Prague Blague

I am writing this on a plane, currently flying over millions of gallons of ice cold water hundreds of miles away from any land. I’m trying not to think about it.

I am also trying not to think about today, the day I left Prague. It marked the end of my last big vacation as a student. This is my last summer as an undergraduate- what a way to go, right?

Prague was amazing. I didn’t have time or access to internet, so the journals and blog entries are coming post-vacation. By the time this gets posted I’ll be at home, hopefully with Bojangles. For now, I am bored out of my flipping mind and my iPod has betrayed me and DIED like a selfish little monster. So…I have taken out my laptop and decided to write down all of my thoughts. I did this for an article in high school and it was a hoot. Feel free to only read the interesting ones. Here we go:

Praha:
Prague was a great time. The city is beautiful, with a billion churches and beautiful buildings. Czech was a bit harder to get around in…there was a lot of “skas” at the end of things. The only words I picked up were “thank you” and “please.” Daniel took me to some of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. We toured the Prague castle, Petron Hill (I thought it sounded sketchy, but it actually had a bunch of rose gardens and stuff…way cool), the Charles Bridge and a beautiful church with a library that looked like it should be at Hogwarts.

Booze and Buddies:
I got to meet most of the people who were on the program with Daniel and also his bartender friend, Phillipe. He took us out for drinks the second night I was there and then we went to his bar last night. Beer is stronger, bigger and cheaper in the Czech Republic. Almost all of the walls are green. I needed the gemeli (twins from the trip who have eerily similar haircuts and facial features) pretty bad one night to help with some awkward moments. I handled it alright though.

Fun Story:
When we toured the Buitoni factory in Sansepolcro, we saw a portrait of the company founder, “Mama Giulia.” Mama had a fancy little smirk* on her face in the portrait which we’ve been having a ball recreating in pictures. Now, when I say “we” in the previous sentence, I mean the people who were there and experienced the portrait and the joke. However, a few Pilsner Urquell’s deep and I was able to convince perfect strangers to make the Mama Giulia face for me and my camera. I also took a picture standing next to a castle guard mamaguiliaing. It was way hilario. Photos available upon request.

*To do a MGS (Mama Giulia Smirk):
Move all of your lips all to one side of your face. This should make you wink slightly because of the excess of cheek fat under one eye. The general look of the eyes is a mix of sleepy-bedroom-drunk-a-lunk eyes. The effect is miraculous, a real crowd pleaser. The MGS is best enjoyed with a slight head bobble and the phrase “Imakeadapasta.Idrinkadawine.” Brilliant.
Plane updates I’ve gotten from the little tv screens:
We are approaching land THANK GOD.
Time to destination: 4:22 to destination
Time at origin: 19:10
Time at destination: 13:10
Temperature outside the window: -12 F
Flying over St. John’s and Quebec…? I thought I was flying into Atlanta? This better not be like the Como fiasco where we took a 6 hour train in the wrong direction.

Pictures:
I took some ballin pictures with my digital camera. I had the flash forced off and strangely enough it worked out nicely with a soft glow. Made my skin look awesome, which, thanks to the water in Europe...it currently is NOT. Lucky for me I have two beach trips coming up and two Katie’s in my life who I am pretty sure will stand by my side during this difficult time and help me work on my tan. I have such devoted loved ones.

I am now settled in Praha. The city is gorgeous from what I have seen so far and, hallelujah, the beer is finally cheap.

The trip here was interesting. I had a bunch of connections, missed trains and even a bus. Strange. I met a lovely young man from Mexico who kept me company, though, and spoke perfect English. If it weren’t for him I would probably be in the Slovak Republic somewhere trying to get to Prague still.

Only a few more days before the return home. I am sad to leave, but I cant stop thinking about how wonderful it will be to get Bojangles—I mean—see my parents again.

We went to Munich enroute to Prague. Julia, Whitney, Katie, Kelly, Jennie Lee, Christin, Lesley and I did the Mike’s Bikes tour. It was a lot of fun and our tour guide was hilarious. I managed to get through two giant beers at our halftime break at the beer garden. It was a bit harder getting back from there, what with the giggles and my sudden need to tell stories. JB and Loudog– you’d be proud though, I managed to NOT fall off the bike.

More later! Enjoy the picture.

Noooooo

I don't want to leave Lugano at ALL. I am excited for the trips to Munich and Prague, but man this place is amazing.

