tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20769984106627024382024-03-21T11:31:57.235-07:00Diverted AttentionsLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11705583397776601590noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2076998410662702438.post-90668511321612433852010-12-18T09:46:00.000-08:002010-12-20T13:32:51.250-08:00When in Rome...<div style="text-align: center;">**pictures to be added at a later date**</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>So on Friday, Florence was inundated with snow. It does not snow in Florence. Usually. But that day, what started as a normal dusting of snow quickly escalated to 8 inches. That is significant in most places, but especially in Florence, where they don't have the means to deal with more than a few centimeters of snow. You can't plow on cobblestone. Taxi services stopped running, plane flights were cancelled, trains were delayed or cancelled, and the whole city of Florence retreated into their homes and did the only thing they were equipped to do: wait.<div><br /></div><div>The snow stopped around 6 PM, but there was so much and the sun had set long ago, so there was no chance of the packed snow to magically disappear. Instead, the snow did what it does best in cold weather. It froze.</div><div><br /></div><div>This was perfect timing, because that was the weekend that most of the students were flying home. There were some stuck at the airport (which closes at 1 AM), more stuck in their apartments, and even more obsessively checking the weather forecasts for Saturday to see if their flights were cancelled as well. I thought the snow was beautiful, but even I was concerned about my train to Rome the next day. However, I hoped for the best and woke the next day, ready for anything.</div><div><br /></div><div>I woke up at 5:30 and checked the train timetables online. My train was scheduled to leave on time, which was wonderful news. So I packed up the last of my things and went into the kitchen to make breakfast. As I was finishing cooking my eggs, one of my roommates came in and asked me to help her with her luggage. I wasn't particularly willing to help her, since I had not planned for interruptions that morning. But I dragged her stuff down all 72 stairs and consoled her as she panicked about not making her flight. Then I ran upstairs and finished my breakfast (I didn't get to drink my tea), and grabbed what I hope was all my belongings and raced out the door. I skidded and slid and flopped my way to the train station as fast as I could, and still didn't slide into the station until 6:41 (my train was scheduled to leave at 6:40). I saw that there was a train at the platform my train was supposed to depart from, and the departure sign still read to Rome, so I validated my ticket and jumped on the train, so incredibly happy that I had made it. The train pulled out of the station at 6:50. I drifted in and out of sleep on the train, freezing and uncomfortable, but thankful I was headed to Rome.</div><div><br /></div><div>When I arrived, I stepped off the train into a land of sunshine and rainbows. It was almost 50 degrees (I had left Florence in 18 degree weather), and the sun was blindingly bright. I descended into the metro and made my way to my hostel. The hostel was nice, but odd. It was previously a house, and had been converted into a hostel. The host slept in the same room as where my bed was located, and it was decorated with Minnesota Vikings memorabilia and posters. It was chilly in the room, but the hostel host, Francesco (the same one who was sleeping in my room), gave me a down comforter, which I was grateful for. I still slept in my hoodie, though.</div><div><br /></div><div>After I checked in, I went to Vatican City. It took me a bit to figure out how to get there with all the metro changes, but I got it, and I made it to the Vatican and situated myself before the tour started. The tour was quite good, and I learned a lot about the Vatican, its history, and the art within the city. </div><div><br /></div><div>The Vatican City is the smallest state in the world, measuring only 110 acres in area. I walked through the whole state in just a few hours. It is ruled by the Pope.</div><div><br /></div><div>Half of the state is land dedicated to the gardens. There are many Baroque and Renaissance fountains and sculptures, as well as hedge designs.</div><div><br /></div><div>The famous artists that were commissioned to decorate the Vatican (or at least the most well known) were Michelangelo and Raphael. They were both Florentine artists, but they were artistic geniuses, and various Popes recognized this and commissioned their work. Raphael's work is in the apartments of the Pope, with his famous work in the Room of Signatures, where the Pope signed all his documents and letters. In that room resides the School of Athens, but the whole room is a lesson in theology. The School of Athens is teaching the viewer about the importance of knowledge. However, simply having knowledge is insufficient. In order to be able to use that knowledge, you must have faith. So the painting opposite School of Athens is Disputa, which depicts the Holy Trinity surrounded by various biblical figures. And the last segment of Raphael's theology lesson is on the wall between the doors to the room, called the Parnassus, which shows what Raphael thought you needed to do once you have knowledge and faith: create beauty (or art). It depicts Apollo, Greek god of the arts, surrounded by influential and famous artists/musicians/writers. So although the School of Athens is widely known, its message as one-third of a triptych is frequently lost.</div><div><br /></div><div>Michelangelo is the other famous artist of the Vatican. His sculpture of the mourning Virgin Mary holding crucified Christ in her lap (Pieta), resides in St. Peter's Church, and it is actually the only work of art that Michelangelo ever signed. He always considered himself a sculptor, because he thought that sculpture was the superior art. In sculpting, you remove the unnecessary parts in order to free the artwork, where as in painting, you slap paint on canvas however you please. At least, that was Michelangelo's view. However, his frescos on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and the Last Judgement behind the altar are some of his most celebrated works. The ceiling of the chapel was originally a blue sky with gold stars painted upon it, which was a typical chapel ceiling design in the 15th century. But later, Julius II commissioned Michelangelo to repaint the ceiling. It took 40 years to complete, and destroyed Michelangelo's sight (due to paint dripping in his eyes), health, and temper. When he painted the Last Judgement (a 5 year endeavor), he made all of his 200 figures naked, except the Virgin and Jesus. A cardinal decided that nudity was indecent in a holy chapel, and thus had all the naughty bits painted over. So underwear was applied to all the characters. Furious, Michelangelo added a devil in the bottom right corner, with the cardinal's face. But he didn't stop there. Not only did he think that the cardinal was as bad as the Devil himself, but Michelangelo painted long donkey ears on the cardinal, to imply that he was stupid as well.</div><div><br /></div><div>There were many other wonders, such as the original tombs of Constantine (who went on to found Istanbul, now Constantinople) and his mother, Helena. They also have a room full of animal sculptures, and a ceiling that looks like it's carved, but is actually painted and is completely two-dimensional. There is a map room that was made in the 16th century and is still the world's largest pictorial topographical study, as well as about 80% accurate, despite their inability to view topography aerially at that time.</div><div><br /></div><div>We also were taken around St. Peter's Basilica, the world's largest church. It was beautiful, and everything in the church is made of mosaics. All the "paintings," the "tapestries," and the floors and walls and ceilings. Both the central altar and the altar of the Holy Spirit (which is located at the back of the church) were breathtakingly beautiful. The sculptures were intricate as well. This is where Michelangelo's Pieta is located. It is behind glass, because in 1972, a man came and smashed the sculpture with a hammer, screaming "I am Jesus Christ," and caused substantial damage to the piece.</div><div><br /></div><div>After the tour, I ascended the Basilica, climbing the 422 steps to the top of the dome. From the top, you could see the entire state of the Vatican City, as well as much of Rome. It was quite a beautiful sight. It was quite amazing to be on top of the largest church in the world, looking over a holy city.</div><div><br /></div><div>After that, I picked up some food and returned to my hostel. Francesco ordered food for him and me to eat, and my other roommates went out to the bars. I, being exhausted from a long day of travel and tourism, decided to remain at the hostel and go to sleep early. But early turned into 1:30 AM, because I was wasting time on my computer until 1, and then my roommates returned at 1:30 and loudly got ready for bed.</div><div><br /></div><div>One of my roommates snored loudly throughout the whole night, so I didn't get much sleep. The next day, I rolled out of bed around 10 and began my day. I had a lot that I planned to see, and didn't want to miss out on anything. I wasn't sure if exhaustion would prevent me from seeing what I wanted to see, but I was going to do my best to see everything I could.</div><div><br /></div><div>I took the metro to the Colosseum, and it was beautiful. You could see the arena and the passageways beneath, as well as the towering stadium seats. There was also a small archeological museum on one of the levels, where you could see the animal bones and prop pieces that they dug up from the arena area. I walked around the city, stopping at most of the tourist locations, like the Roman Forum, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, and others.</div><div><br /></div><div>When I was making my way to the Pantheon, it started raining. So I sat inside for part of the mass (for it was, after all, Sunday), and listened to a series of talented pianists play arranged Christmas music. Also, I was able to watch the rain pour in from the central hole in the ceiling, which was beautiful as well.</div><div><br /></div><div>After my touring, I returned to the hostel at 4. My room was deserted, so I laid down to take a nap, hoping to catch up on my sleep and then wake up and discover what to do on a Roman night out. At 4:30, however, Francesco burst into the room, apologized for waking me, and then proceeded to ask if I would like to join him for bowling that night. Surprised that there was something to do other than drink, I accepted. I got ready and we went down the stairs to meet his friend, Domenico. Domenico is a chef at a restaurant in the city center, and meets a lot of his celebrity clientele, like Natalie Portman, Lenny Kravitz, Mel Gibson, and many more. We went bowling, and none of us did very well, but I didn't even break 100 points with both of my scores combined. It was rather embarrassing. However, Italian bowling is slightly different than American bowling. The rules and play are identical, but you get tickets depending on how well you play, and those tickets are cashed in for prizes, similar to a Chuck E Cheese. However, these prizes are not cheap toys. You could get a bike, or a blender, or stereo system, or a whole array of other options. Of course, you needed quite a few points, but at least these prizes were worth saving up for. And the bowling alley was brightly lit and clean, and it felt more like a club (except for the bright lights) with house music and a dance atmosphere than a seedy bowling alley that I am accustomed to in the States. We had a lot of fun, and then we went back to the hostel to eat dinner.</div><div><br /></div><div>Domenico cooked for us, even though he had worked all day and cooking was the last thing he wanted to do. He made caciopepe, which is a typical Roman dish, and it's essentially pasta in black pepper oil. It was quite good. We then watched Jeff Dunham (a comic ventriloquist) videos on Youtube, subbed in Italian. I had to explain some of the jokes, and it was difficult, because not only did some of the humor not translate well, but the language barrier made it even more difficult to get the joke across. But it was a good exercise in Italian, and we laughed a lot. Francesco and Domenico were going skiing the next day in the Apennines, and invited me along. I was tempted, but couldn't justify the expense or the risk. Also, I didn't have the proper outfit for skiing. So I had to turn them down.</div><div><br /></div><div>The next morning, Domenico arrived early to pick up Francesco and said goodbye to me. He told me that he would take me skiing the next time I visited, so I had to remember to bring my ski outfit. I told him I would. I went back to sleep for a few more hours and then took the metro to the train station, where I boarded my train back to Florence. As we traveled north, it got noticeably colder and snowy. The train started arriving at stations late, and we arrived in Florence almost 40 minutes later than scheduled. However, I arrived, and was grateful for the fact.</div><div><br /></div><div>I checked into my hotel and then met up with Liz, who was still stuck in Florence until Wednesday because of flight difficulties. Then I set out all my stuff for the next day, called a taxi, and went to bed, hoping that I wouldn't experience the same nightmares that everyone else seemed to be encountering.</div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11705583397776601590noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2076998410662702438.post-20281430427646855352010-12-17T06:44:00.001-08:002010-12-17T06:45:13.568-08:00SNOWToday, it snowed in Florence. I will upload photos of the snow later, but it was beautiful.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11705583397776601590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2076998410662702438.post-62056799411884487562010-12-13T05:47:00.000-08:002010-12-17T06:43:43.919-08:00It's a girl, and her name is.... OlgaOn Friday, we went to Pisa, to see the Leaning Tower. There isn't much to see in Pisa besides the tower, but there is a tiny church (tiny in height and interior space), a blue palace, and cute streets. Here are some pictures of the town:<div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn_Ce_1l8JOhIeeF-f5lPTbBktIe5zNJcda0kJu1SJ6nYCPYyVRCR68NExe3fLeoF14IFhYDq2vwl335Ko7I9buTATiJ-TUaYLk7ERFLKxuHcZS46VVI2OxINWbkhCNk7NyjLO8llFiK4I/s1600/154275_1524659238809_1304460076_31230001_2440181_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn_Ce_1l8JOhIeeF-f5lPTbBktIe5zNJcda0kJu1SJ6nYCPYyVRCR68NExe3fLeoF14IFhYDq2vwl335Ko7I9buTATiJ-TUaYLk7ERFLKxuHcZS46VVI2OxINWbkhCNk7NyjLO8llFiK4I/s200/154275_1524659238809_1304460076_31230001_2440181_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550173468468725010" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9h_-gvu2nrS279ipuVLB9iI4ThR30jIqTOqVzpoumFfxlVKp0-oo_-caqKuweM3NBDofawpPicoFOD_0yARLUOmYMqjHOBcjYiI_YX-NIgQOsBhDVfIs93J81rkNOLD-XgWth8t8AtEDk/s1600/IMG_2549.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9h_-gvu2nrS279ipuVLB9iI4ThR30jIqTOqVzpoumFfxlVKp0-oo_-caqKuweM3NBDofawpPicoFOD_0yARLUOmYMqjHOBcjYiI_YX-NIgQOsBhDVfIs93J81rkNOLD-XgWth8t8AtEDk/s200/IMG_2549.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550173464196369778" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO5n0SVo4gxrWlM6DQFJKWESnJfHD_fpKfv6ZX23vB20cTZ1-wVNfMr8s_uktl-jn8pcyuLLYcOUZ9nEWHzqrFcTzvFkzk8dBRR7Ysa45aX9X9aOPhPbW2NIvpbgavFCdfpaVMeFqDmPji/s1600/IMG_2551.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO5n0SVo4gxrWlM6DQFJKWESnJfHD_fpKfv6ZX23vB20cTZ1-wVNfMr8s_uktl-jn8pcyuLLYcOUZ9nEWHzqrFcTzvFkzk8dBRR7Ysa45aX9X9aOPhPbW2NIvpbgavFCdfpaVMeFqDmPji/s200/IMG_2551.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550173460023372130" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0E2qHAl034D-fnnDQHnqqPckK15qS0SmhH5e3pwTBzQvUG8kBkcQ_kGlsdQKL0yzcHYdAHepAOkv27RSmjz2CbIjQq22p_OOu-M-9YEP7dKXbhcZmSqoTrUX-8dtk-J2BZhabrYRdlhO/s1600/IMG_2553.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0E2qHAl034D-fnnDQHnqqPckK15qS0SmhH5e3pwTBzQvUG8kBkcQ_kGlsdQKL0yzcHYdAHepAOkv27RSmjz2CbIjQq22p_OOu-M-9YEP7dKXbhcZmSqoTrUX-8dtk-J2BZhabrYRdlhO/s200/IMG_2553.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550173457363254482" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6GeHIS4dblmbEHaQ3_uf4kA-_SCQt2gjsHCKbAuIC7mB8qAhKvRnuiYKtg8LUN2Ewetk25tLmyyRCmTdxkln_BMI25KFzzjNseF9zn2Vey_g0wEVoN3Adu86x5CN2BoZ79wrST5WvzIaI/s1600/IMG_2555.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6GeHIS4dblmbEHaQ3_uf4kA-_SCQt2gjsHCKbAuIC7mB8qAhKvRnuiYKtg8LUN2Ewetk25tLmyyRCmTdxkln_BMI25KFzzjNseF9zn2Vey_g0wEVoN3Adu86x5CN2BoZ79wrST5WvzIaI/s200/IMG_2555.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550173456361498242" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheb4nyjSguHgoCRyIc19uD6TGkVmdjRkEUIrzXalb3-DeXi9NW7ht6FQHqGEcOSId_8uAWYffPfIgd7ZR2aABWDgG-im0fdq4EpCZOw97SxaYWponGO3QzLEAF4YVv6GBZuixtNAQQo5oR/s1600/IMG_2557.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheb4nyjSguHgoCRyIc19uD6TGkVmdjRkEUIrzXalb3-DeXi9NW7ht6FQHqGEcOSId_8uAWYffPfIgd7ZR2aABWDgG-im0fdq4EpCZOw97SxaYWponGO3QzLEAF4YVv6GBZuixtNAQQo5oR/s200/IMG_2557.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550173864626438914" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilMkJ8l6u4j3YhSO1spWUH_jB4ExDsfbi-UsZ5OO9OHjaCH8ncY22oUmNV7l-un7vzDlsg7a92WPkPq3gtiYTSGDrbbpvdIKDBBvKXmaxI0eLpvMuXoyrMcSUdwhUihfoP4nHp0AZA5mEQ/s1600/162722_1524661758872_1304460076_31230015_5000490_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilMkJ8l6u4j3YhSO1spWUH_jB4ExDsfbi-UsZ5OO9OHjaCH8ncY22oUmNV7l-un7vzDlsg7a92WPkPq3gtiYTSGDrbbpvdIKDBBvKXmaxI0eLpvMuXoyrMcSUdwhUihfoP4nHp0AZA5mEQ/s200/162722_1524661758872_1304460076_31230015_5000490_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550173867322897586" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSAuycW1eMStmDDk966U02LjZhDu4hwDQJRfrQp4ke3KguaG2tHgcujcWSYzB8AWdZ4Tx5wkVv6ImZfFF2yHdxeaFZza8ZiJuylwj0rO2fdAuKWjYZV3qx4QeQd4Owr33ZSEpM-9sQuyEV/s1600/IMG_2558.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSAuycW1eMStmDDk966U02LjZhDu4hwDQJRfrQp4ke3KguaG2tHgcujcWSYzB8AWdZ4Tx5wkVv6ImZfFF2yHdxeaFZza8ZiJuylwj0rO2fdAuKWjYZV3qx4QeQd4Owr33ZSEpM-9sQuyEV/s200/IMG_2558.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550173861422567298" /></a><br /></div><div>Also, we stopped at a pizza place to eat lunch. A cute dog came up to us to beg for food. We tried shooing it away or pushing it, but it kept coming back. Finally, I reached for its collar and read its name.</div><div><br /></div><div>"What's his name?"</div><div>"Well, it's a girl. And her name is... Olga."</div><div><br /></div><div>Immediately after I said that, the dog gave me a look of panic and bolted. I'm not sure what that was about, but we claim that her cover was blown once we figured out her name and she had to bail.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiphrB2RQUlf_hwHpSYJ5MydnAI24kbYI8pOxaY4JGU3KwMiVN2eu3djXnl_KJoDCteMRHrEG4GMnNtcRIFNNdCfq03jooWNRMKa3lGVoaoc3NsPTv12HjCmDvzD8PGrEcT2ei0v-yNR1_Q/s1600/IMG_2560.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiphrB2RQUlf_hwHpSYJ5MydnAI24kbYI8pOxaY4JGU3KwMiVN2eu3djXnl_KJoDCteMRHrEG4GMnNtcRIFNNdCfq03jooWNRMKa3lGVoaoc3NsPTv12HjCmDvzD8PGrEcT2ei0v-yNR1_Q/s200/IMG_2560.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550173857920430338" /></a><br /></div><div>And that was our daytrip to Pisa.</div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11705583397776601590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2076998410662702438.post-37054690674609208132010-12-05T12:27:00.000-08:002010-12-17T06:43:29.696-08:00Beware of High WaterI apologize for the brevity of this post (although perhaps you welcome it because you're sick of my endless blather), but I just wanted to get this up while I still had reliable internet and time to upload this post.<div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Venice is my favorite city in Italy. I love Florence, but Venice is such a different city, and has a unique charm that is achieved by its canals and twisting streets and beautiful views and exquisitely crafted glasswork. I was blown away by how spectacular the city was. It was cold, but completely worth it.<br /><br />When we arrived, we boarded a boat to get to the actual city from the mainland. We traveled down the Canal della Giudecca, which is the Jewish canal, so named because of the first Jewish ghetto that was created in the middle of the canal. Then we made our way to Murano, an island close to Venice, which is world-famous for its glass.<div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-6sKnXNqAsfAS8lq1_IZXQJJnJdWtFm4uFWqStVmyYk741ruySeWk9TCrB7D9uosqOdFJJARfDfD4tDSgwTVTuNrGjmTZPE2kekCvc3U2AUcO_dIyNf-O50mUkaex82YPpAewOEww5ITJ/s1600/33821_1506978516926_1308180103_31158919_445405_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-6sKnXNqAsfAS8lq1_IZXQJJnJdWtFm4uFWqStVmyYk741ruySeWk9TCrB7D9uosqOdFJJARfDfD4tDSgwTVTuNrGjmTZPE2kekCvc3U2AUcO_dIyNf-O50mUkaex82YPpAewOEww5ITJ/s200/33821_1506978516926_1308180103_31158919_445405_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551643282972649730" /></a><br /></div><div>We got to watch a glassblower make a vase and a horse, and then we got to tour the factory and see the huge glass chandeliers and sculptures and table settings.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZtm0wfB3xEGY6yuEjrRTvJgl8tjVqnqyUa49PyPhgg4HSI0TJXgoD8fgb3QiAmfKkaESuRDiNCZ17OgpqJBXQueK9T2DosybuWa_qsxMczOEXjpNACkF6xddgLrSXhhZ9IpbjDKc0belk/s1600/66833_1506972916786_1308180103_31158860_4418450_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZtm0wfB3xEGY6yuEjrRTvJgl8tjVqnqyUa49PyPhgg4HSI0TJXgoD8fgb3QiAmfKkaESuRDiNCZ17OgpqJBXQueK9T2DosybuWa_qsxMczOEXjpNACkF6xddgLrSXhhZ9IpbjDKc0belk/s200/66833_1506972916786_1308180103_31158860_4418450_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551643278362435154" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN2kjShF806lgdsHqosKTQ2SgIviQLUE18Ag_vmB6-XQScazcrhie3LESRLVIatWeg5Z6tU-mIqsVneho24sKJRTh0ElKIMARR1oikhno6x73nLwKphrXWHnmzo5wDiNrIo-NGbrKNqWRD/s1600/68249_1506971796758_1308180103_31158849_7008678_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN2kjShF806lgdsHqosKTQ2SgIviQLUE18Ag_vmB6-XQScazcrhie3LESRLVIatWeg5Z6tU-mIqsVneho24sKJRTh0ElKIMARR1oikhno6x73nLwKphrXWHnmzo5wDiNrIo-NGbrKNqWRD/s200/68249_1506971796758_1308180103_31158849_7008678_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551643272698129250" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_r6tDNtH_xVJwj-hpr8IGkf-fqmbneWRp5U29pXGWBSjNNM2eqq_c3W7gOVgCkMwNhRfCBbjazLL2KpH5QtfxVk4Eh8-yETQ21Yxgl2p3WL5GjmdhCER4dYhaClq9n2sTa0tBqc5McD_o/s1600/69761_1506972356772_1308180103_31158854_7102134_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_r6tDNtH_xVJwj-hpr8IGkf-fqmbneWRp5U29pXGWBSjNNM2eqq_c3W7gOVgCkMwNhRfCBbjazLL2KpH5QtfxVk4Eh8-yETQ21Yxgl2p3WL5GjmdhCER4dYhaClq9n2sTa0tBqc5McD_o/s200/69761_1506972356772_1308180103_31158854_7102134_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551643274545934018" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULqipAdz0iEI_QgXbcSA7gvHv_XNal7tOLhq3mvV3lTcqY7iCXSCPl6IkQvfP91glc5AvJsvD3SohZvJ7T4OML0uPNd1WWC32EHYA3_vWro37FCN0nryBLoX-kK-3blq2L2jHzr6RyPAk/s1600/63923_1506973076790_1308180103_31158861_2707781_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULqipAdz0iEI_QgXbcSA7gvHv_XNal7tOLhq3mvV3lTcqY7iCXSCPl6IkQvfP91glc5AvJsvD3SohZvJ7T4OML0uPNd1WWC32EHYA3_vWro37FCN0nryBLoX-kK-3blq2L2jHzr6RyPAk/s200/63923_1506973076790_1308180103_31158861_2707781_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551643266583912946" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgleFTINFCV1ui4zsZB3KKW8R2ZCH89JOAj5ug7FzZ5XIzLc_3A7myYQqmJZ-ExGkN9Ez2uqH2-mxR_G0W5G8p2s5tDs0GPju8JWk50ip2VmrUlPcxFNK96ghebKTMlvDFv9-6S6YiDNOr3/s1600/156358_1506973396798_1308180103_31158864_6060874_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgleFTINFCV1ui4zsZB3KKW8R2ZCH89JOAj5ug7FzZ5XIzLc_3A7myYQqmJZ-ExGkN9Ez2uqH2-mxR_G0W5G8p2s5tDs0GPju8JWk50ip2VmrUlPcxFNK96ghebKTMlvDFv9-6S6YiDNOr3/s200/156358_1506973396798_1308180103_31158864_6060874_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551648254284359778" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc08Q_LxWDu_QqrSqusC87IrJjQD-HZoHeShWIG8I56WvnvAb2BU1Sb-MIjSdAOqmaPl5OJANZRuUYP6cwe8QFpfeyYVSfDrrei9zeqBXJy_3ZiCNFtPwEO1YSqPaoOlUS2lccJMEpKhdK/s1600/69765_1506974276820_1308180103_31158872_2927682_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc08Q_LxWDu_QqrSqusC87IrJjQD-HZoHeShWIG8I56WvnvAb2BU1Sb-MIjSdAOqmaPl5OJANZRuUYP6cwe8QFpfeyYVSfDrrei9zeqBXJy_3ZiCNFtPwEO1YSqPaoOlUS2lccJMEpKhdK/s200/69765_1506974276820_1308180103_31158872_2927682_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551648253916765202" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyg_7jnOf3ZmQTx8ch5FdudTx5XmFlNbb1MPfXXFQ9Z3c0ciX-exH02ItTjOYjzP2Ejqc26Xz8MP5EwzYCj1jAomXYKfHDXTyMnwbca0aA3KRjRMBUHuUYtgEeIL3vsu0hJfzjeh6iN1wL/s1600/66734_1506973956812_1308180103_31158870_5664199_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyg_7jnOf3ZmQTx8ch5FdudTx5XmFlNbb1MPfXXFQ9Z3c0ciX-exH02ItTjOYjzP2Ejqc26Xz8MP5EwzYCj1jAomXYKfHDXTyMnwbca0aA3KRjRMBUHuUYtgEeIL3vsu0hJfzjeh6iN1wL/s200/66734_1506973956812_1308180103_31158870_5664199_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551648249958262130" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdRkYMYiW3aqsVENmUT98O5Ur62H1xTkA8FPeu-eRdz6eqCpWY9xmvARk1YkkrSgO1Q9m6445VtdU4MaliTTLG6BcWXxCYkWI2KmdpW3yHvgBO6lpb8-iyx2gB-anPzGIZZhX8gQTSKIEM/s1600/155886_1506974436824_1308180103_31158874_1071395_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdRkYMYiW3aqsVENmUT98O5Ur62H1xTkA8FPeu-eRdz6eqCpWY9xmvARk1YkkrSgO1Q9m6445VtdU4MaliTTLG6BcWXxCYkWI2KmdpW3yHvgBO6lpb8-iyx2gB-anPzGIZZhX8gQTSKIEM/s200/155886_1506974436824_1308180103_31158874_1071395_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551649694793436418" /></a><br /></div><div>Then we made our way to Burano, which is what people actually see when they look at pictures of "beautiful Venice." The houses are all painted different, bright colors, and lace is made there. When we arrived, the water had just receded and shopkeepers were putting their products out again. They have to do that every day, because the water floods the island in the morning with the high tide. We also saw a chicken foot that had washed into a gutter.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXXjikRp56hlJqGEWI79L51NG38LMEk5CMgQB3i-95_5QTM2C1t9BeZwXfnraTDnbXiTBZVJTbVznjUg-_X2mS_q4I_EydmOqNt-tgvFhzZubaOxSwwVggpeZ_P5bbQhj_Z0qGzs2nOT13/s1600/63185_1506975436849_1308180103_31158886_6329601_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXXjikRp56hlJqGEWI79L51NG38LMEk5CMgQB3i-95_5QTM2C1t9BeZwXfnraTDnbXiTBZVJTbVznjUg-_X2mS_q4I_EydmOqNt-tgvFhzZubaOxSwwVggpeZ_P5bbQhj_Z0qGzs2nOT13/s200/63185_1506975436849_1308180103_31158886_6329601_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551648247830800226" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisPpkoK2ABNsmogeHcNvIr9fC1-pfKcMtby_Kualv5kiEs0eJV9iEir2qGL0XcMvYYWhKqvyaX3HZXiPBL0dk6YqFaAOvw5QyXa3ofco0b4StWmdKgVx1beDKbMrK7voIoOe2EXf-BW67z/s1600/68255_1506975076840_1308180103_31158881_2066863_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisPpkoK2ABNsmogeHcNvIr9fC1-pfKcMtby_Kualv5kiEs0eJV9iEir2qGL0XcMvYYWhKqvyaX3HZXiPBL0dk6YqFaAOvw5QyXa3ofco0b4StWmdKgVx1beDKbMrK7voIoOe2EXf-BW67z/s200/68255_1506975076840_1308180103_31158881_2066863_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551648245566229762" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Htev1-aV1-Xse4nbgRHFUmKixwJZunj1xGHbgd6O8xehRV_3JfR61H__LKw1AquJXRiKYTTxWb9wXMPahBmIvOuIKR06Ssdz2xL5qf_vAzo2WP-fPxfr_XPqkkkYZv0eKLKpIs1A0SKa/s1600/69580_1506974996838_1308180103_31158880_1946330_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Htev1-aV1-Xse4nbgRHFUmKixwJZunj1xGHbgd6O8xehRV_3JfR61H__LKw1AquJXRiKYTTxWb9wXMPahBmIvOuIKR06Ssdz2xL5qf_vAzo2WP-fPxfr_XPqkkkYZv0eKLKpIs1A0SKa/s200/69580_1506974996838_1308180103_31158880_1946330_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551649700611821378" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjxst9dsJy5zTF6IrF_G5LZ78GTz4gn-EN599N2BGoAQW51xWghQRoIH-g9Br-RcVtTj0yvuPofaCO-3J0b2BFy9nHvYAM7xaaE-GtQVSr3CZexPFIo4GPZ9O4fQNva22QE5twh64k8nia/s1600/68269_1506978116916_1308180103_31158914_7521947_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjxst9dsJy5zTF6IrF_G5LZ78GTz4gn-EN599N2BGoAQW51xWghQRoIH-g9Br-RcVtTj0yvuPofaCO-3J0b2BFy9nHvYAM7xaaE-GtQVSr3CZexPFIo4GPZ9O4fQNva22QE5twh64k8nia/s200/68269_1506978116916_1308180103_31158914_7521947_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551649702649402498" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiivNJDK1DJ_71NvTtbIW9IaZaJurClhiS4ZXK9_0Lkfm5ol0YJbvj1egUREyDXH4DjdCZe4w6fNgFNdtE1IvTHoMyf4tZjN_xsMlMzjCAYFPMv4I0kXg6my-jWwmM07IrXLf33RhWvc9GN/s1600/150799_1506975316846_1308180103_31158884_6973176_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiivNJDK1DJ_71NvTtbIW9IaZaJurClhiS4ZXK9_0Lkfm5ol0YJbvj1egUREyDXH4DjdCZe4w6fNgFNdtE1IvTHoMyf4tZjN_xsMlMzjCAYFPMv4I0kXg6my-jWwmM07IrXLf33RhWvc9GN/s200/150799_1506975316846_1308180103_31158884_6973176_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551649699233499458" /></a><br /></div><div>After that, we went back to the main island of Venice and went to St. Mark's Square and St. Mark's Cathedral. It was beautiful, and the cathedral contains the most mosaic tiles in one location, in the world. During the tour, we learned that a lot of the objects in and around the cathedral were actually objects obtained through victory in war and had little to do with religion.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-W3QvuxS8eM58wUXE1Iwepz5YF6KEzN6XvRNsI9XXKwqyv2y5EfHvV_YiJaFgOWIMaXWumhienz3W7eQ5F_nLUIhKRbZocAjWQOGVKeeXVe8xctThhbvTboB6dpWcJe6xoupsCrjWRrtk/s1600/66852_1506980356972_1308180103_31158937_7849382_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-W3QvuxS8eM58wUXE1Iwepz5YF6KEzN6XvRNsI9XXKwqyv2y5EfHvV_YiJaFgOWIMaXWumhienz3W7eQ5F_nLUIhKRbZocAjWQOGVKeeXVe8xctThhbvTboB6dpWcJe6xoupsCrjWRrtk/s200/66852_1506980356972_1308180103_31158937_7849382_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551649692535760642" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBv2n_oEmx9BXLvBF3Xe-Gnm1QWpiF1hcRpkyZUvHr9GHnG71jGDwU9s9rUZSChIsZm2bxraMhScUZxTV7sp-tT6qhNdn_aPXTyn39pyY03c7DoOoc3QUVjEvrqWy0VNDnuLgHqL76Bumf/s1600/69760_1506981637004_1308180103_31158948_2777836_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; 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margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_RhYkxsfXRqVDbKGmtEVVSaE48m3msQNZSUnukuqvrX1ua4xUi_7ehf4Vo7cdvncrbIXAD-2Ing_82qxZoylPUIWeAevjhT0iG1KJh9ukiTHzxg1knvB3CwwA26E4Jd35kiX6NDP-XZqN/s200/68586_1506982557027_1308180103_31158957_7627214_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551653088762451730" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRYquwVMNWG2tgbyZtbW3HBvt-XBowoDkc4ZA-hppEGhogkw4j_fQXsfu-oMV7ANhW2QGT7Nz1rmBQMyW4aHTCGYUWAFGhc0rmZrpscyzfoGmIAX3K08msKiGN2_LVt-j_BdyNik9QAL6i/s1600/154630_1506983117041_1308180103_31158962_2190111_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRYquwVMNWG2tgbyZtbW3HBvt-XBowoDkc4ZA-hppEGhogkw4j_fQXsfu-oMV7ANhW2QGT7Nz1rmBQMyW4aHTCGYUWAFGhc0rmZrpscyzfoGmIAX3K08msKiGN2_LVt-j_BdyNik9QAL6i/s200/154630_1506983117041_1308180103_31158962_2190111_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551653081005988050" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4OI4tRRUHW31qnS1rqVa4IQ9ecR9DusdJvsQ3pTFqDfRcGe4u7vMdT3drG0Hq1c2ztWz0EoMYzK0KScew1UDcQu0Aw4RC3JoRJRyorH5sJJDb6KMSlr1KbOSCyuAFNOXzjMDeoj0hcnb7/s1600/154641_1506983477050_1308180103_31158965_2501996_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4OI4tRRUHW31qnS1rqVa4IQ9ecR9DusdJvsQ3pTFqDfRcGe4u7vMdT3drG0Hq1c2ztWz0EoMYzK0KScew1UDcQu0Aw4RC3JoRJRyorH5sJJDb6KMSlr1KbOSCyuAFNOXzjMDeoj0hcnb7/s200/154641_1506983477050_1308180103_31158965_2501996_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551653077704888450" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdw0mWJ4IsUuNLxFmWOARmH_1hB5Q9q_cUNMH97LV5TmrEsEgkPgFycVqOaQzZ1xBQqkOTEFIIbxwG5NaSvEOiWl6M2Um_fHmyc2xKWEcsasT8H1PyztfSAIVipd1_RhuMJwSsTP9Lf6aA/s1600/163073_1506982997038_1308180103_31158960_6753029_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdw0mWJ4IsUuNLxFmWOARmH_1hB5Q9q_cUNMH97LV5TmrEsEgkPgFycVqOaQzZ1xBQqkOTEFIIbxwG5NaSvEOiWl6M2Um_fHmyc2xKWEcsasT8H1PyztfSAIVipd1_RhuMJwSsTP9Lf6aA/s200/163073_1506982997038_1308180103_31158960_6753029_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551653075603457970" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_jRo9toamHuCKAkU_4LDm0lGu_sdwQTbfYWKFeU7CIPAWQQqBu2HwZQ-62_ksVVLXpvn8WgtWCOdlPMwEtJmGRuoLn8F8wy9lSttTs7Ha59ALUvEOvTKObrjW3jCZrWOdHaMEjGcofUSS/s1600/156647_1506984077065_1308180103_31158970_3526649_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_jRo9toamHuCKAkU_4LDm0lGu_sdwQTbfYWKFeU7CIPAWQQqBu2HwZQ-62_ksVVLXpvn8WgtWCOdlPMwEtJmGRuoLn8F8wy9lSttTs7Ha59ALUvEOvTKObrjW3jCZrWOdHaMEjGcofUSS/s200/156647_1506984077065_1308180103_31158970_3526649_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551653074583689058" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdirnTC-csDaVa6UJpYHvP5OHr3I-1rK9y9x1DTV_tiHgGSOGx6xCtNfwcSTVdiRFvo742PX6xCYStqpJGucIqEfzjFa7ouP6CkuaeoGKiieIIKGZGrXaIB8IVuKAMj6wPybrpQVDn4r03/s1600/65783_1506984637079_1308180103_31158977_2144566_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdirnTC-csDaVa6UJpYHvP5OHr3I-1rK9y9x1DTV_tiHgGSOGx6xCtNfwcSTVdiRFvo742PX6xCYStqpJGucIqEfzjFa7ouP6CkuaeoGKiieIIKGZGrXaIB8IVuKAMj6wPybrpQVDn4r03/s200/65783_1506984637079_1308180103_31158977_2144566_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551657417218942338" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh63X4rsV7haEfS4YBD1IktG1-Lc-GtGn0ZwDH9P46ExonJlqFvc1EqrQ7-crpcXqFC4pc1LnDYV-hOL__mVE3UZt7o48P6JplOsUF_oav79NjmFefhAk9PYEDm7zyxwyMs3NpMvXemdWbV/s1600/66868_1506985317096_1308180103_31158987_3867652_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh63X4rsV7haEfS4YBD1IktG1-Lc-GtGn0ZwDH9P46ExonJlqFvc1EqrQ7-crpcXqFC4pc1LnDYV-hOL__mVE3UZt7o48P6JplOsUF_oav79NjmFefhAk9PYEDm7zyxwyMs3NpMvXemdWbV/s200/66868_1506985317096_1308180103_31158987_3867652_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551659051661383170" /></a><br /></div><div>It was really cold there, so Liz and I went to get some cappuccinos, and after we got them, we walked outside and I thought it would be a brilliant time to put on my gloves. But instead of handing off my cappuccino, I tried to maneuver around it. And failed. I epically doused myself in hot coffee, which was not hot enough to burn myself (and I had enough layers between me and the coffee anyway), but it was embarrassing and inconvenient nonetheless. So I had to take off my gloves and walk into the café, dripping, to get some napkins to clean myself.