Last Days in Florence

As our time in Florence began ticking away (and as the weather finally got nicer) my friends and I started checking things off of our to do lists. Most of the lists included various restaurants that were tackled one night after another so that none of us bought groceries for the last month (this also contributed to most of our bank accounts being drained by the end). We also did things like have prosecco and watch the sun set at Piazzale Michelangelo, visit the Boboli gardens and climb the Duomo for the last time. One exceptionally hot Friday afternoon, a bunch of us had a picnic on the banks of the Arno river. We also visited the beautiful hilltop town of Fiesole. Constant visits from friends and family members of the group helped keep us busy and on track as we showed them around… I may have had Gusta pizza over ten times in the last semester and over half of those trips were because of visitors. Our last Thursday night in Florence began with Prosecco on my roof and ended with a terrible hangover the next morning. We visited all of our favorite spots including Ladies’ Night at Naima, Kikuya where we had the Dragoon beer (14% alcohol but it was on the to-do list), and finally Lion’s Fountain where Corinna and I just managed to buy our last Kilkennys before closing time when we were forced to finish them in the street behind the bar with all of the other students. After mingling and deciding not to finish our beers, Corinna and I split a kebab and wandered home. The next day my fellow squirrels (AGD sorority sisters) and I said farewell to our beloved Firenze, wandering around remembering our favorite things of the semester. We patted the boar statue for luck, admired street art and music, rode the carousel in Piazza della Repubblica and had our last Perche No gelatos. It was a beautiful end to an incredible semester. 

Last sunset picnic from Piazzale Michelangelo

From Fiesole looking out on Florence.

La Mia Amica Italiana

Before I left for Italy, I had expressed interest in being a part of a program that allows us to live and attend events with Italian students. Although this did not, as I had expected, make me fluent in Italian, living with Marta was one of the best things about my semester abroad. Aside from being the sweetest little angel of a roommate anyone could ask for, Marta was so helpful and always willing to take us to her favorite places in Florence. The relationship was mutually beneficial, so while she showed my roommates and I around and helped us with our Italian, we all taught Marta new words like “sassy” (constantly applicable to either of us on any given day) and introduced her to movies like The Sound of Music and Roman Holiday. Marta and I plan to keep in touch and hopefully she’ll be visiting America soon, but I will never forget how much she contributed to my amazing semester. 

Spring Break 2012: Dublin

This is extremely late but I cannot not write a blog post about the motherland. After a slightly disappointing visit to the big city of Barcelona, I was thrilled to have chosen Dublin over Paris as our next destination. As soon as I stepped off the bus into Dublin city I was smiling. Despite the typical overcast and chilly Irish weather, Dublin felt like home. I hadn’t realized how much I missed the English language which was only made better by the fantastic Irish accents. Already exhausted from the first leg of our not so restful spring break, the next few days were a pleasant blur of accents, pubs, and delicious food. I tried fish and chips for the first time, as well as traditional Irish breakfast. I also had a delicious steak and Guinness pie covered in puff pastry at a restaurant in Temple Bar called the Shack. Oh the Guinness! I was never a fan before but I made sure to have at least a pint a day and after touring the Guinness factory I’m definitely more inclined to choose it over a Natty light. One day we took a free walking tour organized by our hostel. It was an excellent tour led by an aspiring actor, Paul, who humorously acted out just about every important event in Irish history and from whom we learned our favorite catch phrases of the semester “happy days” and “that’s class”. My number one favorite part of Dublin, however was the live Irish music in every pub. Although, regrettably, I never got up and step-danced (I’ll save that for next trip), the familiar sound and songs made me feel just as at home as if I was sitting around with the Davitt clan. 

On the Ha'Penny Bridge

For Dad: "Look at those stripes!" at Trinity College

Guinness Factory

Spring Break 2012: Cal Pep

This Barcelona experience deserves its own post. On our last night we went to another recommended restaurant called Cal Pep. We arrived, as advised, about fifteen minutes before the restaurant opened and joined the growing line outside. When it opened at 7:30, the three of us were assigned seats along the bar that extended the entire length of the restaurant. Behind the bar, chefs were already at work preparing various seafood dishes. We quickly learned that there was no menu, and that we were about the only people in the restaurant who had absolutely no idea what we were doing. A server behind the bar suggested that he bring us a series of five traditional Catalan tapas, so we agreed, ordered a bottle of wine and prepared ourselves for a culinary experience. The dynamic behind the counter was fascinating to watch. There were the chefs, constantly in action sautéing, frying and plating various dishes. A few servers took orders and delivered plate after plate of tapas and refilled wine glasses. Everything was extremely fast and efficient, which was necessary because even after we sat down the line continued to grow behind us. First, we were served clams sautéed in wine, butter and garlic, which I tried for the first time. Next came grilled, salted green peppers and a delicious Spanish omelet. The fourth dish was a bit more mysterious but we decided it was a tuna cevice, or some other type of raw seafood dish served with toasted bread. I was really proud of myself for trying this one and I actually really liked it! The last dish was sausage and beans. Although it couldn’t have lasted more than forty-five minutes the way they kept our dishes coming and our wine glasses filled, it was an excellent meal. If there’s one thing I succeeded in doing in Barcelona, I have to say that I definitely experienced Catalan cuisine. 