Here is my list of why Lugano has been the best part of the trip:

1. MY OWN ROOM with a BATHROOM and a KITCHEN.
2. I found chips and salsa. Oh lord.
3. The lake is gorgeous. Google it, I'm tellin' ya...
4. Most of my buddies are on the same floor with me.
5. Franklin College has an amazing campus. www.fc.edu <--check it out
6. and the most fun....Daniel came to visit!

Daniel's visit was wonderful. We went on a few excursions in his two days here, including a trip to the top of Mount San Salvatore. It was hard to get pictures since there were only two of us, but we took advantage of his longer arms and tried for a view.

My train for Munich leaves tomorrow (today) at 5:30am. I should get at least a little sleep now.

I'm diggin the comments, guys. Jackson I knew you would like that face. Everyone else seemed pretty calm, but they were just as scared, don't let the photo fool you!

Rafting Picture...Priceless

Lugano and SUNSHINE

Lugano is amazing.

This morning, I woke up to an unusual sight for study abroad 2008 – bright sunshine pouring in my window. It is a clear, sunny day here.

I am on the side of the building facing the mountain, but I have two windows. One used to be useless; all I could see was a mass of fog with a tiny little street peeping out. Today’s sun has revealed a fairly large road and a huge expanse of land and water. I have a lake view!

The other view is just as fun. The man living across the way from me has a ridiculous cat. Yesterday I was watching Cat through the window. There was a tiny, hopping bird on the ledge taunting him. Cat wound up a bit and then launched himself full force at the bird. Unfortunately, Cat forgot there was an immaculately clean glass door in front of him. Poor guy.

SHVITZY!

I feel like it was the Reagan administration when I wrote last. Sorry, folks.

I am finally in Lugano, Switzerland and finally have my very own wireless internet. We are staying in the dorms at Franklin College. Although it is rainy and misgust…it is a gorgeous campus and a gorgeous city. I am very happy to be here.

We spent the past 6 days travelling from Sansepolcro to Lugano. I’ve now spent two nights in Como, two nights in Interlaken and two nights in Stechelberg.

Como was beautiful. George Clooney has a house there, but I didn’t want to call him when I was there. He gets so clingy, you know? We spent most of our time wandering around Bellagio, buying things….and wandering around.

Stechelberg was also a good time. It looked like Heidi could have been filmed there…I kept waiting for some little punk to come pouring out of a wheelchair onto my head. Never happened. We DID go to Muren though (which was a hell of a hike) and looked around there. I finally bought a rain coat, and to my surprise it didn’t stop raining immediately. It may have been my best purchase yet, and it sure beats the trash bag poncho I was wearing (no offense Amanda, it was a lovely gesture).

Our hosts (Marc and Diane) let me try on Marc’s firefighters outfit. It was huge, but made for some great pictures. Some of the faculty were not as amused as I was and made a big deal out of it…ruined the fun for the moment, but I still managed to leave with a smile. It also gave me an excuse to go on a walk through waterfalls around the Swiss Alps. You know, whatever.

Interlaken was …. Interlaken. We went rafting, which was crazy fun even though it was freezing. Our guide was really nice and some of the girls we were with wandered back to his house later that night. We were there on a Saturday, so it was BOGO night at the bar attached to our hostel…yikes. We made a lot of friends and Amy Hutton, you will be glad to hear that I was “Ruby” to about 90% of the people in the bar.

Today, on our quest for internet, Kelly and I wandered in some building that looked like an office to get a cab. The receptionist was nice enough, but gave us a strange look when we asked for a taxi. We sat down in the lobby to wait on the taxi and looked around…NOT an office building. DEFINITELY an obstetricians’ office. Awkwaaaaarrrrd.

Ciao fams and friends. We have officially arrived in Lake Como, Italy. You should google it asap.

We finally have a wireless internet connection, so now I don't feel so stupid for bringing my laptop. I may even have the energy to upload some more pictures tomorrow if you are lucky. The one on here is me at the local pub (The Compass Rose) with my host "brother" Luca.

Our last two nights in Italy will be in Lake Como, or Lago di Como as I call it now. I am basically Italian.

The grand finale for Sansepolcro was a good time. We had all of our Italian host families come for a big dinner at the Servi where we were staying. It was full of loud people, good food, more good food and some questionable singing. The girls that did solos were moving and fabulous, but our rendition of "Carolina Girls" that was supposed to be an auditory treat may have caused some untimely deaths. Not sure.

We departed this afternoon around 12. After a lo-o-o-o-o-o-o-ng train ride and a particularly uncomfortable nap next to Bo*, we arrived in Milan, the fashion capital of the world. Let's just say I was not expecting that much denim or nylon. Yikes. Culture Shock.