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then we went to the Rialto Bridge, which is the oldest bridge crossing the canal. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and is located over the Grand Canal.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6pbcmt-YOhpcPfGSt26cml5K1Zgx6WPUQZrm-Th6lfouBNsaxmmkAIfqdFqOc7UjRrrdN1GONbqrzIgu7ihHw5HNEecS9Yad9xAWQl6HAFz6B8mHlbkebVjWTv6Ag1ZLq4Z6o-qOtAc3N/s1600/63599_1507003117541_1308180103_31159059_7542189_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6pbcmt-YOhpcPfGSt26cml5K1Zgx6WPUQZrm-Th6lfouBNsaxmmkAIfqdFqOc7UjRrrdN1GONbqrzIgu7ihHw5HNEecS9Yad9xAWQl6HAFz6B8mHlbkebVjWTv6Ag1ZLq4Z6o-qOtAc3N/s200/63599_1507003117541_1308180103_31159059_7542189_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551657411115080370" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX9Attigsu8bbwvW2qL3RMxGriGJYMB4jiIySr3FMXRsw5dmMn68qYNT_5Z-zDNmkmDyFH8e5QXVNk83qIgMGV2ESo4r_Q8WavOfcwnMtg15JaEi0N0iIqwE7sjmg26nFEeAe9Hu-nTy43/s1600/68556_1506985437099_1308180103_31158989_7962853_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX9Attigsu8bbwvW2qL3RMxGriGJYMB4jiIySr3FMXRsw5dmMn68qYNT_5Z-zDNmkmDyFH8e5QXVNk83qIgMGV2ESo4r_Q8WavOfcwnMtg15JaEi0N0iIqwE7sjmg26nFEeAe9Hu-nTy43/s200/68556_1506985437099_1308180103_31158989_7962853_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551657413038566866" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTSYqQoNikUZmpVe6eOQQOcNRz0HrjHkXPKVHhr3EJLDqAKAMNZsrMwWP2AM6kJ7cMJPTePPcQSfj0owm0KcGUsLxf6kxKB3LzVKvE0VSwtgDPgujygmThgOb7z4C7M2dvHRB0rimp5gew/s1600/156753_1507002997538_1308180103_31159056_2326538_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTSYqQoNikUZmpVe6eOQQOcNRz0HrjHkXPKVHhr3EJLDqAKAMNZsrMwWP2AM6kJ7cMJPTePPcQSfj0owm0KcGUsLxf6kxKB3LzVKvE0VSwtgDPgujygmThgOb7z4C7M2dvHRB0rimp5gew/s200/156753_1507002997538_1308180103_31159056_2326538_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551657407031235906" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtTnoPBoTcUElY86TSwntHz3XV4wjQq1TnGwwpExK8Zi7Neo7Vf03jR3U0ld7qPrDa7qK5eJCwPW9oO9PoC6DelyzNKVrSP7RzxIeJGtRqBmeMI0lgBjjag9d0miA_B4ouIS_iB5VcKigh/s1600/154306_1506985717106_1308180103_31158993_5208830_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtTnoPBoTcUElY86TSwntHz3XV4wjQq1TnGwwpExK8Zi7Neo7Vf03jR3U0ld7qPrDa7qK5eJCwPW9oO9PoC6DelyzNKVrSP7RzxIeJGtRqBmeMI0lgBjjag9d0miA_B4ouIS_iB5VcKigh/s200/154306_1506985717106_1308180103_31158993_5208830_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551657403032461554" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3OMOOeDmq7Em_Phyphenhyphendm3Ipg9iFFtqoqIqNGi7y15s5AZ0FFJQ_swuaRn2JxG5kDQ_kAgPyU96Gbb-EJT1RoUCA07AXDhczaXuIeQHgtBNv-yWbUN5jcFDoy7niDO9_BwLMlKw4WWzAcXwD/s1600/67153_1506986317121_1308180103_31158998_1475853_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3OMOOeDmq7Em_Phyphenhyphendm3Ipg9iFFtqoqIqNGi7y15s5AZ0FFJQ_swuaRn2JxG5kDQ_kAgPyU96Gbb-EJT1RoUCA07AXDhczaXuIeQHgtBNv-yWbUN5jcFDoy7niDO9_BwLMlKw4WWzAcXwD/s200/67153_1506986317121_1308180103_31158998_1475853_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551659045613983218" /></a><br /></div><div>We went to our hotel afterward and had dinner, which was vegetable risotto, salad, calamari, and tiramisu for dessert. They served us Pinot Grigio, which is a white wine from Venetian vineyards. The dinner was very good, and we had a great table and some great dinner conversation. After dinner, they took us to our rooms. We had room 30, which was in a back alley, under the stairs. It wasn't a bad room, but it was small and the roof was slanted. I felt a little like Harry Potter. However, we discovered at the end of the trip that we actually had the nicest room in the hotel...</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDC3Y8w3G-aptACK5BvV9RqbDtuTKDXmKG-BSrxT5TYyah69ZFtZ5EXQ6SjPQdwjDzBlIRaeGlwE5Mu7H81C0Nt-8vbm1Y3bDT7TEDJLT3qzXYdz2F36pId8CDy7WA5pkuQH9YmcCx_dZs/s1600/162989_1506980036964_1308180103_31158933_5057360_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDC3Y8w3G-aptACK5BvV9RqbDtuTKDXmKG-BSrxT5TYyah69ZFtZ5EXQ6SjPQdwjDzBlIRaeGlwE5Mu7H81C0Nt-8vbm1Y3bDT7TEDJLT3qzXYdz2F36pId8CDy7WA5pkuQH9YmcCx_dZs/s200/162989_1506980036964_1308180103_31158933_5057360_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551659042367363026" /></a><br /></div><div>The next morning, we started on our way, but had to take several detours due to high water. All the shops were flooded and the streets were too, and there were little catwalks erected all along the streets for people to walk on and get through the flood. I also saw some people with tall plastic boots wading through the waters. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxiW15Nk98_oOU45n52UG8A-cYOeI9oniFVVrjnOkSnwWfyvqrELIO-BBo-MeBzeyjuwr8pDih6tMWkc9BRj2oULGWzNHiCwQdnkOf3CMzEviwoKT58qTaVstW3w6WDH7OUe0obV0ZFSSH/s1600/33942_1507004037564_1308180103_31159069_109670_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxiW15Nk98_oOU45n52UG8A-cYOeI9oniFVVrjnOkSnwWfyvqrELIO-BBo-MeBzeyjuwr8pDih6tMWkc9BRj2oULGWzNHiCwQdnkOf3CMzEviwoKT58qTaVstW3w6WDH7OUe0obV0ZFSSH/s200/33942_1507004037564_1308180103_31159069_109670_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551659041212738978" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbz1KElqILGoFvm9GAneoOTcxWriiKUWdmTAVLVBeN0iopwN4i1BZFTmad6KgYo6jLCS6ewa6VTOG7Hc8mmL3Bs4DOH7gUi92E3-pFp5voaGUzO80Fi7rR-KoYDjw6SIGu_w6rIWVKZcVF/s1600/58022_1507000917486_1308180103_31159029_7761072_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbz1KElqILGoFvm9GAneoOTcxWriiKUWdmTAVLVBeN0iopwN4i1BZFTmad6KgYo6jLCS6ewa6VTOG7Hc8mmL3Bs4DOH7gUi92E3-pFp5voaGUzO80Fi7rR-KoYDjw6SIGu_w6rIWVKZcVF/s200/58022_1507000917486_1308180103_31159029_7761072_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551659040624514130" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioAvo796WTLmC_SaI_dn93vt_OhWENmVp6nJWDViOaEWVjP3ok_M7quvq_NpRW_z9oCMfnDesywo-0ZBxnztn8Vxml0wu3EOZtjH7ujKUpWHrHaE5iyo5F8KGrCMUIt3rpeYUzrbgHjDHR/s1600/69711_1506977396898_1308180103_31158906_4399843_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioAvo796WTLmC_SaI_dn93vt_OhWENmVp6nJWDViOaEWVjP3ok_M7quvq_NpRW_z9oCMfnDesywo-0ZBxnztn8Vxml0wu3EOZtjH7ujKUpWHrHaE5iyo5F8KGrCMUIt3rpeYUzrbgHjDHR/s200/69711_1506977396898_1308180103_31158906_4399843_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551660103296638546" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOYacD6T7AGg0eafPOuhd4z2RC_ieGxdsjx0hqRM3G4Eo4SypiHdSlQ1th8gzL6fmiSyYcHsUTFOwu79u14npkOFuhOWJBo6_fOeJFxoKgMBTlK4TEKgCAcDf_hJeX6qy4Js5dPzT6Ca7b/s1600/154928_1507002877535_1308180103_31159054_71415_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOYacD6T7AGg0eafPOuhd4z2RC_ieGxdsjx0hqRM3G4Eo4SypiHdSlQ1th8gzL6fmiSyYcHsUTFOwu79u14npkOFuhOWJBo6_fOeJFxoKgMBTlK4TEKgCAcDf_hJeX6qy4Js5dPzT6Ca7b/s200/154928_1507002877535_1308180103_31159054_71415_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551660101586736418" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv7ckXoNR0M0diNhrXD0WF-kXRmqNE0Xcs8wBCCIhoZuJOl5hy-_Hbivz5sbCzAhA6h0E-1UvSR5WJAIXok8j0NlXDTfsD2OslJwUvS2PzvlxUYbgF8TwjMcOzKRihDSBKbMUg7A7MqQim/s1600/155290_1507000717481_1308180103_31159027_1556197_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv7ckXoNR0M0diNhrXD0WF-kXRmqNE0Xcs8wBCCIhoZuJOl5hy-_Hbivz5sbCzAhA6h0E-1UvSR5WJAIXok8j0NlXDTfsD2OslJwUvS2PzvlxUYbgF8TwjMcOzKRihDSBKbMUg7A7MqQim/s200/155290_1507000717481_1308180103_31159027_1556197_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551660095626165330" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUwGWlmC99lEQ781e3YyGJb66In9oWxImT7EF1kKshyatG6AixEnf-siyU0CRI3dqz1Fbq3BUvy7sR52fWGWGJwB-Z9kXpCspW1uTuIHh6qgHIUabx5JAZ4T1ZGJyCxygPJL2hZqf-8jbC/s1600/162711_1507002317521_1308180103_31159046_5520355_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUwGWlmC99lEQ781e3YyGJb66In9oWxImT7EF1kKshyatG6AixEnf-siyU0CRI3dqz1Fbq3BUvy7sR52fWGWGJwB-Z9kXpCspW1uTuIHh6qgHIUabx5JAZ4T1ZGJyCxygPJL2hZqf-8jbC/s200/162711_1507002317521_1308180103_31159046_5520355_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551660093088288434" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyCDICdfohVpzYa6mmOkFtvMHQdOVPW8UAR15ieqihaDw6DtCWXvK5qcZJ6LLLBLeAKJeoFRP-DyobUkbRzWPGObPgGycR0Sn3JxTY5dkX9EQ5JbGeKnnA5DdYyCcNLYEZ-3sQ00y3vYGS/s1600/34821_1506985357097_1308180103_31158988_1324198_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyCDICdfohVpzYa6mmOkFtvMHQdOVPW8UAR15ieqihaDw6DtCWXvK5qcZJ6LLLBLeAKJeoFRP-DyobUkbRzWPGObPgGycR0Sn3JxTY5dkX9EQ5JbGeKnnA5DdYyCcNLYEZ-3sQ00y3vYGS/s200/34821_1506985357097_1308180103_31158988_1324198_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551660087074764962" /></a><br /></div><div>But we made our way around the flood and went to the Peggy Guggenheim Modern Museum, where we saw a lot of great modern art. We learned about the history of the museum and about how eccentric Peggy was (she would sometimes sunbathe naked on her roof to annoy the hotel residents on either side of her house, and she would take Giacometti' s sculptures out on her gondola and ride around with them). We also saw works by the futurist Boccioni, the painter Max Ernst (her husband), Dali, Picasso, Pollock, Rothko, and many more. It was really awesome to see.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4_j8MdrQacawmYdjj7o4mcO8amqw9T_cdEGeE_iW5m6CeAvYnT7Jvrc629SiALJT4GmbG1yKYX1XlnyCn8TW50yhtwjx_hJmAJhI-qrWdYwOWEw18sbntGdJvK2DKqAE9KGdZcm-NLrmp/s1600/162779_1507003517551_1308180103_31159064_7089357_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4_j8MdrQacawmYdjj7o4mcO8amqw9T_cdEGeE_iW5m6CeAvYnT7Jvrc629SiALJT4GmbG1yKYX1XlnyCn8TW50yhtwjx_hJmAJhI-qrWdYwOWEw18sbntGdJvK2DKqAE9KGdZcm-NLrmp/s200/162779_1507003517551_1308180103_31159064_7089357_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551660715669322914" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8asZNx0HPzVEA0bQ-pvt83haXeIjf-f4v1dkJS-2hhtMb6lIY2rNciwWeBhsFfguXo-FnSelvWlTPEJ1ytwp3KsnPcU5yIRZYu-wUEqUayXUMSNpJtkrEk-d_nXY2aEKQW-nb9kP-Hgd0/s1600/157052_1507003837559_1308180103_31159066_7095645_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8asZNx0HPzVEA0bQ-pvt83haXeIjf-f4v1dkJS-2hhtMb6lIY2rNciwWeBhsFfguXo-FnSelvWlTPEJ1ytwp3KsnPcU5yIRZYu-wUEqUayXUMSNpJtkrEk-d_nXY2aEKQW-nb9kP-Hgd0/s200/157052_1507003837559_1308180103_31159066_7095645_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551660714750537522" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX_2l5NUTYcBHgNHkRk33gFc4tHNSm5meqwIjQ7H8VgyATD69dGEcrRyu68Y5NpGpdOH87sXB5HtBBlih-_6eQUpuO2odly2No2fVI4LD_9kOI-IvKKIMdFGqytVHq4AfQxUHyhmGOP8qA/s1600/156998_1507003917561_1308180103_31159067_4310184_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX_2l5NUTYcBHgNHkRk33gFc4tHNSm5meqwIjQ7H8VgyATD69dGEcrRyu68Y5NpGpdOH87sXB5HtBBlih-_6eQUpuO2odly2No2fVI4LD_9kOI-IvKKIMdFGqytVHq4AfQxUHyhmGOP8qA/s200/156998_1507003917561_1308180103_31159067_4310184_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551661420498341698" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><u><br /></u></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX_2l5NUTYcBHgNHkRk33gFc4tHNSm5meqwIjQ7H8VgyATD69dGEcrRyu68Y5NpGpdOH87sXB5HtBBlih-_6eQUpuO2odly2No2fVI4LD_9kOI-IvKKIMdFGqytVHq4AfQxUHyhmGOP8qA/s1600/156998_1507003917561_1308180103_31159067_4310184_n.jpg"></a><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBBO4rFaTaiuszSTlkYEvqThltCUZw-fjgM9xBUzQtoUFaAFDO_1tHalrVocK6Ea4r6fSsjAFLc2ABHxyZ332RxA8nz2MdEyxJzB-YYZ8Qy3I9JfWixUTRcVlIZcJNgEtKC9d4mAwzLjbU/s200/68526_1507004757582_1308180103_31159074_6519235_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551660708815017618" />After that, we had some time to look around Venice on our own, and so Liz and I walked around the city, taking pictures and soaking in the beauty and serenity. We picked up some food for lunch and took it to a piazza, where we sat on a bench and ate. There were lots of birds walking around, so I trained one of the little ones to eat out of my hand. We named him Federico.</div><div><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXobza7F6orwCGm0sTHycLIZSijBflgkqQVARVyWcXaOUIbzTN29BLv0SA5KWrDcqz5cAsvQNujWD9l8EQlya9oy3lnm2P4m1-GNM7tn8Mx9VJEaNoZsDQGM9b7RWIZBLhsWDNbGjfcrfT/s200/66164_1507007077640_1308180103_31159087_3542118_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551660706390308850" /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicse48A_l477SuT67Xzf7WYUFed1bleC9mmLOOUxJ7tmyMyWRFgxAppybeFXRUsNX6GYPbG5tO2TX1pOXU5rfFCg0fNDyXOn8D80TMqL3A76BxnQ-RUejFIZSxRTjD24z8cuVZMP2-eC4H/s1600/36260_1507007197643_1308180103_31159088_5715166_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicse48A_l477SuT67Xzf7WYUFed1bleC9mmLOOUxJ7tmyMyWRFgxAppybeFXRUsNX6GYPbG5tO2TX1pOXU5rfFCg0fNDyXOn8D80TMqL3A76BxnQ-RUejFIZSxRTjD24z8cuVZMP2-eC4H/s200/36260_1507007197643_1308180103_31159088_5715166_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551660707556357858" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div>Our last stop was at the Duke's Palace, which is right next to St. Mark's Church. We walked through and saw the Golden staircase (the main stairs leading up the palace; the ceiling is sculpted out of gold), the Giant's staircase (where the Duke would address the nation, flanked by the Roman gods Mars and Neptune (or Ares and Poseidon of Greek mythology), the Lion's Mouth (where people posted anonymous letters that revealed terrorists of the state), and the rooms of Parliament. We also saw the armory, where there is an extensive collection of Renaissance weaponry and armor, and the Bridge of Sighs, which leads to the prisons. The Bridge of Sighs is named such because the prisoners would let out sighs of sorrow, knowing that by crossing this bridge, they were most likely walking to their deaths. The prisons were cold and cramped, and had no regard for prisoner well-being. The roof was made of lead, meaning that in the summer, the prisons would be boiling hot, and in the winter, the prison would freeze. Many prisoners died due to these extreme conditions.</div><div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3MBlPJhEcH0QEPs65Yhlm-7ri-xbztd6zTvf9KxfLQRLHbdcS74cMCP2LkaV78cuQGDxdtwVZVYMnPG5UCj4wTPMFWZ3fchRy9uRUsdkytM3NvP-lX0UDjKbNe6Z9kZp-ROcyDpyvTqN9/s1600/148253_1506984597078_1308180103_31158976_1558859_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3MBlPJhEcH0QEPs65Yhlm-7ri-xbztd6zTvf9KxfLQRLHbdcS74cMCP2LkaV78cuQGDxdtwVZVYMnPG5UCj4wTPMFWZ3fchRy9uRUsdkytM3NvP-lX0UDjKbNe6Z9kZp-ROcyDpyvTqN9/s200/148253_1506984597078_1308180103_31158976_1558859_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551661413742433234" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY64TpBvtG-S-W3FyPneNqwWVKnjc4gPC1xnV7UmJxxvqn1H62gQiRHNqEpboD3y5K6X7p04SAoOd_qZlQ1OAeOTLpK7mtiRKmJf3TDd870eLN5pweSLY7Y8easc6MnObynE3eVlEf6lbQ/s1600/34790_1507008117666_1308180103_31159094_520467_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY64TpBvtG-S-W3FyPneNqwWVKnjc4gPC1xnV7UmJxxvqn1H62gQiRHNqEpboD3y5K6X7p04SAoOd_qZlQ1OAeOTLpK7mtiRKmJf3TDd870eLN5pweSLY7Y8easc6MnObynE3eVlEf6lbQ/s200/34790_1507008117666_1308180103_31159094_520467_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551661409946164258" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRiaX8c4FJVhoqSwnlvmAUxi0WwxbC110Oo9TthmPe5kdeU63KLuGdNxtspwYr2KF99N77aY_4v1gvNt6ernxHnMAGN0zHYZxUYsyr8N5-z0BAsZzVB5kriu37J1gsYPNVfDGfypYxmdDs/s1600/67823_1507007557652_1308180103_31159090_45605_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRiaX8c4FJVhoqSwnlvmAUxi0WwxbC110Oo9TthmPe5kdeU63KLuGdNxtspwYr2KF99N77aY_4v1gvNt6ernxHnMAGN0zHYZxUYsyr8N5-z0BAsZzVB5kriu37J1gsYPNVfDGfypYxmdDs/s200/67823_1507007557652_1308180103_31159090_45605_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551661407946641538" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKY-apMW_gpxRoikTVoKbYdtCvtvKfBrq10r8GDG9UZVgvXCDHWXkDzT9p-JXoHA26WXuW6A7lE-t2ooDbIsDetajkE3CZLgRVqzcRoIfko_ho06ZnKXHiPwfMjk4oiwKxkAiek0Ay3FXK/s1600/156085_1507008037664_1308180103_31159093_2247425_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKY-apMW_gpxRoikTVoKbYdtCvtvKfBrq10r8GDG9UZVgvXCDHWXkDzT9p-JXoHA26WXuW6A7lE-t2ooDbIsDetajkE3CZLgRVqzcRoIfko_ho06ZnKXHiPwfMjk4oiwKxkAiek0Ay3FXK/s200/156085_1507008037664_1308180103_31159093_2247425_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551661401661522338" /></a><br /></div><div>Then we took a boat back to the mainland and boarded the bus home. It was a great trip and I wish I could see it in the summer (or just the warmer months), because Venice definitely seems like a summer city. The city was still beautiful and wonderful, but subdued, and I would like to return to Venice again.</div></div></div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11705583397776601590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2076998410662702438.post-65711381530699629962010-12-03T11:17:00.001-08:002010-12-13T06:10:48.608-08:00Are you afraid of Lions?!Last weekend, I took a Thanksgiving break that I didn't actually have. Europeans don't celebrate Thanksgiving (though a lot of tourist towns do, for the gratification of the loud, obnoxious Americans), so they don't take a holiday. But from Thanksgiving day to the end of November, I traveled to Germany to visit a friend's relatives that I had met this summer (that's a whole different story to tell...).<div><div><br /></div><div>So I arrived in Germany on Thursday morning (Thanksgiving morning, though that bears little significance here, as I mentioned). We drove on the autobahn (but not THE autobahn), and Paul, my friend's uncle, told me that driving on THE autobahn is awesome if you have the right car and the right driving conditions. Usually, the highway is so congested that you don't go much above normal speeds. As he was explaining this to me, we hit that traffic, and it took us nearly half an hour to move 500 meters. So the hour long journey to their town, Lank-Latum from the airport took us two hours. Once we got through the traffic jam, we turned onto a section of the road that was unusually straight and wide. Paul pointed out that the median was much more flimsy than usual, and there was no grass. The reason for this is that the mile stretch of road is actually a makeshift airstrip used during wartime. The median can be pulled up easily and the shoulder can be outfitted with landing lights and the whole strip can be plane ready in under 24 hours.</div><div><br /></div><div>When we finally arrived, I was greeted by Sandra, Paul's wife and my friend's aunt, and we had a few minutes to chat before she had to go pick up Lilly, her three-year-old, from daycare. Claire, the nine-year-old, would walk home shortly after. I settled into their very contemporary house and when the girls arrived back home, I was bombarded. They were excited to see me, and gave me artwork and shells and cut-up pieces of paper as gifts. It was adorable. I played with them until dinner.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfQ3n0Q8sbbxa1_15o-Vbi3Mzv69lBtdR8GcUFmEtGtwf_kTwF9Qst8mLjo_dButqI6IhObH5kK6dzPX-dy36OJ7zklEM4_RIAWoUQzPjEbSPGjeqO9vM7kh9LDzQU0vq4BOHp428LlLCs/s1600/PB272947.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfQ3n0Q8sbbxa1_15o-Vbi3Mzv69lBtdR8GcUFmEtGtwf_kTwF9Qst8mLjo_dButqI6IhObH5kK6dzPX-dy36OJ7zklEM4_RIAWoUQzPjEbSPGjeqO9vM7kh9LDzQU0vq4BOHp428LlLCs/s200/PB272947.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550168589246548898" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1J_nSb-tYZJaEA0BPzEFb9uroWo4UA6awddYTWIQkuxHErk0VxU6p1vrbGwzlSvmqDPxuXcbzFbGkAHkAGivg_MXRQAeJb7Db8kll8sIbXD92avmK8LVoOjvryXNeHu7iTRaytJYyZ_2u/s1600/PB272896.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1J_nSb-tYZJaEA0BPzEFb9uroWo4UA6awddYTWIQkuxHErk0VxU6p1vrbGwzlSvmqDPxuXcbzFbGkAHkAGivg_MXRQAeJb7Db8kll8sIbXD92avmK8LVoOjvryXNeHu7iTRaytJYyZ_2u/s200/PB272896.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550168582841653714" /></a><br /></div><div>When dinner was ready at 6, I came to the table and was incredibly disappointed. On the table was a basket of bread and some cold cuts and a few vegetables. Seeing my look of hesitation and disbelief, Sandra and Paul explained that the biggest meal of the day in Germany is lunch, although it's called dinner, and the evening meal is called supper. So I ate supper, which was good, even though much lighter than I was used to (remember, I've been living in Italy, when the biggest meal of the day is served around 9 PM and is a BIG meal). They also had me try some regional mustard, which was like dijon and wasabi and fire mixed together into a yellow paste. I only put a dab on my bread, and spent the next five minutes in a sensory-overloaded pain-state. It was good, however. I was wary of their other spreads, but the rest were normal, like butter and cream cheese.</div><div><br /></div><div>After dinner, the kids rushed to the living room to watch some German children's programs. Paul explained the programs, which were actually quite interesting. There are three shows that use essentially the same concept, which is answering questions like "how does the sea get salty?" or "what is chewing gum made of?" or "how does the internet work?" at a level that is informative but accessible to children. The only name I can remember is Die Maus, which means the mouse.</div><div><br /></div><div>After the programs were over, the girls went to bed and I stayed up with Sandra and Paul and watched Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. I had never seen it before, and it was absurd. But I liked it.</div><div><br /></div><div>The next morning, I was awoken by the girls bursting into my room and pouncing on my bed. They were ushered out of the room and to daycare and school. There was a light dusting of snow outside, and it was cold, especially compared to Italy.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_NLDc2nb4G32o5fiTKjHSjX98PDyWKUeV4DBJaG4yu-xQyEr4CHjqTYxJg5V-L7VOKscoNLp8UVuwBUKBo0gzK70-ti4t9D_rjfn7BNH8H71loFQ2vY9Yf_Ni7_ddOzw6E8JI5xyv2htO/s1600/PB282950.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_NLDc2nb4G32o5fiTKjHSjX98PDyWKUeV4DBJaG4yu-xQyEr4CHjqTYxJg5V-L7VOKscoNLp8UVuwBUKBo0gzK70-ti4t9D_rjfn7BNH8H71loFQ2vY9Yf_Ni7_ddOzw6E8JI5xyv2htO/s200/PB282950.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550168579153881378" /></a><br />We had breakfast, which was bread with a variety of jams, and then Paul took me to Cologne on the train for the day. We visited the cathedral there, which is called Dom (or dome). It supposedly contains the relics (bones) of the Three Wise Men, and had a fascinating history. There's a saying in Germany that when the Dom is completed, the world will end. So the cathedral is under constant construction, even though it's in use. We also watched some guys vacuuming the pillars in the cathedral. It was a bizarre sight.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6vzh7U-wFQWxpCbzSE214aFN-ChxJnZZd6awCSWwL2PfT9AlahfYQJI0ZGiN25YACwFbzrxiUur4XRC-gUgeR7ZDVNNg5SBMnJ-G7C8VNJD8ekxj3Zgf1AqXFSriWqeFVS4DT5KF6MCDO/s1600/IMG_2227.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6vzh7U-wFQWxpCbzSE214aFN-ChxJnZZd6awCSWwL2PfT9AlahfYQJI0ZGiN25YACwFbzrxiUur4XRC-gUgeR7ZDVNNg5SBMnJ-G7C8VNJD8ekxj3Zgf1AqXFSriWqeFVS4DT5KF6MCDO/s200/IMG_2227.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550164545732552546" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikICM7-lGhbG_AhPB40H8Y8q4pSYLR0UvWdtu9OO3RocTn5JshYlx0hLCxMLOJkL8emVFAh6nUTZgwNVRFoJjt-jOYVw1-YKiJlBbuZnnKvp6F-J5z-Wzif_zxCLcgvFNMVOlgeW0af7Jn/s1600/IMG_2211.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikICM7-lGhbG_AhPB40H8Y8q4pSYLR0UvWdtu9OO3RocTn5JshYlx0hLCxMLOJkL8emVFAh6nUTZgwNVRFoJjt-jOYVw1-YKiJlBbuZnnKvp6F-J5z-Wzif_zxCLcgvFNMVOlgeW0af7Jn/s200/IMG_2211.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550163773757052658" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1wvyRYr2FBni6mTmbP6a8G0wESDRQbJGXi5B3BCSbmQuwswn0YvQCdmT9GD-l9gJNeNBiW0N2BPKOwWFivSWyz8fGuFVdUJuKSHkc29_zitsH9Ubk19mfUvtWD0DNtfjUqfc-4LAcaECl/s1600/IMG_2209.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1wvyRYr2FBni6mTmbP6a8G0wESDRQbJGXi5B3BCSbmQuwswn0YvQCdmT9GD-l9gJNeNBiW0N2BPKOwWFivSWyz8fGuFVdUJuKSHkc29_zitsH9Ubk19mfUvtWD0DNtfjUqfc-4LAcaECl/s200/IMG_2209.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550163767144364114" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPvoiMwPhcP5ptshTywbPZ7ZjScYhfstq5kB_pJyGW132BoekArudpJjJu5Ce3j1H1u2Vpxo-qJreBYC0yc0De5jaXmS6kx2Q18hXVCJdHx6UNS6vjiaVCDWLHa0yQ571N5QUV-wJL5pT4/s1600/IMG_2224.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPvoiMwPhcP5ptshTywbPZ7ZjScYhfstq5kB_pJyGW132BoekArudpJjJu5Ce3j1H1u2Vpxo-qJreBYC0yc0De5jaXmS6kx2Q18hXVCJdHx6UNS6vjiaVCDWLHa0yQ571N5QUV-wJL5pT4/s200/IMG_2224.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550163762225928514" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKqhNhPbxn7MlHrjz9GlKNx7aK7P9qmHolPWFnrYgW5rbjySUSN1qSVTNO_cwbpx-R4bJSDvVp-7Ioye7AlNjgkwBnaXHjd_WQNCGTBAkBpJ0DZXuQUg3GRn61WPLocE_yHQDm1XOvJQns/s1600/IMG_2225.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKqhNhPbxn7MlHrjz9GlKNx7aK7P9qmHolPWFnrYgW5rbjySUSN1qSVTNO_cwbpx-R4bJSDvVp-7Ioye7AlNjgkwBnaXHjd_WQNCGTBAkBpJ0DZXuQUg3GRn61WPLocE_yHQDm1XOvJQns/s200/IMG_2225.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550163761699473890" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCEiao7tqQgPzK02OY2ZjG1Dhl8dRXI4Ld-wpk8IzGbQJFAtI1VXB5NNPd-DOvr6HAYfZjdhyCXXHwgPzJg5d5hlnB8x6GOhK5LNVod59QsJwyV-a5xLrL4eihdr32TsSHzkZ6nsqxFQkB/s1600/IMG_2216.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCEiao7tqQgPzK02OY2ZjG1Dhl8dRXI4Ld-wpk8IzGbQJFAtI1VXB5NNPd-DOvr6HAYfZjdhyCXXHwgPzJg5d5hlnB8x6GOhK5LNVod59QsJwyV-a5xLrL4eihdr32TsSHzkZ6nsqxFQkB/s200/IMG_2216.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550163757528603186" /></a><br /></div><div>After the cathedral, we went to the famous Weihnachtsmarkt or Christmas market, and walked around the myriad stands and saw all the beautiful Christmas decorations and ornaments and toys and food. It was deserving of its fame. I got some puzzle games and a smoking snowman. I really wanted to get a candle-lit carousel, but for some reason, I did not, and I regret it. I also tried bratwurst and it was delicious. Although the bun is not proportional at all. I also got a bag of dried cranberries, which was the best batch of cranberries I've ever had.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgi0bNGkWmxLYDrIFYoUqNoqYUj6t2i4bQQAI7LUOJwDav8FgcOq2tLQ5cpM2RH9A7-4ctB6ZQ5S513suEUeykjOr6WehliNP-LM8k9ob0L5tvdK2Z7-WZITsxbdbR8zM0EjGw42-I6zxE/s1600/IMG_2226.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgi0bNGkWmxLYDrIFYoUqNoqYUj6t2i4bQQAI7LUOJwDav8FgcOq2tLQ5cpM2RH9A7-4ctB6ZQ5S513suEUeykjOr6WehliNP-LM8k9ob0L5tvdK2Z7-WZITsxbdbR8zM0EjGw42-I6zxE/s200/IMG_2226.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550164538707821666" /></a><br /></div><div>After the market, we went to the chocolate factory and learned about the history of chocolate, as well as the production of chocolate. We got to see actual Lindt chocolate being made, and I loved it. We went to the cafe and tried some of the chocolate confections, and as we were eating and chatting, we saw a man in a business suit walk by the window, leading a donkey down the street. Paul swears that it's not a common occurrence, but I wonder...</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh09X_Lbfd09Q_gOsGx3YEWEn4JldJF1n9Bb8YH56iepFp7x6JFtse8vW37KPQN3MFmb9gziMdIp0XREuMGYUwFKrqyY5iLOo-83lNyCD8c5cRuG64llyovR7WdRP9_fohgossw2g8Gsy8p/s1600/IMG_2235.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh09X_Lbfd09Q_gOsGx3YEWEn4JldJF1n9Bb8YH56iepFp7x6JFtse8vW37KPQN3MFmb9gziMdIp0XREuMGYUwFKrqyY5iLOo-83lNyCD8c5cRuG64llyovR7WdRP9_fohgossw2g8Gsy8p/s200/IMG_2235.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550164532175100610" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGnF2rF0aUBAylavQ42zBh58JKf20bhG4_UbLYYoO6rdmN3DX611hMmmtrI8hXOtCxSeGmrqQrzj4yWhLnf1sZ104xcMqH0EIBaPnZ9HBn9J6KsjIH9ErAiNG5oFAnZDpbTc1eHMpi5tmC/s1600/IMG_2240.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGnF2rF0aUBAylavQ42zBh58JKf20bhG4_UbLYYoO6rdmN3DX611hMmmtrI8hXOtCxSeGmrqQrzj4yWhLnf1sZ104xcMqH0EIBaPnZ9HBn9J6KsjIH9ErAiNG5oFAnZDpbTc1eHMpi5tmC/s200/IMG_2240.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550164526306941986" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS4n_Xppwgu1Q9540tM1tc1Tv1FkN6Fi20O4PDKOG2AeJBEXUwYKGF-zIca-zRhO1VLdky8R6GyRdn6rUtnpIr_TpuEh4rK1uv1eh2L5SmAuH-AKzLLqFsgf9rnTuocv9lvMhyphenhyphenSwpgulLS/s1600/IMG_2242.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS4n_Xppwgu1Q9540tM1tc1Tv1FkN6Fi20O4PDKOG2AeJBEXUwYKGF-zIca-zRhO1VLdky8R6GyRdn6rUtnpIr_TpuEh4rK1uv1eh2L5SmAuH-AKzLLqFsgf9rnTuocv9lvMhyphenhyphenSwpgulLS/s200/IMG_2242.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550164530073998898" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1L1mIDbies5X_1FYHFVIT6lgyw4jKdVpkRjw735ARpzB8AiSYvHjgsDFT0FKUT90PnkOC8FeVQgVTRToXjku-aENqen_10rlRZLiEcEmZWjf_nxQZrkB5QcenghsMjczw6A4QTAluA-P/s1600/IMG_2252.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1L1mIDbies5X_1FYHFVIT6lgyw4jKdVpkRjw735ARpzB8AiSYvHjgsDFT0FKUT90PnkOC8FeVQgVTRToXjku-aENqen_10rlRZLiEcEmZWjf_nxQZrkB5QcenghsMjczw6A4QTAluA-P/s200/IMG_2252.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550167927778043026" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhFFwidyvH6nFev9m3-dpahwsU7TaR2xpR_Qw_CgZqsOJNfxYvuYhqX1_ZXb7zCEZKkPc6AwuHzxkFTyoMJNDZzogPwM2Wt1TBm-aCIV-0PKkNF7zVLI54jYEDegBMgzKeMsXtWEeE2hT4/s1600/IMG_2230.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhFFwidyvH6nFev9m3-dpahwsU7TaR2xpR_Qw_CgZqsOJNfxYvuYhqX1_ZXb7zCEZKkPc6AwuHzxkFTyoMJNDZzogPwM2Wt1TBm-aCIV-0PKkNF7zVLI54jYEDegBMgzKeMsXtWEeE2hT4/s200/IMG_2230.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550167919237336834" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_SQ1lYSI7yoyLiVn6ZW975nVDMnXUBvoMZg4rynvzXtz1XFMVcMYm6xT1lFT7sEs7CZY8SVl2Em8ADXuF76hn6PfqtN_ufQabP46kNHwhMXLzm69ZU83twQOU6cW4RGzyvJSCr_7NhxBG/s1600/IMG_2255.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_SQ1lYSI7yoyLiVn6ZW975nVDMnXUBvoMZg4rynvzXtz1XFMVcMYm6xT1lFT7sEs7CZY8SVl2Em8ADXuF76hn6PfqtN_ufQabP46kNHwhMXLzm69ZU83twQOU6cW4RGzyvJSCr_7NhxBG/s200/IMG_2255.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550167921044370274" /></a><br /></div><div>That night, I went to dinner with one of the family friend's daughter, Zita. She took me to an Italian restaurant, and it was quite good, though I thought it ironic that even when I escape to another country, I still end up eating Italian food. Zita was fun, and we planned on meeting the next night to go out. I came back to the house after the girls had gone to bed and watched Manchurian Candidate with Paul and Sandra, which was an excellent film.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq2wh8hbaO0f7MGEXh-hgnxWDeXp4mlLxOMzWruf3TqYl37XYuhuZc8EEdArlhVgMxVTzuvBeogtxFT3tAkoukcQs-kUmUkB8hCYhBYwZpcDbRl0W5x3iMUl1MmQ8jKSgqDeeDR0D-g3Xo/s1600/IMG_2261.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq2wh8hbaO0f7MGEXh-hgnxWDeXp4mlLxOMzWruf3TqYl37XYuhuZc8EEdArlhVgMxVTzuvBeogtxFT3tAkoukcQs-kUmUkB8hCYhBYwZpcDbRl0W5x3iMUl1MmQ8jKSgqDeeDR0D-g3Xo/s200/IMG_2261.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550167914844959874" /></a><br /></div><div>I woke up the next morning to find the girls snuggling with me in my bed. That day, Claire had to go choose a high school (Germany has a strange school system. They don't go to school past 1:00 in the afternoon, and high school starts at 5th grade and then you go to school until you are 19 or 20 years old. After that, you go to university, but by that time, you basically know what you're going to focus in and choosing the university is not a challenge. High school has two paths - technical school that trains you for a factory job, or gymnasium, which is the more intellectual, academic school that would presume university studies afterward. Choosing gymnasium is like choosing college for students in the US. You have to visit, apply, find the best fit, wait for acceptance letters... all when they are 10 years old. So it's mostly the parents who organize everything. But it had come time for Claire to go through this process.). I played with Lilly until they returned. When they came back, we had dinner (lunch), and I helped Claire with her sheet music for her recorder. I discovered that German notation is different. C3-B3 are written as uppercase letters, but the B is an H. And then C4-B4 are written in lowercase letters. Of course the actual music notes are the same, but the written letters are not. I thought it was interesting that it would be different that what I had learned, since I assumed that music was an international language.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then that night, we went to Claire's school to make various crafts for a school fundraising event. She ran around making crafts, and I followed her around for a while. Then I walked around with Lilly and Paul and we went to the music room and I started to play the piano. Lilly ran out of the room, terrified, and refused to acknowledge me for a while.</div><div><br /></div><div>When we came home, we had our supper. Then Zita and her friend, Christina, came to pick me up to go watch Zita's boyfriend play handball. I had never watched a handball game before, and it was sort of like a mix between soccer and basketball. Our team won, but the girls didn't really understand the game past the obvious points, so I didn't learn much about how to play. I was confused as to why the fouls were called.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then we went back to Zita's house and I met her little sister, who is is Claire's class, so she practiced her English on me. We picked up two other girls and went to a club called Kulture Fabric, or more commonly known as KuFa. That night was a special occasion, because they were playing 90s music instead of traditional house music, so we sang along to all the American music and I was exposed to the greatest German hits from the 90s. Around 1 AM, a fight broke out between two middle-aged men. I wasn't sure what the fight was about, since they were yelling in German, but one got his glasses broken and the other had a beer bottle smashed in his chest. It was quickly dissolved by security. Otherwise, we just had fun dancing and singing and laughing. On our way home, we stopped at a McDonalds and went through the McDrive. I couldn't stop laughing at the absurd name for a drive thru. </div><div><br /></div><div>On Sunday, I woke up and played with the girls for a while. We built a fort and played hide-and-go-seek. Then we had lunch. Sandra made sauerbraten, which is a tender, marinated beef, and brussel sprouts, and then we had apple strudel with a vanilla sauce for dessert. It was fantastic. After eating, we went for a walk around town. It was beautiful, and definitely had a small town charm. We came back and had dinner and then Claire took me to her friend's house so I could practice a song on the piano. Then we walked home and the girls went to bed. Paul suggested that we watch King of Hearts, which was a movie from the 60s, and it was almost an absurdist film, but not quite, and I'm still not sure what to make of it. </div><div><br /></div><div>The next morning, I went with Sandra and Lilly to Lilly's daycare. I was shown all of Lilly's favorite toys and I met her friends and then Sandra and I left to run errands. She took me to the original Aldi. Then we went to a huge plant store and found some really spectacular Christmas decorations. I didn't get a picture that captured the overwhelming splendor, but here's an okay shot.