At Cal Pep after our Meal

Spring Break 2012: Barcelona

After a lovely weekend with my parents, the first stop on our Spring Break adventure was Barcelona. We successfully maneuvered the train strike that began about a minute after we had validated our tickets and within an hour we were drinking prosecco on a bus to Pisa. We arrived in Barcelona Sunday evening, easily found our hostel and headed out to a tapas restaurant recommended by Micaela. Coming from our tiny little city of Firenze, it was a bit more difficult to find somewhere to go out in Barcelona on a Sunday night. We finally ended up settling for a pint in an Irish pub before my feet started blistering from my poor choice to wear heels. The next morning we woke up and tackled the splendid Sagrada Familia. Although the line was about a mile long and we decided not to go inside, the façade was spectacular and I am now determined to return when it’s finished in 2026. For lunch we wandered through La Boqueria, the largest open air market in Spain, and bought delicious empanadas and fresh fruit juices. I also bravely tried a skewer of different types of meat advertised as “Barcelona in six bites”...  evidently I only like Barca three bites worth. In the afternoon we ventured down to the Barceloneta area for some sangria at a restaurant by the beach followed by a lovely nap in the sand. That night we went on a bar crawl organized by the hostel and led by a very animated little Spanish girl. She was great and we very much enjoyed not having to find places for ourselves. Having discovered that the Barcelona metro system is very much like the DC one, the next day we were able to cover a lot of ground even after sleeping in. We wandered around the beautiful Parc Guell and in the afternoon walked up to Montjuc to see the 1992 Olympic Stadium. From there we rode the Teleferic up to the Castello de Montjuc. This was probably my favorite part of the trip. It was incredible to be riding up the hill in basically a glass box with the entire city of Barcelona below me. 

Not having known what to expect in Barcelona, I have to admit I wasn't in love with it. It's definitely a place that takes more than a few days to see. I think next time I would plan to visit in the spring or summer when all the Barceloneta shops and restaurants are open. I will also have to return because unfortunately I was far to exhausted to stay up until around 2:00 am when the real Barcelona night life begins.

From the top of Castello de Montjuc

Riding the Teleferic

Entrance to Parc Guell

Looking out from the top of Parc Guell

Chianti Classico Collection 2012

Today for my Wine Marketing class, our teacher Enrico took us to the presentation of the new Chianti Classico Collection. It was a type of wine expo held in Florence in the Stazione Leopolda (an old converted train station, Dad you would have loved it!) where all of the vineyards in the region of Chianti Classico present their new vintages. All of the Chianti Classico wines are labeled DOCG (Denominazione di origine controlatta e garantita), which is the highest production standard for Italian wine. Today’s event was reserved for trade professionals and not open to the public, but Enrico was able to score us a meeting with the few English-speaking marketers. For a five-euro deposit we received wine glasses stamped with a black rooster, the traditional symbol of Chianti Classico and goofy little wine glass totes to wear around our necks. If I wasn’t a starving college kid I might have kept the wine glass and tote as a souvenir. We tasted four different varieties of 2009 Chianti Classico from the regions of San Casciano Val di Pesa, Radda and Gaiole. Most of the wines are made using the Tuscan sangiovese grape. I’m not sure if it’s because it’s all I drink these days but I think I’m becoming partial to it.

Aside from the wine, what struck me about the event was the juxtaposition of the tradition of wine making presented in an old Florentine train station with the hip décor that looked more like it belonged in New York City. At the end of the lines of busy tables packed with vintners and marketers were brightly colored, plush chairs arranged in little clusters with colorful lighting. Various signs displayed logos of the event comprised of colorful wine bottles arranged in different shapes. I’m not quite sure if I’m cool enough to work in this industry, but I have to say I wouldn’t mind attending many more events like this in the future.

The search for the elusive "secret bakery"

In Florence there are numerous bakeries that American students refer to as “secret bakeries”, although my Italian roommate, Marta, assures us they’re not a secret. These are bakeries that open in the early hours of the morning to prepare for the next day and have clearly recognized the opportunity of selling warm pastries to hungry students returning home around two or three in the morning after a night of drinking. On our first failed attempt to find this magical place, we had been guided (or really, misguided) by Marta’s vague directions that the Bakery was a few blocks away and that we would just be able to smell it. We could definitely smell the delicious pastries baking but, as I angrily told Marta later, “we’re not dogs,” and our noses failed to lead us right to the source. The second failed attempt a few nights later was accompanied by crushing disappointment followed by a serious meltdown when I got home (although that may have been more due to my anxiety finally catching up with me than to a lack of chocolate). Feeling very much defeated, there were no attempts to find the secret bakery for a few nights until, this past Saturday we were out with Marta. Around 1:30 or 2:00, we were able to rally everyone to head home with the promise of Marta guiding us to the secret bakery. When we finally reached it, I was glad to have her with us. As I had been picturing a secret door, behind which lying a magical world of treats displayed for my taking, I was surprised when Marta walked up to a glass door, through which we could see the kitchen and bakers hard at work and asked for five or so anything’s with chocolate. The warm chocolate filled croissant that I paid one Euro for was a little taste of heaven. The chocolate oozing out of its center tasted almost like chocolate mousse and was unlike anything a pastry in America would contain. Although plenty of it ended up on both my face and the inside of my coat sleeve, I’m pretty sure I slept with a smile on my face that night. Last night when we returned, this time without Marta, my anything with chocolate was fried… yum. Now, for the rest of the semester, on a late night, I plan to forego that last five Euro beer that I really don’t need anyway, and get five warm anything’s with chocolate instead.