India: How to survive a rickshaw

 I awoke, early the next morning (day two) feeling bruised and like I had taken a turn in a washing machine on high...  I would soon learn, that the feeling would be a reoccurring event each morning.     We arose extra early to try and watch the sunrise over the Taj Mehal.   By the time we had walked over to the Taj, the sun had already risen and there was a considerable line.  There were four different lines to get in to seethe monument: Indian Men, Men, Indian Women, Women with seperate prices for each group.  I'll leave you to your own emotions on that on, but we had gotten half way through the line when we realized, they didn't sell tickets.  Robin ran back to one of the shop owners who had tried to corral us into buying something from him, and somehow convinced him to take her on his moped to buy tickets and that we would stop in after our trip inside.

India: Part I - Epic Pizza Delivery

As I sit in my room in Florence, I think back to how all the events unfolded to create my trip to India.  Where do I even start?  Do I start in September when Robin Joking mention me visiting?  DO I start with crazy visits and running around New York with my mom and sister?  Or does the adventure really start when I get off the plane.  I believe that adventure is in the eyes of the beholder.  I had cleaned out my fridge, picked up such essentials as pro-biotics, a multitude of drugs, a new bag that I wouldn't mind sacrificing to India and other such wonderful trinkets.  The one thing I did pick up was some good old fashioned Italian Pizza.  I was ready to go.

Fresh to Death

We had to run.  No matter how early we ever try to leave for the train it always seems like I am running for a train.   Fortunetly, we did make it just in time with some tag teaming, one person parking and one getting the tickets, but we made it on the train which was the important part.  Anyway, every seat was full, of course, so we walked down the train until we found three seats in a car.  I sat down next to what was I later figured out was two girls pre-raging for their birthday, on the 12 pm train into Manhattan.  Now, I have absolutely nothing against day drinking, and I really can nothing bad about day drinking in strange places (the weirder the better), but Budlight lime?  Really?  That's where I draw the line.  Have some class ladies. 

Hurry Christmas, Hurry Fast

Break was wonderful, I only had a few short days and let me tell you they were jammed packed and I still didn't get to see everyone I wanted to.  I did get some stuff I really needed done though, I cleared out my closet again, the less stuff I have in general the better.  My opinion is if I can live months at a time without it, or missing it, most likely I don't need it and if I need it later in life I can just buy a new one.  So I need cleaned my room, getting ride of that skirt from middle school I loved and was "waiting to fit into again" (Ha) and those chatchski's that just were collecting dust with no sentimental value.  I felt better leaving my room this time around knowing I had just....  Less.  I did keep all my posters though, I have a couple, ehem, motivational posters from the movie Kick Ass.  I like being reminded each morning I get up that I can do what ever I set my mind to, and that I will kick ass at what ever I so desire to peruse...  the only caveat to that would be directions and maps(fail on all accounts).

The Case of the 24 Hour Layover

I arrived at the Florence airport with no incident.  That morning I packed up the last of my stuff trying to make sure I would have the simplest flight home as possible, ironic I know, but that was my goal.  I had just a small carry on and a small checked in bag.  I always get little butterflies when I travel about everything that could go wrong; is my bag overweight?  Will I have trouble at security?  What about my connecting flight?  What kind of fees will I have to pay for those changes?  What if my seat mate wants to talk the whole time? So I try and come up with contingency plans before I even leave my house (Can you tell I have had traumatic flights before?).

How Do They Fit a Pumpkin in That Little Cup?

Walking around Florence is always such a wondrous activity.  When I sit on a bench watching all the people go by, I like to imagine that everyone is in a complicated dance with each person playing a part.  Somehow everyone always remembers their place spinning and turning, never colliding in a graceful dance of the masses.  This is somewhat helped by my "When I people watch" playlist.  Think folk/rock/indie/bluegrass bands and you will understand the rhythm I give people.  I love giving the world a sound track, so I create playlists based off of how I want to feel or how I do feel such as; "When I am sad", "When I workout", currently "When I feel like a badass" and "When I feel happy" are my top contenders.  These are literally collections of music that  are sorted by mood, as the name implies, literally.   I am super excited also, because I created a "Amurica" playlist with including but not limited to; Party in the USA, Sweet Home Alabama(its sort of close to Connecticut), American Pie, Americano, Flightless Bird American Mouth, Rock in the USA and other gems.

Worn Faces, tired spaces.

