train. Upon arrival, I, being petrified of heights, nervously gazed up at the 2,000 foot cable that belonged to the gondola we were going to have to ride to the top of this sheer CLIFF, where a monastery resides.
After a treacherous assent, which I must say was incredible and breathtaking, we made it back onto solid ground and entered the monastery. We were met with quite the site. A hooded monk playing an enormous pipe organ, and one of the prettiest churches we've seen yet. Not only was this the home of dozens of monks, we think Benedictine, but it was also situated DIRECTLY on the edge of the cliff face. We took a walk, and had an epic dash across some loose rock (video uploaded) while looking out over miles and miles of Spanish country side. The trail was dotted with shrines, mosaics, crosses, and even the monastery's cemetery. It was quite the site and we couldn't have imagined missing it! Just take a gander at the pictures :-)
All in all it was an epic adventure...stories galore and memories for the ages. I think most of us are taking a travel break for a week, with a potential day trip to Bergamo, Italy this weekend. First day of real business classes start tomorrow! Can't WAIT! Economic History at 8:45 a.m...I SURE HOPE they highlight the 1992 Oh-Lym-Pic Games!!!

Keep it classy people,
Jerd

P.S. I love you all VERY much :-)

I Feel Like I'm Sweating Salami

Ciao mia amici!
Sorry for the week long hiatus. We've been so busy with Italian class and our weekend trip to Venice!
Carnivale was absolutely incredible. The masks and costumes that were parading around the streets were truly amazing. One woman had a miniature sail ship woven into her wig? Other people dressed as demons or ghosts because we think it used to be some sort of pagan ritual. We even saw two miniature puppies dressed as gondoliers! (pictures uploaded soon :) Venice is one of the most beautiful cities in the world! Each street was just as unique as the last, and we really enjoyed our time. Our B and B "Villa Delle Palme" was a honeymoon couples dream, draped in fine satin and ah-may-zing breakfast! Katie went to bed unannounced on Friday night, and I, along with my 4 compadres, spent over 2 hours trying to "find her" only to realize that she was sound asleep in her bed. Girl was in a coma. It was dramatic.

At noon on Sunday the "Angel Flight" took place. This is an age old tradition where a person dressed like a dove descends from the top of the tower into St. Mark's Square. We, being Americans, filmed the ENTIRE moment leading up to the event, picturing it in our minds as a scene out of a Aerosmith concert where someone comes careening in on a zip-line and blasts onto the stage. NO NO...in Venezia, it is the SLOWEST...descent...EVER! We literally watched this..man/woman...inch towards the ground as the string quartet graced our ears with its ever so soothing melodies. Quite the site. We then visited the cathedral, which was spectacular, followed by the parade. Men and women slowly made there way to the grand stage as baton twirlers and flag bearers razzled and dazzled the eager  crowd. After the parade, however, is where the real fun began. Upon exiting Piazza San Marco, which took all of 3,203,920 minutes, over 10,000 people attempted to cross the ONE bridge that leads to the water taxis. Once I get iPhoto to work, I will allow you all to feast your eyes on this epic site. Literally, over 200 people, on one bridge, DID NOT MOVE for 30 minutes. I, being mildly claustrophobic, nearly had a moment of insanity but I held it together. Later attempted to bring humor to the moment by moo-ing like a cow, but I think I just furthered everyone's anxiety. A serious fight was avoided between two Antonio Banderases, and everyone learned that day that pushing is not the answer, not now..not ever!
Overall it was such a successful first journey out of Milan! Venezia will most certainly be visited again.  We have our Italiano Exam on Wednesday and will FINALLY be finished with this awful 9:30-2:30 class schedule and can maybe have some fun (pshhhh haha ;-)
Headed to Spain on Wednesday evening for more epic European adventures!!
Barcelona....here we come...

Will update with the post-exam damage on Wednesday....but until then...i continue to STUFF my face with salami and prosciutto paninis! Arrivederci!

P.S. I rearry rove you all!

SORRY FOR THE DELAY!

