Hurdles to Home

I woke up on my last day in Italy unintentionally early with a large list of things I wanted to do. I learned quickly that my last day would be a day of relaxation and relishing in the memories of my semester rather than accomplishing anything. Sarah and I started by making breakfast and decided to go for a job on the Tiber River. Our run only lasted about a block before we decided it was too nice to be jogging.  We had gelato twice, a complimentary cappuccino in the sun and cookies for lunch. We finished our day with my last Italian dinner at the oldest ostaria (Italian for ‘restaurant’) in Rome.

With an early flight Friday morning, I said my goodbyes Thursday night. Luckily a friend was visiting and asked how I planned to get to the airport. After telling her that I had planned on taking the bus to the train to the airport she said, “You do know about the major strike tomorrow, right?” Of course I had no awareness of this. She told me that none of the buses or trains would be in operation. Although I knew I could take a cab, at this point I had unwisely used all of my Euros. For those who know my personality, I was surprised to find I was not flustered at all and decided to go to bed and simply wing it. I had no backup plan and yet, was determined to make my flight.

The next morning I wish I had on video tape. My suitcase was so heavy I had trouble moving it out of my bedroom. I walked out of our apartment building to see both of the buses I could have taken drive by. Luckily, another one came shortly. Once I arrived at the train station, I read the next train to the airport arrived in three minutes. That meant I had three minutes to descend and cross under twelve tracks (with three bags). I quickly made my way to the escalators to see they were out of order for the day. After clunking down two steps, a man who had just reached the bottom turned around to see what the ruckus was, smiled and came up and politely carried my bags down. Typically, all of the tracks have elevator access to them as well. Again, Track 12 was the only one without an elevator. As I started up the stairs, I heard the train come and go. Again, luckily I was greeted by a man panting from failing to make the train as well. Poor man had to carry my suitcase up the steps after running to make a train. Although only half of the trains were running, I only had to wait 30 minutes for the next one to Fiumicino. A baggage carrier for Alitalia Airlines on his way to work warmed up by assisting me with my suitcase onto the train. When I got to the airport I learned my largest bag was almost 70 lbs. Oops. They must have taken pity on me because I wasn’t charged extra.

My flight to Toronto was quite enjoyable. I flew on Air Canada for the first time and I would highly recommend them to anyone. Sadly, the best pasta I had while studying abroad in Italy was aboard my flight home on an Air Canada aircraft. I met lots of nice Canadians as well as another girl from California who was also finishing up her semester abroad.

UPDATE: I now have been home for over a month and although I am happy to be back, I am missing Italy and the friends I made.

Wrapping Up

Two weeks ago I decided to take my last voyage outside of the city limits. I traveled to the manmade Marmore Waterfalls. As part of a tour we were able to hike around the waterfall and see some breathtaking views. On our return to Rome, we took a brief stop at the Carsule ruins. Unfortunately, as study abroad students who had already seen numerous other ruins throughout Europe, most were not interested in seeing this unheard of, remote hillside.

Later in the week, to alleviate end-of-year stress, Sarah and I decided to make cookies for a bake sale in the piazza outside of our apartment building. Unfortunately, the only thing we made was cookies and a lot of them. Although we didn’t sell any, we ate many and enjoyed our last weekend.

I know many are curious as to whether I attended the beatification of Pope John Paul II. I did not. Instead, I enjoyed the crowd in our piazza at our highly profitable bake sale. My friend David attended and his comment regarding the event was: “It was crazy – and not in a good way.”

I got lucky during finals week and finished with all of my exams on Tuesday. This left me with the rest of the week before I left on Friday. I spent Wednesday morning at the Vatican museum (Yes, it did take me almost four months to finally go inside of the Vatican). Here are two tips I suggest to anyone traveling to the Vatican:

1.    Buy your tickets online. Online = No line. I was able to walk by a line that covered a city block.

2.    There is no need to pay for a tour. Casually trail behind one of the school tours. If that tour guide is dry, choose from one of the countless other tours.