Walking around this city, I like to look at all the people passing by, and with each day it becomes easier to detect each type of person.  You can tell by their clothes, how they walk, and how they interact with other people.  Every country has different mannerisms that can be associated with them.  You know who is American and who is not.  Who is Italian and who is not.  And so on.  I think that if you spend enough time watching, you can really see some interesting things about how cultures interact with eachother.

Something that has been bothering me for a while has been the travelers that live on the streets here.  Poverty is nothing new to me or new to the world, and poverty exists in every country.  But what I have been noticing more as I have grown up into adulthood is how poverty is treated. I had very little knowledge of what was going on in the world around me until I left the country and really looked at what was going on.

Thanksgiving #italygirlproblems

I bought a Thanksgiving Parmigiana instead of a chicken 

I once again, hit another hurdle: my first holiday away from my family as a working girl.  I was a little apprehensive as I come from a large, loud family.  My dad is one of eight, and they are all very Irish.  Meaning get together's - even something as simple as a first communion is usually 50+ people.  My mom is Italian - and we all know how that goes down.  40+ people, everyone in the kitchen telling everyone what to do.  This would have been the first Thanksgiving since my great grandmother passes, whose house we usually have dinner at.  I am not going to lie- nostalgia was hitting me like roundhouse to the gut - and that is a little tough to swallow and not show your opponent that you are crying like a little girl.

The farewell

Back in Florence it was like I never left(except for that pile of emails) crazy to think after the whirlwind week of travel and week hanging out with my sis that everyone was just going about their business.  Man, that was a solid trip.  ...  There was mystery, intrigue, adventure, some fake crying and a lot of fun.  It had everything!  I had an amazing time with my baby sis.  I really did.  It was a fantastic trip, and I really appreciate the bonding we got to achieve on this trip.  I can't wait until she comes back next year

That night we went on some reconnaissance shopping and finished up the list of things the girls needed to see in Florence before Anna had to leave on Thursday.

Bagpipes! And Kilts! And Haggis! Oh My!

Let me start off with, I LOVED SCOTLAND.  I loved Scotland so much in fact that I was seriously considering not leaving.  I am sure that work would understand, I mean, what isn't to love about Scotland?  Honestly, I fell in love with the country the instant I stepped off the plane, and it was probably the most difficult place to leave.

Secondly, I was slightly stressed because I wanted this to be an amazing trip for my sister and her friend but I am - well - lets say "directionally challenged"  Maps and I have never gotten all that along.  Our First day we settled into our hostel before going out and exploring, because of the strict liquor laws  in the UK most hostels in the center wouldn't allow under 18's stay in their dorms so we were located a little less central than I would have liked but it wasn't that bad.  We arrived pretty late and ironically the only thing that was open as 2am was - a Mcdonalds.  I shame ate a whopper and fries.  Who am I?  I don't eat McD's.  Period.  I am not going to lie, I did some experimentation in college but who doesn't in college.

It Comes in Pints?

 Yes...  Yes it does....  but more on that later.  I had finally arrived in Ireland.  It was around 6pm by the time I had checked in, and settled.  AND THEN I SAW KELLY!  I was so excited. I didn't let go of her....  Literally we had the most wonderful bear hug since when Robin came home from her semester abroad.  Well actually I didn't let go until dinner.  It was great to hang out with her and her Galway roommies.  It is sincerely fantastic to see people who know who I am and just be myself.  I was on top of the moon.  We sat and chitchatted for a while, our gossip quickly lost interest for the little ones and they ran off to get ice cream.  I find it strange that "little" is 17 I don't feel old, but five minutes ago I was 17 and starting the best summer ever, before I left for Italy.

Home Again

Florence - I mean why not.  I had to show Florence to someone new so it was like I was exploring it all over again through the eyes of someone new!  We first got to Florence late at night, we were tired from all the travel and hauling luggage up hills(that was me) so we collapsed in our apartment and didn't move.  Liz had the time to upload all here pictures, and I had time to look back at all the emails I had missed over the weekend.  I am giving in to any preconceived notions about myself- I am addicted to the internet.  Anyway, Monday I had to be at work, and I worked through Wednesday then Liz and I were going to Scotland with her friend Anna! Monday night after work we walked around the city and looked in all the store windows, Liz decided that she wanted everything as a souvenir, so we had to narrow it down a bit.  What was nice was we got amazing leather jackets together, she got shoes and so on.  It was more nice to just walk around with her and talk.  I missed that so much, we used to be together all the time before I went to college and she went to high school.  It was a great catch up.