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioMeJ5BvpCVlgufz2zNHngWUjNn3FH59Ud2ri7ytTrthxd2Kgk2hIOVzgRVzFq8-OHxHaoLJc7VhGMSmVmOYdO0RZFH3ehE3C78X8nhnoFrbGw3k-ohMZawP-58LrRNcWnPUtQOhe56VlT/s1600/IMG_2263.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioMeJ5BvpCVlgufz2zNHngWUjNn3FH59Ud2ri7ytTrthxd2Kgk2hIOVzgRVzFq8-OHxHaoLJc7VhGMSmVmOYdO0RZFH3ehE3C78X8nhnoFrbGw3k-ohMZawP-58LrRNcWnPUtQOhe56VlT/s200/IMG_2263.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550167914093333314" /></a><br />Then we went to Claire's school and the kids asked me questions in English like "Are you afraid of lions?" or "Have you met any Hollywood stars?" And then I played a Christmas song for them on the piano and they sang along. I also got to see how German schools celebrate birthdays. The birthday kid sits in a chair and the other kids stand around and sing some sort of birthday song. When they get to one point in the song, they lift the chair up in the air and toss the kid, hopefully catching them again in the chair. It was quite an intense celebration. Then they presented me with two Advent stars that the whole class had signed.</div><div><br /></div><div>For lunch, we had fried fish and quark (a firm yogurt) with chopped fruit. Then I played with the girls until they had to go to English school. They brought back kettle corn, which I missed, because you can't get popcorn in Italy. We played until dinner and then Claire practiced her recorder and the girls went to bed. For our final movie, we settled on Fargo, which was great, except for the very over-exaggerated Norther accent. Then I went to bed and boarded the plane the next morning before the girls woke up.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sandra and Paul are big coffee drinkers, and I think I drank more coffee in those five days than I had in my entire life previous. I'm not sure if that makes me a coffee drinker, since I still don't particularly like the drink, but I can now sort of tolerate it.</div></div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11705583397776601590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2076998410662702438.post-4851326505873606702010-11-24T16:18:00.000-08:002010-12-03T11:16:42.766-08:00SIENAOn Monday, Liz and I went to Siena. We weren't sure if we should go, because it was raining in the morning, but we decided that we weren't going to get another opportunity to go before the end of the semester, so we walked to the bus station and were on our way.<div><br /></div><div>There's not really much to see in Siena, but it is a beautiful little town, and they were decorating for Christmas, so it enhanced the beauty of the area. The rain stopped as we arrived, and didn't start up again until we were back in Florence, so it worked out perfectly.</div><div><br /></div><div>Siena is a hilly town, so don't wear your stilettos and prepare to get a calf workout.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja_sJAwwSZiPpyQduXQXcXvkNFT1yjI_NPX38nxyZXhZETNLas6gRQ9IJQAPKUbzsejesDEyTa-nHgFABcw7bDWsYDI_9jxIDUknZu6RFSonpJy97-I6Rdrq99L3rqLjh6vJ7SEspRnfQt/s1600/PB212687.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja_sJAwwSZiPpyQduXQXcXvkNFT1yjI_NPX38nxyZXhZETNLas6gRQ9IJQAPKUbzsejesDEyTa-nHgFABcw7bDWsYDI_9jxIDUknZu6RFSonpJy97-I6Rdrq99L3rqLjh6vJ7SEspRnfQt/s200/PB212687.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546533998931536706" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF68WCbpK4M32AJrXoRxX2EnTDsD7rX9sLGfZoox2tz938skSYbjUgpdaGBvrLPCE5FcS1uaY9pDMyri5plmH2lxJRhDTVgy85yS3PwxPN7MAblJOBuGO0N9RLG2ScuVJYg6xtini01ndo/s1600/PB212688.jpg"><img style="display:block; 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margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLuuh2xysnHR0dl6ByINHvdEGgCtJcSAWcpu0B_vzlDqoHANa2N-vY8KWyZuXWQjfE4PqCriBFLeISMroE9wuCvmSfK0aGi4nAcdYpWq73JgMg4gwdJvj71iIuDRT9wiF5ZMSG_Z9JHcGj/s200/PB212767.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546536669103916626" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQLP5mYvoezhhhCtVf666Asjzpd_W1eLJhxIE2lLveEzCZl7fGJtTVtjDDQylYq-I6gPIiDzOBz8BaYyZ1WzF0JiyT5Vc9PgygOGtgS2pFGNSISHraZ7zhbmzk8OEGJWUw9dZXTnyf37_f/s1600/PB212778.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQLP5mYvoezhhhCtVf666Asjzpd_W1eLJhxIE2lLveEzCZl7fGJtTVtjDDQylYq-I6gPIiDzOBz8BaYyZ1WzF0JiyT5Vc9PgygOGtgS2pFGNSISHraZ7zhbmzk8OEGJWUw9dZXTnyf37_f/s200/PB212778.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546536663478989810" /></a><br /></div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11705583397776601590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2076998410662702438.post-91985602706341890002010-11-17T03:42:00.000-08:002010-11-19T16:18:31.174-08:00I'm Ready for the MarathonYesterday, I sprinted around Florence. All of Florence. All day. It was not fun, and I hope I never have to repeat the experience. Let me tell you about it:<br /><br /><div>This was the one day that I had something actually important to do in the morning. I had an appointment with the portfolio store to build my portfolio case for printmaking. I was scheduled to meet my professor at the McDonald's in the train station at 8:50 AM.</div><div><br /></div><div>The night before, I set my alarm for 8 AM, made sure it was on and correctly set, and went to bed. I had plans to make an awesome breakfast and write my one-page paper due that day and then go to the shop with my teacher and all would be wonderful and productive.</div><div><br /></div><div>Clearly it was not meant to be.</div><div><br /></div><div>I woke up of my own accord at 9:20 AM. I bolt out of bed, throw jeans, shoes, and a shirt on, pull my coat on and remember to grab my glasses and purse before sprinting out of the apartment. I crash down the four flights of stairs and burst out of the door and run to the train station. I arrive at 9:27, and my professor is nowhere to be found. So I sprint to the art studio, in hopes that she went there to wait for me. No such luck. So I wonder to myself whether she went to the McDonald's outside of the station instead, and so I sprint back to the station and look there. Still no.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's now 9:45 and I don't know what to do. So I sprint back to the studio and ask the person at the front desk if she has Lucy's (my professor) cell phone number. She looks at me and says "Oh, you're Laura. Lucy just called looking for you. She's at the shop already."</div><div><br /></div><div>Wonderful. Now I know where she is. I prepare to sprint off again, but remember to ask, "How do I get there?"</div><div><br /></div><div>The lady prints off directions, but fails to print off a successful map, and I'm running out of time, so I just take the directions, thank her, and head out again.</div><div><br /></div><div>I run past the train station and past the fortress and pause to find the next turn when an Italian woman asks if I need help. I tell her no, but she insists and when she sees where I'm headed, tells me that it's very far away and I need to take the bus. Cool. "Which bus?" Number 22. The bus stop is right down the street.</div><div><br /></div><div>I round the corner, walking briskly, figuring I will have a few minutes before the bus arrives, and see bus number 22 pulling out from the bus stop and heading into traffic. So I start running again and now I'm enacting every Hollywood scene of the poor kid running after the school bus, desperately trying to catch it so he doesn't have to run the whole way to school. The bus stops at a red light and I catch it. I bang on the door, pleading with the driver to let me in. He takes pity on me and opens the door. I hop on and breathlessly ask if his bus goes to the Piazza near the shop. He nods and hands me a ticket.</div><div><br /></div><div>When the stop is next, I prepare to push the stop button, but the driver turns around and looks at me and says, "Your stop is next." Thanks, guy. I'm really not as pathetic as you think. But I thank him and get off at the next stop.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's 10:10 now, and I know my teacher has somewhere to be at 10:20, so instead of looking around the piazza and finding the street that I need to take, I sprint around like a crazy person being pursued by the Devil himself, running down each street a little ways, supposing that somehow I'll recognize where I am (I've never been in that part of town before). Luckily, my teacher flags me down and drags me into the portfolio shop.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Where have you been?" Oh, if only you knew...</div><div><br /></div><div>She has taken care of the preliminary work for me, so all I had to do was pick the color of my portfolio and we were done. I was scheduled to meet with her again at 11:15 to go to a special appointment at the National Library and see original art books by Picasso and Duchamp and Depero (an Italian futurist) and Rodin. Lucy just looks at me and says "Please don't be late." I won't, Lucy, I promise. I may not be able to be like Rembrandt, but I will fight hell and high water to make this next appointment. I won't fail you.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's now 10:20 and I have to get to the other side of the river to the National Gallery. I promised my professor that I would be there 5 minutes early (11:10). I walk to the bus stop and see that the next bus isn't coming for 15 minutes. That is unacceptable. So I sprint back to my apartment. It's a 15 minute hard run. I race up the four flights of stairs and grab my computer and furiously write that paper I intended to write several hours earlier. I send it to my professor via email because I don't have time to print it out, and grab my books for the rest of my classes that day. It's now 10:55. It's a twenty minute walk to the other side of the river. I make it there in 8.</div><div><br /></div><div>So I'm sweaty and out of breath and disheveled and exhausted (because I had only slept 6 hours that night, and the previous weekend was full of raving and NOT sleeping), and up the stairs walks my professor, followed my three chic Italians: two female professional artists and a male professor at one of the top universities in Florence. They exchange formalities with me, but it's clear that they think very little of my appearance. Lucy tells them that I "of course don't speak Italian," and the man switches to French and asks me if that is better. I tell him I speak a little Spanish and understand that language the best of the romance languages, and he nods and switches to that. They all communicated what they needed to say to me in a mix of Italian and Spanish, with Lucy translating the more difficult concepts in English.</div><div><br /></div><div>The artwork was amazing, and we had to wear gloves to touch it. They were all in great condition, except the Rodin lithographs for The Temptation of Saint Anthony had some severe foxing. The Italians knew so much about what we were looking at, and tried to educate me, but a lot of the concepts they were trying to explain were things I didn't even know the words for in English, so when they asked me if I knew the Spanish word and I did not, they immediately assumed I had lied about my understanding of Spanish and was a typical, stupid American. It was mildly frustrating, but I couldn't complain, because I was getting an opportunity that most people never get in their lifetimes.</div><div><br /></div><div>Because of the explanations and the dwelling over the beautiful works, we were done at 1 PM. I had class at 1:30, by my apartment. Again, a 20 minute walk. I still hadn't eaten since I woke up, and so I thought I would stop by a cafe and pick up a sandwich to eat in class. I got there, and of course had to fight the lunch rush. By 1:25, I had reached the front of the line, but I needed to get to class. So I abandoned thoughts of food and ran to class. I arrived just as the teacher was shutting the door to start class.</div><div><br /></div><div>I then had class for 4 hours.</div><div><br /></div><div>After class, I was ready to go back to my apartment and eat, but I ran into a friend and she just had to tell me about her life (and unfortunately peppered the conversation with pertinent information and questions, so I needed to stay and listen to get all the information from her.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was 6 PM. I realized that I needed to get to the studio before it closed (last entry at 7, close at 8:30), so I raced to the studio and printed. I did, however, do final prints for another plate (2 down!) and got another plate ready for final printing. So that was successful, at least.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then I walked very slowly back to my apartment and crawled up the stairs and pulled food out at 8:45. It was the first thing I had eaten all day, so I just stuffed myself with starches and carbs. It was wonderful to finally eat something.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then I took some photos of myself for the photo project I had due the next day, and then I passed out around midnight. I woke this morning sore, unable to move my legs.</div><div><br /></div><div>And that's how I spent all of Tuesday sprinting around Florence.</div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11705583397776601590noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2076998410662702438.post-87252572576103901142010-11-17T03:35:00.000-08:002010-11-17T15:07:33.493-08:00Waffles, Chocolate, Fries, and Techno, Techno, TECHNOSo we started our journey well, and made it to Belgium with no problems. Once we got off the plane, we were greeted by a wind that was determined to blow Belgium off the planet. And it was doing a good job. So we struggled our way to the bus stop and boarded the bus to the train station, glad to be sheltered from the tornado raging outside. At the train station, we were unsure which train to board, and got on what we thought was the correct train as the final whistle was blowing and the doors were sliding shut. We figured out that we had to change trains in Brussels, and we watched out for the stop. However, there's something you should know about Belgium. There are three official languages: French, Dutch, and German, and of course, most people also speak English. So all the signs are posted in at least four different languages and the signs are posted in whichever language they felt like using at the time, meaning all the signs in one area could be in two or more languages, but they don't all necessarily say the same thing. So when we got to our stop, we were looking for the French name, but it was listed in German, so we stayed on the train. At the next stop, we realized our error, and decided to get off and go back. But because we hesitated, we were getting off literally as the train was pulling off. Danielle had to jump off a (slowly) moving train. It was quite an exhilarating experience. We took a train back to the correct stop and then found that we had an hour before the next (and last) train could take us to our final destination. We were starving, but being nearly 2 in the morning, there were no restaurants or markets open. So we found the station vending machines. To our chagrin, they only took coins, and we had just withdrawn money for the weekend, so none of us had small change. We desperately pooled our coins together to make enough change to buy three bags of chips. I purchased a bag of Lays "Salt and Pepper" that tasted very much like beef jerky. It was delicious, but strange.<br /><br />We finally were able to board our train and then we took a taxi to our hostel. The hostel directed us to a food stand so that we could save our stomachs from eating themselves. We walked there, in the rain and wind and miserable cold. The stand, however, is a famous site in Bruges (where we stayed). It and the stand immediately to its left have an ongoing "Battle of the Fries," which is basically where the two stands both claim they have the best fries, and it's up to the customers to decide which is better. One stand is cheaper, the other serves faster, and they battle every night. We only ate from one of the stands, because at the time we didn't know that we were eating at such a dramatic location. but the one we went to (the one on the left) was delicious.<br /><br />Did you know that Belgium invented french fries? Well, consider yourself thusly educated, and if you ever find yourself in Belgium, be sure to try them. They are more like steak fries, and they are served with a sweet ketchup and/or garlic mayonnaise and they are both delicious (and you know how much I despise ketchup and mayo).<br /><br />After stuffing ourselves with hot, fatty (Belgian fries are cooked in pork fat, not vegetable oil), tasty fries and Bicky burgers (toasted meat (I didn't quite understand this one) and vegetables on a bun), we retired to our hostel and went to bed. It was 3:30 AM by the time we crawled into our uncomfortable and cold beds.<br /><br />At 9, our roommates loudly woke us up by carrying an urgently inane conversation in Spanish. We dragged ourselves out of bed, because checkout was at 10, and walked to the hostel we were staying in for the remainder of our stay. It was not raining, but it was still frigid and the sky dared us to put away our umbrellas. We walked through most of the city center, which was beautiful and full of signs of autumn, and arrived at our hostel.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVWQD-VqWya6OcftOG5xjq96bTm810JAk2oix3WtJMdckhIQM9jZYVfeErsPF9YLADRjhJFjxRUWmzIbPrqMeyccxxgGuujEf3NDmm3PmF0ak1aukmEhI255Q-quQ4RfCCD03TCrIqQgw1/s1600/IMG_2091.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVWQD-VqWya6OcftOG5xjq96bTm810JAk2oix3WtJMdckhIQM9jZYVfeErsPF9YLADRjhJFjxRUWmzIbPrqMeyccxxgGuujEf3NDmm3PmF0ak1aukmEhI255Q-quQ4RfCCD03TCrIqQgw1/s200/IMG_2091.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540650204199968002" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfJCJ42yA1db-LgV7nGpwq6gcjQaFnIBy03NKmHGN_le-gxWW0PyHnwswEKdn27c85GpjDQijHG4cIbLxMa56YWHVOGud-zy0TKnMhtTNol3rxRpYzrdUzUPN08HXS0cUgB59HRIygJDsQ/s1600/IMG_2097.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfJCJ42yA1db-LgV7nGpwq6gcjQaFnIBy03NKmHGN_le-gxWW0PyHnwswEKdn27c85GpjDQijHG4cIbLxMa56YWHVOGud-zy0TKnMhtTNol3rxRpYzrdUzUPN08HXS0cUgB59HRIygJDsQ/s200/IMG_2097.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540650197773424930" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAwkgjCwRSm2J7PIToNuKkyy7-msc8i-_EsMj_BAuQ9SIwTaJ0v5ZKGTED7QWfkGkK3eWDasfIINydhdjHdJ-aOznoAQzpuQCm2wlqDDc03C1RMrL0LPLnDSUXAHyQFxxhnoDNiRFmRQ9Y/s1600/IMG_2099.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAwkgjCwRSm2J7PIToNuKkyy7-msc8i-_EsMj_BAuQ9SIwTaJ0v5ZKGTED7QWfkGkK3eWDasfIINydhdjHdJ-aOznoAQzpuQCm2wlqDDc03C1RMrL0LPLnDSUXAHyQFxxhnoDNiRFmRQ9Y/s200/IMG_2099.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540650187930859186" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV7grOBOORWbNMgRRsLEVw2egmZ8Eh7dP3LhyphenhyphenxkBNFbAOEJ4h7zd1zW1KERs3Emx4hG5mJ_Y0rYHjDlFVEFiWRXE1y4gnzdZJ_rOpS7wVVvsQjANrmGdw-UcWozfU1Ik2O0lGKn6_whDQL/s1600/IMG_2101.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV7grOBOORWbNMgRRsLEVw2egmZ8Eh7dP3LhyphenhyphenxkBNFbAOEJ4h7zd1zW1KERs3Emx4hG5mJ_Y0rYHjDlFVEFiWRXE1y4gnzdZJ_rOpS7wVVvsQjANrmGdw-UcWozfU1Ik2O0lGKn6_whDQL/s200/IMG_2101.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540650177978006754" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxTcBMGIISIGyP10fvqKA9um07exHEwXgnLwjywsqsVYOkNU-ZlBegEYtI4oUtsC5AqYNdW1egF_PDUufpFKF1zz8MA4XOEao8GK7LyiyicPt6Lnlqme44eKgPlS-NklT8qGAgADUkBSCJ/s1600/IMG_2102.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxTcBMGIISIGyP10fvqKA9um07exHEwXgnLwjywsqsVYOkNU-ZlBegEYtI4oUtsC5AqYNdW1egF_PDUufpFKF1zz8MA4XOEao8GK7LyiyicPt6Lnlqme44eKgPlS-NklT8qGAgADUkBSCJ/s200/IMG_2102.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540650176073446914" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWMtDco85h4mtwkAQJ9p_bWArh_AYSan3IH4B3zfFbu-6ZsaH6p1ktXpJ3xg1o3qs8oqNUJKCOIL9D-Pemg1fiMfGJpNLFkS-omadvA1f8i2B7VBFaPcRhxIVG1i4vv2VGUQstPAhJBrfF/s1600/IMG_2103.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWMtDco85h4mtwkAQJ9p_bWArh_AYSan3IH4B3zfFbu-6ZsaH6p1ktXpJ3xg1o3qs8oqNUJKCOIL9D-Pemg1fiMfGJpNLFkS-omadvA1f8i2B7VBFaPcRhxIVG1i4vv2VGUQstPAhJBrfF/s200/IMG_2103.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540650594543164210" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8iLMWVnC8WuRDtsXJaKLl0xTNX4h-zBh7mnRSqI0iWvVrJnFWuXJOz_-pPhFQxnMU3DcCaQiBnxbSpgToqRGaIo_4bQHa5k1Dv6oLUgFfrLsYJLz-NXU7X8BiJT1K1YKw5zmTiFnp7mX3/s1600/IMG_2104.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8iLMWVnC8WuRDtsXJaKLl0xTNX4h-zBh7mnRSqI0iWvVrJnFWuXJOz_-pPhFQxnMU3DcCaQiBnxbSpgToqRGaIo_4bQHa5k1Dv6oLUgFfrLsYJLz-NXU7X8BiJT1K1YKw5zmTiFnp7mX3/s200/IMG_2104.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540650589878252146" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdwR9jfHqz3V8WToxA0FWOEiZ_k5vwZnA7XnKmIatnZb9cvDcOe8dvKHxhjkJLWC-rGVSd6K3rgpuEG89-OFLdQpNt0oIS4iaZ3BfZNeKrYxK5yQOKUSnNeHvcmo0fRAPX_rWyfjqJ0LoE/s1600/IMG_2105.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdwR9jfHqz3V8WToxA0FWOEiZ_k5vwZnA7XnKmIatnZb9cvDcOe8dvKHxhjkJLWC-rGVSd6K3rgpuEG89-OFLdQpNt0oIS4iaZ3BfZNeKrYxK5yQOKUSnNeHvcmo0fRAPX_rWyfjqJ0LoE/s200/IMG_2105.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540650585520355234" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJQVB9DKUrESsu9LVZrRle2qwhJf8KRX6pVKfckwkEWqYUtS5lJhue4Chh_LGscXejuaj4qweqZogASdWspMnC72puQ5132XmTs4ToMiuH2L1kJJa07X0AOmZ4lYJkj8DVL4qOFxkKRXS/s1600/IMG_2106.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJQVB9DKUrESsu9LVZrRle2qwhJf8KRX6pVKfckwkEWqYUtS5lJhue4Chh_LGscXejuaj4qweqZogASdWspMnC72puQ5132XmTs4ToMiuH2L1kJJa07X0AOmZ4lYJkj8DVL4qOFxkKRXS/s200/IMG_2106.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540650581165046578" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjAVnERycXRNyR1tfR4FhNP4VCjub0BQFN4KBgrYXm78Mo_27NA3Fm_XRTz0W_fcvzCywITL9T-eK2cpZI02kURaq6jyXBURtpwAFgkCoUT2HBdBjQ9MfqxDzRzd_QnSvPzlrOk5aqmiFj/s1600/IMG_2107.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjAVnERycXRNyR1tfR4FhNP4VCjub0BQFN4KBgrYXm78Mo_27NA3Fm_XRTz0W_fcvzCywITL9T-eK2cpZI02kURaq6jyXBURtpwAFgkCoUT2HBdBjQ9MfqxDzRzd_QnSvPzlrOk5aqmiFj/s200/IMG_2107.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540650574782111314" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-X8P0YWmev3ZM-HViysjbC7-zHVfvUeUDeVjd9ZgPtMWaeWh3n6rL_6J8ktmTdNLTy4dwIED15sPjRP-FJxQzrIsoB1hBV_McdZSu-B_WgbO4mw9QNJWFqEZ59XWlTXFnjatjqOtMexC-/s1600/IMG_2109.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-X8P0YWmev3ZM-HViysjbC7-zHVfvUeUDeVjd9ZgPtMWaeWh3n6rL_6J8ktmTdNLTy4dwIED15sPjRP-FJxQzrIsoB1hBV_McdZSu-B_WgbO4mw9QNJWFqEZ59XWlTXFnjatjqOtMexC-/s200/IMG_2109.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540651353845940018" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgalHf7r-qB58_Wc2Nye_xp-CNGQnSdNXLio0jhT2I1GrE0GHh4J5Txjf__LWbepXz9VCc6qBgU_ODhOoLjRek0khpywpapjdGs5wnH4Itk6EfKK7e5rzOt11QcStxNOQe-8wjHU_yy9tzQ/s1600/IMG_2112.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgalHf7r-qB58_Wc2Nye_xp-CNGQnSdNXLio0jhT2I1GrE0GHh4J5Txjf__LWbepXz9VCc6qBgU_ODhOoLjRek0khpywpapjdGs5wnH4Itk6EfKK7e5rzOt11QcStxNOQe-8wjHU_yy9tzQ/s200/IMG_2112.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540651345509688994" /></a><br /><br />We checked in and went to find breakfast. It started raining again. We walked around for a while in search of something healthy and not ridiculously expensive, but ended up settling for chocolate croissants at a bakery and then going to a cafe and ordering chocolate waffles (because you can't go to Belgium and not eat waffles) and hot chocolate. The waffles were, without a doubt, the best waffles I've ever eaten.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj95eP4V85PafPKv3yW-uiSGIIVmANST7pLtQRMajMrLUCtqeTKNzoy7f4I-nMsKi8WRU95biU7xboOzNp4UIMtC6Za9Hta7dpE_-ed6qDs0QZDAEMyWfqjTXEqAlhsfXahfXbW_WYqhhA-/s1600/IMG_2113.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj95eP4V85PafPKv3yW-uiSGIIVmANST7pLtQRMajMrLUCtqeTKNzoy7f4I-nMsKi8WRU95biU7xboOzNp4UIMtC6Za9Hta7dpE_-ed6qDs0QZDAEMyWfqjTXEqAlhsfXahfXbW_WYqhhA-/s200/IMG_2113.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540651303472160354" /></a><br /><br />Then we stopped at a chocolatier and I have decided that indeed, Belgian chocolate is FAR superior to Swiss chocolate. There really isn't a comparison. After eating Belgian chocolate, the stuff I had consumed in Switzerland seemed like a Hershey's kiss after it's been in your pocket and is now all squishy and smeared all over the wrapper and now tastes a little metallic-y from the bits of wrapper that you couldn't manage to pick off the chocolate itself. Yeah. It's that much of a difference.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj61oglBQWgvYsG9JuFsVK0mEf0lzFYUpFNbuK8m1A_vureH6bddtKv14OftgSaXcUUObtlFaTtXXizjpO4y8CxgPcXDm8ooGMmK6ZDbJx_ybtFPoQCE3JhTZBKFCvoTGk5PcgszZSjJngl/s1600/IMG_2110.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj61oglBQWgvYsG9JuFsVK0mEf0lzFYUpFNbuK8m1A_vureH6bddtKv14OftgSaXcUUObtlFaTtXXizjpO4y8CxgPcXDm8ooGMmK6ZDbJx_ybtFPoQCE3JhTZBKFCvoTGk5PcgszZSjJngl/s200/IMG_2110.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540651302112086146" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDWuekeVWBPV02KO3Ozk3sy-jXTmnc8XNIdAw7KbMa_uKlGP1boieMClBsArUGF2T41j_CSgWjE7LNL9ypo4lcSTFOhg4FZWQ2Z30OSj83NYs1TqL9EpY7b8yFqmZ2vABMYm_L8pF3sglM/s1600/IMG_2192.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDWuekeVWBPV02KO3Ozk3sy-jXTmnc8XNIdAw7KbMa_uKlGP1boieMClBsArUGF2T41j_CSgWjE7LNL9ypo4lcSTFOhg4FZWQ2Z30OSj83NYs1TqL9EpY7b8yFqmZ2vABMYm_L8pF3sglM/s200/IMG_2192.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540651294238753474" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOgfNrn8EKWx3AfLHbOhQcHfR7hSV0f__AC56l1qF6Xu2j59BCzzJYHqOPrBX_tWR58WlS-8xVFR5nQ1Myl4ppb8Q1pQEvVB0qpfK4BUEFtRA96CT4358Acy9QImUvSOoY-ecsCQYkV99Z/s1600/IMG_2195.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOgfNrn8EKWx3AfLHbOhQcHfR7hSV0f__AC56l1qF6Xu2j59BCzzJYHqOPrBX_tWR58WlS-8xVFR5nQ1Myl4ppb8Q1pQEvVB0qpfK4BUEFtRA96CT4358Acy9QImUvSOoY-ecsCQYkV99Z/s200/IMG_2195.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540652410505755938" /></a><br /><br />For lunch, we got weird Belgian sausages and beef stew (cooked in local beer) and of course, more fries with mayo. Then we went to find alcohol for the night, but it wasn't at the supermarket by our hostel, so I went back to dry off and warm up while the other two made their way into the city to find their poison.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoE5_FC5XOsr9lsLCU37Fe24Ry17yqqX1af-rgVvEEDW-djjGXQW80rnT8gBPlta7JfqyRu24PTAph8fHIjS91ktaVvtMWM0IRX1fcDKsNOp0E2y6VPmYv774zZMjcFlb3LMsZwGnXgPwY/s1600/IMG_2115.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoE5_FC5XOsr9lsLCU37Fe24Ry17yqqX1af-rgVvEEDW-djjGXQW80rnT8gBPlta7JfqyRu24PTAph8fHIjS91ktaVvtMWM0IRX1fcDKsNOp0E2y6VPmYv774zZMjcFlb3LMsZwGnXgPwY/s200/IMG_2115.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540652404537832898" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6xxxxmH6bPJ2t81AsFVe6vhuMR4U1tb5h9Mem1PwA5roicyebzA1h_I3vD4oz67htCnomTTZ_IVHx5irBEha30aml52wmZuC3rCqdyJs-WB7Dh3Y2lw5Po9jiawSo_t5fM8Q9A5u7TnIN/s1600/IMG_2117.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6xxxxmH6bPJ2t81AsFVe6vhuMR4U1tb5h9Mem1PwA5roicyebzA1h_I3vD4oz67htCnomTTZ_IVHx5irBEha30aml52wmZuC3rCqdyJs-WB7Dh3Y2lw5Po9jiawSo_t5fM8Q9A5u7TnIN/s200/IMG_2117.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540652383101455618" /></a><br /><br />When they returned, they drank quite a bit and then we all took a short nap before THE EVENT. We dressed and they mixed their drinks to take with them, and we walked to the train station. The rain had let up, which was good, since we were able to make it to the station dry and didn't have to worry about hauling around umbrellas. When we arrived in Ghent, we asked around for directions to the Flanders Expo Center, where I Love Techno was hosted. Everyone just looked disdainfully at us and said "Just follow everyone." We exited the platform into the main station and saw the endless stream of people all headed in one direction. It was clear that the directions we had received were quite sufficient. We followed everyone outside. There was a tram waiting to shuttle people to the event, and a huge LED sign that said I LOVE TECHNO 2010.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix1eE8mxnzSd9UXwgZL_uH5Lrzj5n1HwszMXqJN9A-Z9h0Pw41cxW-fZjgEemlVyV2PPp8lfHTQUfhwr8HsHBatG2ORhDSfkcX0sgL5ASlS948ZlO2V8-D5fi-tCnFv7zHwnfAHkTxbKct/s1600/IMG_2119.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix1eE8mxnzSd9UXwgZL_uH5Lrzj5n1HwszMXqJN9A-Z9h0Pw41cxW-fZjgEemlVyV2PPp8lfHTQUfhwr8HsHBatG2ORhDSfkcX0sgL5ASlS948ZlO2V8-D5fi-tCnFv7zHwnfAHkTxbKct/s200/IMG_2119.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540652377256094514" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ0L6TVB20nox_Dk31rp7uxfekkIJYj3Fa4Q582DI4jJXkC20tisAZiIsuxx6fZUqJQWYC8SAsGnnRUd6_f5tR8Gv1f5jEpg9-8QbhnD7ueRk59J0i8PvJzaoaQ96ysHUadMGzUpoo1GF6/s1600/IMG_2120.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ0L6TVB20nox_Dk31rp7uxfekkIJYj3Fa4Q582DI4jJXkC20tisAZiIsuxx6fZUqJQWYC8SAsGnnRUd6_f5tR8Gv1f5jEpg9-8QbhnD7ueRk59J0i8PvJzaoaQ96ysHUadMGzUpoo1GF6/s200/IMG_2120.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540652374402104562" /></a><br /><br />We arrived at the Expo Center and there were security guards, but they were ineffective against the horde of people clamoring for entrance into the event. We checked our coats at the door, and saw a huge room dedicated to coat storage, and it was half full by the time we arrived. Coat check was 2 Euro, and since everyone brought a coat (because Belgium is REALLY COLD IN NOVEMBER), they made well over a million euros in coat check alone. We walked into the main hall and stopped. The venue was huge. There were six giant rooms, each hosting seven or eight DJs, and the main section, where the food and drinks and bathrooms (50 cents per usage) were. We made our way into a room, and it took nearly 15 minutes to get in, because there were so many people bottlenecking at the door. But we got in and were blown away by the music. We danced and raved all night.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMNKRBZpQEEaLTvz5tI0_3V37xFTUJImlSaNmbXRcGCcxFM0PNbp2WhoizMX-ge75BoI7Eqw2wbhq-EHkPeLg2Y3q7V2GCFX-KVH0dopDW7ACD_iOiTjboOp5ek54DRG_LCuwR7UZgYySz/s1600/IMG_2124.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMNKRBZpQEEaLTvz5tI0_3V37xFTUJImlSaNmbXRcGCcxFM0PNbp2WhoizMX-ge75BoI7Eqw2wbhq-EHkPeLg2Y3q7V2GCFX-KVH0dopDW7ACD_iOiTjboOp5ek54DRG_LCuwR7UZgYySz/s200/IMG_2124.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540652939337819234" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhroUhCOrIWs2Q0ADBHQjmjeIlotq3riT_13PcjxwOODIlofWDhl0TVHsnm5ChYtW6LnP7SgpZYrlmwr2tW1vrbBSzuSOd_ED7RBUSXFRye3HTEP8IPaTtv6FVg6MGkVJwEdmjP1tn3KTIs/s1600/IMG_2121.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhroUhCOrIWs2Q0ADBHQjmjeIlotq3riT_13PcjxwOODIlofWDhl0TVHsnm5ChYtW6LnP7SgpZYrlmwr2tW1vrbBSzuSOd_ED7RBUSXFRye3HTEP8IPaTtv6FVg6MGkVJwEdmjP1tn3KTIs/s200/IMG_2121.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540652934350920978" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTDEo-bcIoG6iT1UTnoHH4_sOgGwTbs3YYk5SvyHvtXVwGhANdRhi14DEhcJu4McYYusYsFwOqkdhnX81SnQo_UhITzvncIW_xxNKUIrJ00bF5GWspSHyZ6OFTPbIsiOPISzMSllN5t3wv/s1600/IMG_2136.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTDEo-bcIoG6iT1UTnoHH4_sOgGwTbs3YYk5SvyHvtXVwGhANdRhi14DEhcJu4McYYusYsFwOqkdhnX81SnQo_UhITzvncIW_xxNKUIrJ00bF5GWspSHyZ6OFTPbIsiOPISzMSllN5t3wv/s200/IMG_2136.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540652929460188578" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhqLIEFTjEs_DUApqZNNbYgynWyjgfc4lekQsvQoe6BiwtwfXp3SIVo6O5Hwq2eGU0womucV3YdomPoCLrLhC1Nfqla1SW93LLG-ysxGETPQA8D1VSnNuU8nVWi1eXx6rNZmPw5V1xD9Si/s1600/IMG_2143.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhqLIEFTjEs_DUApqZNNbYgynWyjgfc4lekQsvQoe6BiwtwfXp3SIVo6O5Hwq2eGU0womucV3YdomPoCLrLhC1Nfqla1SW93LLG-ysxGETPQA8D1VSnNuU8nVWi1eXx6rNZmPw5V1xD9Si/s200/IMG_2143.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540652909372536626" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmOgYha756RbtL_axQmoixu2AB8GbUOSXMgM2J1OPAXafLkjZ4vvOK8hknDXXuCf21iODBPdxXlxqXPy2nrfRSC0jllljF9Zy-IoNRkURIU5Q3OhrzDOcvomlStrl6OXHYMNG5WvispStN/s1600/IMG_2158.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmOgYha756RbtL_axQmoixu2AB8GbUOSXMgM2J1OPAXafLkjZ4vvOK8hknDXXuCf21iODBPdxXlxqXPy2nrfRSC0jllljF9Zy-IoNRkURIU5Q3OhrzDOcvomlStrl6OXHYMNG5WvispStN/s200/IMG_2158.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540652908187648002" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBrqlcIH70PV8CirgeXuPxhIiutqxJaLDsgLLuZfZxPm5uNfU-ssUJKs4ZbCuCtxyNUrwuGYMQBJOLTTM8zhG3xa29uRe61LMEuokp37YVIg6ik24n6Q9q0OCiHUH6NrZPdgIpm4gYl4Mh/s1600/IMG_2174.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBrqlcIH70PV8CirgeXuPxhIiutqxJaLDsgLLuZfZxPm5uNfU-ssUJKs4ZbCuCtxyNUrwuGYMQBJOLTTM8zhG3xa29uRe61LMEuokp37YVIg6ik24n6Q9q0OCiHUH6NrZPdgIpm4gYl4Mh/s200/IMG_2174.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540653325687147698" /></a><br /><br />While going between rooms to see various DJs, we saw quite a few guys relieving themselves against the back wall. And quite a few more people, drunk or stoned, resting in the puddles on the floor, along the back wall. It was quite disgusting. I was grateful for the darkness and the smokiness, if only because I couldn't see the floor. When we left the event, we all had black shoes, even though Danielle and Nikki started out with red shoes, and our legs, up to our mid-thighs, were coated in God-knows-what.<br /><br />Around 2:30, we were dying of dehydration and hunger, so we got some water and food. You had to purchase tickets, so that the food and drink handlers wouldn't have to deal with money exchange, and you could only buy tickets in 8 ticket blocks, costing 10 euros, and the food was 4 tickets an item. But we had no choice but to cough up the money or starve, so we jumped through all their hoops and bled euros for them and received our sustenance. We found a spot on a bench and inhaled our food. Danielle and I felt something dripping on our feet, and we looked around to locate the source of the spray. Under the table, Danielle located the offender: some guy sitting across from us had his jibbly bits hanging free. We were being peed on. I also had quite a bit of alcohol spilled on me throughout the night, cigarette embers tapped out on my arm, smoke blown in my face, and my hair, 5 days after the event and as many deep conditionings, still smells like cigarettes.