3.    Hidden beneath the gardens is the garage housing the different Popemobiles throughout time. Not many people realize this is located here, but the carriages are definitely worth seeing.

Wednesday afternoon I traveled back to the beach one last time. I decided to visit a different area that I thought was a public beach. I quickly found out I was wrong. After being chased down by the receptionist, I asked if I could simply walk the beach in which I was granted permission. As I reached the sand I conspicuously avoided the lifeguard by walking in a complete circle and found a spot to lay down my blanket behind a boulder where I thought I was out of site. About five minutes later I was startled by Damien, the lifeguard, who was unfolding a lounge chair for me. He informed me that I was on a private beach and if I did not have a chair by the time the next lifeguard came, I would be kicked out. After asking how much the service cost, he graciously told me I could have it for free. I learned on my way out that having an umbrella was 80 euro for the day. 

Springtime In Rome

The weather is warm, the flowers have bloomed and my semester is coming to an end.

Since my last blog, I have gone to the beach in Ostia, a small town about an hour away from Rome. Here I was able to enjoy the Tyrrhenian Sea and dip my toes in the water (it was still a little cold for full submersion). It was beautiful!

Later in the week, Sarah, Auriel and I were invited to attend the Pope’s weekly Wednesday blessing. We were invited by a student studying to be a priest at the Pontifical North American College. Although he will not be officially ordained until October, we call him Father Matt. Fr. Matt was able to get us special seating in the Papal Audience area which is on the stage that the Pope gives his speech. He does his blessings in many different languages. His English is better than my philosophy professor’s. Afterwards, Fr. Matt gave us a tour of the American seminary. To many people’s surprise, Fr. Matt was both personable and funny. We enjoyed his company and have plans to return for dinner after finals before returning home.

Pope Benedict XVI

The following week I attended my first cooking class. This class took place on a terrace on top of our campus building. I learned to make Ratatouille, Bucatini all’Amatriciana (Bucatini pasta with bacon sauce), Hunter’s Chicken (chicken cacciatore) and my favorite, Nutella filled cookies. Sadly, I was full from ‘sampling’ the cookies before we even sat down for dinner. The meal was delicious and I can’t wait to come home and make more!

This past weekend, I traveled with my roommate, Auriel, to Cinque Terre. “Cinque Terre” translates to “five lands”, or five villages. This tourist attraction consists of five small villages on the northwestern coast of Italy. The beautiful views, sandy beaches, and adventurous hiking paths are what draw people to these cozy villages. After a long day of hiking, we finished our day with a characteristic seafood dinner. Here are some pictures:

When in Rome, with my mom!

First, I apologize for the delay. It has been a busy two weeks since my last post. Keep reading for a recap!

Another weekend in Rome started off with no agenda, but yet another undiscovered path. While in class, the previous Thursday, one of my Italian friends had told me about an orange garden that was on a hill and supposedly had “the best view of Rome”. Here, is where I found the most breathtaking view of Rome and a typical Italian couple doing what they do best….

The rest of the weekend I was busy preparing for my mom’s arrival on Thursday. On the day of her arrival, I picked her up from the airport and we began our daily gelato outing. After showing her around a small part of Rome, we got a good night’s rest for our following day’s travel to Venice.

Venice was beautiful with its endless winding canals and beautiful, handmade glass jewelry. We spent two days touring the city, visiting the countless shops and enjoying cappuccinos on a canal while people-watching for hours.

Our next stop was Florence. Although we only stayed one night, we were able to see the leather market, the Duomo, the city center market and Ponte Vecchio (one of Europe’s oldest stone bridges filled with jewelry shops). Here in Florence, I purchased my first leather bag while Mo enjoyed shopping for scarves.

Ponte Vecchio

Our final stop was Orvieto, a small town just outside the Tuscany region, yet still famous for their white wine. This town was perched on top of a cliff that was formed years ago by the eruptions of nearby volcanoes. Because Orvieto was a much smaller town hardly anyone spoke English. As well, the town practiced their siestas religiously. In Italy, a siesta is a short afternoon nap. As a result of siestas, in smaller Italian towns, most shops and restaurants close for the afternoon before opening up again in the evening. During this time we were able to walk through most of the town.