We have to get rest now though, we have a meeting with George Clooney tomorrow. You know, that old chestnut.

More tomorrow. Buonanotte!

* For your benefit, I am going to begin a list of vocabulary words. Bo stands for Body Odor, in the form of a man or a woman or a stinky presence. Bo LOVES public transportation in Europe and frequently sits next to me on long rides.

Venezia

Ciao again!

Sorry my blog is super lame and sans pictures. I have my camera but I can't figure out how to get the pictures on here without leaving them on a public computer....sketch.

We're in Venice now. It is a lovely city, but to be honest...it isnt my favorite. It is rainy and I keep overspending. We went to the Guggenheim today though and I did love that.

I want to go ahead and get back to Sansepolcro for our last family dinner and then get to Interlaken. I am almost Italy-ed out...but it might be that I am just antsy to get to Lugano.

Ciao Bellas!

Well, I’ve found home ladies and gentlemen. Ana Capri was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been in my life.

We arrived after a string of transportation modes (walk, bus ride, train ride, taxi ride, ferry ride, bus ride, walk) to our place of residence at the top of the island, Villa Eva. We expected two rooms in a string of others close together, like a hotel. What we found was a sweet little independent unit with handpainted floral patterns on the doors and mismatched sheets. We could walk out and in a couple steps be at either a small pool or a little bar. We made ample use of both, spending the first day soaking up sun and taste testing the different tropical options. The lawn chairs on the island had little things on top that would shade just your face. I got through 78% of my book, The Other Boleyn Girl, on just the first day.

Our first trip out was peacefully uneventful. We bought a few souvenirs and ate a darling lunch at an outdoor café. I had my first Caprese salad; I will never be the same. That junk is amazing. I had one at almost every meal for the remainder of the trip, until I realized that my “salad” was supposed to be a main course and was costing me 8 Euro in addition to my main course. Way to not look like an overindulgent American, right?

Speaking of indulging, let me tell you about the great sandal adventure. As we were strolling along a little side road, we passed a little shop with leather shoes and belts littering the front of the building. We fell in love with the shoes and eventually ended up buying half the store. The man who makes the shoes had made other pairs for Gwenyth Paltrow (who was there last week) and Julia Roberts. The ones I got were designed for the Ferrari president’s wife.

One of our last hurrahs was the Blue Grotto fiasco. I only say “fiasco” because of the great ordeal it took for us to actually get in the water. After carefully observing the sign that said “SWIMMING IN THE BLUE GROTTO IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN,” we obviously peeled off our clothes and prepared for the swim. I was the first in after a few minutes of careful debate. I launched into the cool Mediterranean water with the grace of a bull elephant and upon seeing the entrance to the cave, proceeded to walk on water to get back out again. After a few more unsuccessful tries and some choice verbiage, I hopped back in and managed to convince Whitney and Julia to get in with me. The jeering Italian men above the Grotto were helpful in pressuring us to go in. They kept yelling “just go!” like that would actually help.
The three of us meandered over to a little chain that led into the grotto. Once we were in the cave, it was all worth it. The blue glow beneath us was spectacular. We were in awe, but also acutely aware of the steadily rising tide. I stayed in for one more visit when the other girls (Sarah, Christin, Jennie Lee and Lesley) went in, but was quite happy to get out.

Speaking of fiascos, there was the lemoncello debacle. We got a free round of Capri’s famous liquor and managed to take a few pictures cheers-ing with it before anyone tried it…
…it tasted like acetone. We didn’t want to be rude, so we all downed ours (with some excellent facial expressions along the way). Oddly enough, that tiny amount of liquor was enough to have us all giggly and knocking over tins of breadsticks within five minutes. We’ve really made mature impressions on this island.

My other favorite experience was a taxi ride. Seriously. We took a convertible taxi (all seven of us) from Ana Capri to Capri. The driver put on some Louis Armstrong-esque music and we cruised past gorgeous views with wonderful new friends and took about 400 pictures between the seven of us. It is hard to explain, but that taxi ride was one of the happiest times of my life. Strange, but if I’ve learned anything about traveling abroad, it’s that you can’t expect these moments of grace. Sometimes they just happen.

AnaCapri

Dear loved ones,

I have fallen in love with Capri and I am never coming home. You are encouraged to visit.

Love,

Natalie

P.S. Villa Eva in AnaCapri is where I am staying. Google it if you like the feeling of jealousy. 

Sorry

It is crazy here...no time to update and long internet lists. When I have a minute, I have to share about:

Firenze
Host Family
Capri/Rome trip

More later!