Re-united at last in Rome!

Rome - a romantic city full of beautiful monument, wonderful sites and amazing food right?  Wrong.  I have now been to Rome three times, and not to be a downer but it tops my list of worst Italian cities I visited just under Pisola (probably the best- worst getting lost story ever) and Naples.  Now I gave it multiple tries, I did a day trip there with school, I went for four days with my mom and now last weekend, and I think I can safely say, Rome is not for me.  Now I am sure that it could be all fine and well for other people, but here is why I would just be really ok with not going back.

Such Great Heights

A question you may ask yourself about my blog is, why are there music videos in all the posts? Well let me tell you. My plan is to include my song I am listening to/is my favorite/is my new jam when I published each post that way when I look back I can create a playlist that can bring me back to that moment. I am a huge fan of music, and while my list of favorites is diverse (Techno, folk, rave, pop, techno, rock, techno, alternative) I am going to try and make a well rounded playlist that can really bring this year together nicely. 

So this weekend I went on a very interesting trip. I got to see three of Italy most famous foods, and how they are created: Parmigiana cheese, Balsamic de Modena and Prosciutto de Parma.  If I do say so myself it was quiet a gastronomical adventure.  The first stop we did was in Parma to a small cheese factory and I got to see exactly what goes into making Parmigiano cheese, which is surprisingly not alot: milk, whey, salt.  It was really cool.  Basically all true Parmigiano factories are open all year long with no days off because the cows never stop needing to be milked.  The cows are milked each morning and the beginnings of the cheese is made by the afternoon.

So Happy Making

I don't even know where to start.... There is just so much I have to say, and there are so many little off shoots on a main story - like an episode of How I Met Your Mother, just bare with me and you can hear an unbelievable story.

Firstly I was so excited to be going on this trip, Cinque Terre was on my list of places that I really wanted to go to. Cinque Terre for those of you who don't know is a set of five small cities interconnected by a foot path and train system. Cinque Terre literally means "five lands", and is a protected historic land mark by the Italian government. Each Town has its own individual flavor to it, although each four towns are located on the cliff's of the Mediterranean and one town is more inward. Chronologically we went through Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia,Vernazza, and finally Monterosso al Mare. Our hostel was in Riomaggiore, and was by far the best choice of towns to stay in. Riomaggiore is on one end of the chain of towns, so we we able to start our hike and go in one direction for the whole day - although I use "one direction" loosely. The hike was unbelievable tough, but now that you have some idea of what Cinque terre is I will start from the beginning.
So I have work on Fridays and the girls I was traveling with didn't have plans on Friday so I was going to join up later in the day after work. I am not going to lie I was a little nervous taking the train alone, I have had a couple disastrous experiences with taking the train alone , and this would be my first time since my return taking the train. Thankfully this was nothing like the first time, using all my knowledge of trains I had acquired and timetables I was fine!

If I Ever Leave This World Alive

There are many things I could say about the majority of September, but travel was not among those words.  I have been trying to decide life plans and what I am doing with myself, I have work(which is PHENOMENAL by the way) but what else.  I am here in this fantastic city with none of my usual vices: my crafts, sewing machines and the nearest AC Moore is 4014 miles.  Yeah I googled it.  So now what?  I need a project.  Its not that I don't have things that I could do, I am an expert time waster, I in fact have whole folders devoted to the most inane and useless websites you could find.  Its not even like I spend hours on TFLN or postsecret, no these website are much worse.  Alas, I need focus or a direction of my personal life that I have yet to find.  I have very little athletic skill(See hand eye coordination) so joining some sports team here is out of the question, I like baking but baking does no favors for me and thus forces me to run jog awkwardly canter around the city.  My attempts at running have been vividly compared to that of a baby dinosaur and a horse stuck in the mud.  So that rules picking up some kind of cross country.  I bought a basil plant, and aptly named him Phillip, but he is already shedding all his leaves.  I hope he will survive the month I have grown quite fond of him.