These are pictures of towns surrounding Orvieto

The following morning we returned to Rome and had a day of recovery and relaxation. On my mom’s final full day in Italy, I gave her a walking tour of Rome. I showed her our favorite market, had her try different jams and balsamic vinegars, showed her where I shop, where I eat, where I go to school and my favorite places in Rome. We finished by eating dinner at a restaurant that was known to have over 100 different types of pasta sauces. The following morning I dropped her safely off at security in the Fiumicino Airport where she quickly made friends with American high school chaperons touring Italy. I was so lucky and happy to have her visit. Not only was it a great break from school for me, but it was also almost exactly 40 years since the last time since my mom had been in Italy.

The rest of my break was filled with sun, homework and the Orto Botanical Gardens. With the temperatures in the mid 60’s and no one at home, I decided to visit one of the two botanical gardens in the heart of Rome (the other is part of the Coliseum um and Roman Forum and is also the oldest botanical garden in the world). Although hardly any of the flowers had sprouted, the garden was absolutely beautiful. It had amazing views of Rome and although it was in the city, I couldn’t hear a single car (a rarity in Rome). Here are some of the pictures:

Most recently, Sarah and I went for out for some drinks and decided to take a walk through Piazza Navona (where she previously played guitar and sang with a street vendor) and here is some of the street entertainment we found:

Unfortunately, the uploader for videos is not working. The following man had Barbie puppets that he attached to his hands and used his fingers for their legs. His hands danced to Smooth Criminal by Michael Jackson. While the puppets were fun to watch, he was the real entertainment.

Marcel, who happens to look like...

Grandpa Joe from Willy Wonka

The "Almost More Than" Day Trip

After the past two stressful weeks of school, I began my weekend by spending a day shopping with Sarah. While out, we decided we needed to continue our adventures and have a day trip on Friday. We decided on a little town north of Naples, Pozzouli. After our adventurous trip to Sweden, we decided that our short day trip should be laidback and agreed that we both wanted the afternoon to include shopping and lunch. Little did we know that this would be another adventure…

On Friday morning, Sarah and I awoke early and headed off to the train station to catch our train to Pozzouli. Because Pozzouli is a smaller town, we had to hop trains about halfway through our journey in a small coastal town, Formia. I wish I could tell you about Formia, but I was only there for two minutes. Once we arrived in Pozzouli, we grabbed a cappuccino and walked about the quaint town that was free of tourists and anyone that spoke English. Surprisingly, this was the first place I have been where the people did not speak any English. Contrary to what many would think, we really enjoyed this. We had finally found a town untouched by tourism and we were also able to practice our Italian.

The butcher liked us so much he let us get a picture behind the counter!

I touched that, NOT willingly.

After meandering the town of Pozzouli, we decided to take advice we had read online and look for a barge to take us to Ischia, an island nearby. Fortunately, we found a young bargeman that nicely showed us where to purchase tickets to board the barge. With an hour of time to burn before leaving for Ischia, we took our own tour of the private boat docks. Although these were private docks, the gate was unlocked and thus inviting the two of us in. While walking on the docks, Sarah saw many starfish and this is when her need for one began. With the help of the bargeman we met earlier and some very dirty, old, Italian fishermen, Sarah got two starfish to take with her.

Sarah and the helpful fishermen and bargeman

Stew looking out the barge window

The ride to Ischia was very exciting as neither of us had been on a barge. We enjoyed the journey with another cappuccino. The rest of the story will be told in a timeline, as the exact times were important because the LAST barge to leave the island that day was at 5:35pm.

Compliments of Sarah and her photography

2:30 pm - Arrived to Ischia and were excited to meet two couples from South Carolina (what a small world!). They recommended a restaurant called Emiddio’s.

2:45 pm – Arrived at Emiddio’s and had a great sea food lunch that included clams, mussels, squid, shrimp, eel and salmon. We also decided to have the house wine which was brought to us in a vast, beautiful pitcher. After finishing, we met Emiddio and were delighted to hear that we could purchase a pitcher like his from a store nearby.