Oxygen Tank

...and by oxygen tank, I mean an internet cafè.

I promised myself I wouldn't spent all of my time or money in one, but this is such a great break from the old computer and the excruciating lines at the Servi.

The weather has been a bust the past few days, it hasn't stopped raining or being foggy. We keep making trips to the Pam (supermarket) and I wandered in a UCB and bought sweatpants a few days ago. I was interrogated about the purchase pretty hard. I realize it may seem stupid to buy sweats (especially ones that are tight around the ankle) but I've worn them every day and I don't think they look stupid, thank you.

Mom, that rain jacket would have paid for itself by now. I keep rewearing a wet sweatshirt...gross. Let's go back in time and slap ourselves.


Aside from a slight fiasco yesterday, the past few days have been relatively uneventful. We have been too tired from classes and thick pastas to go out like we did the first night, and to be completely honest, I think we are all a little scared to. The fear of a nasty rep is a strong anti-go-outter. I hope that changes soon.

We're required to post on the Meredith blog once a week. I don't know how much personal stuff they want and I'd prefer to just use this one, but if anyone is interested there will be more information there and you can see some of the other girl's experiences.

Yesterday was my mother's birthday as well as a girl on the trip's, Jenny Lee. Be sure to tell either one you see happy birthday!

Tomorrow we go to Florence, or Firenze (ps they are the same thing and I won't judge you if you didn't know that, but my mother will). They scared the pants off of us about pickpocketers, but as long as I cling to my stomach-fanny-pack and forsake my dignity, I should be fine. I am especially excited about the Uffizi and the Ponte Vecchio. We'll see what I end up liking the most.

Ciao mamas.
Nat

PS If you have any questions, post them. I am afriad this is heinously boring.

Casa Buitoni

First, before I forget: http://www.santamariadeiservi.it/ this is the website for where we are staying. I keep meaning to post it. The pictures aren't that great, but oh well.

Today we went to Casa Buitoni. Google the company, they are now owned by Nestle. The first picture is where we ate lunch...not bad. The other one is of me and Julia and Whitney (gemela! gemela! at the bar) at the top of the Casa Buitoni with Tuscany behind me. Not bad. The one below is us being Von Trapp-esque and presh in the gardens. You wish you were here.

USB device found!

Yes. This is what I see when I wake up in the mornings. Actually, I see Sarah's head usually, but this too. I took this the first day when it was about to rain. You can imagine it on a sunny day. More pictures to come when I feel like uploading them to the computer. Enjoy!

Uhhh...

Well it looks like it may be a while before I get to put pictures up. The computer here was made about the same time as the frescoes, and there is no USB input in sight.

Last night we went out to Yummys pizza (due margharita, per favore) and then the bar across from the church, The Compass Rose. After a few mojitos we decided to try to order a light beer. After perusing the guidebook, we ordered Birre Chiaras. Lauryn ordered a Corona and got it with a lemon instead of a lime...she tried to turn it upside down like there was a lime in it...

"I realized mid tip that the lemon was a shade smaller than the bottle top" It was like a Jimmy Buffett new year...with Corona champagne.

Long story short...we got home eventually and I decided to write the stream of consciousness blog you see below. Today I went to Catholic mass.

Tomorrow we are going to the Casa Buitone (big mansion...Cribs Italy style). As always, I will keep you posted.

PS I set my hair on fire this afternoon. Way to use a converter correctly...oy.

The Arrival!

We are here! The computer I have has a low internet connection and a stubborn space bar. I also need to keep my time short because the 23 of us are sharing one computer. (also...the keys are different and I cant find apostrophes so...sorry about the grammar). The flight was fine...I wont go into details. One girl with us turned 21 on the flight!

We live in a freaking castle. It is a deconsecrated convent. I am in the room with 8 beds. Our view looks like something from Under the Tuscan Sun. We went out last night to window shop and take a stroll. After an accidental detour, we ended up outside of the giant medieval wall and lost.

Today, we went to the grocery store. I got the essentials: shampoo, conditioner, laundry detergent, Barbie cups, a bottle of Pinot Grigio (for only €3). Now if only we had a bottle opener...

Packing

Fabulous.

I can't pass anything travel-sized or travel-related without purchasing it. I also keep buying things that are "good deals" or "necessary, timeless items" to pack in my one backpack, one big backpack and carry on item of choice.

My plans for saving my money and packing light before the big trip are failing worse than Aubrey's attempt to bring back the word "hella."

It just isn't happening.