<br /><br />Around 5, we were lagging a bit, and decided to leave. We weren't able to last the full 12 hours, but we came pretty close. We went back to the train station, only to find that the first train to Bruges didn't leave until 6:39. We watched hundreds of people pile into trains going to Brussels (the opposite direction), and could do nothing but watch and freeze.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsUCn0_dxDlCf6ekNAa20HtEvco2gZQYZ_LG73aSZ0qs-RQw7RvAlvfyYyI1TdUH9-zsBqRPbqtcQpdcCcLzCWiBNP4VbtxJ1rJuAL9jHMRk2uoIMAMzuj5xAhFcFPyeIE276AHCwM0rh-/s1600/IMG_2191.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsUCn0_dxDlCf6ekNAa20HtEvco2gZQYZ_LG73aSZ0qs-RQw7RvAlvfyYyI1TdUH9-zsBqRPbqtcQpdcCcLzCWiBNP4VbtxJ1rJuAL9jHMRk2uoIMAMzuj5xAhFcFPyeIE276AHCwM0rh-/s200/IMG_2191.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540653325111615842" /></a><br />Around 6:30, we were doing nothing more than shivering with our eyes fixated upon the clock, counting down the seconds. And then our train was delayed for 3 minutes.<br /><br />And then 5.<br /><br />And then 8.<br /><br />And then 10.<br /><br />And more trains kept leaving for Brussels.<br /><br />But finally, our train arrived at 6:54 and we somehow made it onto the train, into warmth and safety. We fitfully slept on the train, not wanting to miss our stop, and what should have been a 20 minute ride took almost 45 minutes due to unexplained stops along the way (and not even at stations). When we arrived in Bruges, it was raining torrentially, and we did not want to walk back, unprotected and still defrosting. So we got a taxi and stumbled into our hostel just as they were serving breakfast. We ate and showered and collapsed into our beds around 9 AM.<br /><br />Then we woke up a mere 5 hours later and at 4:30, decided to go to dinner, because there was literally nothing to do in Bruges on a Sunday afternoon/evening. We wanted to go to the Dali museum, but we wouldn't have made it by closing. So we had more fries and mayo and then stopped at a Chinese restaurant. I had the best hot and sour soup there. We walked back to the hostel and Danielle taught us how to play mini bridge. I won both times. Then we packed and went back to bed around 1 AM.<br /><br />We woke up early and walked to the train station. We got on the first train to Brussels, which turned out to be a fast train, and we had to pay more. But the train was very nice, and the seats were extremely comfortable and it was the first thing that was actually WARM in Belgium (besides the food we ate). We arrived in Brussels and found out that our connecting train was leaving in two minutes, on the other side of the station. Not wanting to wait for the next train, we sprinted to the platform, and made it just as the train was pulling into the station. That train was jerky and cold and the lights flickered and the seats were not as nice. But it got us to our destination. We had to wait forever for our bus to the airport, but we got there just fine. We ate some pastries in the airport and then boarded our plane. We made it back to Florence with no further issues.<div><br /></div><div>We raved more than we slept, the healthiest thing we ate all weekend was Chinese food, and it was AWESOME.<br /><br />If you are interested in details on the actual rave itself, let me know. I'd be more than happy to go on and on about the artists at the event, the music, the best and the worst, what impressed me, what failed to move me, etc. But just know that asking about it requires a commitment on your part. A commitment to smile and nod and pretend not to let your eyes glaze over when I don't cease geeking out. You're welcome.</div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11705583397776601590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2076998410662702438.post-10444923545940243632010-11-08T15:27:00.001-08:002010-11-09T12:51:01.063-08:00Hiking Through TuscanyLast weekend we went to Fiesole, which is half an hour outside of Florence. There really isn't much to do there, unless you like hiking. There's a huge park that is essentially just trails that cross over the mountainside. There's an abandoned stone quarry and some Roman ruins, but mostly just fantastic trails. We didn't do very much hiking, because the girls I went with didn't want to get lost, and were more interested in socializing than in hiking, which is fine, but not really what I was expecting when I went out, so perhaps I'll have to return another day and do some actual hiking. I also didn't get any pictures of the trails, so I'll definitely have to go back.<div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0FTTTg_4jBCfCfWETOuvzUzi45lJgpobJC-3vDuBozngi6QUM8_Vcp3vL9ammuEfSMZEvwV6eREyLxvsvUnxH0c4XDV8x9jPlLekE2Qvc7knwd13Vl9G3XNbTH3o29PWJ_8WoQwMAg91L/s200/IMG_2028.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536886985620426114"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHmwvkeyKkturhzcJEJJuc5M3xeUFCeh2Kg7mmioQDibcH1gYiFca2Mtd5TMKLdEABmnf11x5s05Y2gqOxjgS2oMmkxLnEMe1ql6p1eiIeUNcwGmCyZI-xvyY-OA-t2OU6aEU3TOgCju0m/s200/IMG_2031.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536886977770152882"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqIMjJakHizGtpQ5w1q_T2A6nyFpMUFjnzoKefUx-Hpx5Nd4pIDsIvSXJFnsxsQWcbdcksODCa-D_01f5QDTbcWJOXFmmEM6IVbeT_MRqvx5KPwanFMr56EVGEOXa-3j4xPhvUpgJkzPo/s200/IMG_2040.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536887454973979410"></div><div>The view was also not the greatest the day we went, because there was heavy fog over the city, so it felt like the world ended outside of Fiesole. Towards the end of the day, the fog cleared a little, so we could begin to see Florence, and could almost make out the Duomo puncturing the clouds.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_4WOjtLe8EhI3fyMf-qyT1U3BiPiIMeWoP2p1mbCRq-CcM3rcyG1EoJiZf3D47BA-Pg2El92o4BagRTfAsiB1xaFbjexLRPGh-BEKV8mwiIdzU6mUn6Z6yRnX64ajP7z4A8yH5RVB_LdC/s1600/IMG_2033.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_4WOjtLe8EhI3fyMf-qyT1U3BiPiIMeWoP2p1mbCRq-CcM3rcyG1EoJiZf3D47BA-Pg2El92o4BagRTfAsiB1xaFbjexLRPGh-BEKV8mwiIdzU6mUn6Z6yRnX64ajP7z4A8yH5RVB_LdC/s200/IMG_2033.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536886973734738194"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGbahin1eAZjuPTItrxcMDFTtcSOpW8oisZQiT3LsmPs98dToi2RZX5bxLBRMCW_pEQ0ri5tI_pcSyodGj1OlTg7AqiMxqnhHoaAjWeuyBqrpNM4sxusA1Q8wMWWk8F-q9Pr7ctTSWCbsj/s1600/IMG_2041.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGbahin1eAZjuPTItrxcMDFTtcSOpW8oisZQiT3LsmPs98dToi2RZX5bxLBRMCW_pEQ0ri5tI_pcSyodGj1OlTg7AqiMxqnhHoaAjWeuyBqrpNM4sxusA1Q8wMWWk8F-q9Pr7ctTSWCbsj/s200/IMG_2041.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536886962825632466"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqBnOvNQ4CaWw1O98lj_a8_pbrYAsSwhFfGC9Sot0BUwT3vFUKUGLv4QL7pHdnvECdgoAx3v1tcE6Ci8MGSnY7kr0WxwKlXFcKLLqHoOh-FGzdfeTqpN3VB638D2R4u8I0JmKMwJAWIN1T/s1600/IMG_2050.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqBnOvNQ4CaWw1O98lj_a8_pbrYAsSwhFfGC9Sot0BUwT3vFUKUGLv4QL7pHdnvECdgoAx3v1tcE6Ci8MGSnY7kr0WxwKlXFcKLLqHoOh-FGzdfeTqpN3VB638D2R4u8I0JmKMwJAWIN1T/s200/IMG_2050.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536886960403251506"></a><br /><br /><div>There was an black olive tree grove, as well as a house with a small grove of lemons. And the leaves were changing colors, something we don't get to see much in Florence.</div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhNf4K1k5TPSNTQgDSMtj1kdHqMPwOZk_zbArYBFD9XwUVcPfLTIPtWISdq6z8n0YpSvNF3Mz33TUhLPY6snszr5Ivam-1pSSEKWzRlu5qkJ75cYWbm4TsM6HJuxoH8eVwsz934Vid2PW/s1600/IMG_2048.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhNf4K1k5TPSNTQgDSMtj1kdHqMPwOZk_zbArYBFD9XwUVcPfLTIPtWISdq6z8n0YpSvNF3Mz33TUhLPY6snszr5Ivam-1pSSEKWzRlu5qkJ75cYWbm4TsM6HJuxoH8eVwsz934Vid2PW/s200/IMG_2048.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536887444353756450"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqD-C56KioxKjNOiE4J0lU3L-8znKfeWk0nl3QHM9hysNp7oMzxjxtYH3-zrE4cjkblWEcDIvkrnWysAfoe7PZuGX9CKv3SlwKKUf0JKe9X6b4U5hlUkFvssK_PojimcAAa1fQfHSWj1BD/s1600/IMG_2035.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqD-C56KioxKjNOiE4J0lU3L-8znKfeWk0nl3QHM9hysNp7oMzxjxtYH3-zrE4cjkblWEcDIvkrnWysAfoe7PZuGX9CKv3SlwKKUf0JKe9X6b4U5hlUkFvssK_PojimcAAa1fQfHSWj1BD/s200/IMG_2035.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536887439090241634"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyDJ8lAlhQCJcaIq59kmZ95H0oMebSmPWKq-BmWDz_pVZuQwxrmpLWK7l3uAmIQaKSNl2SdZIn5N0riJ9XhyphenhyphennEpZsnXy7uW8tGqZigSjk_Ex-UOJSiYb7XH15PGNGxphAIjWxj6l5GvPGc/s1600/IMG_2038.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyDJ8lAlhQCJcaIq59kmZ95H0oMebSmPWKq-BmWDz_pVZuQwxrmpLWK7l3uAmIQaKSNl2SdZIn5N0riJ9XhyphenhyphennEpZsnXy7uW8tGqZigSjk_Ex-UOJSiYb7XH15PGNGxphAIjWxj6l5GvPGc/s200/IMG_2038.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536887431756438418"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinSYHlPLFDK2KpQDbFQ7R-XbNivDSJfOnj1g17d6SLpfD31tzDzWqaUZXbft20Lvu91cP9bm2nJIxntTZ5gxx_f0Cy9K-DSkgJsWuVjchJazh9dTjXyK0jxAUqwehdRJGGSKlOJNwrTONe/s1600/IMG_2036.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinSYHlPLFDK2KpQDbFQ7R-XbNivDSJfOnj1g17d6SLpfD31tzDzWqaUZXbft20Lvu91cP9bm2nJIxntTZ5gxx_f0Cy9K-DSkgJsWuVjchJazh9dTjXyK0jxAUqwehdRJGGSKlOJNwrTONe/s200/IMG_2036.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536887428380126834"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoBAY__KUI6M4UQjNFn97DStiGEELL0VfGHkVLf7R4RWLn4WdlJB2UC6Z2KQDXwx1DbEUaDSHxNGbTt1loM-riz_hGq95hTeiYtD8LME964rjfMbl2mD4LPZDpFhjD5x1FCFyJqtg1FCJ-/s1600/IMG_2054.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoBAY__KUI6M4UQjNFn97DStiGEELL0VfGHkVLf7R4RWLn4WdlJB2UC6Z2KQDXwx1DbEUaDSHxNGbTt1loM-riz_hGq95hTeiYtD8LME964rjfMbl2mD4LPZDpFhjD5x1FCFyJqtg1FCJ-/s200/IMG_2054.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536887714330345490"></a></div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11705583397776601590noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2076998410662702438.post-5023843945217380372010-11-07T14:55:00.000-08:002010-11-08T15:26:36.848-08:00Foreign Lands, Familiar Faces: London and RomeThis is the final installment of my three-part post of Fall Break adventures. Go <a href="http://piztravel.blogspot.com/2010/11/stranger-in-strange-world-rome-and.html">here</a> for part one and <a href="http://piztravel.blogspot.com/2010/11/extreme-tourism-barcelona.html">here</a> for part two.<div><br /></div><div>In the London airport, we had to go through customs. We had no trouble, but there was a Mexican girl, who was also studying in Florence, who was stopped and questioned. Apparently her visa had expired the week before, even though she was in school until December 7, and they told her that she was not guaranteed entry back into Italy. We had passed through customs by that point, so I don't know if they let her into England or not, or how she fared in Italy, but that was a little scary. We couldn't understand why she didn't have a visa that lasted the duration of her education abroad, but we never found out.</div><div><br /></div><div>So we went to buy bus tickets, but of course, England uses the pound, not the euro, and they didn't take Visa at the counter. So we had to go and find an ATM to withdraw some pounds. As we were walking back with pounds in hand, we saw the gate close over the counter. It was 1:30 AM. Unsure of what to do, we went to the bus stop, hoping we could perhaps buy tickets on the bus, since clearly we couldn't buy them in the airport. We were also hoping that the buses still ran at this time. Luckily, there was an open ticket counter by the bus stop, and we purchased tickets there. We rode the bus to the nearest stop by our hostel, and walked up the road. The exterior was like a great Victorian house and when we checked in and walked into our room, we had four poster beds, with curtains, just like the ones at Hogwarts. I was too tired to be excited at that point, and we passed out, happy to be able to sleep.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_RL5O7svQKxPCXqa5pBPrmWNO5Gx_NTly8IK7iciKlG0dXkw3ymH0voHvLl4DeyI5Zk19tlZGXfmXwEw00uWmZOOnu05R0x9G_1pPM3Q9YwHtXfrGuSXHWmvOEhchUbdITB10HKMMjGzk/s1600/PA292273.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_RL5O7svQKxPCXqa5pBPrmWNO5Gx_NTly8IK7iciKlG0dXkw3ymH0voHvLl4DeyI5Zk19tlZGXfmXwEw00uWmZOOnu05R0x9G_1pPM3Q9YwHtXfrGuSXHWmvOEhchUbdITB10HKMMjGzk/s200/PA292273.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537314701650125746" /></a><br /></div><div>I learned from Tony that the pedestrian crossings are helpful to blind people. There is a small thimble underneath the box that spins when the light turns green, so blind people are able to cross. It also beeps.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja_0eCj5vTR9G0evNKmQluknpPN9s46qyrUBVhBqcTCtMgGmp0whzsEsMkm4gXkikhr5INEp8S1mX74PgovyPdtCcsRvk6mm7KnpI37Hc_NNp6STAP0z6rpMn2pfHv5g4so4vz02MNte7z/s1600/74372_1465469559228_1308180103_31088742_7140387_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja_0eCj5vTR9G0evNKmQluknpPN9s46qyrUBVhBqcTCtMgGmp0whzsEsMkm4gXkikhr5INEp8S1mX74PgovyPdtCcsRvk6mm7KnpI37Hc_NNp6STAP0z6rpMn2pfHv5g4so4vz02MNte7z/s200/74372_1465469559228_1308180103_31088742_7140387_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537302110717204946" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_wSJ65x2gSIk2nD6jmNFGpd1GzqgFJ9VdqWtwR79_WCZCFHYQO39CdsxvMoKadVpgU5XqYLhvWyBmU0zjTAdVwD2HdvVHNkAETeICwLD6yIC0Ng08VMp_1BVCUXVRlOqYr7nzBHJnmJ8U/s1600/76688_1465471039265_1308180103_31088754_1215242_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_wSJ65x2gSIk2nD6jmNFGpd1GzqgFJ9VdqWtwR79_WCZCFHYQO39CdsxvMoKadVpgU5XqYLhvWyBmU0zjTAdVwD2HdvVHNkAETeICwLD6yIC0Ng08VMp_1BVCUXVRlOqYr7nzBHJnmJ8U/s200/76688_1465471039265_1308180103_31088754_1215242_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537304533766423682" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4tBs1YzJPwoChOWpofW-3_OcuLSHWmN8MzR3joXCUXyT_OX5k6upAMurdkugy6v5tms9VjJgpIEaXug1WZno2TvlYjMj2s78BHSjmpTYE77UshVfwJECY9yV6z74SPn55t1_KH9keAx6d/s1600/73218_1465469279221_1308180103_31088739_8089922_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4tBs1YzJPwoChOWpofW-3_OcuLSHWmN8MzR3joXCUXyT_OX5k6upAMurdkugy6v5tms9VjJgpIEaXug1WZno2TvlYjMj2s78BHSjmpTYE77UshVfwJECY9yV6z74SPn55t1_KH9keAx6d/s200/73218_1465469279221_1308180103_31088739_8089922_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537311287861929266" /></a><br /></div><div>We woke up at 9 (although it was 8 in Italy), and went to breakfast. I sat with an Italian guy who was interning in London for architectural studies. I practiced my Italian, and he corrected me a lot, but was appreciative of my attempts. Then I took my second and final shower of the trip. It was not as drastic of a cleansing as the one in Barcelona, but it was still nice. We then planned our day. We got a day pass for the Tube and made our way to Baker Street to see Sherlock Holmes' house. Then we walked to Abbey Road (although we didn't find the intersection from the Beatles' album cover), and then walked down Fleet Street (where Sweeney Todd, the demon barber, lived and worked/murdered).</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKROtIDz6NWyc5BCcvdF06TZR2VglcEYJ0bV9C-QthLU_7lhqXEWxA2isLBP_PKoY5KuVpE5K4qaSnIWUVAdR5Ff5Lb52zBPx7PaHenWUDwbh_0LZVRDPPVtzBd1i2gy9UpFwj-bXxDyF3/s1600/33564_1465468999214_1308180103_31088736_124618_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKROtIDz6NWyc5BCcvdF06TZR2VglcEYJ0bV9C-QthLU_7lhqXEWxA2isLBP_PKoY5KuVpE5K4qaSnIWUVAdR5Ff5Lb52zBPx7PaHenWUDwbh_0LZVRDPPVtzBd1i2gy9UpFwj-bXxDyF3/s200/33564_1465468999214_1308180103_31088736_124618_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537302106535074898" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJsNL5Vy6Mn3Aa_9n4kT-Ur46i1R1TQXIBInMPTgTOlgIgNTssfNw2iH-aLMW4ppshYgaKgGvMYTKjMkAKjMSlZz0dCzJDPf0lBQcmU3fKDROufNbdS89fHcicNy6o8gFlCDzgukqg-FnN/s1600/68704_1465469959238_1308180103_31088744_2716877_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJsNL5Vy6Mn3Aa_9n4kT-Ur46i1R1TQXIBInMPTgTOlgIgNTssfNw2iH-aLMW4ppshYgaKgGvMYTKjMkAKjMSlZz0dCzJDPf0lBQcmU3fKDROufNbdS89fHcicNy6o8gFlCDzgukqg-FnN/s200/68704_1465469959238_1308180103_31088744_2716877_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537302102475202418" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxRB8GYwUctvAD_Zy39hOZ3FkGD-K4_u8vU2nxwGhp9ywdmBInyqePAYjyMG0-xNWOpmUSrQrz7BhGKVjO3L6cHfBO2vYLuQlMjCM-m7bomBlf2-WDf5a0i4L8Eka9_TbMdUmjBKOzvIcf/s1600/76158_1465470199244_1308180103_31088746_4750848_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxRB8GYwUctvAD_Zy39hOZ3FkGD-K4_u8vU2nxwGhp9ywdmBInyqePAYjyMG0-xNWOpmUSrQrz7BhGKVjO3L6cHfBO2vYLuQlMjCM-m7bomBlf2-WDf5a0i4L8Eka9_TbMdUmjBKOzvIcf/s200/76158_1465470199244_1308180103_31088746_4750848_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537302844347392434" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQMdThRR84-MoBwaXAdotUMEmrxt6OLm6oej69rGURKzGWtWbcW2gmz-6ADeeQ1gUWC8zwST7RZr0IUcPuhocsdVnSBh0lSB50espmFCldLDAV7W3LaQQrs8FAiyOob01Du5bmiMb7LDJA/s1600/34436_1465470759258_1308180103_31088751_4770595_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQMdThRR84-MoBwaXAdotUMEmrxt6OLm6oej69rGURKzGWtWbcW2gmz-6ADeeQ1gUWC8zwST7RZr0IUcPuhocsdVnSBh0lSB50espmFCldLDAV7W3LaQQrs8FAiyOob01Du5bmiMb7LDJA/s200/34436_1465470759258_1308180103_31088751_4770595_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537302099417153394" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtXxO0tuGIV9ij_ftVGGnoJ6LDnenasFVdQvSzPpyeoUFHZCdkOXeTZRbPlQ4-v-j7nNLwt2q3XMmvovLL4kzYMyd1PffqKapYZ4pU8VoJEtV6svHU2QgCXPjkQAsimS_K-fdnXZl0DKme/s1600/73269_1465470359248_1308180103_31088748_5055328_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtXxO0tuGIV9ij_ftVGGnoJ6LDnenasFVdQvSzPpyeoUFHZCdkOXeTZRbPlQ4-v-j7nNLwt2q3XMmvovLL4kzYMyd1PffqKapYZ4pU8VoJEtV6svHU2QgCXPjkQAsimS_K-fdnXZl0DKme/s200/73269_1465470359248_1308180103_31088748_5055328_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537302848059209234" /></a><br /></div><div>We found St. Paul's Cathedral, but the line was incredibly long to get in, and we had seen quite a few churches in our trip, so we weren't so disappointed that we didn't go in. We then stopped at a very classy, but inexpensive, restaurant, where we ordered fish and chips. I had never eaten it before, even an Americanized version, and I was very pleased with the experience. We also had delicious black tea. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixADNX8pGcENUNVPd0uDiAGMHHW1Hfdo7-V9IAwtnKgEcKu4JNrrwLDuj6OheUMEY3BeV6VeKsTYp4EApGUEnxT_9ZFh-lxSYe4Na_-cuVFYst70nvZdyMUgfs6lfZ5raHyPS0ME_6BdZ2/s1600/76820_1465470839260_1308180103_31088752_4794874_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixADNX8pGcENUNVPd0uDiAGMHHW1Hfdo7-V9IAwtnKgEcKu4JNrrwLDuj6OheUMEY3BeV6VeKsTYp4EApGUEnxT_9ZFh-lxSYe4Na_-cuVFYst70nvZdyMUgfs6lfZ5raHyPS0ME_6BdZ2/s200/76820_1465470839260_1308180103_31088752_4794874_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537302095230903954" /></a><br /></div><div>We walked to London Bridge and took pictures of the much more impressive Tower Bridge, as well as the Millennium Bridge. The song "London Bridge is Falling Down" is still applicable today, as it is slowly sinking into the Thames River as were the previous versions of the London Bridge (according to a river tour guide that passed beneath us as we were discussing the song). We passed by The Monument, which, according to Wikipedia, is a monument to the Great Fire of London in 1666. There was no description around the monument that we could find, but Wikipedia also tells me that it is the tallest isolate column in the world. So there you go.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMSdO6EYRPPJM0n-GL683e_mB0L0LsGc1GPpnDjuUKIEFnkpoGDtNWFf3xgHNdyUGIL09VC4ZhccKiF0y9WI90JpA2reZY3cWS6EfyG94fjmllfXJZrX4lH_qWLE4a_7UIMarDlDET_FP3/s1600/74049_1465471279271_1308180103_31088756_3128095_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMSdO6EYRPPJM0n-GL683e_mB0L0LsGc1GPpnDjuUKIEFnkpoGDtNWFf3xgHNdyUGIL09VC4ZhccKiF0y9WI90JpA2reZY3cWS6EfyG94fjmllfXJZrX4lH_qWLE4a_7UIMarDlDET_FP3/s200/74049_1465471279271_1308180103_31088756_3128095_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537302839309272914" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYroaR-Fdvy7fuKrnzpb2sj5tJhnudADWgkV7FBJAyzvlWjZv2e87iXxhQvbbkP5RoYU4zFh66l_OqTrDzsUwsQD9do6AZtdRcCTfZruWW3c33oyR_-6O3dU6iFruV1CieYrxyrDZoUawZ/s1600/36145_1465471439275_1308180103_31088758_600565_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYroaR-Fdvy7fuKrnzpb2sj5tJhnudADWgkV7FBJAyzvlWjZv2e87iXxhQvbbkP5RoYU4zFh66l_OqTrDzsUwsQD9do6AZtdRcCTfZruWW3c33oyR_-6O3dU6iFruV1CieYrxyrDZoUawZ/s200/36145_1465471439275_1308180103_31088758_600565_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537302829958482818" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw_1buax1MLq9YsKmJzSey6WA8uNrdzjBj6ymb8Yk9aNLnqHu7C5bD1h23066oenSw6k0ID7NMoJagffatrXkTgvKywrLKcIXOjC-0I3OyYpM8m2yNlCGAJQI5RAN8SaXS3pS91_qrfnIj/s1600/73036_1465471079266_1308180103_31088755_8364041_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw_1buax1MLq9YsKmJzSey6WA8uNrdzjBj6ymb8Yk9aNLnqHu7C5bD1h23066oenSw6k0ID7NMoJagffatrXkTgvKywrLKcIXOjC-0I3OyYpM8m2yNlCGAJQI5RAN8SaXS3pS91_qrfnIj/s200/73036_1465471079266_1308180103_31088755_8364041_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537302833576518594" /></a><br /></div><div>On the other side of the London Bridge, we walked to Southwark Cathedral, which is the resting place of William Shakespeare's brother Edmund, and Thomas Beckett preached at this cathedral. Southwark is the oldest cathedral in London, and stands at the oldest crossing point of the Thames, which was the only entrance point across the river into London for centuries. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKnVB_qayIfdCCdmJ6gTulumb-DjXsh3TohPl_r4taGSaB4KWauWw9IKsDrYecKd_lDVTjD1CSd_pRzl5scQDtyLmoQZja4obzKh8-CNMDQQ40J8FGt19VplgpcoRv-to_rpv9LHBcxY5N/s1600/76387_1465471559278_1308180103_31088760_776464_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKnVB_qayIfdCCdmJ6gTulumb-DjXsh3TohPl_r4taGSaB4KWauWw9IKsDrYecKd_lDVTjD1CSd_pRzl5scQDtyLmoQZja4obzKh8-CNMDQQ40J8FGt19VplgpcoRv-to_rpv9LHBcxY5N/s200/76387_1465471559278_1308180103_31088760_776464_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537305561379955426" /></a><br /></div><div>We visited Shakespeare's Globe Theater, but were not allowed to go into the theater itself unless we purchased tickets for that night's show. Since my travelmates were uninterested in seeing a Shakespeare production, and none of us wanted to spend that much on a ticket, we regretfully passed up the chance to peek inside. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigis7VCSlB4kUgwU-D5v-Syj_t4E5ncse93akHr9_GDh0Az5oKa3iX6E2ziA2x-m5nBR5EiXWnDgmpsFhWDiXPMx0lJG9vIkjUlfvXW2lFE80OWyjxBenZEioh-jiSaeF-kCVrc9JhPDdN/s1600/149673_1465471999289_1308180103_31088765_7559531_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigis7VCSlB4kUgwU-D5v-Syj_t4E5ncse93akHr9_GDh0Az5oKa3iX6E2ziA2x-m5nBR5EiXWnDgmpsFhWDiXPMx0lJG9vIkjUlfvXW2lFE80OWyjxBenZEioh-jiSaeF-kCVrc9JhPDdN/s200/149673_1465471999289_1308180103_31088765_7559531_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537305544347822658" /></a><br /></div><div>We then visited the Tate Modern, which is London's contemporary art museum. It was quite large, and very interesting. We saw a temporary exhibition called Sunflower Seeds, by Ai Weiwei. The exhibition was literally 100 million, hand-crafted, realistic, porcelain sunflower seeds. It was quite a sight to see.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbq6yALlb7acwOfJoR3lbrMiv0xOLjzGW7IHzu-HeurcYaa6FRESm4wVYAFhYr6C3zrRUraqEPG0Fkpz4rr01VsSZps3c0poO5C-gNTdBSop4RSAgB40hPzcWsbIp467AvERRYOHIsHlRo/s1600/75768_1465472199294_1308180103_31088766_5142275_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbq6yALlb7acwOfJoR3lbrMiv0xOLjzGW7IHzu-HeurcYaa6FRESm4wVYAFhYr6C3zrRUraqEPG0Fkpz4rr01VsSZps3c0poO5C-gNTdBSop4RSAgB40hPzcWsbIp467AvERRYOHIsHlRo/s200/75768_1465472199294_1308180103_31088766_5142275_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537305543222373010" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOrB48pP2ZVA3KvYBj6Nqtuo3IVKd6Mfxvc8fJ9ixumGcqLsa2K0x4i9RIScndRu7cbUPRoM90bFZuLbL985NcAWLuklEKrNW1-r_9csUw4DZfcFoEUm2ITK6gHKrFDPAVu9DLpxYXMvdd/s1600/149557_1465472839310_1308180103_31088769_7361036_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOrB48pP2ZVA3KvYBj6Nqtuo3IVKd6Mfxvc8fJ9ixumGcqLsa2K0x4i9RIScndRu7cbUPRoM90bFZuLbL985NcAWLuklEKrNW1-r_9csUw4DZfcFoEUm2ITK6gHKrFDPAVu9DLpxYXMvdd/s200/149557_1465472839310_1308180103_31088769_7361036_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537305532477345490" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq2YwJFfPHtEmU59XUyafQZvbLQq2WyxWV2nZK9OBxuiKHXqp8ydsnuLTepOxfk9T5bztzFNiYytu9Atn_-LcziYUKCUca8xPJvq3CAB4i5uyD82fFNa5NRfRp78mACKk1chIJH-XhvU47/s1600/76209_1465472519302_1308180103_31088768_6039333_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq2YwJFfPHtEmU59XUyafQZvbLQq2WyxWV2nZK9OBxuiKHXqp8ydsnuLTepOxfk9T5bztzFNiYytu9Atn_-LcziYUKCUca8xPJvq3CAB4i5uyD82fFNa5NRfRp78mACKk1chIJH-XhvU47/s200/76209_1465472519302_1308180103_31088768_6039333_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537305530997552034" /></a><br /></div><div>The rest of the museum was filled with modern and contemporary artists. I loved it, but have rediscovered my phobia of video art, and spent much of my time there walking through rooms with my eyes shut, being led through by Veronika and Grace, because video art makes me physically sick and nauseous and I want to run away or destroy things. It's not a good feeling, and I don't know why I have that reaction. But I do.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0Xvb_yhJmzhXacvJUr5HEu5JIlWMCrE4pA6V-fV0YkiCkQ3WbWwwZUB-hwwL36Dfl9GtWgU30FGE4hWTsFHu1ZekdCCw6IlUuTGB9_rHYNNjiVo0wcckrrDOxNqHCy0_JLszu1AaxKdi/s1600/33542_1465473159318_1308180103_31088772_2058950_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0Xvb_yhJmzhXacvJUr5HEu5JIlWMCrE4pA6V-fV0YkiCkQ3WbWwwZUB-hwwL36Dfl9GtWgU30FGE4hWTsFHu1ZekdCCw6IlUuTGB9_rHYNNjiVo0wcckrrDOxNqHCy0_JLszu1AaxKdi/s200/33542_1465473159318_1308180103_31088772_2058950_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537306089801339618" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz1YtAo8iLiXfH72HFWi2lk5POG-YbeHVyAg28qee2n83ch7idbXRy5gSdmMH17HqRHKzYftnT7DA-Cww95vGa9tB-2QZ1BsNt0oFGtLvZid-XIxW_f6bM9Dzn0xqMzxd79LRZTlKjLEA9/s1600/33681_1465475759383_1308180103_31088800_4277425_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz1YtAo8iLiXfH72HFWi2lk5POG-YbeHVyAg28qee2n83ch7idbXRy5gSdmMH17HqRHKzYftnT7DA-Cww95vGa9tB-2QZ1BsNt0oFGtLvZid-XIxW_f6bM9Dzn0xqMzxd79LRZTlKjLEA9/s200/33681_1465475759383_1308180103_31088800_4277425_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537306082803838882" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0p8ztIdd8XQMqBMco5Ni54zttJE5rjw2NyVHTVA_fjcJxunOyiVgZ9DABKY8Mm_ZrrM9lUnV79fBTuB88aHoT8YD9AB3QUoCBi4Uw5qi_fTXQfB9hRodI_7Z1cQLIO0NYiwkKAiCs3fmi/s1600/72265_1465473519327_1308180103_31088776_4638657_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0p8ztIdd8XQMqBMco5Ni54zttJE5rjw2NyVHTVA_fjcJxunOyiVgZ9DABKY8Mm_ZrrM9lUnV79fBTuB88aHoT8YD9AB3QUoCBi4Uw5qi_fTXQfB9hRodI_7Z1cQLIO0NYiwkKAiCs3fmi/s200/72265_1465473519327_1308180103_31088776_4638657_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537306079858255266" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4TJH6bT7mIYZ7fDjHrb6ERo-eg-nSjaUZ8tGKCasqiuqCOHQzL_PzF6CZ5dRtXx5WVTIb5SuQ2yMKy9A3wnmWP_1o2sw9P6edYcWDMPAvyeQQk1lQ1R2oYeUETfc09qP_fpx72tvpDY2N/s1600/72409_1465482239545_1308180103_31088838_579257_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4TJH6bT7mIYZ7fDjHrb6ERo-eg-nSjaUZ8tGKCasqiuqCOHQzL_PzF6CZ5dRtXx5WVTIb5SuQ2yMKy9A3wnmWP_1o2sw9P6edYcWDMPAvyeQQk1lQ1R2oYeUETfc09qP_fpx72tvpDY2N/s200/72409_1465482239545_1308180103_31088838_579257_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537306064949562002" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWERcJeJh7OlwVWmh-sOYmkfCUD9u3ZBD8GpTFXFmJYaKSuZ_oi38e_I4bwrKrXOR_KqE99zc0GmhdzY0cGVoOpWMqyWCQnpwZQsDzVdJTy1uqG4Sjh1ODG_t4Gz0wyP-FtkMZxaunkhZp/s1600/72408_1465475839385_1308180103_31088801_4475902_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWERcJeJh7OlwVWmh-sOYmkfCUD9u3ZBD8GpTFXFmJYaKSuZ_oi38e_I4bwrKrXOR_KqE99zc0GmhdzY0cGVoOpWMqyWCQnpwZQsDzVdJTy1uqG4Sjh1ODG_t4Gz0wyP-FtkMZxaunkhZp/s200/72408_1465475839385_1308180103_31088801_4475902_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537306061547956754" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrcPckaAeB-HdU8-LfBSU1zWqz-0tnPcGQumC3gkBjYWo1EUquRNq9lVPi_yfwWH74cLWxweS0nluOhHKkfmjkZtCAVPxYi4lwQG7VflGP77Asv3HUr4Ra_YWAESyDSaclCbTHufEQEIOB/s1600/73653_1465482159543_1308180103_31088837_7846573_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; 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margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCufoVwN4VuTZIuZtISJAztFYrwjrModRB5s2fs75YsFxjJrj3xzdXElxRg4DEsxdwMPVCUO2ppHwDcD8Mj9EpRokAL6eNY4cF54uQcqE_znzXKB9tF7lvoYy404jIyOiAcpCCEas7j2Yw/s200/76057_1465482559553_1308180103_31088841_7794249_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537306567662504706" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_wbjThSXWcwlRTn1YRsovh57KBZRN0HSwfi2whXoIMDfuKwhw5VO0jwsF68OYLgwXaYRADQmXGq6Jib2QqPFCf6-yVoBilT-CkaX2RBV3FpkguAaed299RSHCTyOlyZvQw-p2zYUOY74y/s1600/76264_1465478199444_1308180103_31088812_6279883_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_wbjThSXWcwlRTn1YRsovh57KBZRN0HSwfi2whXoIMDfuKwhw5VO0jwsF68OYLgwXaYRADQmXGq6Jib2QqPFCf6-yVoBilT-CkaX2RBV3FpkguAaed299RSHCTyOlyZvQw-p2zYUOY74y/s200/76264_1465478199444_1308180103_31088812_6279883_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537307192702082770" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpf5nEu4l_R-QU6YJaVN6dwWd-vJ3ZKAabmk4FHZBJ7Jo4ry1GAow2WK9n4BMTDg6N2yH_3pndfwFMDg-AhrRD7879otaBcBFMoaxaxRy0EzcXqgumsHuZXV7piue8S7pJ5wEUvZbS66at/s1600/149505_1465473079316_1308180103_31088771_5023177_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpf5nEu4l_R-QU6YJaVN6dwWd-vJ3ZKAabmk4FHZBJ7Jo4ry1GAow2WK9n4BMTDg6N2yH_3pndfwFMDg-AhrRD7879otaBcBFMoaxaxRy0EzcXqgumsHuZXV7piue8S7pJ5wEUvZbS66at/s200/149505_1465473079316_1308180103_31088771_5023177_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537307180956934770" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX2lBXdGiIvq9lEymFOA2pOAEISsOfMSur7e1GJ1ROO-jtCrTPXCneIU5OAPxs90_sINXbhcblXqPLp9n6AbrvscyFAauOIDE1jG_FT2DeqB8w46oho0SshCnaA6TFNvnkT6TPnJWdIArr/s1600/149585_1465476599404_1308180103_31088808_4819701_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX2lBXdGiIvq9lEymFOA2pOAEISsOfMSur7e1GJ1ROO-jtCrTPXCneIU5OAPxs90_sINXbhcblXqPLp9n6AbrvscyFAauOIDE1jG_FT2DeqB8w46oho0SshCnaA6TFNvnkT6TPnJWdIArr/s200/149585_1465476599404_1308180103_31088808_4819701_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537307177232348482" /></a><br /></div><div>We took the Tube to Harrod's, just to see the incredibly expensive things, but we also admired the Christmas decorations, because Florence has yet to start the holiday festivities. We actually saw someone spend £5000 on one item of clothing. It was an evening dress. I may not be the most fashionable person out there, but I saw nothing particularly special about the dress, and I don't know what would possess anyone to spend that kind of money on ONE clothing item. But I guess there are people who understand the philosophy, because Harrod's does well, as do other designer stores in the world.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdboc9L5z7eyeT0NlVMxBbKb3a-mhqqH2RWPODsvOvQA8LPbqdFViBz1mQeKUkKbtc_n6TyASIf9Eqi88Xr7eZmTUELhcjYekrNUhvFmmhSrF3k4TCs2VNhdK7vXE7SI6sP7gTngluBBtN/s1600/75689_1465482839560_1308180103_31088844_4709226_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdboc9L5z7eyeT0NlVMxBbKb3a-mhqqH2RWPODsvOvQA8LPbqdFViBz1mQeKUkKbtc_n6TyASIf9Eqi88Xr7eZmTUELhcjYekrNUhvFmmhSrF3k4TCs2VNhdK7vXE7SI6sP7gTngluBBtN/s200/75689_1465482839560_1308180103_31088844_4709226_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537307172954430258" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOv7TYPG03QgVZAzrtGxKWki-4ST6UdRTjidlfuXfhBAiVxdlpZ5-95pVH_YN7UyGyI5dGbxLY6LwlBqHGYUnzth0Kj-uoU5uYjyzo35Owqujg-lGSDlweqgx8pLqIOrIrTfqKww1pW0aE/s1600/72415_1465482999564_1308180103_31088846_812095_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOv7TYPG03QgVZAzrtGxKWki-4ST6UdRTjidlfuXfhBAiVxdlpZ5-95pVH_YN7UyGyI5dGbxLY6LwlBqHGYUnzth0Kj-uoU5uYjyzo35Owqujg-lGSDlweqgx8pLqIOrIrTfqKww1pW0aE/s200/72415_1465482999564_1308180103_31088846_812095_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537307171661267250" /></a><br /></div><div>It began raining as we left the mall, so we hurried back to the Tube and went to see the London Eye and Big Ben at night. They were beautiful with all the lights, but not so pleasant to observe in the rain, so we found a place to eat dinner on Bond Street. I looked for the MI6, but was unsuccessful. Instead, I ordered a delicious meat pie. In my head, the song "God, That's Good" (from the musical Sweeney Todd) kept playing on loop. We went back to the hostel, because it was too wet and our feet were incredibly sore. We had for last one more day of extreme tourism.</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVd8iCGkqUkybGJYHBipUatkLoHL1eHOeAIYTnUWDt4Mg3-wlkpGkcRWJjsiMGIa9Ljjwyu-gD70E9pKXq5JyARu3cD_Ch2CxXTAbCWw3SPxyKa2pZ2GuzKlK6ILpeCnORrMhmb6N8yuO/s1600/149641_1465483199569_1308180103_31088848_1377564_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVd8iCGkqUkybGJYHBipUatkLoHL1eHOeAIYTnUWDt4Mg3-wlkpGkcRWJjsiMGIa9Ljjwyu-gD70E9pKXq5JyARu3cD_Ch2CxXTAbCWw3SPxyKa2pZ2GuzKlK6ILpeCnORrMhmb6N8yuO/s200/149641_1465483199569_1308180103_31088848_1377564_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537311284634336370" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHlBGJSgbr2WY17ddWW_Wqoj4RjANMzuH0Bvdvo0UpWS5nqEHJnEGarZPzZCSMGLII_vml1ITv9ncH9dmDOXcm6iBZnb96NKhWUdP1Ij54C_8qZdkeGMvT3jdzLgrwoq5Yl1oY8UPia63h/s1600/PA292265.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHlBGJSgbr2WY17ddWW_Wqoj4RjANMzuH0Bvdvo0UpWS5nqEHJnEGarZPzZCSMGLII_vml1ITv9ncH9dmDOXcm6iBZnb96NKhWUdP1Ij54C_8qZdkeGMvT3jdzLgrwoq5Yl1oY8UPia63h/s200/PA292265.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537311278821369378" /></a><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNvzm_StOZmHWY3dXbys2I9ukaaM77vzWvUNhjRKF8baZ1nSYkT3GidHrEeZHNbw2mv40G_z2PEDkzWncUj49utvoDrJCZbTZgcSlhv_o9basntJsTE9y2l5wGM5-cTtQoCXWwFOqZ7d13/s200/76565_1465470439250_1308180103_31088749_2433343_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537311287691227618" /></div><div>We woke up and ate breakfast and then bought our metro passes for the day. We hurried to the metro station to catch the subway and make it to a walking tour by 11. But as we got to the station, we discovered that Grace had left her pass at the hostel. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje_QlQxAA0QzFBqupIK-j7kRGPn_BQtP-9_3f0f-kVUC001c1LQl8ZaTHvrnHfkKPCAAIjuvwhfwVYLX-p91f8Olsbfc20eMRAZ0k0hSL5SOSr7-EHDBVI71gjBHHQtPGNHNvjwsqQyKWz/s1600/PA302464.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje_QlQxAA0QzFBqupIK-j7kRGPn_BQtP-9_3f0f-kVUC001c1LQl8ZaTHvrnHfkKPCAAIjuvwhfwVYLX-p91f8Olsbfc20eMRAZ0k0hSL5SOSr7-EHDBVI71gjBHHQtPGNHNvjwsqQyKWz/s200/PA302464.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537323711272480466" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiinwrqfV-W0s0zDtzlSGC-_S3IAzUna3OKWXjZVQph7ahYTexonWBzF9OccKKze0c_tSZOwSIi-_lhZgECVT1glxSVbAjalBdC-5exiHq6FD3lj-WWB2NyxMx0qTa9NFEXSIsIZJkfJME/s1600/PA302465.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiinwrqfV-W0s0zDtzlSGC-_S3IAzUna3OKWXjZVQph7ahYTexonWBzF9OccKKze0c_tSZOwSIi-_lhZgECVT1glxSVbAjalBdC-5exiHq6FD3lj-WWB2NyxMx0qTa9NFEXSIsIZJkfJME/s200/PA302465.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537323707152669346" /></a><br /></div><div>So we had to go back and get her pass. We were too late to make the tour, so we went to Buckingham Palace to watch the changing of the guard. There were so many people there, and we couldn't get a good view, but it was fun. They played music, and the guards with their tall, fuzzy hats paraded around for 45 minutes.</div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ0-svr1HqUhklWqNKnh-A10mpvpHBp5oDC_cK1SUiT_JbvKUCBsZfQ6rJzoKV09-sm4Yx8kMMwrKEGwVpb8nI-ogzv2zgbK1HHG7OX0OdVqDsQXMrLgVpTQZh96i69tw10Aju_YINv4zx/s1600/PA292280.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ0-svr1HqUhklWqNKnh-A10mpvpHBp5oDC_cK1SUiT_JbvKUCBsZfQ6rJzoKV09-sm4Yx8kMMwrKEGwVpb8nI-ogzv2zgbK1HHG7OX0OdVqDsQXMrLgVpTQZh96i69tw10Aju_YINv4zx/s200/PA292280.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537317744075985522" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzCxl9ioDa4kHzzyYYhJexXE8hkxKfvdPZ2y57bW-SWdtuVzf80oOYcSuPUJMW-bd_3295XC7sJWyXJC3od_B99XT5rmznLRUfXQkiipRi8ejeyxkWYbMCgHdIuB_Uv7fi1zj1-re2JtiF/s1600/PA292282.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzCxl9ioDa4kHzzyYYhJexXE8hkxKfvdPZ2y57bW-SWdtuVzf80oOYcSuPUJMW-bd_3295XC7sJWyXJC3od_B99XT5rmznLRUfXQkiipRi8ejeyxkWYbMCgHdIuB_Uv7fi1zj1-re2JtiF/s200/PA292282.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537313865412555746" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlDHBn3GgyeIV207_ApasmZy2lbnzBRSguPkE9GMCyshzBrknomsk5pjYkLhS8jztHpWPqJUIidMgTo1IV8mfJSDUI7mCu8r8wmtrPrSs7LgLXc6VlV2MXgS_jKYy2ew5mKIMnDFURFRT6/s1600/PA292293.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlDHBn3GgyeIV207_ApasmZy2lbnzBRSguPkE9GMCyshzBrknomsk5pjYkLhS8jztHpWPqJUIidMgTo1IV8mfJSDUI7mCu8r8wmtrPrSs7LgLXc6VlV2MXgS_jKYy2ew5mKIMnDFURFRT6/s200/PA292293.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537313861717736498" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnpGkDTKztP-sN3Z0EvXNVm7PjWaTEQGWXGqAqJaEN0z_Qw52hdwHFMQBE8w-LDY4jUTDU10dC5FFG_LDqMhZ39-D09xovoZACJ8frYIewOyWExby_UHvVem3mMy5-TnRIHa2nPChiemB0/s1600/PA292305.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnpGkDTKztP-sN3Z0EvXNVm7PjWaTEQGWXGqAqJaEN0z_Qw52hdwHFMQBE8w-LDY4jUTDU10dC5FFG_LDqMhZ39-D09xovoZACJ8frYIewOyWExby_UHvVem3mMy5-TnRIHa2nPChiemB0/s200/PA292305.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537313856087096866" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQTZYUMGQWca9xXi34-KErBRPWdZgXd5qbnCogxrc9XfCHzKD06gZUpxFZwbnApp3t9xf9fhH_XO8aXxoRXwD95T9oHKeur9UER4BfnmLdJyipTTpqAIEKhYcDT3IZnoAX7-dEFGGRXNkw/s1600/PA292299.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQTZYUMGQWca9xXi34-KErBRPWdZgXd5qbnCogxrc9XfCHzKD06gZUpxFZwbnApp3t9xf9fhH_XO8aXxoRXwD95T9oHKeur9UER4BfnmLdJyipTTpqAIEKhYcDT3IZnoAX7-dEFGGRXNkw/s200/PA292299.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537313826356709842" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1wtOxqzibC4NALS6adz0JLV3E0kCELk2p8wr89XvbzDBbpeAh3YkNo7uCBiyDVrMbqXD138OZDc8N0lg1zjbK8bXNvovklcMUFHm74TGvsZLfgDk8Jiv8MFcQliOHIlOVShbMyQi58Db1/s1600/PA292333.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1wtOxqzibC4NALS6adz0JLV3E0kCELk2p8wr89XvbzDBbpeAh3YkNo7uCBiyDVrMbqXD138OZDc8N0lg1zjbK8bXNvovklcMUFHm74TGvsZLfgDk8Jiv8MFcQliOHIlOVShbMyQi58Db1/s200/PA292333.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537313820074469202" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXqfyYhyjfISlOXc88VYwdTxlGl6gVd74VZJvpdsdHhUE_F7jjTUgy-Atof2w1-DDKlyY9nD1S6DqDdp3zTJVZ73Qw2WLIOUy4Yi1ZWMWWqowaA8Ale_A-j5af5-38GB2ykLtWdJ9v_1uX/s1600/PA292336.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXqfyYhyjfISlOXc88VYwdTxlGl6gVd74VZJvpdsdHhUE_F7jjTUgy-Atof2w1-DDKlyY9nD1S6DqDdp3zTJVZ73Qw2WLIOUy4Yi1ZWMWWqowaA8Ale_A-j5af5-38GB2ykLtWdJ9v_1uX/s200/PA292336.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537314756596109906" /></a><br /><div>We then went to St. James Park and got some sandwiches and walked to the Wellington Arch to try and catch the later tour. But there was no tour to be found. So we decided we would do the tour on our own.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkZw1Fcc_q5-X1uv-dd9MxSPu6l8eP5I29VQ8UaS4oYvljenuvyjFcHYsazZclTw6FFTjBFSZy3e_w_xhnQqZxx_dkbNYCzKNy6Yq-rOFYww5hqo3ADzTMklsWLaDP8Sdf3BhUC8D5u0Lx/s200/71974_1465469759233_1308180103_31088743_7784017_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537311297000214706" /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYzpWYs-iIio6Q8K6nbu64yadIc8rCWwdU2B2ECRBNn5QHHava6M-2lKKsP8YwveJ2TYiwgHZ86CY2vZsV_2xvmbqtyejBzaBQBx26cPxyplHIY4igE49vCF3QwbGCPWBRMNQGVV0X4Hgh/s1600/PA292344.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYzpWYs-iIio6Q8K6nbu64yadIc8rCWwdU2B2ECRBNn5QHHava6M-2lKKsP8YwveJ2TYiwgHZ86CY2vZsV_2xvmbqtyejBzaBQBx26cPxyplHIY4igE49vCF3QwbGCPWBRMNQGVV0X4Hgh/s200/PA292344.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537314733833864994" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghJEaDjvjdbfICjwQ9OGBAcN8uGe0FdVVCsxdFEJvedOqhzf3_a-yhhmltVkRWqxPyrOzo79cZdYZxCqCAn65AnvEwCjjjoUTNa5jbSWzp8zT9vwBIONO1jBT5qlK1hjlr9OVkjJpbqToX/s1600/PA292345.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 136px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghJEaDjvjdbfICjwQ9OGBAcN8uGe0FdVVCsxdFEJvedOqhzf3_a-yhhmltVkRWqxPyrOzo79cZdYZxCqCAn65AnvEwCjjjoUTNa5jbSWzp8zT9vwBIONO1jBT5qlK1hjlr9OVkjJpbqToX/s200/PA292345.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537314725425101026" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsl7TSTkBr6sQddWgXDo-WYIjuo2hyrrCJANQXZAjvrS_ET1yRx4Jc4jyAAqLsX56kMDaZniJo3ViRHmL9Ng8qoJ4CoeIRjUdNco0P6Ie2YA0cWD7ORYKA-9s8_CF-szQeu9cFOIXkCUr7/s1600/PA292350.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsl7TSTkBr6sQddWgXDo-WYIjuo2hyrrCJANQXZAjvrS_ET1yRx4Jc4jyAAqLsX56kMDaZniJo3ViRHmL9Ng8qoJ4CoeIRjUdNco0P6Ie2YA0cWD7ORYKA-9s8_CF-szQeu9cFOIXkCUr7/s200/PA292350.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537314713636571682" /></a><br />We went to Hyde Park and walked around. There were so many people rollerblading. We reminisced about skate rinks in America and wished that skating hadn't gone out of style in the US. There were some really talented people skating around, too. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2dI0xXAYjer9m-9dbAeV9JvntNT-jAGcyOtgDiOhFvotPJ0g4IassvDAYqi3CFE53PBcVIFnmtZr-Eafo40Iqn6I3g_MxqGk9FgvEmJvbR-yZIsLecaVZpoiULTAiw_Dz5yOkIfjQUFYB/s1600/PA292276.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2dI0xXAYjer9m-9dbAeV9JvntNT-jAGcyOtgDiOhFvotPJ0g4IassvDAYqi3CFE53PBcVIFnmtZr-Eafo40Iqn6I3g_MxqGk9FgvEmJvbR-yZIsLecaVZpoiULTAiw_Dz5yOkIfjQUFYB/s200/PA292276.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537317744705764338" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK2i__Qx8e3Y4X7-sFnKZ2sBh-Qm5Au_npQeB_pD7H4WpkcxMLODRF6yv703thXq1kkH0vUGBiGAIV_Dg1ncgintKLC3w2QzeMwh5WEhCjoQo_YknZ7OL3VQ1BDir35vdVGWgIXjkNxvhw/s1600/PA292277.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK2i__Qx8e3Y4X7-sFnKZ2sBh-Qm5Au_npQeB_pD7H4WpkcxMLODRF6yv703thXq1kkH0vUGBiGAIV_Dg1ncgintKLC3w2QzeMwh5WEhCjoQo_YknZ7OL3VQ1BDir35vdVGWgIXjkNxvhw/s200/PA292277.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537317737309295730" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9yhVh8KH0ejurF7EPVNkSr7-4nNm1o-_hHWhVAUDbQ2nJn-YvEgYKgCq-6YvrbhPxLgcb-wMr8hsQ_rSI-d-A8PBv0QoNV0Xzue62i3V6gBI2yRBp19TF6mm8QY9nuGzQHIw2oerPi5G/s1600/PA292353.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9yhVh8KH0ejurF7EPVNkSr7-4nNm1o-_hHWhVAUDbQ2nJn-YvEgYKgCq-6YvrbhPxLgcb-wMr8hsQ_rSI-d-A8PBv0QoNV0Xzue62i3V6gBI2yRBp19TF6mm8QY9nuGzQHIw2oerPi5G/s200/PA292353.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537317735434614194" /></a><br /></div><div>We then went to see Big Ben and the London Eye by day. We also walked around Parliament square and saw Westminster Abbey.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixMEMJ7xSK4ymVe5K0eMFn8Y_NrjFJAQg6uWK9bNy8jYQPjAxvtQ3-Ar9NwFGIjdyPTrPux5JVKd84PAfcPYssYwbh3rSdkIeU3SIyaJIwHfJxW0DaMxY8G6Bq_bt7mahij6DjxsiSxVeb/s1600/PA292363.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixMEMJ7xSK4ymVe5K0eMFn8Y_NrjFJAQg6uWK9bNy8jYQPjAxvtQ3-Ar9NwFGIjdyPTrPux5JVKd84PAfcPYssYwbh3rSdkIeU3SIyaJIwHfJxW0DaMxY8G6Bq_bt7mahij6DjxsiSxVeb/s200/PA292363.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537317730165757026" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhap8al53S9OO5qJ2LlewlYKE5pnT_KVho1627mgxDFNla6DYf9CBzTsFzfKaL64-6Z28imKLUri37_KuySbNJSuy2zBZr9BOE3zEhMpalSU3GyXSKNM_Uq6oP6y2YTsN6lRifFJD68ox3w/s1600/PA292366.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhap8al53S9OO5qJ2LlewlYKE5pnT_KVho1627mgxDFNla6DYf9CBzTsFzfKaL64-6Z28imKLUri37_KuySbNJSuy2zBZr9BOE3zEhMpalSU3GyXSKNM_Uq6oP6y2YTsN6lRifFJD68ox3w/s200/PA292366.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537321999804389234" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_YgYzOuAwzjnrB9ZwrZKydw7nY5aqvFeqKVdq-Pu4l2v7qzfXvM4kOcFL6kpsK3tGmYL4-ubTmDQVcS1gjDxdNdOv9FQKxnJ5hfWnn7008bjuYbC7PYSJpWYiEOTy6_7LMFWtj8TKhUZ3/s1600/PA292374.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_YgYzOuAwzjnrB9ZwrZKydw7nY5aqvFeqKVdq-Pu4l2v7qzfXvM4kOcFL6kpsK3tGmYL4-ubTmDQVcS1gjDxdNdOv9FQKxnJ5hfWnn7008bjuYbC7PYSJpWYiEOTy6_7LMFWtj8TKhUZ3/s200/PA292374.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537321994664179122" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgucypMe0mTFnPmzPoCZwfTgR1Pt7spK8Nx8MyRupdOZybJlBnthyphenhyphennU6fHNiDCMvsu2MfZ3RcOXDp7jJFqMr5d9asypMD04FPhL_tSueRt8DGgS5J0BXNMiVPAj93TH_eiiLCH8XIIvP-wh/s1600/PA292376.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgucypMe0mTFnPmzPoCZwfTgR1Pt7spK8Nx8MyRupdOZybJlBnthyphenhyphennU6fHNiDCMvsu2MfZ3RcOXDp7jJFqMr5d9asypMD04FPhL_tSueRt8DGgS5J0BXNMiVPAj93TH_eiiLCH8XIIvP-wh/s200/PA292376.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537321991897192562" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEW77T5YrG8SwJqzcUaG-505owZoa1w6NGezCYZBBUJC-LNORK5MMq1kzfPBEybaVLKE_bM2g_2WKA0xWvWRhf7oTOu_kAppsoHjygmhCTt0wtgh0EhU9vRutm2KwhPebPgMy3s-vIXs0H/s1600/PA292377.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEW77T5YrG8SwJqzcUaG-505owZoa1w6NGezCYZBBUJC-LNORK5MMq1kzfPBEybaVLKE_bM2g_2WKA0xWvWRhf7oTOu_kAppsoHjygmhCTt0wtgh0EhU9vRutm2KwhPebPgMy3s-vIXs0H/s200/PA292377.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537321989662201650" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdB8WVp17-qKGgNMyvdNxsdH4A272adN0AwyO3Dg70UZ4KZOGEuZgttm2h7wVUDdCvudgGevpTweIxbdX_21319w1JlBxCUccyNn5Dbf8-kvZMTEqEhSeov0VMJXTRGX_QJ1JSG9GdCPTQ/s1600/PA292385.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdB8WVp17-qKGgNMyvdNxsdH4A272adN0AwyO3Dg70UZ4KZOGEuZgttm2h7wVUDdCvudgGevpTweIxbdX_21319w1JlBxCUccyNn5Dbf8-kvZMTEqEhSeov0VMJXTRGX_QJ1JSG9GdCPTQ/s200/PA292385.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537321981560485010" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8fwD3ZtcNqc2ZErit_KvHEOZCm3F0cnjfRzGv95r4syn3Ogowz2-k8c98FGH7ViyQr7kg2B1Dpk-p52zaSkufhyphenhyphenWjMVZqfLfFXNixpWDE_5Mjfa2MTE49tLFXG3H3TybkRdk_Pon-5nAS/s1600/PA292398.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8fwD3ZtcNqc2ZErit_KvHEOZCm3F0cnjfRzGv95r4syn3Ogowz2-k8c98FGH7ViyQr7kg2B1Dpk-p52zaSkufhyphenhyphenWjMVZqfLfFXNixpWDE_5Mjfa2MTE49tLFXG3H3TybkRdk_Pon-5nAS/s200/PA292398.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537322469093378610" /></a><br /></div><div>We went to Trafalgar Square and witnessed an NFL rally, because the San Francisco 49ers were playing there the next day. It was quite strange to see a bunch of American Football fans walking around.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDYB2TnNPcSQxw4G4marm4VPXlqcbhp4dFFmjn-1_lUx059qYVIvwNvlK4C-LeMJ9rbsqsLO9g_nfkntpAnxYMGUb-0ZbQX6_wS93WWZKHBt80XP61zFs_evNbjYqk0fMluoVdr4tO5DZ5/s1600/PA292416.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDYB2TnNPcSQxw4G4marm4VPXlqcbhp4dFFmjn-1_lUx059qYVIvwNvlK4C-LeMJ9rbsqsLO9g_nfkntpAnxYMGUb-0ZbQX6_wS93WWZKHBt80XP61zFs_evNbjYqk0fMluoVdr4tO5DZ5/s200/PA292416.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537322465753735186" /></a><br /></div><div>We then had to search out a Starbucks, because Veronika was craving it and refused to continue on without it. So we found one and had some drinks. I also got some carrot cake that was delicious. Afterwards, we went to the National Gallery. We saw so many famous and beautiful works of art. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4eiqMa95SvYJsG1xdAPt-_isqyLik7dRFWSloPam6VJ3XRzhU8WQmeSGG72KGz27a5IJSHIqYNwdduCb_cqXqMpYiTDoIMAIxdMAbZT6cTEjdTbnsJIRKxuw3RNhuRlZd7x7F9eeqhW8A/s1600/PA292417.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4eiqMa95SvYJsG1xdAPt-_isqyLik7dRFWSloPam6VJ3XRzhU8WQmeSGG72KGz27a5IJSHIqYNwdduCb_cqXqMpYiTDoIMAIxdMAbZT6cTEjdTbnsJIRKxuw3RNhuRlZd7x7F9eeqhW8A/s200/PA292417.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537322427520102786" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinz8xLy_DuaHmWMUH447HL9RbI50bHK8fLiyyO5Mv4OL1R_0R-0oU_W1wiCIjfntenElq00Rx4BZ1xUziuddPmdcvcwdxWISYwDRlMJ2QbKKuBJeNvSs1ZazKQfzTaqbU9n8qqxmxXlPJm/s1600/PA292419.JPG"><img style="display:block; 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margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqphLmMEY_OmfFsraZHlMuhPgKTPwuxXq4tfU3P_IW7QsNgO1SsAbbQkiWK_xtHlC6ryWD1dj6XjkYSGp8xYBTbXxOIAD6Jvo99VgE8NNrFU6RI47aKqqgfQIvCvDEV8PlKkis_LJ5sz4d/s200/PA292435.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537323278937113298" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTunXJbLFnC19HymhI8_JDjWExBe8nt9LXRxtswUTfLr_YQ5o0tLrNdSMsWSF7pqNutRxg-y-LEbZEpmxUty2CpOg6OnAzc_kKxndjgNmm1rj0rIhdQuCt4sERL9jgfE1U54K8mWx-neZ/s1600/PA292436.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTunXJbLFnC19HymhI8_JDjWExBe8nt9LXRxtswUTfLr_YQ5o0tLrNdSMsWSF7pqNutRxg-y-LEbZEpmxUty2CpOg6OnAzc_kKxndjgNmm1rj0rIhdQuCt4sERL9jgfE1U54K8mWx-neZ/s200/PA292436.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537323275031414402" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4GGy7mqwPOVGc93LUHW_6MjBf2zBJ4p9pLudmCIbbYRQ8KIEabuFaNTU83FwGkaMjUE9VcFODlo3FCB7IgdqwaMQoO40V_i-SqXQAmyAVRgMFXQSUN8rEROIV-st1ZZmiGuuGM812ev0v/s1600/PA292439.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4GGy7mqwPOVGc93LUHW_6MjBf2zBJ4p9pLudmCIbbYRQ8KIEabuFaNTU83FwGkaMjUE9VcFODlo3FCB7IgdqwaMQoO40V_i-SqXQAmyAVRgMFXQSUN8rEROIV-st1ZZmiGuuGM812ev0v/s200/PA292439.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537323270044817762" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8DZczinxZEX8Nz6q6Z7sHDO-6KwZI_NvHZ3OyfdB1-MXW5fl-ngooe8sSeKvoX64gjwTZiLrSu5Xm2CqhN0gJ8jax1lj_E9h60EMGMyHSW9d4Zt0oweD79amwuyOHPXJsUlpK3DP6uIYG/s1600/PA292443.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8DZczinxZEX8Nz6q6Z7sHDO-6KwZI_NvHZ3OyfdB1-MXW5fl-ngooe8sSeKvoX64gjwTZiLrSu5Xm2CqhN0gJ8jax1lj_E9h60EMGMyHSW9d4Zt0oweD79amwuyOHPXJsUlpK3DP6uIYG/s200/PA292443.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537323700715948930" /></a><br /></div><div>We then went to Piccadilly Circus, which was essentially a less impressive Times Square (in New York).</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Ey-6wHgG0f8AiyhtNKta4vM966X3-jMSjWaLLm50WmUmXqQCPWYGqCtqvBPlnDWLtMOoDxwgLFSfgUO-PNORKgHpCQEbCrrmy1l3AESFv2rdpWl2smYFTiCEqaqz5GTjy5KyAv6geAlX/s1600/PA292450.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Ey-6wHgG0f8AiyhtNKta4vM966X3-jMSjWaLLm50WmUmXqQCPWYGqCtqvBPlnDWLtMOoDxwgLFSfgUO-PNORKgHpCQEbCrrmy1l3AESFv2rdpWl2smYFTiCEqaqz5GTjy5KyAv6geAlX/s200/PA292450.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537323714042618082" /></a><br /></div><div>Then we took the metro to King's Cross Station, because we wanted to see Platform 9 3/4. As we got on the metro, they announced that due to overcrowding, no metro was stopping at King's Cross. So we got off a stop before and walked.We must have been in the wrong place, however, because we got all the way to platforms 9-11 and then were stopped by a ticket counter. But we were too tired to search out the plaque, so we just went back and bought some Cornish pasties for dinner. I got a traditional one, which was potato, onion, and beef. The other two got chicken and vegetable, which tasted like a chicken pot pie in calzone form.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaXUK9gWSZ_aNa-yE3SK9JHoo0udzTD_oV6yU_eBPpbvW9YE00ZxxBHwJoaXv-foA5QDeTyZrpH3EK7wdlcF0QQ1q2z7cTSRWfOLVmD0da0dwJhx7OxRnS_MtKqU7G8PHOOpfE801uS_ZA/s1600/PA302461.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaXUK9gWSZ_aNa-yE3SK9JHoo0udzTD_oV6yU_eBPpbvW9YE00ZxxBHwJoaXv-foA5QDeTyZrpH3EK7wdlcF0QQ1q2z7cTSRWfOLVmD0da0dwJhx7OxRnS_MtKqU7G8PHOOpfE801uS_ZA/s200/PA302461.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537323714085309794" /></a><br />We then went back to the hostel and ordered a sub-par creme brûlée, and Grace got a low quality beer that she couldn't finish, because she couldn't stand the taste. We found a place in the lounge to wait until it was time to catch our bus to the airport. That night was the daylight savings change in Europe, and we wanted to be on the bus before the change so we would be in the airport in case somehow they forgot about the change and left an hour early, but actually left around 2:10 (the second time we lived that time that night), because we didn't want to wait the extra hour at the airport, when the couches were so comfy. The bus and plane rides were easy and uneventful. We had made it back to Italy.</div><div><br /></div><div>We got on a bus to the Rome train station. Then we stopped at a Conad grocery store to get some food, because we figured it would be better and cheaper than buying food at the train station restaurants. It certainly was cheaper, but the quality was terrible. Veronika couldn't finish her sandwich. Grace and I forced ours down because we were so hungry. I was glad to have eaten something, even if it was gross.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our train was delayed, so when it finally pulled into the station, we piled on and found an empty compartment and fell asleep, assuming that the train would take us back home. We woke up about an hour later (around 12:30 PM), and realized that we were still in Rome, in the same spot where we'd fallen asleep. We looked outside to see what had happened, and saw that our train was scheduled to depart in 15 minutes. Upset that we wasted an hour, but not seeing what else we could do about it, we went back to sleep.</div><div><br /></div><div>The train pulled out of the station and about an hour into the ride, an Italian guy comes into our compartment and tries to get us to buy his train ticket (he didn't have one when he got on the train). When we didn't do that, he questioned us about where we were from and what we were doing in Italy. He didn't speak much English, and our Italian was pretty horrendous. Luckily, he got off at the next stop, so we didn't have to endure him for long. We went back to sleep. The next time we woke up, we saw another Italian man pacing outside of our door, staring in creepily. He didn't come in, but we pretended to keep sleeping, in case he decided that our wakefulness was enough of an invitation to pester us.</div><div><br /></div><div>We arrived back in Florence and made our way to our apartment around 2:30 PM. We had been traveling for 14 hours, and actually for the past 8 days. We were glad to be home, but we had such a great adventure. It was absolutely worth it.</div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11705583397776601590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2076998410662702438.post-14132692815189712362010-11-07T08:02:00.000-08:002010-11-07T10:50:29.498-08:00Extreme Tourism: BarcelonaYou're reading the second part of a three part post! If you missed the first part, you can catch up <a href="http://piztravel.blogspot.com/2010/11/stranger-in-strange-world-rome-and.html">here</a>.<br /><div><br /></div><div>We woke up early and I was loathe to wake, since it was the first night I had slept with no interruptions. But I did, and we managed to get out of the hostel by 5:40. Our taxi arrived a few minutes after that wand we made our way to the bus stop. Grace got carsick.</div><div><br /></div><div>We got on our bus to the airport and went through to our gate with no problems at all. However, our plane was late, so we had to wait around for a long time. We boarded 5 minutes before our scheduled takeoff. The flight was fine, except there was a screaming baby and at the end of the flight, we went through some serious turbulence. I thought it was great and it felt like a roller coaster ride, but Emily got motion sick and Grace had boarded this plane queasy, and Veronika wasn't too pleased with the ride either. So my jokes about the smooth, wonderful flight weren't received too well. We were again landed to a herald of trumpets. Then we took a bus to the city center of Barcelona. I slept most of the bus ride.</div><div><br /></div><div>We left the bus station and tried to find the metro to get to our hostel, but failed to find it, despite the "clear" directions we got from half a dozen people and after walking around a few square blocks with our luggage. We decided to stop for food, since we hadn't eaten since our sushi, around 8 the previous night. It was almost 2 in the afternoon.</div><div><br /></div><div>We sat down and Emily got spicy home fries and I got tortilla española and the other two got hot dogs. Tortilla española is a potato and egg casserole, essentially. After we had some food in us, we were able to find the metro (which was still in an obscure location) and made it to our hostel, Mambo Tango. After our experience with Three Ducks, this place looked like a 5 star hotel. It was a very nice hostel, even without the Three Ducks experience. We took showers for the first time on our trip (we didn't dare in Paris) and rediscovered how wonderful it is to feel clean. Then we decided to catch a walking tour of Gaudi's architecture. Antoni Gaudi was a Spanish architect that believed in organic forms, and since there aren't any straight lines in nature, there shouldn't be in architecture, either. So his buildings are very unique and easily distinguishable.</div><div><br /></div><div>We had a little time to kill before the tour started, so we stopped at a cafe and ordered coffee and cake. I had a hot chocolate that I ate with a spoon. That's right. With a spoon. Hot chocolate in Italy, and apparently in Barcelona as well, is literally heated chocolate, and so when served, it has almost a pudding consistency, and is impossible to just drink. It's incredibly rich, but oh so delicious. I also got orange lemon cake and Veronika and Emily got carrot cake.</div><div><br /></div><div>We then went to meet our tour, but we were two minutes late and the tour was nowhere to be seen. So we decided to go on our own tour. We walked up and down La Rambla, the 1.2 km pedestrian mall that is lined with shops and restaurants and entertainers. We also saw a Hard Rock Cafe, which was a nice little reminder of home. We also saw a plaza full of pigeons, and a lot of awesome non-Gaudi architecture. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFVwzIwIn_A3lKKSRaUa_3Yj-PLnsaL9VOwYAO-Z-flZsbfaUbNNWV_YJpz0kP9X4EqPJukNTf_DbMGS2z-k5Sq61y22OilBzT7JXu-OmTRHDheM8GiEHmrLB7lLh_ef4mPdn59ghhiRH5/s1600/75029_1465653643830_1308180103_31089425_3955904_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFVwzIwIn_A3lKKSRaUa_3Yj-PLnsaL9VOwYAO-Z-flZsbfaUbNNWV_YJpz0kP9X4EqPJukNTf_DbMGS2z-k5Sq61y22OilBzT7JXu-OmTRHDheM8GiEHmrLB7lLh_ef4mPdn59ghhiRH5/s200/75029_1465653643830_1308180103_31089425_3955904_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536867853451916274" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihU07GxUZhJUBJWKhM8ENqj_N49EtNPBRMRH6vBKiP2jYKTmtIkeuB6CxZE3A2yaW-Z8y6PiqSAyxzSZ3unwlgO_ED3mTVTWdv_dGJn1lDNJzPW8pkYu22DToDPXuwZvRF_w07TrCTd2nT/s1600/77165_1465653403824_1308180103_31089423_3663557_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihU07GxUZhJUBJWKhM8ENqj_N49EtNPBRMRH6vBKiP2jYKTmtIkeuB6CxZE3A2yaW-Z8y6PiqSAyxzSZ3unwlgO_ED3mTVTWdv_dGJn1lDNJzPW8pkYu22DToDPXuwZvRF_w07TrCTd2nT/s200/77165_1465653403824_1308180103_31089423_3663557_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536867847783505698" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHbIKj-pnjGMPLhTG5FI7JipAYdPggj8XHcQVyjiuu4DoU7-x7XdWPDHJtwQbSkgsgqzCgb4_ODVf3fdt_Sn1ttOxfE6lAeKp46CwfNL6SmCQRV_460RnURsZf6TPzehy51vHtvlWshyN5/s1600/74889_1465652523802_1308180103_31089415_7083816_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHbIKj-pnjGMPLhTG5FI7JipAYdPggj8XHcQVyjiuu4DoU7-x7XdWPDHJtwQbSkgsgqzCgb4_ODVf3fdt_Sn1ttOxfE6lAeKp46CwfNL6SmCQRV_460RnURsZf6TPzehy51vHtvlWshyN5/s200/74889_1465652523802_1308180103_31089415_7083816_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536864568530934258" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpavpCrEAF1jmuglm4jmqDHUa0sYVOREpd6HPitxqrMOMF3oY5hSENUjLZhbsP0UNWFGD9mJ59SRV2YRU57LyyRdvU-DlvvMiPk9ZR0FZh1tff0lAyduqbzm5SEtpcnA9-SoK07I4YxjRl/s1600/75038_1465655443875_1308180103_31089440_5234448_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpavpCrEAF1jmuglm4jmqDHUa0sYVOREpd6HPitxqrMOMF3oY5hSENUjLZhbsP0UNWFGD9mJ59SRV2YRU57LyyRdvU-DlvvMiPk9ZR0FZh1tff0lAyduqbzm5SEtpcnA9-SoK07I4YxjRl/s200/75038_1465655443875_1308180103_31089440_5234448_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536864562416974354" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijVY96fuVAZeKjCkSd69Q5gwWFDxDOerlU69-ftEqvv7piyLaVeBedKutpnR7S7GEzRQoopnyzvrDocLM_Em80BjXJgflgG9Hlhuv3HbD7hjSvnNXW2gROua5VtzHM3VYBQ-JcEBK9FmY9/s1600/75158_1465655563878_1308180103_31089441_1663002_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijVY96fuVAZeKjCkSd69Q5gwWFDxDOerlU69-ftEqvv7piyLaVeBedKutpnR7S7GEzRQoopnyzvrDocLM_Em80BjXJgflgG9Hlhuv3HbD7hjSvnNXW2gROua5VtzHM3VYBQ-JcEBK9FmY9/s200/75158_1465655563878_1308180103_31089441_1663002_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536864561970066930" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ9QfNNBpEDZ6wgaQfSK35U0PF4I6G1T9Od1bzGs6SbqUvw2gGgn2X4XWaxe1yJdSmb7lH9PvoLysvE1q3DmyhTlnhDfOZeEta9QJPltk2yPggUK6t6TdM4KTU_6uBwst_8rE4Gb_6wcNf/s1600/75634_1465653963838_1308180103_31089428_7268144_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ9QfNNBpEDZ6wgaQfSK35U0PF4I6G1T9Od1bzGs6SbqUvw2gGgn2X4XWaxe1yJdSmb7lH9PvoLysvE1q3DmyhTlnhDfOZeEta9QJPltk2yPggUK6t6TdM4KTU_6uBwst_8rE4Gb_6wcNf/s200/75634_1465653963838_1308180103_31089428_7268144_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536864551929177730" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2zalewHuQqR7VhEEy-KzeWMcyijse6ALqu1bHmjH58Xe_MIgSMV1Xu_AlyA5qEhTAkykp87p038SB9cufe-7RGCyLFi9pXCh19bCX_cHpRmHxBRhx3rcyhO8XvcoK5zpnn0D97pQoS_f2/s1600/72582_1465675484376_1308180103_31089539_8327984_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2zalewHuQqR7VhEEy-KzeWMcyijse6ALqu1bHmjH58Xe_MIgSMV1Xu_AlyA5qEhTAkykp87p038SB9cufe-7RGCyLFi9pXCh19bCX_cHpRmHxBRhx3rcyhO8XvcoK5zpnn0D97pQoS_f2/s200/72582_1465675484376_1308180103_31089539_8327984_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536865242482660626" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZLtEqQQwcihQJplh9TRDcqDdSok10Y1jcmf73HQQ4Kh7YRD7M-dhMsdT3ZJbX91Vhgb0BQVhvqY5ylkUsGkvoaSbYi7FurPMf0J1CJ3Miy9F4awfhdh8betk7djT6BFmDS3r_8omEnBCh/s1600/149545_1465652763808_1308180103_31089417_6970056_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZLtEqQQwcihQJplh9TRDcqDdSok10Y1jcmf73HQQ4Kh7YRD7M-dhMsdT3ZJbX91Vhgb0BQVhvqY5ylkUsGkvoaSbYi7FurPMf0J1CJ3Miy9F4awfhdh8betk7djT6BFmDS3r_8omEnBCh/s200/149545_1465652763808_1308180103_31089417_6970056_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536865242160969634" /></a><br /></div><div>We went to the three main Gaudi buildings. The first was his house. The next was Casa Mila, which has structures at the top that supposedly are the inspiration for George Lucas's Storm Troopers. And the last was Sagrada Familia. Gaudi died during the construction of this last, immense building, but it is still being completed, with a finish date of 2015. We got lost on our way back and ended up taking the metro home.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Z-hGADkePSm-N_OMG1SmfEOntMmAdGoOtxg8jy6NUp4jSt7pATWmup9_SYUMOAMP1-ZGz_mgquWNhGPCc2RX6zYvYmz5SKQBOOARMjJ5d-nSSyid8XjzvBRbO0XvPc9Yk9eaMlg0IVix/s1600/148519_1465655203869_1308180103_31089438_2881658_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Z-hGADkePSm-N_OMG1SmfEOntMmAdGoOtxg8jy6NUp4jSt7pATWmup9_SYUMOAMP1-ZGz_mgquWNhGPCc2RX6zYvYmz5SKQBOOARMjJ5d-nSSyid8XjzvBRbO0XvPc9Yk9eaMlg0IVix/s200/148519_1465655203869_1308180103_31089438_2881658_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536865234891089842" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgygLfkuqGkgNEXryDekdmEn01CjGjDFNvKdZjTRVeVpi7NL4JTkpn06plJaHwkKFxJ9CpfiveRqtqx2XoBHGXbAopziwZleJT6NGAFPRAKUP4NTfBcIoZce5zUc7aIj_vM91EundMxtZ_p/s1600/72224_1465655283871_1308180103_31089439_489576_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgygLfkuqGkgNEXryDekdmEn01CjGjDFNvKdZjTRVeVpi7NL4JTkpn06plJaHwkKFxJ9CpfiveRqtqx2XoBHGXbAopziwZleJT6NGAFPRAKUP4NTfBcIoZce5zUc7aIj_vM91EundMxtZ_p/s200/72224_1465655283871_1308180103_31089439_489576_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536865232330385746" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjPxDf2V37gRjJpbiWByB1tD0D0anJd4mlFJqrS3DYEQ6rd096GnEaG5LTycXT-LctJ2yvK7sn6OnLFj0ESVvlZ3emdLNXih1S4s_Lj7pEyEdmxRPY1USbF_QlCokaY-Ov5PX4MO7QRcKL/s1600/76406_1465656123892_1308180103_31089445_1852915_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjPxDf2V37gRjJpbiWByB1tD0D0anJd4mlFJqrS3DYEQ6rd096GnEaG5LTycXT-LctJ2yvK7sn6OnLFj0ESVvlZ3emdLNXih1S4s_Lj7pEyEdmxRPY1USbF_QlCokaY-Ov5PX4MO7QRcKL/s200/76406_1465656123892_1308180103_31089445_1852915_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536865226281171202" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioGy5egUwTeE9DwuRfpXDpv4FsZxhemFagoG1AvxzmkfPYc4mS4Pw3nKglGOV5Q0asjcnxKEwZFwkJ70lFwhse8UVGIZICkGhbWVtYv0f7Vc705ZyRpI7O42-V6L2jM_-IVzVz629Uuies/s1600/149694_1465656203894_1308180103_31089446_3348667_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioGy5egUwTeE9DwuRfpXDpv4FsZxhemFagoG1AvxzmkfPYc4mS4Pw3nKglGOV5Q0asjcnxKEwZFwkJ70lFwhse8UVGIZICkGhbWVtYv0f7Vc705ZyRpI7O42-V6L2jM_-IVzVz629Uuies/s200/149694_1465656203894_1308180103_31089446_3348667_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536866375395304210" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEvHhpN0-7w-rsfE5VvPzEfRsZTgLE8yDyMLDiXMSQfOgdQd3rgaHGTc_y43shzmMuU4ckk7QZslLN-Yunpxyd7GA3lOMk8zxYQjUG6TnRfAxguAhdH2z6-Z5KWqA4BxCJ37tBk7nmjcyL/s1600/33896_1465656963913_1308180103_31089453_4103147_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEvHhpN0-7w-rsfE5VvPzEfRsZTgLE8yDyMLDiXMSQfOgdQd3rgaHGTc_y43shzmMuU4ckk7QZslLN-Yunpxyd7GA3lOMk8zxYQjUG6TnRfAxguAhdH2z6-Z5KWqA4BxCJ37tBk7nmjcyL/s200/33896_1465656963913_1308180103_31089453_4103147_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536866375008439810" /></a><br /></div><div>Emily and Grace tried to use their bus passes on the metro and couldn't figure out why they weren't being let into the station. When they figured it out, the metro guard smiled sympathetically and said "Watch out for pickpockets. Welcome to Barcelona, girls." He must have assumed that we were stupid Americans, which, while not far from the truth, was sort of depressing.</div><div><br /></div><div>Emily's roommate had told her about Juicy Jones, a vegetarian juice bar, that we just HAD to try. So we tried to find the juice bar, failed, got lost, and ended up eating dinner on La Rambla at a tapas bar. Tapas are assorted appetizers. We had a lot of different tapas and then we had tortilla española again. Then we got churros for dessert. We went back to the hostel after a full day and planned our adventure for the next day and then went to bed.</div><div><br /></div><div>The next day, we woke up and ate breakfast at the hostel, which consisted of cereal, toast and jam, and tea or coffee. It was simple and clearly store bought, but good enough for me. We went out and walked to La Rambla to find that juice bar again. We were determined. We were successful in finding the establishment, but it was closed, so we decided to come back later and try once more. So we walked to the Cathedral and Gothic Barcelona and saw the Roman ruins there.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi85S6Qz_9QCY0kzBZ9eaKFcVEdKne7oTaIfjjo6hJwYnwgzL4WSahzukAzAa31VzN7gqgzghnN9oh0rizRcYlWzA_AMSoQZEJSMAk5RfyrfpB9sCnAHBwsNqtXU-y3hSr39wbR76IncVm1/s1600/72250_1465668524202_1308180103_31089472_8067327_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi85S6Qz_9QCY0kzBZ9eaKFcVEdKne7oTaIfjjo6hJwYnwgzL4WSahzukAzAa31VzN7gqgzghnN9oh0rizRcYlWzA_AMSoQZEJSMAk5RfyrfpB9sCnAHBwsNqtXU-y3hSr39wbR76IncVm1/s200/72250_1465668524202_1308180103_31089472_8067327_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536867150566684322" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyEpdno_O3Jk5Z1PEkhKel1q_vH1l7kdCLVjMJBz5PsLAHvvhwfjXTHd_Urm8d9t3LE93KKlFEItCFAc8moQa376o3DDpq37I-4TpSpfQqPrAlwNKq-Uxz-3wLgUqlO53jMfaVF9RuThXP/s1600/77026_1465668604204_1308180103_31089473_6148350_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyEpdno_O3Jk5Z1PEkhKel1q_vH1l7kdCLVjMJBz5PsLAHvvhwfjXTHd_Urm8d9t3LE93KKlFEItCFAc8moQa376o3DDpq37I-4TpSpfQqPrAlwNKq-Uxz-3wLgUqlO53jMfaVF9RuThXP/s200/77026_1465668604204_1308180103_31089473_6148350_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536867142059254322" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimHFm94guTF53xPvE3q6YzG_gfzDECVs-3NgPran0n7o5Wdbz3_whNsSQEQAGWjebg_seEIhl5d2basEYm2if_rIRfCbhBPXxxBf56f8Sa5cbLAhKE3IFVXxxMuRsE1FWPfspOJP4WWe_0/s1600/74467_1465669484226_1308180103_31089482_5924951_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimHFm94guTF53xPvE3q6YzG_gfzDECVs-3NgPran0n7o5Wdbz3_whNsSQEQAGWjebg_seEIhl5d2basEYm2if_rIRfCbhBPXxxBf56f8Sa5cbLAhKE3IFVXxxMuRsE1FWPfspOJP4WWe_0/s200/74467_1465669484226_1308180103_31089482_5924951_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536867139325304146" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwJvuS7cpJ-zX7vEdJFyGe-4Go-EZc8YGTwoTRHu-dL-zlRJYOaN9-cDKe-k0Q_3cPlJWZCN9Y0vuETWjOESHa4YET9bNfcrBzkHmJR9p5TVv0ModTnxJ-YGeDYBQdTsEBtU6CVBMJIhmJ/s1600/75606_1465669084216_1308180103_31089479_7480804_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwJvuS7cpJ-zX7vEdJFyGe-4Go-EZc8YGTwoTRHu-dL-zlRJYOaN9-cDKe-k0Q_3cPlJWZCN9Y0vuETWjOESHa4YET9bNfcrBzkHmJR9p5TVv0ModTnxJ-YGeDYBQdTsEBtU6CVBMJIhmJ/s200/75606_1465669084216_1308180103_31089479_7480804_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536867133271531634" /></a><br /></div><div>We got lost (this is a trend in Barcelona for us), and ended up on the coast. We walked around and had fun seeing whatever we stumbled upon. We saw the huge statue of Christopher Columbus, and saw cable cars running high above the city. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAv5Uz7CyB68mjnAGhdvB0lRnnw5ONtQ96e44xf1KEP8i12sUBcWu66XrNo6MKtKYJBLTfu79HgRS_M2HnySWx4ZB4YSoUmpch1g6HE6MGIC-Qa6sy3TgvcpQKK2XeRO8jzSF9y_z_tHRN/s1600/150024_1465670124242_1308180103_31089489_1150847_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAv5Uz7CyB68mjnAGhdvB0lRnnw5ONtQ96e44xf1KEP8i12sUBcWu66XrNo6MKtKYJBLTfu79HgRS_M2HnySWx4ZB4YSoUmpch1g6HE6MGIC-Qa6sy3TgvcpQKK2XeRO8jzSF9y_z_tHRN/s200/150024_1465670124242_1308180103_31089489_1150847_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536867130256613250" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBK5p9p6I7aCtMbRMI95D00ZkK2P4EY01zm3R60FXBpvGm_Ky8AY0Zh5yWPVJFlrotCRBs_7Zpe_NdOiTjKRk02WwCr5-baf-r9vvm6EDBkBAap4I6v12cu_9j1zJZAfRt6fcravMRETO-/s1600/74431_1465669964238_1308180103_31089487_4601158_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBK5p9p6I7aCtMbRMI95D00ZkK2P4EY01zm3R60FXBpvGm_Ky8AY0Zh5yWPVJFlrotCRBs_7Zpe_NdOiTjKRk02WwCr5-baf-r9vvm6EDBkBAap4I6v12cu_9j1zJZAfRt6fcravMRETO-/s200/74431_1465669964238_1308180103_31089487_4601158_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536867882790279970" /></a><br /></div><div>Then we went to lunch and I had a tuna salad tapas, seafood paella (Spanish rice and meat), and a strange dessert that looked and tasted like a hardened ho-ho. After lunch, we decided to try the juice bar once more, and we basically opened the store, since they were just arriving as we showed up. I had a delicious milkshake smoothie juice drink, full of dates, raisins, apricot, pear, and other assorted fruits. It was thick and wonderful.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbYlkXNA78cJL5TWUdz1-6odgymR3ve1MRY0Z7Cu7iyg861QrJ-Rw-mmXCkKQ86HmeaPULaYf7YQDjGMq5Optg5ewg8cnclFtQI0gRKYyl3QM-_4eyjyBiObb97KHnZhZF68zGinDJCPKH/s1600/149650_1465671404274_1308180103_31089503_2120043_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbYlkXNA78cJL5TWUdz1-6odgymR3ve1MRY0Z7Cu7iyg861QrJ-Rw-mmXCkKQ86HmeaPULaYf7YQDjGMq5Optg5ewg8cnclFtQI0gRKYyl3QM-_4eyjyBiObb97KHnZhZF68zGinDJCPKH/s200/149650_1465671404274_1308180103_31089503_2120043_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536866370750258034" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFgg-thGRQVdMI2CiSrzk_r8k8ZpycwoakT-vTDREeXOVa3tYZbYLDJf3uqp9Geraq5ehQ8xk2oTbmczqM9OvErXlIGNqnpN3vXssIUzS343xYKCjk9CrWHMdpMXSxOMqKtKrUFJg2x60F/s1600/PA262100.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFgg-thGRQVdMI2CiSrzk_r8k8ZpycwoakT-vTDREeXOVa3tYZbYLDJf3uqp9Geraq5ehQ8xk2oTbmczqM9OvErXlIGNqnpN3vXssIUzS343xYKCjk9CrWHMdpMXSxOMqKtKrUFJg2x60F/s200/PA262100.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536866358851214466" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEuU855_lk3jc48il3a0-skASpAc4Gcomvt6gboLsYV8dGf2dajggJhUEiHNF_rQuw6VgHhgvMW4-Rr36rmuRumGHLXzZdcQy7l7SjWMsPUr8v7rGyHKRB1qjASXpx5e-jraHzXKfIjvsO/s1600/PA262102.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEuU855_lk3jc48il3a0-skASpAc4Gcomvt6gboLsYV8dGf2dajggJhUEiHNF_rQuw6VgHhgvMW4-Rr36rmuRumGHLXzZdcQy7l7SjWMsPUr8v7rGyHKRB1qjASXpx5e-jraHzXKfIjvsO/s200/PA262102.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536866358550161842" /></a><br /></div><div>We decided to take the Funicular Train to Montjuic (where the 1992 Summer Olympics were held) and a cable car up to the Barcelona castle. There wasn't much to do except walk around the castle, but it was interesting, and apparently the site of numerous executions during the Spanish Inquisition.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpEOdrwDbKmJwp_750gdC88TchksIZmL2Mi48CUzlepOY4ehu_j6kktkP_qnenRQ4Sh15nUAnVSTE5OXTxw-y2qMsZ5D1aDY26km4EMPqT77p8CVvLj-8gB9jGo-JprTWOxHNgu-uOB6e/s1600/72717_1465671604279_1308180103_31089505_1947804_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpEOdrwDbKmJwp_750gdC88TchksIZmL2Mi48CUzlepOY4ehu_j6kktkP_qnenRQ4Sh15nUAnVSTE5OXTxw-y2qMsZ5D1aDY26km4EMPqT77p8CVvLj-8gB9jGo-JprTWOxHNgu-uOB6e/s200/72717_1465671604279_1308180103_31089505_1947804_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536867870315744962" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcr9no_WjwoeJo_aBSR3vjqnQb3Fih0hBccjVD9X_X-4xe53hFKC0ahAcfDb-1dNAnIG42l_wxQxm5fBISe0JBVdgG12tFraBGm0rhQkurDGEYR4vtNiFaWjFskWC2xOkL76-Bcibzc6Op/s1600/33769_1465673444325_1308180103_31089521_2432218_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcr9no_WjwoeJo_aBSR3vjqnQb3Fih0hBccjVD9X_X-4xe53hFKC0ahAcfDb-1dNAnIG42l_wxQxm5fBISe0JBVdgG12tFraBGm0rhQkurDGEYR4vtNiFaWjFskWC2xOkL76-Bcibzc6Op/s200/33769_1465673444325_1308180103_31089521_2432218_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536868840533429890" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div>The Magic Fountain was there, but under construction until 2011, so we didn't get to see it. But basically it is similar to the fountain outside the Bellagio in Las Vegas. </div><div><br /></div><div>We walked down to the base, and found really long, metal slides that we of course rode. </div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaaYkRXXIYLkcxkcoZGCWlvMZ00rDvKn44j8hhyphenhyphen-dL12k4uGTajXSl34I51buiVMf7QbMe9FdJryLypdnYg-kwKqh6uxrBrDeYnQZax8AHhMa65ejLsaG4O-xQaZ_8iJbAGY5S_krkLjr0/s200/39594_1465675004364_1308180103_31089535_1050207_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536867861050115618" /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHxTi-1gInm5vNbafNN-BEyBvV7A0dBnIoMZaCmGaTYwh82ETa3faz6Jix7EckVAsvZtw8slYP1b1ANzf0Fm1LuyEd3-wi4xz69TsgVn0xpaAazgpB2odBDwjT1hTJjOh2-FYKJiF0l8UY/s1600/74348_1474805752503_1304460076_31145559_160907_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHxTi-1gInm5vNbafNN-BEyBvV7A0dBnIoMZaCmGaTYwh82ETa3faz6Jix7EckVAsvZtw8slYP1b1ANzf0Fm1LuyEd3-wi4xz69TsgVn0xpaAazgpB2odBDwjT1hTJjOh2-FYKJiF0l8UY/s200/74348_1474805752503_1304460076_31145559_160907_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536869868291940850" /></a><br /></div><div>Then we took the metro to Parc Guell, another one of Gaudi's creations. I had assumed that it would be lush and green, given Gaudi's affinity for nature. But the park had sand along all the walkways and only the edges were lined with plants. It was a very strange setup. We met up with two of my other roommates that happened to get into Barcelona that day, Nikki and Danielle. We swapped stories about our travels so far and walked through the park. There were a lot of musicians in the park, too.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgUpzCcFmZpxxw4nBqku2ucaz6APyLnAPD0MrpGIkE57pUbW7luRWlNIijyswiUDYNCzxu02wVFpY-FeWn8yuc_thHr2cDjne_Erl7sOIziKzhb77ooTT2IrbbDytQdYWiTh1Z6dv7g0wx/s1600/74490_1465676244395_1308180103_31089546_6725343_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgUpzCcFmZpxxw4nBqku2ucaz6APyLnAPD0MrpGIkE57pUbW7luRWlNIijyswiUDYNCzxu02wVFpY-FeWn8yuc_thHr2cDjne_Erl7sOIziKzhb77ooTT2IrbbDytQdYWiTh1Z6dv7g0wx/s200/74490_1465676244395_1308180103_31089546_6725343_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536871494894672018" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggEDCvOPE_ickI5CH7WQGBN8Q2X8zptQd5aALE0hB7p4RfBLpftNf5x6KBwOfV8bXPCKk9i8MiGMCaXh4-4O-V-VxipzQwX8QMB842dArL9n7NEwCPXBhbcLRXS7y3KwCknPD97i0teJV9/s1600/72239_1465676404399_1308180103_31089547_4869875_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggEDCvOPE_ickI5CH7WQGBN8Q2X8zptQd5aALE0hB7p4RfBLpftNf5x6KBwOfV8bXPCKk9i8MiGMCaXh4-4O-V-VxipzQwX8QMB842dArL9n7NEwCPXBhbcLRXS7y3KwCknPD97i0teJV9/s200/72239_1465676404399_1308180103_31089547_4869875_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536871492953069842" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzxnv62tRRjcdtc77oilxm7BgaZRpAIK796WlznDfzOgKjxSPC1ybJgeOL0xVD6HXALdCKRJ92PRW629IYxDQm_rnnrV8KHtIXyGo8M9eQwqtVkqyd48OPysYMUOhW3IOi8IAUQ7a2qdpy/s1600/73744_1465677724432_1308180103_31089559_7594616_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzxnv62tRRjcdtc77oilxm7BgaZRpAIK796WlznDfzOgKjxSPC1ybJgeOL0xVD6HXALdCKRJ92PRW629IYxDQm_rnnrV8KHtIXyGo8M9eQwqtVkqyd48OPysYMUOhW3IOi8IAUQ7a2qdpy/s200/73744_1465677724432_1308180103_31089559_7594616_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536872015448030466" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIzC9NbXdorMwkcYVuF7LW1PsAfMbFcIv1VkWBL9mUQMDUE5AaUvh9jnroXFXbLgYZHzpfUHmHHvq6q7vNIzh8bUMRjvuBhg6bLkzlETjaKLYv8JPR9UmL5VKzUeOAxM1KqcJWQ-Gt_wbB/s1600/73847_1465676804409_1308180103_31089551_2599607_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIzC9NbXdorMwkcYVuF7LW1PsAfMbFcIv1VkWBL9mUQMDUE5AaUvh9jnroXFXbLgYZHzpfUHmHHvq6q7vNIzh8bUMRjvuBhg6bLkzlETjaKLYv8JPR9UmL5VKzUeOAxM1KqcJWQ-Gt_wbB/s200/73847_1465676804409_1308180103_31089551_2599607_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536872017053755074" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIJchoqXNoxTmVd18y4W-aabBIVaeQKb9NttI0hdm1hqU8Y-vUBg7VdfdE1pIYIZETZJFKSDVIHhQaaz3upXfE4GoE0xuUqKlnVhVaP69jLjgY-gT-eWE0fYE2wCnYW43VGr0vmBVKd377/s1600/73869_1465677004414_1308180103_31089553_1722072_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIJchoqXNoxTmVd18y4W-aabBIVaeQKb9NttI0hdm1hqU8Y-vUBg7VdfdE1pIYIZETZJFKSDVIHhQaaz3upXfE4GoE0xuUqKlnVhVaP69jLjgY-gT-eWE0fYE2wCnYW43VGr0vmBVKd377/s200/73869_1465677004414_1308180103_31089553_1722072_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536872012363081714" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLrbIs9ZPu5Qc105IvEwnnZ6efjI1OJYKYIqj9lRipTru6Lc8g6wH9ULY_RbO_nqY-j4Cw6WWZFkzdZPiEM8C9UGM4hLGqtt9zY-masNVE-ZhTvZYeUPfnB_w8iTQxVV8NmEN3k7wfZimj/s1600/73857_1465678324447_1308180103_31089562_7902419_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLrbIs9ZPu5Qc105IvEwnnZ6efjI1OJYKYIqj9lRipTru6Lc8g6wH9ULY_RbO_nqY-j4Cw6WWZFkzdZPiEM8C9UGM4hLGqtt9zY-masNVE-ZhTvZYeUPfnB_w8iTQxVV8NmEN3k7wfZimj/s200/73857_1465678324447_1308180103_31089562_7902419_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536872012306987650" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLVI4z8zqm05F-QfESyr4lawX9hb9z7j5DhZ95unjZLIFEy2p4KGlYJ2lwE6iNmhybx4EqyK_5-_a7lwIUpx_xMJA97voh8CAxrG14BecSrsJv5K8dPYB3GA_pMucX8B7iodw3Po1lGuZJ/s1600/148639_1465677444425_1308180103_31089556_7181344_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLVI4z8zqm05F-QfESyr4lawX9hb9z7j5DhZ95unjZLIFEy2p4KGlYJ2lwE6iNmhybx4EqyK_5-_a7lwIUpx_xMJA97voh8CAxrG14BecSrsJv5K8dPYB3GA_pMucX8B7iodw3Po1lGuZJ/s200/148639_1465677444425_1308180103_31089556_7181344_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536872008974146242" /></a><br /></div><div>I had heard about the Laberint de Horta, and so I dragged all my roommates with me to explore the labyrinth. We got lost on our way to the park, because we didn't realize it was behind the university outside of the metro stop. But we eventually found it, and made it in just before sunset. The labyrinth was a little disappointing, because it wasn't very well kept - you could see where people had torn through the bushes, and it wasn't difficult to find your way to the center. The challenge was finding your way out, but only if you tried to take a path other than the one you came with. Still, even with the break to take pictures at the center, the whole maze took us only 15 minutes. We thought with our history of getting lost that it would take us longer, but we made it out and were able to watch the sunset. The park itself was gorgeous, however, and is supposed to be Barcelona's most beautiful park. I would agree.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWeN_0p4DRVMEcpNqU0sUpIqdnaq6ZgZxbjwzW3E9k2y1sGcPu5qPJm30FDQmeO_meBBJKdla3a8AHH023fJ1uKVrjxvSSJxHJnf86gQRmCmQ6HejDgxBKwIW82Hn8Hpt5P4XBb5fXBI8g/s1600/76022_459689172080_756442080_5402102_8002076_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWeN_0p4DRVMEcpNqU0sUpIqdnaq6ZgZxbjwzW3E9k2y1sGcPu5qPJm30FDQmeO_meBBJKdla3a8AHH023fJ1uKVrjxvSSJxHJnf86gQRmCmQ6HejDgxBKwIW82Hn8Hpt5P4XBb5fXBI8g/s200/76022_459689172080_756442080_5402102_8002076_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536869863689283762" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgnKUdZZASG56En_h_Kgq4WPAwwdC8kgWkhAH9iYHhJLEXO9MCGCrsRWym7rl4QIg5va8cJMMagr2g_yjaOBSZV3Us4HNyasLc8rlnjY4njjQB4A1oXrlEHotK99QCV2W48EPtSQ_7UVnD/s1600/68780_1599809668758_1041510044_31617852_948290_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgnKUdZZASG56En_h_Kgq4WPAwwdC8kgWkhAH9iYHhJLEXO9MCGCrsRWym7rl4QIg5va8cJMMagr2g_yjaOBSZV3Us4HNyasLc8rlnjY4njjQB4A1oXrlEHotK99QCV2W48EPtSQ_7UVnD/s200/68780_1599809668758_1041510044_31617852_948290_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536869860530488546" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNZdKJi-1Gpzcz9Fy7W4IkbPFd4gX9psRytgYZjN-a56mo25MIRJRDhtYnqi-iuewDkTDuaba4Nt71D-TBkO5J0yagczgvF0A7dO6Y8C8QpiQIYk4C6Do50eM9LvE6Hwa4pXEfPA1sTHU_/s1600/74318_1599810228772_1041510044_31617853_5003629_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNZdKJi-1Gpzcz9Fy7W4IkbPFd4gX9psRytgYZjN-a56mo25MIRJRDhtYnqi-iuewDkTDuaba4Nt71D-TBkO5J0yagczgvF0A7dO6Y8C8QpiQIYk4C6Do50eM9LvE6Hwa4pXEfPA1sTHU_/s200/74318_1599810228772_1041510044_31617853_5003629_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536869861920835154" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7IRIhw7u6KEVww9QqCr5rmWm8La45MWThkouBtylPN5Icqr1J1ePmna7D_GfVTWPpHb0QBgN1v506df_HtJ96KZlK51Ae52B8PQF7kaA3xlriIb5i5h84JjGXa6_E4f2Cw-ayD1Znr5pP/s1600/68790_1465680524502_1308180103_31089584_5195838_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7IRIhw7u6KEVww9QqCr5rmWm8La45MWThkouBtylPN5Icqr1J1ePmna7D_GfVTWPpHb0QBgN1v506df_HtJ96KZlK51Ae52B8PQF7kaA3xlriIb5i5h84JjGXa6_E4f2Cw-ayD1Znr5pP/s200/68790_1465680524502_1308180103_31089584_5195838_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536871512758890882" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-67J0gWtpRQEPecEKYKg1o4s8iIMLOE23QOhG6o1IFRTiYHVC6dA54YHs_EXQF0dheLgim_-ZXuJtso6pjwrNRbUJ41fsMnvY5Ktyoh6sTkXkfg3JCN7_GD6J9QmRRAYOTPsljoCmHmjX/s1600/73161_1465680484501_1308180103_31089583_6097623_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-67J0gWtpRQEPecEKYKg1o4s8iIMLOE23QOhG6o1IFRTiYHVC6dA54YHs_EXQF0dheLgim_-ZXuJtso6pjwrNRbUJ41fsMnvY5Ktyoh6sTkXkfg3JCN7_GD6J9QmRRAYOTPsljoCmHmjX/s200/73161_1465680484501_1308180103_31089583_6097623_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536871500743038594" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHzbvmyFH2FAYVFc8iB5ch5u90VE-K9goF491uFOHZ3k0ODVO67Pbaic59PGi5QuZCMA38529rLdR6X864r0g0uw94z7hl5UBDYkqwE_QmTE6TjxRttuwA6ILo8kfR1gclAP5CicfxQHRy/s1600/76437_1465680404499_1308180103_31089582_5142209_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHzbvmyFH2FAYVFc8iB5ch5u90VE-K9goF491uFOHZ3k0ODVO67Pbaic59PGi5QuZCMA38529rLdR6X864r0g0uw94z7hl5UBDYkqwE_QmTE6TjxRttuwA6ILo8kfR1gclAP5CicfxQHRy/s200/76437_1465680404499_1308180103_31089582_5142209_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536871498747357826" /></a><br /></div><div>Emily, Grace, and Veronika went back to the hostel after that, but Nikki, Danielle, and I went to dinner on La Rambla. We went to a tapas bar and ordered 9 great tapas. The bar sent us free shots, and it tasted like melted chocolate. The other two said it was probably chocolate and Bailey's. We then had churros and a Nutella crepe for dessert. When we stood up to leave, I got extremely lightheaded, and was good-naturedly mocked for my very low alcohol tolerance. We made it back to the hostel (after getting lost) and Nikki and Danielle left. Grace, Veronika, Emily and I decided that we needed to experience Barcelona's famous night life, so we began researching good clubs to go to on a Wednesday night without a cover charge. In case you're wondering, there aren't any. Nikki and Danielle ended up at Razzmatazz, which is 5 floors of awesome, and there are plenty of places to go if you don't mind paying a cover, but really, try going on a weekend. You'll find a much better party scene.</div><div><br /></div><div>We met Tony, Juan, and Helen, who were each traveling alone and were interested in joining us to go party. Around midnight, we ended up at a jazz bar, which was really chill and nice, but not exactly what we had in mind about Barcelona night life. At the bar, we had an intense but quiet debate about whether the bartender was male or female. Tony and I had no doubt that she was female, and Grace sided with us, but Emily, Juan and Veronika were somehow convinced that she was a man. I tried to sneak a photograph, so I could poll others, but I couldn't get a good one without the flash and couldn't come up with a good enough reason to ask the bartender for her photograph.</div><div><br /></div><div>We left the bar and sought out a more traditional club. On the way, we stopped and got some delicious shawarma. Juan and Tony bought the five of us girls roses from a street vendor. We finally found a club in Placa Reial (Royal Plaza), but it was completely deserted. So all the girls headed home while the two boys stayed to have drinks. We got back to the hostel around 3 AM, and I was still wide awake. So I got ready for bed and went out into the lounge to charge my iPod, and ran into the boys, who had come home shortly after us. Juan said goodnight, but Tony and I stayed up to talk some more. We were reprimanded for being loud, so we went outside to continue our chat. Tony is from London, and we had a great conversation about traveling, changing the world, stereotypes, and foreign policy. Around 4:30, we decided that it was time to go back in and get some sleep. As we were approaching our hostel, we heard noise coming from the hostel across the street. It sounded like a party without the music. So naturally, we went over to investigate. And I'm so glad we did.</div><div><br /></div><div>We walked in and saw four people around the bar, enjoying each other's company and clearly close friends. They welcomed us and I experienced one of the greatest conversations I've ever witnessed or been a part of. The bartender was from Morocco, and spoke Arabic. There was also a woman from Mozambique, who is a singer for house music. There was an older man who is genuinely Catalan (from Barcelona), and spoke Catalan (the Barcelona dialect of Spanish). There was also an Italian man who is currently living in London. So the conversation was in Spanish, Arabic, Italian, and English, and the languages flowed over each other so naturally in the conversation. We were fed jambon, which is smoked and dried beef leg jerky, and bread. The Catalan also told Tony and I where to go to experience "true Barcelona."</div><div><br /></div><div>He said never to eat the "shit served on La Rambla." If I was looking for real paella, I was to go to these restaurants, where it would be cheaper and so much better:</div><div>Barceloneta</div><div>La Cova Fumada</div><div>Poble Sec</div><div>El Che Paella</div><div><br /></div><div>And that I was to try snails, which apparently is also a Barcelona delicacy. He recommended two more restaurants, but didn't suggest a specific dish to try there:</div><div>Plá</div><div>Me</div><div><br /></div><div>Also, he said to go to the Market Boqueria, which is the open market, similar to the Mercato Centrale in Florence, and eat at Pinocho (which is the Spanish spelling of Pinocchio, the wooden puppet who wanted to be a real boy). Pinocho is a bar-like restaurant, and uses only ingredients from the market itself, which assures that the food is absolutely fresh and in season.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Mozambique woman told us that if we wanted to get into all the best clubs in Barcelona, we only had to register on her <a href="http://www.bpremium.com/">guest list</a> and we would get VIP access. She said the best clubs were Shoko, Opium, The One (best on Friday nights), CDLC (best on Saturday nights), Moog, and Jamboree.</div><div><br /></div><div>By that time, it was 5 AM, and I needed to wake Emily up to make sure she made her flight back to Florence. So we said goodbye to the group and went back to our hostel. I walked with Emily to the metro and said goodbye to her. I went back to the hostel and went to sleep, finally, but woke up three hours later because I had forgotten to close the window and was freezing. So I got ready for the day and went to breakfast. I met a Latvian who was born in Australia, but is now living in Latvia again, even though he's never lived there before (confusing, I know), and woke up Grace and Veronika around 9. We went to the Market Boqueria and I think it's much cooler than the Mercato Centrale, and has a much wider selection of food to choose from. I got mango orange juice, patates alioli (roasted potatoes with garlic sauce), papas rellenas (mashed potato balls) and fresh baguettes.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then we went to the Picasso museum, which was beautifully curated. It focused on his early (and better) works, pre-cubism, and you could see how his art gradually morphed into Cubism. The temporary exhibit was a comparison between Picasso and Degas, and was very interesting. I had no idea how similar the two artists' tastes in subjects were. Picasso's prints and sketches were incredible.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then we took the metro to Torre Agbar, which looks like a giant phallus, but is supposed to be a finger pointing to heaven. As we got off the metro, a girl got her scarf stuck in the doors, and there was a moment of panic. Things worked out, though, and she got detangled and safely off the metro. Torre Agbar turned out to be the water purification center, and they had a small exhibit to promote water purification awareness (or something like that) and was incredibly informative and well put-together. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfoIaq2fqyuC3du3wDket-fjEzLj45VPcaH8592Q3GmiUSvCnbGBBNqQriI865GqY3NvcRY6GIRWaCOyvmoojl9VR1Oy91cVV1sDWXp8CMawiKzztt5odIaeeFmayj7g7nAh2h2VmeWlUa/s1600/71727_1465467039165_1308180103_31088721_1943007_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfoIaq2fqyuC3du3wDket-fjEzLj45VPcaH8592Q3GmiUSvCnbGBBNqQriI865GqY3NvcRY6GIRWaCOyvmoojl9VR1Oy91cVV1sDWXp8CMawiKzztt5odIaeeFmayj7g7nAh2h2VmeWlUa/s200/71727_1465467039165_1308180103_31088721_1943007_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536881156199850178" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_hPqC3NRvXgyZEM8kVV4PALxY70fbgdYG5chIqFjZ4O0LwrLwFu7okJ6QIkiZJqp_9ffY3VejYXqzSj8oCkRBPMZci2ZshJ9eGNQLmsjA2pLiGpgXZipHleiRDWFD-tYhNTNUPAP6aiOp/s1600/72423_1465467399174_1308180103_31088724_6824391_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_hPqC3NRvXgyZEM8kVV4PALxY70fbgdYG5chIqFjZ4O0LwrLwFu7okJ6QIkiZJqp_9ffY3VejYXqzSj8oCkRBPMZci2ZshJ9eGNQLmsjA2pLiGpgXZipHleiRDWFD-tYhNTNUPAP6aiOp/s200/72423_1465467399174_1308180103_31088724_6824391_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536881151329989874" /></a><br /></div><div>We took the tram from Torre Agbar to the Zoologic Park.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbSPRv2JthnfagMuXnjIHiH9UEAoJ4tu8gf-4wlFknZboLcqB_wEqgtJ8NEiq8kssGukxbkJKTZRpZK527i2DAUhtwu-L58ImM26RB9_TPMrf25hmAHttjmZqppmO0ZDCKw2oU3x51zRkF/s1600/72292_1465467479176_1308180103_31088725_8197502_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbSPRv2JthnfagMuXnjIHiH9UEAoJ4tu8gf-4wlFknZboLcqB_wEqgtJ8NEiq8kssGukxbkJKTZRpZK527i2DAUhtwu-L58ImM26RB9_TPMrf25hmAHttjmZqppmO0ZDCKw2oU3x51zRkF/s200/72292_1465467479176_1308180103_31088725_8197502_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536881142998043682" /></a><br /></div><div>The park was beautiful and huge. We didn't go into the zoo itself, because they were charging 17<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 15px; font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:small;">€</span> and we decided that walking around the park would be more interesting. I found a mammoth in the park, too!</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYnqVncX__U08vgmxvmzPP4JdTx5r_YAV30QaUAK03mRO1qgerojdSSrtcGKw19b5lfJmt1owKD2BIORY-j5chyphenhyphendkb_5II_kXLH9OS1tqlEtEE-wDhdRWYxSLuZZhCPihDGzBxkKBo4qO/s1600/72450_1465467559178_1308180103_31088726_3267801_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYnqVncX__U08vgmxvmzPP4JdTx5r_YAV30QaUAK03mRO1qgerojdSSrtcGKw19b5lfJmt1owKD2BIORY-j5chyphenhyphendkb_5II_kXLH9OS1tqlEtEE-wDhdRWYxSLuZZhCPihDGzBxkKBo4qO/s200/72450_1465467559178_1308180103_31088726_3267801_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536881139633801234" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05863XquGH0v7bA4wSk78By1zcdb1IBbW_u9ignOMB1AygJyeoRvrcwJ5YN2QW_99r2BAAUaSxmy42f8zJCr4kdYX2hGfwXZcIEC_uNC3Qlj_-OkxHiKtTw9rYSrisubaUHBjKz4mZ85P/s1600/149637_1465692284796_1308180103_31089619_1991862_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05863XquGH0v7bA4wSk78By1zcdb1IBbW_u9ignOMB1AygJyeoRvrcwJ5YN2QW_99r2BAAUaSxmy42f8zJCr4kdYX2hGfwXZcIEC_uNC3Qlj_-OkxHiKtTw9rYSrisubaUHBjKz4mZ85P/s200/149637_1465692284796_1308180103_31089619_1991862_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536881129440899826" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuUyjwL_TlwD41qSjd1dmP8piCye7VuoLIlba-eq3b4zoVlgX8B3GTNFZtR_iOpJ8BHfKk7B4cHmML3dOfJcNL-V7pMnQzpO3rdKbve0xtlmVW8QCIXcdc0x3bpCD3X1bNWfShHCPrAxb_/s1600/72518_1465693084816_1308180103_31089627_896353_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuUyjwL_TlwD41qSjd1dmP8piCye7VuoLIlba-eq3b4zoVlgX8B3GTNFZtR_iOpJ8BHfKk7B4cHmML3dOfJcNL-V7pMnQzpO3rdKbve0xtlmVW8QCIXcdc0x3bpCD3X1bNWfShHCPrAxb_/s200/72518_1465693084816_1308180103_31089627_896353_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536881868627245810" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTo_E7Ye1gdRBUoLH-vMIX1kPD2Ux6eA_wWpOYwbdRWWGDNXlEGlqI8FNt8S3Be69reBkYnKpmXNav93h17iYr1ldCsHXgrLxzT5xNfK7UKboFOCJsoq9qK23q3gKv0ajw4qZMLvvaAU5i/s1600/77107_1465468439200_1308180103_31088732_3789900_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTo_E7Ye1gdRBUoLH-vMIX1kPD2Ux6eA_wWpOYwbdRWWGDNXlEGlqI8FNt8S3Be69reBkYnKpmXNav93h17iYr1ldCsHXgrLxzT5xNfK7UKboFOCJsoq9qK23q3gKv0ajw4qZMLvvaAU5i/s200/77107_1465468439200_1308180103_31088732_3789900_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536881866121171282" /></a><br /></div><div>We also walked by the Arc de Triomf, which was not as impressive as the one in Paris, but still cool.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb9osYh05ahBX4cqcTyIsSmili_51tsyHNoswzUjd24hTG6x5djx5unlPOQGkbL2TUP_huMu_x42515AgEaPgPGwSF-tfCx_zu9BF4RmNU90zX6fELoorI9Yo6EEYy9MYdNvC1GmU_lKJs/s1600/74559_1465697124917_1308180103_31089639_4508919_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb9osYh05ahBX4cqcTyIsSmili_51tsyHNoswzUjd24hTG6x5djx5unlPOQGkbL2TUP_huMu_x42515AgEaPgPGwSF-tfCx_zu9BF4RmNU90zX6fELoorI9Yo6EEYy9MYdNvC1GmU_lKJs/s200/74559_1465697124917_1308180103_31089639_4508919_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536881852990413170" /></a><br /></div><div>We went back to La Rambla and got pitas and then we left for the airport. The metro and bus rides were simple enough, but at the airport, we ran into trouble. We waited in line for 20 minutes to get our passports checked, and then were told that we were in the wrong line. Once in the correct line, we had to wait behind a large group of people who were on a cancelled flight to Rome, and we began wondering if our own flight would be cancelled as well. But our flight was fine, and we finally got our passports checked and went through security. We found our gate, only to find out that our flight was delayed. We sat on the floor for a while and watched some British boys act like idiots, which entertained us for a while. Then our departure gate changed and people began rushing to the new gate like crazies. At the new gate, people were screaming and pushing to get through the queue. I don't know what the rush was. The plane wasn't going to leave without its passengers. We finally boarded and took off. The flight was fine. We had arrived in London.</div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11705583397776601590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2076998410662702438.post-62011874021645657342010-11-01T12:00:00.000-07:002010-11-07T10:37:20.394-08:00Stranger in a Strange World: Rome and ParisWe departed from the Florence train station at 9 AM and took the slow train to Rome, arriving just after 1 PM. On the way, we mostly napped and stared out the window. However, we did see sheep and blindingly green grass, and so for a while, we entertained ourselves by trying to get a picture of the sheep without being blocked by trees, tunnels, or houses. There were several great opportunities, but we were always unprepared when those moments manifested themselves. So we arrived in Rome and noted all the Roman ruins that were scattered throughout the city, surrounded by the modern city that had simply built up around the ruins.<div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtPjZuT7Qo9cuNpJjZWRarjIfFXspJ8_UTqq-BqPFfxfuEGiwkRM_lEdpU-Jewtr9EW5xs3KC8AoTHwJAmXvKfwD9fyEuTDQE4-VFjzR8BsefGi-c2rmw2e1OI7jn5Zy8aVPnAwx3Vigst/s1600/69298_1465447438675_1308180103_31088583_7833576_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtPjZuT7Qo9cuNpJjZWRarjIfFXspJ8_UTqq-BqPFfxfuEGiwkRM_lEdpU-Jewtr9EW5xs3KC8AoTHwJAmXvKfwD9fyEuTDQE4-VFjzR8BsefGi-c2rmw2e1OI7jn5Zy8aVPnAwx3Vigst/s200/69298_1465447438675_1308180103_31088583_7833576_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536825966586942226" /></a><br /></div><div>We tried desperately to find a ticket counter that sold bus tickets to the airport, but kept getting redirected to other ticket counters. We began to despair. Perhaps we would not actually leave Italy for Fall Break... but alas, we were finally sent outside and found out that the bus station was selling tickets. We were on our way. When we arrived at the airport, we had a moment of panic because Grace's bag didn't fit in the carry-on bag size restrictions and my bag was .4 kg too heavy. But by reorganizing and squishing, we managed to get through checkin without checking our bags. We got our tickets stamped and went through security. However, my ticked had been stamped at the bottom, instead of the top like it was "supposed to be," so they almost didn't let me through. But we figured it out and and got through to the gate, only to wait for 4 hours until it was time to board. Take off and landing went successfully. And so our adventure trekking through Europe began.</div><div><br /></div><div>We landed and a fanfare of trumpets literally came on over the intercom and heralded us into France. We got off the plane and boarded a bus. The windows of the bus were fogged up and the bus was absolutely full, but we managed to find the last 5 seats on the bus, though we had to split up and sit separately. There was a young couple sitting in front of me that had decided to passionately and loudly shower their affection upon each other, to the point where even closing my eyes and trying to sleep was inefficient at blocking them out. There were also two Italians behind me who talked loudly the whole trip, and must have been inspired by the couple in front of me, because they started kissing as well by the end of the journey. I was so ready to get off that bus. </div><div><br /></div><div>When we disembarked, we hailed a taxi and thankfully, Liz spoke enough French to communicate our destination. We were driven to the hostel and saw the Eiffel Tower lit up in the distance. After booking this particular hostel, well before break started, we heard that our hostel was the worst hostel is France, and so upon arrival, we braced ourselves for the worst. The host was American, but was incredibly rude and made checking in unnecessarily difficult for us. We were given our room key, which was welded to the end of a brass pipe, and we went to see how terrible our room was. We had to go outside into a courtyard and then through a utility closet to get to the back of the hostel and up a flight of rickety, multicolored stairs. Our room was okay upon first glance, but it was room 25, which was noted in the reviews to have bed bugs. So of course we had to get THIS room. We left our stuff there and went in search of food. The only thing open at that hour (quarter til midnight), was a small pizza and sandwich place. Not being particularly picky at that moment, we went in and ordered food. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFAX84vo9kIptXRkZCmrg9ceSFEVlYCS-y8-3QyRU2jOAIUC4hw8vmjUDI-wNIJEzvc6JbOn9K9-DG1kGYSogGolrdo_cqVNy8n2KVFGeIysR8i8Ybl8EJ80AucaIbzyDu8Kd2yccAWVK/s1600/33767_1465464559103_1308180103_31088710_527978_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFAX84vo9kIptXRkZCmrg9ceSFEVlYCS-y8-3QyRU2jOAIUC4hw8vmjUDI-wNIJEzvc6JbOn9K9-DG1kGYSogGolrdo_cqVNy8n2KVFGeIysR8i8Ybl8EJ80AucaIbzyDu8Kd2yccAWVK/s200/33767_1465464559103_1308180103_31088710_527978_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536825959875480898" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPBF7sw1q6l6vC7TOXDbJ1QCWcMHZEnzdwH3EMlV0HQz6VJtgtJAk3_MtgDqtYg27VqqxPu9IaMsbBKNuWXO7Rp0ZffbNzRlJZ_AGK_ghCfn_abQ2r6DXBeVO9ZQDXHb6vh8INcQMawSBL/s1600/72585_1465447758683_1308180103_31088586_2787065_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPBF7sw1q6l6vC7TOXDbJ1QCWcMHZEnzdwH3EMlV0HQz6VJtgtJAk3_MtgDqtYg27VqqxPu9IaMsbBKNuWXO7Rp0ZffbNzRlJZ_AGK_ghCfn_abQ2r6DXBeVO9ZQDXHb6vh8INcQMawSBL/s200/72585_1465447758683_1308180103_31088586_2787065_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536825955739552290" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkNAE7QrU5OjeUVRPhyphonN3kiIjbcgB3d04mh86oAzf6CXjEE9-okbY0Zh5b7aSvSB1_vRbXIEeGhScM1jZuvRd_OwrgRN2_mK6PCJnuhlvKd6v4_81cklfG1JlbN7bc7Egdh1Y5GWOW/s1600/72483_1465447998689_1308180103_31088588_7280484_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkNAE7QrU5OjeUVRPhyphonN3kiIjbcgB3d04mh86oAzf6CXjEE9-okbY0Zh5b7aSvSB1_vRbXIEeGhScM1jZuvRd_OwrgRN2_mK6PCJnuhlvKd6v4_81cklfG1JlbN7bc7Egdh1Y5GWOW/s200/72483_1465447998689_1308180103_31088588_7280484_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536825953290725650" /></a><br /></div><div>Then we sought out Liz's hotel, because she was fortunate enough to meet her boyfriend that night and not have to endure the Three Ducks Hostel. However, we couldn't find the hotel and kept asking for directions. We were getting great directions from a certain street onwards, but we couldn't find that particular street, so the directions were useless to us. But finally, we discovered the street sign tucked away behind an awning and then easily found the hotel. Liz had an awkward reunion with her boyfriend, Ryan, as the rest of us stood around and tried to be less intrusive. We said our goodnights and left Liz at the hotel. We arrived back at Three Ducks and prepared for the night. We walked into our room and saw a bag on one of the previously empty beds. It looked like we weren't going to have the room to ourselves. We were in our beds, discussing the day and our plans for the next one, when a guy walked in. We said hi and watched as he opened the suitcase that had been left on the bed. He started pulling clothes out and it was clear that this suitcase belonged to him. He would be our roommate for the night.