Seafood

Emiddio 

4:20 pm – Feeling optimistic, adventurous and free of worries, we set out to find the pottery store Emiddio had mentioned.

4:45 pm – Arrived at the pottery store and purchased some souvenirs. We decided to head to the shore and walk on the beach back to our barge with our umbrellas (it had started to drizzle), two starfish (named Stew and Stella) and our new pottery.

5:00 pm – Found the shore and without knowing the geography or topography, decided walking the shoreline would be the quickest way back to the barge. Please remember we are carrying two large starfish, pottery, umbrellas, had wine at lunch and there is a large storm coming inland. But it only gets better…

5:15 pm – We are far enough into our walk that we can no longer turn around and are approaching what seems like rocks. This was about the time we realized what time it was and decided to speed up our walk…until we realized there was no more sand, but only boulders. This resulted in sprint climbing and jumping from boulder to boulder for about a half mile. This is also when it began to rain and the waves came crashing onto the rocks (thank God for rain boots!). Don’t worry; we were still having fun, even after Sarah lost her umbrella to the storm.

5:27 pm – This was when we got to the dockside and I saw our barge coming into shore to pick-up passengers. This is also when we realized the only way we were going to make it is if we ran.

5:34.48 – We made it just in time as the bargeman had his finger on the button to lift the bridge.

(for those who like visuals)

The rest of the night was filled with luck and new Italian acquaintances. We had only bought our train ticket TO Pozzouli and did not know what time the trains were leaving. Luckily, we arrived thirty minutes early and also timed the train transfer in Formia perfectly. Or so we thought. Before boarding our transfer at Formia, we asked multiple people if the train was going to Rome and were reaffirmed of this multiple times. It was not until we boarded that we learned the train was going to the wrong station in Rome. We arrived back to our apartment ten minutes before midnight and successfully ended our trip in one day. 

Siena, School and Sweets

Things in Rome have started to slow down. This may be because school is under full way. Mid terms are next week and thus there will not be any traveling until after next week.

On Friday, I took a day trip to Siena. The trip was a school sponsored trip that my housemate, Samantha, and I decided on late in the week.  I wish I could say Siena was exciting, but instead it was just pretty and quaint. I went on my first walking tour and while it was very informative, I found it frustrating because I wanted to go inside many of the buildings and churches that were being shown to us, but we did not have enough time. We finished our tour at a restaurant where we had a three course lunch including spaghettoni (thicker spaghetti) with lamb sauce. Yum! I have found that I love trying new dishes, especially ones I have neither tried nor heard of. I need to eliminate all possible food allergies, right? After lunch we were forced (okay, maybe I was quite willing) to try Siena’s famous dessert, panforte.  This dessert, also meaning ‘gingerbread’, is a very old recipe. Without refrigerators, bakers had to design desserts that didn’t need refrigeration and thus the panforte was born. Using honey, almonds, orange peel and a few other ingredients, this delicious dessert is still popularly made throughout Siena.

Saturday involved a visit to a famous open-air market that is common for tourists, Campo di Fiori. Here, my roommates and I tried hazelnut jam, cinnamon cream liquor and limoncello (popular Italian liqueur).

It was very windy outside today which reminded me of home. I ALMOST miss the weather, but I’m not at that point yet….

Naples, Pompeii and stray dogs

This past weekend David and I took a trip to Naples. With no agenda in hand, we departed Saturday morning from Termini Station in Rome. We arrived early in the afternoon and learned quickly that Naples wasn’t exactly the cleanest place. To give a comparison, lying down on a street in Chicago was like taking a bath compared to standing in Naples.  To give the city some credit, a garbage strike had just finished. Our hostel was nothing like what we had in Stockholm, yet it was comfy, clean and the owners were friendly. We decided to head to Villa Comunale, a park that opens up to the sea where we had breathtaking views of the city. As well, we toured Castle dell’Ovo and then began our search for some infamous Neapolitan pizza. Fortunately, finding a pizzeria did not take long, nor did eating the pizza….