Iron and Wine

 Let me start off by saying I have been trying - unsuccessfully - to write this post for some time. This is attempt three, starting from scratch, to get my thoughts on paper.. Er... Internet.
This morning was my adult morning. I sat down with my cup of tea and started doing finances, figuring out budgets and all that stuff. It was an interesting feeling

Saturday, we took a trip to Castello di Verrazzano, Verrazzano means the family of the wild boars of the forest. On the way there I saw two girls, they looked in their late twenties in dresses that I wouldn't wear to Hattaz at 2 am. It was such a juxtaposition, the girls dressed up in their club gear, walking down a country road with one house every five miles. They were hitchhiking their way to who knows where. I was shocked, I didn't know a) that people still hitchhiked and b) that hookers came out in the day. I kinda figured it was like the whole vampire thing, they only come out at night, they sparkle (their shoes, bags, dresses shirts everything is sequins and glitter) and their skin is cold (from standing on the corner all night). It kinda blew my mind to see them out in the day light.

Tangled

On September 7th there is the Festa della Rificolona every year in Piazza Santissima Annunziata which is one of those very Italian festivals and my group was probably most of the only non-native it the square.  The Festa della Rificolona(or festival of lanterns) is a festival created to celebrate the birth of the Virgin Mary although according to my information this festival wasn't a big deal until 1555 when Florence defeated Siena.   It was an amazing site, I wish I had brought my camera (it was tucked neatly in my drawer waiting for me to get it, although to be perfectly honest it doesn't take great night photographs so images wouldn't be as impressive as it actually looked).  This is also known as the Festival of lanterns, there was a woman giving what I expect to be a very moving speech, the whole crowd was mesmerized.  There was families with children, and everyone had lanterns.  Some lanterns had an electronic light in them, some had an actual tea light, some were handmade and some were obviously purchased, but all lanterns were on sticks held above the crowd.  There was one very large replica of the Duomo that obviously took someone a very long time.  They were beautiful, especially all held up on over the heads of the crowd.  There was also children running around with spit ball shooters, trying to hit as many lanterns as they could.  This was a strange event to watch, especially because not only were these spit balls hitting lanterns, they were breaking them by puncturing the cray-paper and in some cases knocking them completely off their support stick.  I did a little research and that tradition has something to do with the schism between the rich and poor.   When this festival was first started the rich patrons were be able to afford lanterns, where as the poor would not, so to try and knock the rich down they would try and destroy their lanterns.  

Everyone gets a day: Mothers, Father's, Bastille's

 I am have so many things to talk about about but very little continuity so I will try and make things interesting but I cannot promise any smooth transitional sentences (*cough* sorry heather).

I am covered in bites, before you your knickers in a twist, no they are not the fun kind.  They are the itchy, hard lumpy kind.  There are these beastly warrior mosquitoes here that give bites the size of quarters and look like raised welts.....  And they are everywhere.  A legitimate question someone asked me was if I had slammed my hand into a door.   I look leprous.  Thankfully my face has been spared, but not much else.

Summer Fires

I am finally moved into my apartment.  It feels like I have been here for forever just because of how crazy things got.  Things are supposed to calm down a lot after the next week, but for now free time is a luxury, when I find it  I do the healthiest thing possible.  Nothing.  My first sight of freedom was last night, my first night in Firenze, I had been running around moving everyone in and had a light lunch and no dinner.  I figured I just would get a light fare and then if there was leftovers I would reheat them for breakfast.  I walked around for a bit just to remind myself of where everything is.  Some stuff I remembered, others looked completely new(although I am sure that 400 year old buildings are put up all the time).  I wandered around for a bit before I ended up in Piazza Signoria and stopped.  The night was dark, it was probably around 9:30, and I decided that I wasn't going any further.  I could have bought a cheap sandwich anywhere, but I just wasn't in the mood to do the whole grab-and-go thing.  So I sat down at the most obvious tourist trap that looked right out at the Palazzo Vecchio with full intentions of ordering dinner.  As soon as I saw the menu I knew that wasn't happening.  It was in Italian with not only English subtitles but pictures.  PICTURES.  Yeah.  I felt ridiculous sitting there, I knew I was better than that.  I felt bad leaving after I sat down, and I was so tired I dont know if I actually had it in me to move anytime soon so I decided to just enjoy a glass of wine.  It was obnoxiously expensive, but that wasn't the point.  I spent two and a half hours drinking my one glass of wine just sitting staring out at the families bustling around, making friends with the waiters, and just decompressing.  It was exactly what I needed.  The view was beautiful, it really reminded me of what I missed about Florence.  My free time and meals are appreciated more when the world is quiet and I just get to sit and enjoy my surroundings.