</div><div><br /></div><div>We exchanged glances of unease (what else could possibly be thrown at us that night?), but then the guy looked up and introduced himself. Soon we were laughing and having a great conversation with him. He was studying in Holland, but had lived in France for four years, so he gave us some recommendations for places to go. We didn't make it to any of his recommendations, but we got good reviews from other people when asked about it, so here are his suggestions, should you ever find yourself in Paris, looking for something to do:</div><div><br /></div><div>Restaurants:</div><div><b>Chez Papa</b> on Rue LaFayette or Rue Gassendi. It has an expansive selection and all the items come in large portions. It is not touristy at all and has a great casual atmosphere.</div><div><b>Le Refuge des Fondues</b> in Montmartre. This is a cool fondue restaurant that you certainly visit for the experience. There is a flat rate of 17<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 15px; font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:small;">€, </span>and you get appetizers, cheese or meat fondue, and a dessert. But the real unique aspect of this restaurant is the wine. It's served to you in bottles - baby bottles, that is. Certainly not something you'll experience at any other restaurant, so it's worth a try (and you get to keep your bottle!)</div><div><b>Gibus</b> right off of the Republique, where L'Arc de Triomphe stands. If you like Hip Hop, this is the club to visit. A very industrial basement set-up, but the best hip hop in Paris. This is also where you'll meet most of the black population, since on the streets, they are hard to find (although I'm not sure why this is the case).</div><div><br /></div><div>I got very little sleep, because the people in the room next door decided to open doors and jump around all night, and then they left at 6 in the morning, causing all sorts of ruckus again. Our male roommate's phone went off at 3:30, and an unidentified person kept coming into our room every half hour to use our sink. There were also motorists who drove under our window every five minutes, blaring French rock music. And of course, that day, we went on our Paris whirlwind tour. We went downstairs and consumed a delicious typical French breakfast (croissants and tartine (small baguettes) with strawberry or apricot preserves, coffee, tea, and hot chocolate). Then we met up with Liz and Ryan. We walked to the Metro and figured out tickets and how to navigate the Metro lines. The metro was pretty cool, and after a few rides, we had the system figured out.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwAnTE94KYldXYB9gtxUtvKCQ52q1uBVZsrBEjCXaoyYB0Fd_97LzXzmAUjW7d00_Tpb7aG7bcdFeTRr1LlbarXl1gvJvPwe4N24bGaK1NH-wW9pxzDn5Uq8ie-9ZnwJo_yBFumRudeb_v/s1600/76557_1465644683606_1308180103_31089378_4688486_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwAnTE94KYldXYB9gtxUtvKCQ52q1uBVZsrBEjCXaoyYB0Fd_97LzXzmAUjW7d00_Tpb7aG7bcdFeTRr1LlbarXl1gvJvPwe4N24bGaK1NH-wW9pxzDn5Uq8ie-9ZnwJo_yBFumRudeb_v/s200/76557_1465644683606_1308180103_31089378_4688486_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536825952208040770" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFCfONnxy1uPEireyYkUOr9EGH4qv8WI7moATm9kzJmbj6wdHy9VBwA-ZCacVKziFE6ULx7A7jgwJoxqjt0dA-hqJK9OPuw3v4LwYlaAxLXef34KCER7ZUxtXPEZoxMSFCKYBgsGD_q0p9/s1600/71757_1465644603604_1308180103_31089377_6105628_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFCfONnxy1uPEireyYkUOr9EGH4qv8WI7moATm9kzJmbj6wdHy9VBwA-ZCacVKziFE6ULx7A7jgwJoxqjt0dA-hqJK9OPuw3v4LwYlaAxLXef34KCER7ZUxtXPEZoxMSFCKYBgsGD_q0p9/s200/71757_1465644603604_1308180103_31089377_6105628_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536827203105167842" /></a><br /></div><div>Our first tourist destination was the Louvre. It was amazing to approach for the first time, because it was such a massive building. And the glass pyramids were exciting to see in person. But even inside the gallery, the art and architecture were amazing. We got in for free, because we were students in the EU! There was so much art to see, and we could only see a portion of it, so we picked the Egyptian art (I stopped at a temporary modern art exhibit on the way there), statues (they were cool, but I'm not terribly moved by 3D art), and then a sampling of the paintings they had on display. Of course, we saw the Venus de Milo and the Mona Lisa, among many other famous artists and works. We also found the Crown Jewels room, and I got to see all the shinys.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsbkid7o29ZgQ868GGbAsLMn_3EOzKKTI2PNY0Kjd7EJcYxJ22yLvkbeYv1tCgoDGNb0RL5fZ4Ch82fxy3-E6hvV9LOkd7lsne_L_l9VCb42Uz-WT2uEHNCK5JHOMvzmmouMYMusm2xt1D/s1600/74525_1465448118692_1308180103_31088590_4313976_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsbkid7o29ZgQ868GGbAsLMn_3EOzKKTI2PNY0Kjd7EJcYxJ22yLvkbeYv1tCgoDGNb0RL5fZ4Ch82fxy3-E6hvV9LOkd7lsne_L_l9VCb42Uz-WT2uEHNCK5JHOMvzmmouMYMusm2xt1D/s200/74525_1465448118692_1308180103_31088590_4313976_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536827198450043698" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1m8lpfjFbzrsYLPQDUZxLsi_d7CLXHng9rWPLV4DbeekFiAjyhiRxYKvtc826xnXaTeeklg8bChJZXTn5U5e1gtFIV5IiWbVIi6tMDlQVaduVqvVm9A_ANCvIGDm_V2dg4CDWAIwFGUSq/s1600/74312_1465448158693_1308180103_31088591_3745336_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; 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margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_tQ1dtvXqLaNOi1hnrKHgdjQKp1Pg4YJyYNDCEOxXgtjOiPvDEchsipEDUHuUhCPr2dNQpzHQab9jBDL-0h4XPDIvv9eUwyPPvc_nU35frfgRzI4b43Od31vjKm-WCvfzy2RxINtwCqy9/s200/75731_1465450478751_1308180103_31088616_1656717_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536827828151909938" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPKFk2feiJvHcPsoDtcBYeOgaeNIT7K5rrFqQouXAMtL4af_SyZ2sQdGb57hQJW1xQ6aS0E37PjjvQ-ZGRFofrGUOwNWkbccwW9vTMrjRfdTYlDEWchcxrbuB4_IBCSWkqNXLc6xYtUj5e/s1600/72234_1465448358698_1308180103_31088593_3466827_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPKFk2feiJvHcPsoDtcBYeOgaeNIT7K5rrFqQouXAMtL4af_SyZ2sQdGb57hQJW1xQ6aS0E37PjjvQ-ZGRFofrGUOwNWkbccwW9vTMrjRfdTYlDEWchcxrbuB4_IBCSWkqNXLc6xYtUj5e/s200/72234_1465448358698_1308180103_31088593_3466827_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536831776324876514" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3yr5WtQHbpEwHS0oLR2cETMKxPr77jgqmzwxsgyCetYJVVwTw4qHa6Cpa-etERAJAqB-9b4kaV67X8c8Ka1W5K0IYdXD-XF87ntSKRGRnDMZNuCwfNio8kmYprLk0ekSw9vZDUwJ-n-2K/s1600/67477_1465455918887_1308180103_31088630_3958981_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3yr5WtQHbpEwHS0oLR2cETMKxPr77jgqmzwxsgyCetYJVVwTw4qHa6Cpa-etERAJAqB-9b4kaV67X8c8Ka1W5K0IYdXD-XF87ntSKRGRnDMZNuCwfNio8kmYprLk0ekSw9vZDUwJ-n-2K/s200/67477_1465455918887_1308180103_31088630_3958981_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536831779966960994" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk0xju4pCqzHW32mEesmPBvd7MZQDSkdkadFTlCW2S-E7pq8pGf50mTN0xecnPE4GjfPwIpT4wuqDJdIQiLk8WLbUrjOZZgAdGWunM-ejASdyJjvOaGNAahh9qOPr_drWRhrDgIb1wv-pp/s1600/73259_1465457958938_1308180103_31088647_4757036_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk0xju4pCqzHW32mEesmPBvd7MZQDSkdkadFTlCW2S-E7pq8pGf50mTN0xecnPE4GjfPwIpT4wuqDJdIQiLk8WLbUrjOZZgAdGWunM-ejASdyJjvOaGNAahh9qOPr_drWRhrDgIb1wv-pp/s200/73259_1465457958938_1308180103_31088647_4757036_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536831766586947650" /></a><br />I insisted that I wasn't going to leave the Louvre until I saw every print on display. I should have wished a little more carefully. There were several rooms of prints marked on the map, and I dragged my party to each of the rooms. At the first exhibit, the door was walled off and closed, with a sign saying the room was being prepared for the next exhibition, opening November 11. I was disappointed, but undeterred. We trekked to the next print room. This door was locked, with the same sign plastered to the door. And again, at the next location. I was rapidly running out of print exhibit options, and equally as fast, losing hope. The next rooms were devoid of any art, with the notorious sign hovering there, mocking me. We wandered around, peering dejectedly (or at least, I was dejected) into empty rooms of prints, until only one room remained.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI5Jf0Gi93Vu5upY7lHY-IWWhe-v9E8WBduHzguh2qL5Tbruewlo2xxObR4Ue_I1pGSyaQZaEuHVX-WWxc0mzBloYRhCvwMB9Le6CV-WALWMr1y9uINjCznk9ozr78SMt_XjrrE7-3KsRB/s1600/73262_1465450998764_1308180103_31088619_7436185_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI5Jf0Gi93Vu5upY7lHY-IWWhe-v9E8WBduHzguh2qL5Tbruewlo2xxObR4Ue_I1pGSyaQZaEuHVX-WWxc0mzBloYRhCvwMB9Le6CV-WALWMr1y9uINjCznk9ozr78SMt_XjrrE7-3KsRB/s200/73262_1465450998764_1308180103_31088619_7436185_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536828931050578770" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpZ-WXQ86rnBbRVcJoXw4s2s61-xOL3LR83hpFhvXqbC-iSnqppMGZ5hjcRI7Bsas6DMLjcCsnIihDruGDBJY7ygnp3li6UuDeCoJx7gPUixMdhqUfk6-RabKmL7VhMZRQpr6B9uJhrY7m/s1600/73603_453460364674_647074674_5159592_8169191_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 112px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpZ-WXQ86rnBbRVcJoXw4s2s61-xOL3LR83hpFhvXqbC-iSnqppMGZ5hjcRI7Bsas6DMLjcCsnIihDruGDBJY7ygnp3li6UuDeCoJx7gPUixMdhqUfk6-RabKmL7VhMZRQpr6B9uJhrY7m/s200/73603_453460364674_647074674_5159592_8169191_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536832859665396482" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtvHrU1u_M-1Z20iMXe9Ya1hfLHNuFVQVGVLIRathryoPX7BFzkeljoTc1ooHSyf86w53UxfyYXpdMyJSjnC0Pye5Vss8Jg_T_ZHPBC1jEsPjQd7LlR9LyjtkYpNfAHxChfPfNpTpLLFPZ/s1600/33626_1465458638955_1308180103_31088653_1748850_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtvHrU1u_M-1Z20iMXe9Ya1hfLHNuFVQVGVLIRathryoPX7BFzkeljoTc1ooHSyf86w53UxfyYXpdMyJSjnC0Pye5Vss8Jg_T_ZHPBC1jEsPjQd7LlR9LyjtkYpNfAHxChfPfNpTpLLFPZ/s200/33626_1465458638955_1308180103_31088653_1748850_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536828946051549282" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVj6DhADkCrQ8tgtPWjFJKvh9A_aTWxva_RlBnSXFq81KCIzyhu6S6qGiQ0rg6z9aLJ0ylFypCmIE46W3J8Iy6hMRdnZcxsipvAhmMZRtIOER9GcmC7HqerX51rb_9Ra8lPxa1UXfczl15/s1600/68755_1465458518952_1308180103_31088651_1989976_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVj6DhADkCrQ8tgtPWjFJKvh9A_aTWxva_RlBnSXFq81KCIzyhu6S6qGiQ0rg6z9aLJ0ylFypCmIE46W3J8Iy6hMRdnZcxsipvAhmMZRtIOER9GcmC7HqerX51rb_9Ra8lPxa1UXfczl15/s200/68755_1465458518952_1308180103_31088651_1989976_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536828938607786722" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFX98Z15x3yTZWBpawHOnkc63WcU882AClBnQOEi6g9_jOOW2f-M8PSGSsbujc0xKEphJbyKYQKTDUnZIqTE_90JRF0uhKD4GHeXZq9dRlMlu33bhJRPS9nhF-t_4hZSJ2087fC0i3uSGu/s1600/71762_1465458598954_1308180103_31088652_1398592_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFX98Z15x3yTZWBpawHOnkc63WcU882AClBnQOEi6g9_jOOW2f-M8PSGSsbujc0xKEphJbyKYQKTDUnZIqTE_90JRF0uhKD4GHeXZq9dRlMlu33bhJRPS9nhF-t_4hZSJ2087fC0i3uSGu/s200/71762_1465458598954_1308180103_31088652_1398592_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536828932265022770" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh89yeixysLPsyYti20t8kqt5i6O2JLAB6HBFy_20IK8pglnuTLtBOrG6jXDo3PChMHT_VBoWCiqwERJVX_cVmPzle4mtz4ZJGD88xz78IKTpmP3hMYezqkoa8GqFgNFF0Nu2h72IeNvJ3z/s1600/73436_1465458718957_1308180103_31088654_2702232_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh89yeixysLPsyYti20t8kqt5i6O2JLAB6HBFy_20IK8pglnuTLtBOrG6jXDo3PChMHT_VBoWCiqwERJVX_cVmPzle4mtz4ZJGD88xz78IKTpmP3hMYezqkoa8GqFgNFF0Nu2h72IeNvJ3z/s200/73436_1465458718957_1308180103_31088654_2702232_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536828907744376226" /></a>I ran to the room alone, leaving the others in a room of Lorrain and Poussin. I approached the room cautiously, not expecting much, and behold! The room was open AND there was art inside. I rushed in, my joy unparalleled, ready to see even just one print. The room was small, so it didn't take long to take in the view: 5 charcoal drawings and how many prints? ZERO. Not one print on display in the entire Louvre. One of the most famous museums in the world had quickly worked its way to the top of my least favorite museums ever. The museum had a lot of great art, but this personal affront was too much to bear.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFz9345Rx4Wm-z0_uQAPdMS7SmGqQyJnyRGTYiy6lw-ZahOhJMOuMt77R_6TbPE54MC8S9PR4K3LlJcNjHQEkQGpA6-gpBZceVDvVy9QvFi9jh7_c8u_0AsR13dTQuQZvOQok1XudpnwRt/s1600/IMG_1725.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFz9345Rx4Wm-z0_uQAPdMS7SmGqQyJnyRGTYiy6lw-ZahOhJMOuMt77R_6TbPE54MC8S9PR4K3LlJcNjHQEkQGpA6-gpBZceVDvVy9QvFi9jh7_c8u_0AsR13dTQuQZvOQok1XudpnwRt/s200/IMG_1725.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536831790110923938" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6s2UbQqNKVPm4rgMXh9F8OKmtx9B9RAKkBWS-yJ6uEm7UfO6uHybZEX12LgT5Q8tGVWF8hglWV-XlqZAer1-cYLjgyQeDgXNJhovxm-tQcDOWHq3E-DG2HcK8Z664qt_JwIC3epJFfmh/s1600/IMG_1726.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6s2UbQqNKVPm4rgMXh9F8OKmtx9B9RAKkBWS-yJ6uEm7UfO6uHybZEX12LgT5Q8tGVWF8hglWV-XlqZAer1-cYLjgyQeDgXNJhovxm-tQcDOWHq3E-DG2HcK8Z664qt_JwIC3epJFfmh/s200/IMG_1726.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536831786924977202" /></a>So to console myself (and because I had consumed three whole sugar cubes at breakfast), I rode all the roller coasters in the museum and ran around the sculpture museum. That'll show 'em.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9j4x9WslWLYowrjyKdpjoCo8a8nq9w1WhSF_DwjAN39Vk9kpA-FOraiqdk_NoDI_WW8ifXypMng_2pvMaSIWtQZXwOh1TXJ6MNyRuwWTmLu7ADqu1wqddjtKod5H4NXDKBLrw3noZ5sYY/s1600/76601_453461199674_647074674_5159613_3886419_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 112px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9j4x9WslWLYowrjyKdpjoCo8a8nq9w1WhSF_DwjAN39Vk9kpA-FOraiqdk_NoDI_WW8ifXypMng_2pvMaSIWtQZXwOh1TXJ6MNyRuwWTmLu7ADqu1wqddjtKod5H4NXDKBLrw3noZ5sYY/s200/76601_453461199674_647074674_5159613_3886419_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536832849651030914" /></a><br /></div><div>As we left, I was still on my sugar high, and Emily noticed that this woman had a lot of shed hair stuck to the back of her jacket. Without thinking, I pulled the hair off, but for some reason, I couldn't think of what to do with it. Instead of dropping it to the ground like a sane person, I held onto it tenaciously and looked helplessly at my friends. They froze, unwilling to believe that I was not able to figure out the next step on my own. I did come to a conclusion, however. The hair was to be discarded in some way, and you discard things in a trash can. We were in the middle of the Louvre, though, so there were no trash cans readily available, thus I was at a loss of what to do. Finally, Emily convinced me to drop it on the ground, despite my vehement protests. They still bring up this little "incident" to this day.</div><div><br /></div><div>My group escorted me out of the Louvre and we went to Notre Dame. We were let in, which was surprising, because Mass was in session. But the cathedral was gorgeous.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeWFIJCeDyb0sOi0NyGV2QbZis__7WXQNJ3stt48259jrnIOJqsDISEb2YM43X7p75GOBtl2o-BCVdEtvToDQrSYgPMY1vmK0DLWRUcOEugYcWr0F6v-ZjFdoS_vH-b_nnkVDiVhU_mupE/s1600/148454_1465613042815_1308180103_31089193_3518106_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeWFIJCeDyb0sOi0NyGV2QbZis__7WXQNJ3stt48259jrnIOJqsDISEb2YM43X7p75GOBtl2o-BCVdEtvToDQrSYgPMY1vmK0DLWRUcOEugYcWr0F6v-ZjFdoS_vH-b_nnkVDiVhU_mupE/s200/148454_1465613042815_1308180103_31089193_3518106_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536833744254749362" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUptKrqgsaEOo16KsrgT_TC4GNIosk6CXB4s_dsYQVb6L3cfwT9-45TWvF0gfFNG7g9uLguuGBEoX9VoSGR-Q3h6ZkXuBwAv70Bin06URWtN3A9qwNSzlPMor07zXqsYw_GDBM_jcHEI_R/s1600/73477_1465460759008_1308180103_31088671_316952_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUptKrqgsaEOo16KsrgT_TC4GNIosk6CXB4s_dsYQVb6L3cfwT9-45TWvF0gfFNG7g9uLguuGBEoX9VoSGR-Q3h6ZkXuBwAv70Bin06URWtN3A9qwNSzlPMor07zXqsYw_GDBM_jcHEI_R/s200/73477_1465460759008_1308180103_31088671_316952_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536833732881543298" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-DQu-tusnTlG4Tg7-CUX_Mr3hcWiuEKOO5ENziJeXAoMSM-Y_0XIdCxTLBSiPcR5lKkReVPAfKWchl16znZRlnCtcM4cf2el-xjIILYPijMi0Oa5NqvRs5ob0HSPYEWjKSXAVQ2d8C305/s1600/76456_1465460599004_1308180103_31088669_1720506_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-DQu-tusnTlG4Tg7-CUX_Mr3hcWiuEKOO5ENziJeXAoMSM-Y_0XIdCxTLBSiPcR5lKkReVPAfKWchl16znZRlnCtcM4cf2el-xjIILYPijMi0Oa5NqvRs5ob0HSPYEWjKSXAVQ2d8C305/s200/76456_1465460599004_1308180103_31088669_1720506_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536833723620420962" /></a><br /></div><div>We found a place nearby to stop for lunch, and I had the best French onion soup. It was not salty at all, but a flavor explosion, and there was bread soaked in the soup that was delicious.</div><div><br /></div><div>After lunch, we made our way to the catacombs and stood in a long line. We had arrived at 3:00, and last entry was at 4:00. The security guards approached us, at the end of the line, and spoke to us in French. With the help of the people in front of us, Liz's limited French, and some guessing, we figured out that they were telling us that we probably wouldn't make it into the catacombs that day, since the line was really long. We began to pray and dance for rain, hoping the people in front of us would decide to leave, and we also began crafting reasons for them to let us in, should we be denied access at the entrance. Emily decided that she would claim her grandmother was down there and we practiced fake crying. As we inched closer, people indeed began leaving and the rain came in a miserable drizzle. We were so close to the front of the line, finally, and our watches were getting closer to 4:00. The final group was let in, and we were the very last people of the very last group of the day to be admitted! We bought our tickets at 4:02. The catacombs were so awesome. A seven-year-old British girl designated herself to be my group's tour guide, and took great pleasure in making fun of Grace, who was very nervous the entire time we were down there. There were cave carvings and the walls were lined with countless bones. These bones were from the late 18th century Parisians, because there was not enough room in the cemeteries for the dead. The bones, after the flesh was removed with lime, would be sent into the abandoned stone quarries beneath the city and the monks would arrange them to create a sort of mausoleum. The sections we could explore were mostly femurs and skulls. These catacombs were featured in Victor Hugo's <i>Les Miserables</i>, Disney's <i>Hunchback of Notre Dame</i>, and Umberto Eco's <i>Focault's Pendulum</i>, among others. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY0kKxDZ-EE2ntwZpvcY3ArNYDxzsofr6wZvr3TAYMKLUc0Q6oi1_nO86qsgwli_B6u5jI0uLBLcP-Iz3BZb_iP-4qu4waRKYelms9KuT0ujN79QFMH8Z4bFYmLxlkCxtSCbYoSMCuykHC/s1600/72744_1465461519027_1308180103_31088680_6847934_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY0kKxDZ-EE2ntwZpvcY3ArNYDxzsofr6wZvr3TAYMKLUc0Q6oi1_nO86qsgwli_B6u5jI0uLBLcP-Iz3BZb_iP-4qu4waRKYelms9KuT0ujN79QFMH8Z4bFYmLxlkCxtSCbYoSMCuykHC/s200/72744_1465461519027_1308180103_31088680_6847934_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536836923352201618" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtInvv2lDpwVEcn6Q1S_NtoMUd6tHWFqn3xeo2rjiOkVWAPLS93XZGMiY84HDUGBUgpX63V5PYOEZNsEpR2NmEzHZ63fGpX9DfN8MZhej2OkGaDc8QdOE6UEdjVIvEaeeNd5ytdssSCTel/s1600/74823_1465461879036_1308180103_31088683_2230280_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtInvv2lDpwVEcn6Q1S_NtoMUd6tHWFqn3xeo2rjiOkVWAPLS93XZGMiY84HDUGBUgpX63V5PYOEZNsEpR2NmEzHZ63fGpX9DfN8MZhej2OkGaDc8QdOE6UEdjVIvEaeeNd5ytdssSCTel/s200/74823_1465461879036_1308180103_31088683_2230280_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536833719555348082" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAELap3fzXtZA_putKJFB_YciE-0jIsNN19PtdH2nvEwOyn-XVUO5de5rCOmdPP6vNBTNuVjAB5ipQavSeZZ8FzyGwtVkeZvyhi5eSTjgMs0TKgVhi31z27whqdgIuUtBgperpi39KwNRS/s1600/74861_1465462159043_1308180103_31088686_3864718_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAELap3fzXtZA_putKJFB_YciE-0jIsNN19PtdH2nvEwOyn-XVUO5de5rCOmdPP6vNBTNuVjAB5ipQavSeZZ8FzyGwtVkeZvyhi5eSTjgMs0TKgVhi31z27whqdgIuUtBgperpi39KwNRS/s200/74861_1465462159043_1308180103_31088686_3864718_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536833711555199458" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpTnEUF1WGl1QajK14DnZokCWeq1ZSC2OVCIraxEruRwGeedQFyTWYYFpdb7-OkSYOvgu5HqH5muJ4E-IBX91n5lOQcD3UJck4vVgWZ2o8vbvL2ECTLccaYf7-IEsdduohyDArEvZAUI_O/s1600/149736_1465463039065_1308180103_31088694_6715651_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpTnEUF1WGl1QajK14DnZokCWeq1ZSC2OVCIraxEruRwGeedQFyTWYYFpdb7-OkSYOvgu5HqH5muJ4E-IBX91n5lOQcD3UJck4vVgWZ2o8vbvL2ECTLccaYf7-IEsdduohyDArEvZAUI_O/s200/149736_1465463039065_1308180103_31088694_6715651_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536834513240782594" /></a><br /></div><div>After exploring, we made our way to the Latin District, although we weren't sure what we were supposed to see, because it was a Sunday, and there was not much activity there at all. On our way, we stopped by a Starbucks for Veronika's sake, although a venti was almost 5<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 15px; font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:small;">€,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 15px; font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:small;"> </span>and we did not want to spend that much at all. So we got crepes from a street vendor, and they were so delicious. We also stopped by the Luxembourg gardens, which were beautiful, especially since we got there just at sunset. There was a pond and tiny chapel dedicated to Caterina de Medici, an Italian from the Medici family, the main ruling family in Florence during the Renaissance. The dedication is due to her marriage to the king of France (Henry II), but I thought it was still ironic to see an Italian being honored in France, since the French and Italians do not think fondly of each other.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhThrPUWDOimeEFm0Sf-UgmUoIQEzOlyzwKpHU4s-6ocRV8zIEckhs-6krle-K80JZtgWdpoj4kJBV5yG3L1q0v13EFeNWPvZJEI3AYSG2JV-2oy_NpfPUcyhXXgfkqBnkeDJIf8faymSn-/s1600/71640_1465614802859_1308180103_31089206_1683344_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhThrPUWDOimeEFm0Sf-UgmUoIQEzOlyzwKpHU4s-6ocRV8zIEckhs-6krle-K80JZtgWdpoj4kJBV5yG3L1q0v13EFeNWPvZJEI3AYSG2JV-2oy_NpfPUcyhXXgfkqBnkeDJIf8faymSn-/s200/71640_1465614802859_1308180103_31089206_1683344_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536834507277751362" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha08WGyuwCQvzrqQtElXjQL30BTYGfrY-OXFSSdgm4RBHgU4TqTVBqIO8Ghk146WNH5eNXbYI5fO_xLnUnH3LZ0X4ULTiyyb1IrZlCKNxzJcOhjoJTd7DXJvesMg6AcdbJsdgdaMKjk9hr/s1600/74594_1465615642880_1308180103_31089211_1252700_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha08WGyuwCQvzrqQtElXjQL30BTYGfrY-OXFSSdgm4RBHgU4TqTVBqIO8Ghk146WNH5eNXbYI5fO_xLnUnH3LZ0X4ULTiyyb1IrZlCKNxzJcOhjoJTd7DXJvesMg6AcdbJsdgdaMKjk9hr/s200/74594_1465615642880_1308180103_31089211_1252700_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536834495125594514" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG9dmWcax3f75n5-0aZE_0kMid9FIs-fy6kPOM7TbWml_yaZZX-NvamhPU3I8X8ZdOBasXAYz9gytk8juFSgpZh2cKiazk2cczZya4ujfGRl30tut_-cKJuiH5TeHJ9vgNf7nZlNErg0QZ/s1600/72535_1465615242870_1308180103_31089208_816272_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG9dmWcax3f75n5-0aZE_0kMid9FIs-fy6kPOM7TbWml_yaZZX-NvamhPU3I8X8ZdOBasXAYz9gytk8juFSgpZh2cKiazk2cczZya4ujfGRl30tut_-cKJuiH5TeHJ9vgNf7nZlNErg0QZ/s200/72535_1465615242870_1308180103_31089208_816272_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536835412018024306" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-rWnoIzQH0SbQVLlGAJgniThceOFHl69A2jd7IidxOzS96yJPgLfAYSQqlNRMO4QiksEiigaoe1k1J_ctMNdrKI1d2mVCThLcsMi9OpggY47meH8NnTU9OpWpTStla1hIZD0vzbOwzSc/s1600/75732_1465617042915_1308180103_31089220_4661596_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-rWnoIzQH0SbQVLlGAJgniThceOFHl69A2jd7IidxOzS96yJPgLfAYSQqlNRMO4QiksEiigaoe1k1J_ctMNdrKI1d2mVCThLcsMi9OpggY47meH8NnTU9OpWpTStla1hIZD0vzbOwzSc/s200/75732_1465617042915_1308180103_31089220_4661596_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536834493977060098" /></a><br /></div><div>In the Latin district, we stopped for dinner, and I had a croque monsieur, which was essentially a panini with a French name. Still, it was delicious. Italians are bitter about French cooking, because they maintain that once Caterina moved to France, the French stole all the Italian cooking. Omlettes, crepes, Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread), and sandwiches are actually documented to be eaten in Italy far prior to in France. While this may be the case, I think the French have much improved on the Italian recipes, and they have the right to claim these dishes as their national cuisine.</div><div><br /></div><div>After dinner, we went to the Eiffel Tower. I didn't know that at night, it actually sparkles. As in, the lights blink and give the appearance of a shimmering Eiffel Tower. It was a wonderful view, but it was so cold that we didn't stay at the top for very long. It was quite an expensive journey to the top as well, but I think it was completely worth it. We got to see the whole city lit up.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRsLBtDUywLEgJ3n_ef9XhGX_ozLMqYVARMeuogSr8LEiUjTcBZrK3bipEb2ctO6vGgKUmaN0iGbq6WwUJMABMn6eba3KKjYTE9_7WpkVT_MVh59gYLJiQlX54xLYeWqS8wFEnQmSnGyI6/s1600/74868_1465463559078_1308180103_31088701_8357045_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRsLBtDUywLEgJ3n_ef9XhGX_ozLMqYVARMeuogSr8LEiUjTcBZrK3bipEb2ctO6vGgKUmaN0iGbq6WwUJMABMn6eba3KKjYTE9_7WpkVT_MVh59gYLJiQlX54xLYeWqS8wFEnQmSnGyI6/s200/74868_1465463559078_1308180103_31088701_8357045_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536834491560072978" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLNQNhHhXQYgNVSm2u7M7edizbp5Rz7ZRGIX3cTM3TVkk6AbDwLnugEQEvRtxR7dvIgAreu9t3iUf1Sx93OKGzO-CGSCKc9wIVI4ih1I1hi2hL1Lr9Aw-81jZdBlL8_CMdvyQMJR_I_7mW/s1600/71941_1465463759083_1308180103_31088703_5663595_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLNQNhHhXQYgNVSm2u7M7edizbp5Rz7ZRGIX3cTM3TVkk6AbDwLnugEQEvRtxR7dvIgAreu9t3iUf1Sx93OKGzO-CGSCKc9wIVI4ih1I1hi2hL1Lr9Aw-81jZdBlL8_CMdvyQMJR_I_7mW/s200/71941_1465463759083_1308180103_31088703_5663595_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536835422257071922" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV7D2rOltT5AiefZPq5uhjGYkupnhiMScXZk4Boq4ikG8ftF7LrCEtiVdnmvjPXrHSou5qpglXUZZczVcm1Icy5uPWFnf03dwRA_pQX5vq5C7TclhH1YYs6C-62GFTu2XSgNjUXO9hRe8m/s1600/149856_1465463999089_1308180103_31088705_1186743_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV7D2rOltT5AiefZPq5uhjGYkupnhiMScXZk4Boq4ikG8ftF7LrCEtiVdnmvjPXrHSou5qpglXUZZczVcm1Icy5uPWFnf03dwRA_pQX5vq5C7TclhH1YYs6C-62GFTu2XSgNjUXO9hRe8m/s200/149856_1465463999089_1308180103_31088705_1186743_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536835421644535682" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKRcNKS02TTvnWkZigainkBWwJM0yhcuXvdk9p9tDTPJImVQ5baFwORmu0KFW9LiGRs1aXMBctIAeOonrkEkEdFEllDV4RcsQ2cRNJA14BTvrFpIvSnAaig6WXz6RRL8gURL8pPaSHE6vY/s1600/74893_1465464079091_1308180103_31088706_6286612_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKRcNKS02TTvnWkZigainkBWwJM0yhcuXvdk9p9tDTPJImVQ5baFwORmu0KFW9LiGRs1aXMBctIAeOonrkEkEdFEllDV4RcsQ2cRNJA14BTvrFpIvSnAaig6WXz6RRL8gURL8pPaSHE6vY/s200/74893_1465464079091_1308180103_31088706_6286612_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536835420867022978" /></a><br /></div><div>We said goodbye to Liz and Ryan, who were going back to Florence in the morning, and then walked back to the hostel and spent some time at the bar that was attached to the hostel. I danced with a very enthusiastic guy. He was very jovial because it was his last night working there, and he was very drunk. I tried to start a game of cribbage with Emily, but that didn't work out so well, so we played BS with the whole table. The cardplaying didn't last too long because the others were too tired to truly engage. So we went upstairs and went to bed.</div><div><br /></div><div>That night, we had obnoxious French boys in the next room who kept talking loudly and walking through our room. Even though we were planning on waking up at 8:30, I got up at 7 and got ready for the day, since clearly sleep wasn't going to be part of my night. I had breakfast and drank a gallon of hot chocolate to give myself the caffeine to last the day. I woke up my roommates and waited for them to get ready for the day. However, by the time they were ready, breakfast had been taken away. We tried to figure out our day. I really wanted to go to Versailles, but we were meeting Grace's friend Kylie, who was studying in Paris that semester, at noon, and we wouldn't have enough time to fully explore Versailles, to my chagrin. So to kill time until noon, we went to the Eiffel Tower park and took classic tourist photos with the Tower in the background.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2KpO-v-Hu9a7jAvNlj5p09X8o1dpSO2bgPynugAc8fGvCSLM6pb2TqwLAHkdkoE6DKi1txu7WWE9mk4ROHr4GqiobNJOT9f7D2ZMyooBo4eyqXCYhSYHBnVCfVf7J4eXSycqQh6s9cpQ0/s1600/73522_1465631723282_1308180103_31089257_3261355_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2KpO-v-Hu9a7jAvNlj5p09X8o1dpSO2bgPynugAc8fGvCSLM6pb2TqwLAHkdkoE6DKi1txu7WWE9mk4ROHr4GqiobNJOT9f7D2ZMyooBo4eyqXCYhSYHBnVCfVf7J4eXSycqQh6s9cpQ0/s200/73522_1465631723282_1308180103_31089257_3261355_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536835417189852674" /></a><br /></div><div>We walked to the rendezvous point and Veronika and Emily split, leaving Grace and I to find Kylie. We realized after the other two left, that we didn't have their phone numbers, and once we found Kylie, we had to search for them. Finally we all met up and made our way to L'Arc de Triomphe. We climbed the 284 spiral stairs to the top and saw all of Paris by day. It was cool to see the city from L'Arc, because the main avenues radiate from that point, so it felt like we were at the center of Paris.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCIG-YlmjUa4lua97R9-WwIwU0fHTsdMLh1Y0MgEwTVDeg0chzyjB3LCPyfr9DJqXWEw-z5gfhy7E9uM9ul0DX6lhqsLNVP7A3ZszBylr2Cf5FzMyWlefbofEnjxWsaaUFINnyVKJ1ZWFv/s1600/39544_1465632603304_1308180103_31089265_1846170_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCIG-YlmjUa4lua97R9-WwIwU0fHTsdMLh1Y0MgEwTVDeg0chzyjB3LCPyfr9DJqXWEw-z5gfhy7E9uM9ul0DX6lhqsLNVP7A3ZszBylr2Cf5FzMyWlefbofEnjxWsaaUFINnyVKJ1ZWFv/s200/39544_1465632603304_1308180103_31089265_1846170_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536836913018103362" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiel3A6KG9imGKmPzpE3s-pTjFu4B9Qv4ARXE3ehdKBKRt-cz1PHtE5veEOX0X-GdNOvMgWe7hC1jeo6PRowTwxsXp8EuICDmPEbYLbqYNiI4-nNpFF3bZtpB36OZOd6EsOnomaYSg69r73/s1600/149538_1465634483351_1308180103_31089282_572789_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiel3A6KG9imGKmPzpE3s-pTjFu4B9Qv4ARXE3ehdKBKRt-cz1PHtE5veEOX0X-GdNOvMgWe7hC1jeo6PRowTwxsXp8EuICDmPEbYLbqYNiI4-nNpFF3bZtpB36OZOd6EsOnomaYSg69r73/s200/149538_1465634483351_1308180103_31089282_572789_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536838106868413906" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOtTg32q2zz5C3fH-GDrx9_FER-XjZbKuCKrQUzQroIMqg_jgQ0P-WtGVwwAxJh7EvX3ZlF2tV0ANowcMa93hPM93QHxiaHGgrXZSs95O8OFXNtUuYD59HbqQdnHiWZnsPsTcG1g58Yek-/s1600/73574_1465635243370_1308180103_31089289_4472837_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOtTg32q2zz5C3fH-GDrx9_FER-XjZbKuCKrQUzQroIMqg_jgQ0P-WtGVwwAxJh7EvX3ZlF2tV0ANowcMa93hPM93QHxiaHGgrXZSs95O8OFXNtUuYD59HbqQdnHiWZnsPsTcG1g58Yek-/s200/73574_1465635243370_1308180103_31089289_4472837_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536836922348887538" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj431H5jY4LIN9jdZPlE9DxseDbwIw1pFkrgBkOr2lqcq52zXFdKmzXkfBBQEE76xPVE2LW4DtePkJ6CAI7rcmGr_X_JySFgio0rHlb0fILEQK4alCkAlv9IwmkEh-V0vtgYTOlm6MFeTBV/s1600/148422_1465634363348_1308180103_31089281_7697522_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj431H5jY4LIN9jdZPlE9DxseDbwIw1pFkrgBkOr2lqcq52zXFdKmzXkfBBQEE76xPVE2LW4DtePkJ6CAI7rcmGr_X_JySFgio0rHlb0fILEQK4alCkAlv9IwmkEh-V0vtgYTOlm6MFeTBV/s200/148422_1465634363348_1308180103_31089281_7697522_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536836920197759554" /></a><br /></div><div>We climbed back down and watched a group of break dancers put on a show.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhidHWkryMM8DPg-CxZgs1duwCZ4UPGc1ktwI6qz25yRzrUGmQUHPv0dLdDNa5vIjIdV5cqgUCMiB7Nu3SypRMqVIUMxzBSDDDRvOkVBFjWy4rtYKlYYcfXhzha_-WL1O8H1HVIeLKGaoa-/s1600/73917_1465633563328_1308180103_31089273_8037537_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhidHWkryMM8DPg-CxZgs1duwCZ4UPGc1ktwI6qz25yRzrUGmQUHPv0dLdDNa5vIjIdV5cqgUCMiB7Nu3SypRMqVIUMxzBSDDDRvOkVBFjWy4rtYKlYYcfXhzha_-WL1O8H1HVIeLKGaoa-/s200/73917_1465633563328_1308180103_31089273_8037537_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536836907986626018" /></a><br /></div><div>We stopped at a bakery for lunch and got Quiche Lorraine, which is egg quiche with ham and cheese. We also had beignets, which were filled with raspberry, apricot, or apple filling. We also walked down Champs-Élysées, the expensive shopping street, and purchased some macaroons, which are flavored cream sandwiched between two soft cookies of the same flavor. We had eight different flavors, and they were delicious.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then we took the metro to Marais, which is the artistic district of Paris. Grace had discovered that Nicholas Flamel's house was there. She didn't realize that Flamel was more than just a Harry Potter character until this point. He was an alchemist, like in the book, who was allegedly successful in creating silver and gold, and the philosopher's stone. The house is the oldest stone house in Paris. We found the plaque, but it took us a while to find the actual house (a few meters down from the plaque).