                     

After dinner, we decided to stop by a bar that claimed to be frequented by locals. Unfortunately, we didn’t’ get to talk to any.  After, we headed back to our hostel. The following day we woke up and had our free breakfast ‘made’ by our hostel owners. We were very thankful for the cereal and processed loaf of bread. We decided that after exploring Naples the previous day, we should go to Pompeii. Originally, we had intentions of attending mass, but arrived too late and instead went straight to the ruins of Pompeii. Originally, this was the town of Pompeii before Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79AD. It was really interesting to go here! For those who do not know the story, in 79AD, Mt. Vesuvius erupted burying the existing city of Pompeii. It was not until the late 1500’s when the city was excavated. You can still see paintings on the walls and walk through homes that are now only crumbling walls. As well, they were able to save a lot of pottery and you can view these as well as some of the remains of people caught in the lava. The best Pompeii Ruins souvenir? A stray Pompeian dog! At the first site of a dog in the ruins, I thought he was dead lying on the cobblestone path. On the contrary, he stood up, quite alive, trotted over to two other dogs where they began a Sunday stroll through the ruins. What a life. There are many alive and healthy dogs that wander the ruins. They are fed, cared for and available for adoption. Instead of a dog though, I settled for a rock.

 Pompeii Pottery 

After spending hours exploring the Pompeii Ruins, we headed into the current city of Pompeii. Here we found the city square, their famous and beautiful Santa Maria church, and lots of people enjoying the beautiful day. After lunch, we people-watched before attending mass at four. Shortly after, we caught the last train back to Naples, picked up our things from the hostel and got back on our train to return to Rome.

 Santa Maria 

Inside Santa Maria

Overall, it was a relaxing weekend. It was nice to travel with David as he is the exact opposite of Sarah. While Sarah is very free spirited and spontaneous, David always has a set agenda. As well, he is a great person who forced me to realize that a great traveling experience is not based on how much you do, but rather what you do.

Other news: I have updated my pictures. Pictures from Pompeii and Naples are under “Week 4”. I received a great gift on Valentine’s Day, the news of my mom’s (Mo) intentions to travel to Rome to visit me. I cannot wait for her arrival! Midterms are in two weeks. I am enjoying my classes: Managerial Accounting, Literature, Philosophical Thinking and Italian. I am traveling to Siena, Italy tomorrow as part of a school sponsored trip.

To the Office of Financial Aid, specifically Lisa G, I am very sorry you had to wait so long for my post. I will be more punctual on the coming ones.

Stories for my Grandchildren

This past weekend I took my first trip away from Rome to Sweden. Because so much happened in this short 72 hour period, I have decided to sum it up by writing my post as a dictionary with pictures. I chose to travel with my two friends and housemates, Auriel and Sarah. It was another very memorable part of my time while studying abroad. Highlights of the trip: trying Lebanese cuisine, unintentionally ending up at a gay bar, my first hostel experience, Albert Nobel Museum, Stockholm Palace, NykÖping Castle, hiking across the Swedish countryside and exploring the town of Nykoping. Pick a highlight and read below!

The Lebanese Restaurant – After arriving in Stockholm we were hungry and stopped at the first site of food which happened to be a Lebanese restaurant. I ordered falafel. The owner helped us find the subway and was one of three people that when asked what we should do all recommended the bars. We visited him on Saturday to thank him for his help and he gave us free drinks for the road.

Gay Bar – Friday night we arrived at our hostel and found out one of the two owners is also a bartender. After explaining we were poor college kids, he offered us a free drink at the bar, Naglo Bar, he worked at. We agreed and reluctantly showed up rather early in the night for our free drink. There were only four people in the bar (3 men and 1 woman). After sitting to ourselves for about ten minutes two of the men introduced themselves and without hesitation said “You do know you’re at a gay bar, right?”  One of them, John, explained to us that he was taking his best friend, Ronnie, out for drinks as he was getting married to his partner the following weekend. I am sad to admit I accidentally deleted the pictures we got with our Swedish friends.