To all my faithful followers.....(all two of you!)
Sorry for the absence....just got back from Venezia and will write about our adventures tomorrow :-)
Va bene.
Ciao

P.S. I STILL love you all i promise!

Sleepless in Milano

Ciao!
As the title indicates...this lifestyle cannot be sustained! It is literally impossible to go to bed early here, even when we don't go out. Our residence hall has some sort of hold on us! Furthermore, working for longer than a 3 hour window is just not in the Italian manual. NOTHING is open around here (when you need it to be of course :) It is hysterical to see how family owned shops/restaurants operate. "Eh...we closed now-uh..but..uh...you come-uh back in-uh twenty minutes we may have-uh some-uh panini's for you?" Also, the portions here are SO small compared to the obese US. I can safely say we've all lost at least 5 pounds. Needless to say, however, the food is absolutely phenomenal. Haven't had a bad meal yet!
The weekend was great, we finally booked a couple of trips! This weekend we are headed to Venice for Carnivale! Apparently it is one of the biggest parties in Europe and we're so excited to visit the city on the water. We also are going to Barcelona, Spain for out short break between Italian class and regular business courses! Many BC friends will be visited/visiting and we are absolutely pumped!
So many places, so little time!
Need to do my nails...and maybe shower...although poor hygiene seems to be a theme in Europe :-/
Now time for some Italian homework...we have to do 2 WHOLE sections of fill in the blanks. The difficulty and rigor of the courses here is second to Harvard Med and I DON'T know how they expect us to keep up :-)


Until domani...arrivederci!

P.S. I love you all!

Fire and Shoes

Tonight...there were pyrotechnics in the club.
My mom told me that I should leave if there was fire in the club. So we left (after 5 hours). I kicked off my shoes in the lobby and the reception man got SUPER mad and flung his shoe at us. It hit Jacky. I made him feel horrible. Hopefully he doesn't hold grudges.
We went to Teatro Alla Scala tonight....too lazy to incorporate it into words. ABSOLUTELY phenomenal. Will divulge details tomorrow.

Va bene. Buono notte :-)

P.S. I love you ALL SO MUCH!!!

The Jersey Shore is SOOOO Old Fashion

Ello Ello!!!
Wow....much to cover....so pull up a chair and some snacks and lets GIT DOWN TO BUSINESS!

Last night was Katie's birthday...and WOW did we go big. Our school sets us up at certain clubs and we get free drinks/admission etc. Last night the party was at a place called "Old Fashion"...how CLEVER these Milanese people are ;-). Maybe it was Katie's GIANT birthday hat, my GIANT stature (which will be discussed later) or our blonde hair that made us stand out, but we may as well have been a large juicy peace of "carne" thrown into a lion's den. If I dime for every time i used the phrase "Non, mi dispiace, ho un regazzo" (No, sorry...I have a boyfriend) I would have 3 MILLION dollars. However, once we found our little nook, the deafening pump of the bass behind us morphed us into fist pumping champs. Snookie, Ron, Paulie D, Sammie, Vinny, JWOWWWWW, and The Situation would have been so proud of our performance.
Needless to say today was a struggle. We did, however, get our train passes finally! We can now stop being vagabonds and legally ride the tram. Also, I've decided I love this place because ALL the women are as tall if not taller than me! At home, when we go out and I wear heels, I feel like some sort of Neanderthal lumbering around amongst dwarves. But here EVERYONE is my height so I blend in (sort of)!
Overall a very solid couple of days. Learned that, in Australian speak, "jigging" means "ditching class" and that when you go clubbing its "going out proper". Also learned that jigging is what typically happens after one goes out proper. We are becoming SO wordly.

Definite post after tomorrow night :) We MAY be going to La Scalla (most famous opera house in the WORLD!) for a little casual song and dance episode.
Fino a domani! Ciao!

P.S. I love you ALL...so much!

WIND, Fog, Snow, and Kitchen Parties

After much delay, frustration, money, and hunting, we ALL officially have Italian cell phones. These little gems come through the WIND service and only cost us 10 euro/month. We get 800 minutes and 4000 texts! HOLLER! They're cute little miniature devices that could easily be mistaken for a domino piece, but hey! they get the job done.
The fog is getting a bit annoying...we heard it stops soon but I, being from Colorado, am accustomed to 300 days of sunlight a year...so please Mr. Sun, come out and play!
 Also, today was the first day of our Italian Crash Course and we can now have basic conversations with the locals (if they speak slowly and ONLY ask us our name, how old we are, and where we are from in an EXTREMELY slow, yet perfectly grammatical accent-less way :-)
Lastly, our kitchen parties have been a hit. The lovely concierge man from Africa loves everyone, but when his shift is replaced by the AWFUL Russian Mafia man all bets are off. We've befriended some Chili-ens who absolutely adore us. Hopefully we haven't scared them off yet! Some Serbian girl insists on stalking us because she quote "knows a lot about America" but is a LITTLE overwhelming. Lastly, the Australian fellows nearby are absolutely delightful and a sight for very sore eyes!
Tomorrow is Katie's birthday....we all have to regretfully celebrate with her........KIDDING!
CANT WAIT! The big Two-One in a country that allows infants to drink in the womb..should be interesting!
Until next time, talk soon!

P.S. I love you ALL!

Duomo...Burger King...AC Milan vs. Internazionale

Well hello!
Today was our second day...and let me tell you...I LOVE IT HERE! The Duomo downtown is absolutely  beautiful! The second biggest Gothic Cathedral in Europe...quite the sight. We were starving...and the only thing nearby was the BK Lounge...so cultured right?? The mall and fashion district are also fantastic (and as expensive as you can imagine!) and we have many pictures to show for it :-)

Tonight was also a blast...Milan AC played Internazionale Milan in "futbol"...half of the city supports each...but the bar WE went to mostly supported Inter..had a GREAT time!!!

Upon returning to the Arco (our residence) we met up with MANY people from all over the world...which was SO FUN!..However...we were eventually greeted by some Eastern Europeans (Bulgaria and Romania mainly) who thought it was funny to make jokes about September 11th?
To say the least, that issue was promptly dealt with and we are all in our quiet rooms reflecting on the confrontation! Milan and the people in our dorm are ABSOLUTELY wonderful, however, and we all are having SUCH a great time! Who knew we would live across from Australians, French, Turkish, and Canadian students!? So awesome!

Anywho...another successful day.....i SWEAR these wont be as long later on...I'm just too excited!
Talk soon...

P.S. I Love You ALL!!!

"She's American...Isn't She"

Hi gang! So I can't say day one didn't go off without a hitch. We each had overweight bags, which cost $50 a piece, as well as the extra $60 for more than one checked bag. I left my passport on the plane of the final leg and let me tell you it was not a pleasant discovery. However, with some savvy dance moves and a little American eye-lash work we managed to retrieve the fallen comrade and pass through "customs" unscathed. Our cab ride brought us curbside of our LOVELY residence! Let me just say, the modern art of graffiti is one to be observed. The rooms and kitchens, however, are quite nice, very clean, and have TONS of storage. Great discovery.
Later, I was out on the balcony and became locked out of my room. With no key, no cell phone, and no friends, I had to scale the wall and make a fool out of myself in front of the local "skater boys" who were practicing their rapping skills just beneath my room. However, I think as far as European travel days go, it was pretty darn good! All bags for all 6 arriving BC-ers made it safely to our lovely residence, the Arcobaleno, a former hotel in Milan.
With stomach's filled with lasagna and Beck's, we were off to the supermarket, and boy were we in for a treat. Bustling Italians turned what used to be simple food laden aisles into any Formula 1 driver's dream. Little ladies who mirrored Mother Teresa lost all consciousness when it came to the size and speed of their shopping carts. However, after retrieving the few necessities we needed for the evening we have returned to the residence for a viewing of MTV's Jersey Shore on "the projector".
Until tomorrow, peace, love, and Milano.

P.S. I Love you ALL!!!! :-)

Departure is scheduled for Friday, January 23rd...Pending any drastic mishaps or Heathrow debacles