First Hostel Experience – For those who do not know what a hostel is, read on! A hostel is a step down from a motel or hotel. It is usually for younger travelers (backpackers, study abroad students) and is also less expensive. Instead of renting a room, guests rent a bed which is often bunked and in a room with many other travelers, all sharing a bathroom. We chose the least expensive hostel in Stockholm and somehow it ended up being one of the nicest ones. Because of overbooking, we were able to get our own room with two sets of bunk beds as well as our own personal bathroom.

Albert Nobel Museum = waste of time. If you go to Stockholm, kick some rocks; it will be worth more than going to this museum.

Stockholm Palace – The current Swedish royal family resides in one wing of the castle while the other side is open for tours. It was really cool to walk through this palace and see all of the paintings. Unfortunately, photography was not permitted and my battery was dying thus, I did not take any pictures. 

Temporarily Homeless – Although we had a hostel Friday night, the hostel was booked for Saturday. We settled on not looking for another one, as we had discussed plans of taking a night train to see the Aurora Borealis. It was not until 6pm on Saturday evening that we realized our idea of seeing the Northern Lights was not a practical one if we wanted to make our flight home the next day. Thus we were stuck with either checking into a hotel (pricey for us college students) or rely on our teachings from Girl Scouts. Tired, rundown and desperate we chose to take a bus back to the airport and pitch tent there. For those of you who are reading this and wondering “What was she thinking?!” I would never change this experience. It was a great moment of realization for me.

NykÖping Castle – Not only did this castle have free entry, it also had unlimited roaming (or so we decided). This castle is nestled in a little town called Nykoping (prenounced Ne-shopping). The self tour of the castle takes a visitor through the tragic story of the overthrowing of the royal family that once lived there.

Swedish countryside hiking – At 5:30 on Sunday morning, we were awakened by an airport employee. This was the start to our adventurous day. We decided that the ten minute bus ride to the city of Nykoping was short enough that we could instead walk. Apprehensive of the cold weather, I put on two pairs of pants, four shirts, hunting socks (thank you Chris, you may have saved my toes), and two hats. We departed Skavsta Airport around seven, as the sun was rising. It took us almost two hours to arrive at our destination, but I would never give back that early and chilling walk. As Sarah said, “You can’t get pictures like these on a bus!” Here are a few:

There were so many other things that really made this trip amazing. Sadly, if I were to write about them I'm sure it would take an entire day. Feel free to look at my pictures (Week 3) for a deeper insight on my trip to Sweden.

Sarah's Concert

I have uploaded more pictures. To access them, under the heading “Kaitie’s Pictures” (top left), click on either picture. To view all of the albums from here, click on “Kaitlyn Arnold” (also on the top left) or “Kaitlyn Arnold’s Gallery”. My pictures are now organized by the week they were taken in and I will update them on a weekly basis.

Tuesday night, Sarah and I went looking for a museum, but unfortunately it was already closed. We instead decided to go to Piazza Navona. I encourage anyone to search for pictures of this piazza as my camera died early in the trip and it was another beautiful sight. Sarah took me here because she met a man earlier, Mario, who had been giving a boy a guitar lesson. When learning that Sarah played guitar he gave her the boy’s guitar and accompanied her in Hotel California. She said she was so excited from the experience that I had to meet this older gentleman. When we found him he was busy selling his beautiful canvas paintings and with the sight of Sarah immediately whipped out his guitar and handed it to her. He quickly hooked up the guitar to his amp and Sarah was underway with her first live concert in the middle of this large, romantic piazza. She received tips and applause. An American woman visiting from Michigan even came up to me (realizing I was her friend) and was interested in Sarah’s singing. Here is a video of her experience:

Strictly Pictures (for you Mo!)

Donato (Italian Carabinieri) and I 

Delicious antipasti! ..oh, and David & Donato

The other side of the antipasti & my house-mate, Sofia and I

Priest on roller skates (seen him twice) 

Meat.

 Cheese!

Types of pasta 

The monument next to our building: Piazza Trilussa

Chris, maybe you should get a truck like this one...yeah?

The view from our terrace.