</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJI5EuPP9_TpRa9RZKvRgsWVWT-RBUPGollC2eGP4oK0wuqKK1gi-evRf8aw85kVcvljTeoLoiNsOLU0LxhSL-bBRmZLyn1pHnDEmBvgDu48Qa1I10-8dGx9k20O9oFcJ57NMMdVQDcM4O/s1600/75378_1465638003439_1308180103_31089310_3996962_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJI5EuPP9_TpRa9RZKvRgsWVWT-RBUPGollC2eGP4oK0wuqKK1gi-evRf8aw85kVcvljTeoLoiNsOLU0LxhSL-bBRmZLyn1pHnDEmBvgDu48Qa1I10-8dGx9k20O9oFcJ57NMMdVQDcM4O/s200/75378_1465638003439_1308180103_31089310_3996962_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536837614390027042" /></a><br /></div><div>We then went to the Centre Pompidou, which is the contemporary art museum in Marais. We saw a lot of interesting contemporary art, as well as famous pieces by artists like Chagall, Picasso, Kandinsky, Yves, Dali, Miro, and many others. I loved it. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_ocS6wL1UiqCRgzd2rtOLf7C250ignorJHL7yt8gBYW32eDitZ7NXtBdoEGaTZLNpCiNBkr6ZwhICWdJ1DLyuwZxAbZVpRpQK3IQFYlyTTc2lllaGrqI1q4X6LnnUkUjlchCTByzpsRn/s1600/37125_1465637443425_1308180103_31089306_223164_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_ocS6wL1UiqCRgzd2rtOLf7C250ignorJHL7yt8gBYW32eDitZ7NXtBdoEGaTZLNpCiNBkr6ZwhICWdJ1DLyuwZxAbZVpRpQK3IQFYlyTTc2lllaGrqI1q4X6LnnUkUjlchCTByzpsRn/s200/37125_1465637443425_1308180103_31089306_223164_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536837611811033570" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimbqwCuZekrAbhcjErahBrnjsDrJUVcgndqWzVa33xCFyGnK71LI_Rj2GM3-hV1VzIFtIk1y4go_51Z5ykALunVS1u9KzSSfyIg-1SdoindqTnY4LAxjYvvXCp4DDMLCOjuiDkWzJ6oUME/s1600/33593_1465639723482_1308180103_31089325_4352033_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimbqwCuZekrAbhcjErahBrnjsDrJUVcgndqWzVa33xCFyGnK71LI_Rj2GM3-hV1VzIFtIk1y4go_51Z5ykALunVS1u9KzSSfyIg-1SdoindqTnY4LAxjYvvXCp4DDMLCOjuiDkWzJ6oUME/s200/33593_1465639723482_1308180103_31089325_4352033_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536837605125028818" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXCip2T8InC8zSc0jjRq8g2M1pHeCKIAluYZrx1tmRD6AjHJJxDMPXb0vI1GfTySSVpANosYZs-jTMqg4HGPUeu7jrN8C5dRv5-BY9hCKhjFFRg0pF1WR0lfW3jiali6_WgIcEDshOWkF0/s1600/68710_1465640443500_1308180103_31089335_5224127_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXCip2T8InC8zSc0jjRq8g2M1pHeCKIAluYZrx1tmRD6AjHJJxDMPXb0vI1GfTySSVpANosYZs-jTMqg4HGPUeu7jrN8C5dRv5-BY9hCKhjFFRg0pF1WR0lfW3jiali6_WgIcEDshOWkF0/s200/68710_1465640443500_1308180103_31089335_5224127_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536837601032656802" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9pC4pMCisRp6xMz3o1mwpCPyXRk8nMmE6Ccjh4Ho8dgSNqSwaU_LZpegGDMcgItB3CgqxgQeH0axNp7JmzApVDJcGWCZF3xZyp3_kLK8I2UM4cDk-hdoo4N4xLiVZ9z9DrZd9ojCgxtt0/s1600/75007_1465642163543_1308180103_31089350_1124738_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9pC4pMCisRp6xMz3o1mwpCPyXRk8nMmE6Ccjh4Ho8dgSNqSwaU_LZpegGDMcgItB3CgqxgQeH0axNp7JmzApVDJcGWCZF3xZyp3_kLK8I2UM4cDk-hdoo4N4xLiVZ9z9DrZd9ojCgxtt0/s200/75007_1465642163543_1308180103_31089350_1124738_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536837596589256482" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLhTXgxVYvfCjL87qJplVsMfh2DpyH0yoI_Wg_hyphenhyphenjzR_W3RICvmueFTP0zUsP6ZfGaCuq2oWE8GV9r8cjeJSwtrMwljfqkD5wGKZFU-TC36rHCDcoILdZ94W30QMdUwqUHbrGFOsIEgB4P/s1600/75797_1465644443600_1308180103_31089376_3072141_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLhTXgxVYvfCjL87qJplVsMfh2DpyH0yoI_Wg_hyphenhyphenjzR_W3RICvmueFTP0zUsP6ZfGaCuq2oWE8GV9r8cjeJSwtrMwljfqkD5wGKZFU-TC36rHCDcoILdZ94W30QMdUwqUHbrGFOsIEgB4P/s200/75797_1465644443600_1308180103_31089376_3072141_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536838128782981522" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0tDYuyHzTWz5QPw_tRlW1V443GHzkwtGzGItTBDJuCvY-CoQjifsGMjZSnMA2ycpgjkcNAj7LnEh2Aw6syvX4s_U65HBBeGeCl-hHMd3Xv9Dz7wqYF96y9E5ti48qy6OtJPmk7Q1yFRHp/s1600/76841_1465639123467_1308180103_31089318_2495510_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0tDYuyHzTWz5QPw_tRlW1V443GHzkwtGzGItTBDJuCvY-CoQjifsGMjZSnMA2ycpgjkcNAj7LnEh2Aw6syvX4s_U65HBBeGeCl-hHMd3Xv9Dz7wqYF96y9E5ti48qy6OtJPmk7Q1yFRHp/s200/76841_1465639123467_1308180103_31089318_2495510_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536838124583172946" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUKNf-wXsnkI_BfWNrpHQzuOrSvXiCUEN88ZBiWH58grbsVynv-8M3GeVfZltDZTl75IlO9si5sx9B4M2y52TlamctcojaVrdve5wF7LZnKcQ3oLGCvQOsGeJ2hxUcIXh7_oIOISe13faZ/s1600/149821_1465643603579_1308180103_31089365_4076726_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUKNf-wXsnkI_BfWNrpHQzuOrSvXiCUEN88ZBiWH58grbsVynv-8M3GeVfZltDZTl75IlO9si5sx9B4M2y52TlamctcojaVrdve5wF7LZnKcQ3oLGCvQOsGeJ2hxUcIXh7_oIOISe13faZ/s200/149821_1465643603579_1308180103_31089365_4076726_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536838121960753298" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRVNfWjs4u5eBnT0OFBghva78I6mUCv7T_gDA18q7nOP6Trlphx_cEN_fhorp7mgfZp3WntNbUMDDvR-qOORwM-JYBzwJLp4twWxegeFHxKuMw7bN1Q39Rx4YpCNhYjmgMAEqKiAXezIoW/s1600/74368_1465641963538_1308180103_31089347_6957082_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRVNfWjs4u5eBnT0OFBghva78I6mUCv7T_gDA18q7nOP6Trlphx_cEN_fhorp7mgfZp3WntNbUMDDvR-qOORwM-JYBzwJLp4twWxegeFHxKuMw7bN1Q39Rx4YpCNhYjmgMAEqKiAXezIoW/s200/74368_1465641963538_1308180103_31089347_6957082_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536838110273729026" /></a><br /></div><div>Kylie left us after the museum, and we went to Montmartre to see the Moulin Rouge and Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart) Cathedral. After seeing the Moulin Rouge, however, we were so hungry that we stopped at a sushi restaurant and had really good sushi and kabobs.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHtBK6qV1hMTCoCl9mnuFPRpy9dfMoX0etWGcW_5sc2Kh3c8oDsNu8CEfn6G8ls1NGzWAmyBnNfnX6veNnQ8XHcid7f8r6zaO-9XgOXepLWCVRz6UASDGmiDRzvKNvxnB6PfpX7NJxy2YY/s1600/73182_1465645003614_1308180103_31089381_2904751_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHtBK6qV1hMTCoCl9mnuFPRpy9dfMoX0etWGcW_5sc2Kh3c8oDsNu8CEfn6G8ls1NGzWAmyBnNfnX6veNnQ8XHcid7f8r6zaO-9XgOXepLWCVRz6UASDGmiDRzvKNvxnB6PfpX7NJxy2YY/s200/73182_1465645003614_1308180103_31089381_2904751_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536838552432387042" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTQdlBIBQYAFXS3T8gmm9EfqwnpcPFv0sKM-ZoHWhfr9k9k1uxjpsh74ENp0kZDAmmy3YlivpvuRgcvfkQ4C0RbGHJq7LEYdJvwDuXE95nMW_qaRUMrcW4bS6-OE4GGgYeY2QjD-VcbJay/s1600/77136_1465645123617_1308180103_31089383_2444768_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTQdlBIBQYAFXS3T8gmm9EfqwnpcPFv0sKM-ZoHWhfr9k9k1uxjpsh74ENp0kZDAmmy3YlivpvuRgcvfkQ4C0RbGHJq7LEYdJvwDuXE95nMW_qaRUMrcW4bS6-OE4GGgYeY2QjD-VcbJay/s200/77136_1465645123617_1308180103_31089383_2444768_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536838544366863202" /></a><br />Then we decided to go back to the hostel instead of making our way to the cathedral, because we had to get up early to get to the airport. We played some card games in the bar again. One of them was horse races, and instead of making it a drinking game, we decided that the winner would dictate a dare to the rest of the players. My "horse" Spades won, so I got the honor, but I never used my power. We ordered a taxi for the morning and went to bed. There was no one in our room, and I finally got some sleep, even though it was nearly 1 when we went to bed and we had to wake up at 5.</div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11705583397776601590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2076998410662702438.post-50700569587890810742010-10-22T04:03:00.000-07:002010-10-22T05:04:46.067-07:00Some Bad Planning or Why You Should Get Sufficient Sleep At NightLast night, I stayed up until 6 AM. So I suppose I should've really started with: This morning....<div><br /></div><div>Sigh.</div><div><br /></div><div>This morning, I stayed up until 6 AM before finally going to sleep. Why, you ask? I'm not really sure. But I came up with a reason, so I thought I would share with you, so I feel slightly more justified, even though it really was just poor planning on my part.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our heat turns on sometime in the evening (between 3 and 8 PM), but I'm never around when it turns on, or I'm not paying attention. I only notice that eventually I'm not freezing to death in my own apartment, and then I can be a real human being, instead of a pitiful, shivering bundle of clothing and misery. Since the heat is only on for a set number of hours (and I think it's on for WAY less than 12 hours, which is disheartening to me), I go to bed all toasty and warm and content, thinking naively that I will wake up in the same state to which I fell asleep, only to be rudely awakened in the morning to a loud alarm and the inability to feel my face or toes after they've frozen off.</div><div><br /></div><div>So I had an epiphany last night. If I were to outlast the heater, I could go to bed cold, warm up the bed with my own hard-earned body heat, and then sleep in relative comfort, because there would be no sudden drop in temperature while I was unconscious and unaware of the malicious changes occurring in my surrounding environment. It seemed like a perfect plan for an unfortunate situation. If I had it my way, I would just crank up the heat and leave it blasting all night, most likely to the discomfort and chagrin of my other seven roommates, who are not as temperature deficient as I am.</div><div><br /></div><div>So I stayed up with another nocturnal roommate and watched Sweeney Todd, comedy shows online, and then we listened to music. After, I skyped with my parents and friends for a while, while she skyped with her boyfriend. The time passed steadily. My plan was perfect. My roommate finally gave in to the sweet call of sleep around 4, but I was in an intense conversation with a friend about the wonders of bee juice (otherwise known as honey), and couldn't be pulled away. Then around 6, I was inundated by a flood of messages from friends demanding to know what time it was in Italy. I told them pleasantly, only to be bombarded with "WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?" or "GO TO SLEEP" or "WHY ARE YOU AWAKE, CRAZY?" I was unprepared for the hostility, and thus was shocked into realizing that my face was frozen and I couldn't feel my fingers very well (I was wearing thick socks, so my toes were protected... for a while). So I apologized to everyone for my bizarre sleeping habits and turned off my computer, ready to set part B of the plan into action.</div><div><br /></div><div>I walked into my room, quietly, because my roommate was scheduled to wake up at 7 to leave for her holiday trip, and dressed for bed. I put on my warmest flannel and then pulled back my two comforters and blanket and sheet to snuggle into bed. I hopped in and sank into a bed of FREEZING (and yes, I did use that correctly in my sentence).</div><div><br /></div><div>Suddenly, I was awoken to the terrible flaw in my plan. I had stayed up and deprived myself of any pre-sleeping happiness, because all the body heat I was planning to use that night had been cruelly ripped from my body, leaving me bare and vulnerable to the evils of the cold, hungry night. I lay, shivering, in my bed, clutching the blankets to my chest in hopes that they would share their warm secrets with me. But the selfish cloth divulged nothing.</div><div><br /></div><div>Somehow, I managed to generate enough body heat to defrost myself to the point where I was no longer a human popsicle and miraculously fell asleep. My roommate woke up shortly after, but I was comatose and didn't even hear her at all. When I did wake up, I experienced the same misery I felt every morning: cold, numbness, and a genuine dislike for the heaters that failed me. Only this time, I had no warm and fuzzy memories of the night before, because I had squandered my precious warmth to listen to singing comedians serenade me with their humor.</div><div><br /></div><div>I look at the clock. It reads 10:17. I squint and put the clock closer to my face, hoping that somehow the digital numbers would shimmer and morph into a different time, telling me that I had gotten more than 4 hours of sleep. But no. The numbers glared back, refusing to compromise. But finally, they gave in, but yielded only one more minute as the time read 10:18, but somehow I am not convinced it had anything to do with my power to sway time.</div><div><br /></div><div>Too cold to go back to sleep, I rolled out of bed and decided to reward myself with a hot shower. Perhaps then I would remember what it was like to be warm. I stumbled into the bathroom, switched on the light, and placed my unsuspectingly bare foot on the tile. I woke instantly, shot to the core with numbing cold.</div><div><br /></div><div>And no, my dear reader, it is not due to merely cold tile. Cold tile I could bear. But sometime in the morning, when I was passed out in my ice tomb, otherwise known as my bed, someone had gone into the bathroom and turned on the shower and sprayed the entire bathroom with water. I suppose that it was hot water at one point, but by the time it forcefully greeted my skin, it had chilled to sub-zero temperatures. I could only imagine someone preparing to take a shower, when, suddenly, a ninja mosquito appears out of nowhere, intent on causing pain and misery to its victim, and because ninjas move fast, the shower victim could only think to drown the mosquito in a spray of water and would not rest until the mosquito had fallen and perished in the killing flow. Or they were practicing ballroom dance moves and needed a partner, and the nearest thing was our detachable shower head. Or the shower head was suddenly seized by an evil spirit and chased the poor person around the bathroom until it was strangled and tamed. But however it happened, I was left to forge my way through the battlefield.</div><div><br /></div><div>The shower head did not attack me, nor did anything happen during my shower except that the water warmed me and I became cleaner, and I did wake up significantly, so I decided that I would dress and make breakfast for myself. I went into the kitchen and saw my can of oats sitting on the counter and knew that I would be devouring oatmeal for breakfast. I pulled out a pan (because we don't have a microwave, so we have to make things the hard way), and cooked my oatmeal. Then I spooned it into a bowl and sprinkled it with a teaspoon of brown sugar. And then I had a wonderful idea.</div><div><br /></div><div>I know that brown sugar is only ever logically paired with cinnamon when you want to create an epically awesome taste experience, and I was appalled that I had not put cinnamon in my previous bowls of oatmeal whilst I had eaten it in Italy. I grabbed the jar of cinnamon and measured out a teaspoon of it as well. I was so excited for my bowl of cinnamon and brown sugar oatmeal I couldn't wait. But of course, I couldn't just mix it in and leave it at that. I lamented all the bowls of oatmeal sans cinnamon I had ever eaten and decided to make up for it by putting the missing cinnamon into <i>this</i> bowl of oatmeal I was preparing to eat. Before my brain could send off alarms and remind me that I am a rational human being with the ability to make intelligent decisions, I shook out what must have been enough cinnamon to feed cinnamon and brown sugar oatmeal to a family of twelve for a week*. I mixed it in with gusto and spooned some of it into my mouth.</div><div><br /></div><div>NEVER PUT THAT MUCH CINNAMON IN ANYTHING. Unless it's a jar in which you store cinnamon so that you can use it in small quantities. VERY small quantities.</div><div><br /></div><div>Determined not to waste the oatmeal, I drowned my concoction in milk and sugar and forced it down. One of my housemates came in and tried to start a conversation, but it was everything I could do not to let my stomach reject what I had cruelly shoved into it. My housemate kept up an awkward monologue while I nodded and made strangled noises in hopes that she would interpret them to be active listening noises. I don't think she quite understood.</div><div><br /></div><div>I drank all the juice I had in the refrigerator to rinse out the taste, and still everything smelled like cinnamon to me. But I followed my housemate into her room and we planned out things to do for our Fall Break trip, and it was very productive and we didn't make any bad decisions at all.</div><div><br /></div><div>I still have to pack, but we (me and three of my roommates) are leaving tomorrow to go on break and will be in Paris, Barcelona, and London. We'll return on Sunday, October 31st, and I'll update shortly after that to fill you in on my adventures. I am so excited to go! Until then, be safe, stay warm, and don't make poor decisions when you're sleep deprived.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">*I am aware that too much cinnamon can be toxic, and I suppose at this point I exaggerate in my story. However, there was definitely too much cinnamon for one bowl of oatmeal, and I thought it would be a more dramatic story the way I tell it here. So worry not, I will escape coumarin poisoning.</span></div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11705583397776601590noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2076998410662702438.post-25664756257174259962010-10-19T13:12:00.000-07:002010-10-19T14:47:20.255-07:00"You Should Be More Like... Rembrandt"So my printmaking professor and I have been battling all semester, trying to figure each other out and make my prints turn out. It took me most of the first month to figure out the printshop, and she gave me as little assistance as she could without being actively unhelpful, claiming that I was too timid and afraid of messing up my artwork, and it was causing my art to suffer, thus I would have to figure things out myself and make mistakes and learn how to deal with them. So after hours of frustration and undue panic, I adjusted to the way things are done in her shop.<div><br /></div><div>She also made me work FAST. I don't actually have studio time allotted to me, so every time we met, it was essentially a critique, and she wanted to have a lot of material to critique. So I was working on several plates simultaneously, squeezing studio time between my classes, her classes and whenever the printshop was open (it's only open M-F, 9-8). It was frustrating, because frequently I would run into the shop because I had an hour of free time, and 40 of those 60 minutes would be devoted to letting the plate sit in acid. And when I pulled prints, I would be happy with the product, until I met with her and she just smiled, patted my head, and told me I had a long way to go.</div><div><br /></div><div>I appreciated her help and guidance, but sometimes I just wanted to put my foot down and tell her that my plate was awesome the way it was. During one particularly rough critique, where I had put so much time and effort into my plates and I was really unwilling to go any further and she was adamant that the plates were not done, I essentially told her I was done. So she pulled out a book of prints and beckoned me over.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Let me show you something."</div><div>I saunter over, pouting.</div><div>"Your lines are good at describing objects, but you need to loosen up and give life to your lines and vary the weight, and the direction, and the style." She flips open a page and points to a print. "Your lines should look more like this."</div><div>I look at the print. I stare. I look at her, bewildered.</div><div>"You want me to be like Rembrandt."</div><div>"Yeah. You should be more like Rembrandt."</div><div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkN1MWJdvSCpNKvCjx-HnMPpmmO74-5NGsz7GDQn6S9SMt70tWHlZxxUOJBGhLNtRpSAxGqjTQWHeiR3NsWQDGBL5pYgq_uJcPP9n3BU5SMZOcfqRt-7YtaHgaBBPcZ3ZgtV8WE57e_3r4/s1600/David+Tunick_REMBRANDT_three+trees.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 151px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkN1MWJdvSCpNKvCjx-HnMPpmmO74-5NGsz7GDQn6S9SMt70tWHlZxxUOJBGhLNtRpSAxGqjTQWHeiR3NsWQDGBL5pYgq_uJcPP9n3BU5SMZOcfqRt-7YtaHgaBBPcZ3ZgtV8WE57e_3r4/s200/David+Tunick_REMBRANDT_three+trees.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529876000525404066" /></a><br /></div></div><div>That's it. I resigned to failing the class. If I was supposed to be the next Rembrandt, I had a lot more than a semester's worth of work to do.</div><div><br /></div><div>However, I grumbled my way to the next stage of my plate, and studied Rembrandt's prints to mimic his use of line and shape rather than hard description of objects. I even scribbled on my plate, something that took a lot of courage. But once I spread ink on the plate and ran it through the press, I could see the drastic difference. It was as if I had transformed my work. Obviously it wasn't Rembrandt quality, nor was it complete, but I started to understand my professor.</div><div><br /></div><div>I had my critique this morning, and it was the best print class I've had all semester. We discussed what was left to do on the prints, talked about the development of the plates, and everything just clicked. I couldn't believe that I was starting to not only agree with, but anticipate my professor's comments. It was beautiful.</div><div><br /></div><div>So here are some terrible photos of my prints, starting from my first stage all the way to the latest and most developed print.</div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo2s6rQo5cS_t0hq0k4dVy3LKxAjxZbtbeIJGDqinG104Tw9j-rEo84GwzAOYu2xDLIyTbFmTUzJBynyRDb0iIcaEmi3LEIhAKfBVDOHw8Dpgnk0R_8gZgyBYy1K29r0-u6ygM5M9dp75L/s1600/IMG_1534.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo2s6rQo5cS_t0hq0k4dVy3LKxAjxZbtbeIJGDqinG104Tw9j-rEo84GwzAOYu2xDLIyTbFmTUzJBynyRDb0iIcaEmi3LEIhAKfBVDOHw8Dpgnk0R_8gZgyBYy1K29r0-u6ygM5M9dp75L/s200/IMG_1534.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529859690961080610" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5uDNhrtSELrCM0FySN6xSP8pDARBhNh2cM7JlhVWJh6_AL1psSvptnZLia5TJDLLaPkL7bOrutilvsbdfPvea0Kvcy8EgGWUMUebQJQ8k_V4yGMpQ-2obcQATMShwHiZgA-yEgaPVni-6/s1600/IMG_1535.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5uDNhrtSELrCM0FySN6xSP8pDARBhNh2cM7JlhVWJh6_AL1psSvptnZLia5TJDLLaPkL7bOrutilvsbdfPvea0Kvcy8EgGWUMUebQJQ8k_V4yGMpQ-2obcQATMShwHiZgA-yEgaPVni-6/s200/IMG_1535.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529859687188411042" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwCc6IzUkrcK24EOwVPJnD9DRa7JqWivTFi62AXkN1Br21HkTHTfQWZnUefLiZF3eP7JXh-ZAzrfYdt59WQcAoQm4F-AC3XoVdrV1XCRq4VNRL6TA6WtvHppZsRTdxpk5-3cGLHxajO83S/s1600/IMG_1536.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwCc6IzUkrcK24EOwVPJnD9DRa7JqWivTFi62AXkN1Br21HkTHTfQWZnUefLiZF3eP7JXh-ZAzrfYdt59WQcAoQm4F-AC3XoVdrV1XCRq4VNRL6TA6WtvHppZsRTdxpk5-3cGLHxajO83S/s200/IMG_1536.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529859685217943442" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2avhP-z-7zPWbex06NmOlsc5HGSy3eWfs4koK2YkAHQ6NPUCE-7YlpNE7BTTooL3MmpUpnb8NcP-cEeRoMKP8AlBu-o503h3o_AqTixmTtmAJ81tOGoQ-1wDig7PFKRmxPXBTKHE1Qor/s1600/IMG_1537.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2avhP-z-7zPWbex06NmOlsc5HGSy3eWfs4koK2YkAHQ6NPUCE-7YlpNE7BTTooL3MmpUpnb8NcP-cEeRoMKP8AlBu-o503h3o_AqTixmTtmAJ81tOGoQ-1wDig7PFKRmxPXBTKHE1Qor/s200/IMG_1537.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529859680701931186" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_FaluuUT_rTLL2-xnIzAiUVuZI4oOs5pL05VkAMiV8sNs4TcFG7NTxxinlz7wFlyxw583Tj91cnzWd26Rqa3w0pkp-4rv4hYXjOy0ewjiMWA85E1S1Yrd05h8M5cXyvBrj7DMSNWRMqr/s1600/IMG_1539.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_FaluuUT_rTLL2-xnIzAiUVuZI4oOs5pL05VkAMiV8sNs4TcFG7NTxxinlz7wFlyxw583Tj91cnzWd26Rqa3w0pkp-4rv4hYXjOy0ewjiMWA85E1S1Yrd05h8M5cXyvBrj7DMSNWRMqr/s200/IMG_1539.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529859672944837346" /></a><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBlIZmHwrPphacnXF2vMybK9-q1qfQ76pjVBpD5dxRjZkst3hhParkGTXqLkRmC6LnN-iwqH_L3ovLfdJf8KuFw-2Z6MwoxFLYL-rJsXBnJSxWTlUjqhOEw77mUy1EFiAoNKlG2jlwndD/s200/IMG_1540.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529865162248280546" /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix57Tc6jU6YxEmRwifTbD5annwjf-lZR3NhvMCIBO9mIH6-_eJuKtgAw_bwxTxD_0sShrBZZUgQs2ah7IjNNp697pnwWtW43mIjhb0Ha-JyG3ZkUSc1z2iNJlVRQeL30UyFJreX2WUWhmI/s1600/IMG_1538.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix57Tc6jU6YxEmRwifTbD5annwjf-lZR3NhvMCIBO9mIH6-_eJuKtgAw_bwxTxD_0sShrBZZUgQs2ah7IjNNp697pnwWtW43mIjhb0Ha-JyG3ZkUSc1z2iNJlVRQeL30UyFJreX2WUWhmI/s200/IMG_1538.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529865169687758578" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9y_J9AfU6Gsskwv70N5OIv5vKEQ7psYoBeKl7QBo32NUieVbZlroqb0GMjokHhFyAMip8EgwBnReauRq71AVzUfGLdp1BUbKaLN54HtpQNEAaUC2v-haQpFSDDj8648Gts5b_BDVVxwqS/s1600/IMG_1541.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9y_J9AfU6Gsskwv70N5OIv5vKEQ7psYoBeKl7QBo32NUieVbZlroqb0GMjokHhFyAMip8EgwBnReauRq71AVzUfGLdp1BUbKaLN54HtpQNEAaUC2v-haQpFSDDj8648Gts5b_BDVVxwqS/s200/IMG_1541.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529865158770610306" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIiyGzRNDtuMwbDzWAI_06SpeS05xfpkYkNKTOGjFnzhsL9g1pJK_rbxuzkoVbo65LGJ5FpsDkQhpim901dk9cGeVQhLEJVRsto05D_kEYkrntt8bNrmEnIqz1lb55eN7N9InvhowQ6pNB/s1600/IMG_1542.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIiyGzRNDtuMwbDzWAI_06SpeS05xfpkYkNKTOGjFnzhsL9g1pJK_rbxuzkoVbo65LGJ5FpsDkQhpim901dk9cGeVQhLEJVRsto05D_kEYkrntt8bNrmEnIqz1lb55eN7N9InvhowQ6pNB/s200/IMG_1542.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529865155488887762" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDDQif5UueQEyLzqC6eouNY4HzlMjmCpqZCUM2PpHx6xhZBNm9cc3EqwQ_RKDu2JLKRWwGDrUpx4ugsctgKCm-UJdiTazk1MIyxgKEvQywZFfgBkyB73eb6aVQ1bDls0CxqgG7ZFmUXMMJ/s1600/IMG_1543.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDDQif5UueQEyLzqC6eouNY4HzlMjmCpqZCUM2PpHx6xhZBNm9cc3EqwQ_RKDu2JLKRWwGDrUpx4ugsctgKCm-UJdiTazk1MIyxgKEvQywZFfgBkyB73eb6aVQ1bDls0CxqgG7ZFmUXMMJ/s200/IMG_1543.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529865146847808274" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrXq2YBpsukYlXo5Gu6lcL4DC1ru7weg363l_mV1_q1OZ1zCeS6Vk6Eu-jtrRf-AzCbAtAIqhiEPNRi7zw9JgFyMvy74Z7TomOUqXA5a6NmZugtug5_H17mSgc7p2OMODxE29sfaz6HArT/s1600/IMG_1544.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrXq2YBpsukYlXo5Gu6lcL4DC1ru7weg363l_mV1_q1OZ1zCeS6Vk6Eu-jtrRf-AzCbAtAIqhiEPNRi7zw9JgFyMvy74Z7TomOUqXA5a6NmZugtug5_H17mSgc7p2OMODxE29sfaz6HArT/s200/IMG_1544.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529876000070130098" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBEvwnwfQ6Vai7HOTQ4GhxDWQyQzldiVfmlhPJYFthcVmX09DMhDnmMQdchTWdR0KLV73709IsbX2mXMHn0YI7vCWo1N-Yh5_0mOAbZJ1cEl1Q7J3m4ACBqvbkZUivHuR42-6yyBT2a9Ea/s1600/IMG_1545.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 88px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBEvwnwfQ6Vai7HOTQ4GhxDWQyQzldiVfmlhPJYFthcVmX09DMhDnmMQdchTWdR0KLV73709IsbX2mXMHn0YI7vCWo1N-Yh5_0mOAbZJ1cEl1Q7J3m4ACBqvbkZUivHuR42-6yyBT2a9Ea/s200/IMG_1545.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529875993604975410" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGv9A9ZfunFrLdeaxPL30WEafTza-jdtmRfc9C2and5HtTD2mR5WOJC8kCoiwUq8i5Q5JqM_ZgEb0l4Kg6FuWVbvCbZnccYVFqUR40n8tQizYYSEyavjhqd249M12y2YkAIFBlE3G6ANsZ/s1600/IMG_1546.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 93px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGv9A9ZfunFrLdeaxPL30WEafTza-jdtmRfc9C2and5HtTD2mR5WOJC8kCoiwUq8i5Q5JqM_ZgEb0l4Kg6FuWVbvCbZnccYVFqUR40n8tQizYYSEyavjhqd249M12y2YkAIFBlE3G6ANsZ/s200/IMG_1546.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529875988431220546" /></a>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11705583397776601590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2076998410662702438.post-39609318248552029512010-10-17T02:16:00.001-07:002010-10-17T02:21:29.898-07:00Purple Rain and Painted SkiesHere are some photos I've taken of the skies in Florence.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgg8vcxC1JspS3Nd9DrD_2LVwFs9ouiRGP8LhyXxTfmK6qii9in-1BtUX_RAQVi_lVHBohCiveqwjlD1dUSELqA59nGYcOZwlLXiJ7hxq5LrqtMBIbl9So3yl8bL14p4NhBmu73prFQTmA/s1600/Picture+6.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgg8vcxC1JspS3Nd9DrD_2LVwFs9ouiRGP8LhyXxTfmK6qii9in-1BtUX_RAQVi_lVHBohCiveqwjlD1dUSELqA59nGYcOZwlLXiJ7hxq5LrqtMBIbl9So3yl8bL14p4NhBmu73prFQTmA/s200/Picture+6.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528942543966292978" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglouJLMviysezS7DUQ2KTV2Cw3LsTD2q9HfB8O-ssOylsm2xsdr0qdebbXCymJ5R4BXP6zYMmfzqbDljxE185SZRm3fnVrt8kSI-ob4nt7INv_aS6vX7yqpTylul8DSfqrpbAjLTkcfaGF/s1600/Picture+1.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 138px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglouJLMviysezS7DUQ2KTV2Cw3LsTD2q9HfB8O-ssOylsm2xsdr0qdebbXCymJ5R4BXP6zYMmfzqbDljxE185SZRm3fnVrt8kSI-ob4nt7INv_aS6vX7yqpTylul8DSfqrpbAjLTkcfaGF/s200/Picture+1.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528942385757839538" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeNe_yRRTD6c9sFfN2-iakKyWQkeQZAw72FmpddI5fOCHeUXgZna8aZJpAHYaz9OCK4ceKYnE7mAF_qd63mffhuEpD6fsocRuQNSpxklpnyMAnR-J-S1aQtdfBYaM3TKvd0b9uwpu7b015/s1600/Picture+2.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 100px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeNe_yRRTD6c9sFfN2-iakKyWQkeQZAw72FmpddI5fOCHeUXgZna8aZJpAHYaz9OCK4ceKYnE7mAF_qd63mffhuEpD6fsocRuQNSpxklpnyMAnR-J-S1aQtdfBYaM3TKvd0b9uwpu7b015/s200/Picture+2.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528942375731685474" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik4ZWQtx64hVkY2Eq_-1jfyPztyY-DuTSNVFqdu06Z3gOfHqcYiLVQ5GS7f9rLbyNGYWD9XBEf_n12ozGb00PMrTKY4OPYOvWlhiLbUodBU5bmJl0SHb0686_3-IA903QYn-TPXPQi8JoZ/s1600/Picture+3.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik4ZWQtx64hVkY2Eq_-1jfyPztyY-DuTSNVFqdu06Z3gOfHqcYiLVQ5GS7f9rLbyNGYWD9XBEf_n12ozGb00PMrTKY4OPYOvWlhiLbUodBU5bmJl0SHb0686_3-IA903QYn-TPXPQi8JoZ/s200/Picture+3.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528942367840979522" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ZwgcDcln-eGdBNg-sokpMyA4GPwKgUamvURKY3oOWy35o96Y3syVkqxMdulmJn3oDcx7T5ZgbZssnetTvljwB9gpqZ-vqoC8zLAT4NPRed7BYxFH2mGXfVajgU4wd0AjczObQJQkgSAO/s1600/Picture+4.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ZwgcDcln-eGdBNg-sokpMyA4GPwKgUamvURKY3oOWy35o96Y3syVkqxMdulmJn3oDcx7T5ZgbZssnetTvljwB9gpqZ-vqoC8zLAT4NPRed7BYxFH2mGXfVajgU4wd0AjczObQJQkgSAO/s200/Picture+4.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528942358541568258" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuI92NMKKGIAXV2PC5spWTQ-3XStSuos5t4gUZrYbZpGQgLLMglV2wEjhWcPwoGSb0ASDSzr3UJi79TGeeOgF5kGLbDtld9y2_qwbdCPgotLlUf-ZaZ5ZKFtWLy1N2Xqd-2vUf5WIJTtH1/s1600/Picture+5.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuI92NMKKGIAXV2PC5spWTQ-3XStSuos5t4gUZrYbZpGQgLLMglV2wEjhWcPwoGSb0ASDSzr3UJi79TGeeOgF5kGLbDtld9y2_qwbdCPgotLlUf-ZaZ5ZKFtWLy1N2Xqd-2vUf5WIJTtH1/s200/Picture+5.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528942351639931282" /></a>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11705583397776601590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2076998410662702438.post-22239419612416565472010-10-16T12:56:00.000-07:002010-10-16T13:38:15.947-07:00Catholic MassTonight I attended my first Italian Catholic Mass. Well, it was in English, but it was in Italy, so that counts, right?<div><br /></div><div>The mass was held in the chapel of Brunelleschi's dome, and I only wish I could've taken pictures. The dome ceiling was beautifully painted and all the surrounding chapels in the church were decorated and wonderful.</div><div><br /></div><div>I am not a Catholic, so I haven't attended very many Catholic services, but this one seemed a bit rushed. There was no singing, and the whole service only lasted 45 minutes. However, it was still a cool experience, and I'm glad I went.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm not sure what the core message of the priest's sermon was, because he rambled a bit. He started talking about remembering God always, even in times of distress or celebration. Then he went on to talk about Peter walking on water to meet Jesus, and how we are like Peter in that God is always the one who will catch us when we fall, but we have to call out to Him and do our part by putting our hand out so God can catch our hand and help us up. And then he ended by talking about faith, and how even having a little bit of faith is better than none at all, although I'm not sure where he was going with the last part.</div><div><br /></div><div>I couldn't take communion because I'm not a member of the Catholic church, but I'm sure the wine was excellent, since this is Italy, after all. </div><div><br /></div><div>What I thought was most interesting, however, (and this could be with all Catholic churches, I'm not sure) was the absence of Bibles among the congregation. I feel like having the text in front of me adds to the message of the sermon, as well as helps me remember it better, but not only were the passages merely read aloud, they were not discussed during the mass. Rather, the Biblical verses served as context from which the priest began his sermon. And all of the recitations seemed to have lost meaning to the congregation, and the people were taking pride in the fact that they were a part of the exclusive group who could say the right words, rather than meditating on what they were saying and saying the words with conviction. One of my roommates (who is Catholic) said that 90% of Italy is Catholic, but only 30% are active members. After attending this service, I wonder what percentage of the 30% truly believe in what they... well, what they believe in.</div><div><br /></div><div>I suppose I am mostly just ignorant about Catholicism in general, but it seems difficult to enrich your faith when everything is scripted. I'm glad I went to this mass, because it's such a big part of the culture, but I don't think I'll be converting any time soon.</div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11705583397776601590noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2076998410662702438.post-31610867634812051692010-10-16T01:58:00.000-07:002010-10-16T02:00:55.177-07:00HEAT!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">WE FINALLY HAD OUR HEATER TURNED ON!!!!</span><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We can only have it on for twelve hours a day, and we can't control either the temperature or when it's on or off, but we have it. And the world rejoices. I may make it through the fall/winter.</div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11705583397776601590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2076998410662702438.post-82909995090992990112010-10-15T06:34:00.000-07:002010-10-15T09:25:15.920-07:00MORE FOOD<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrzeGZfMiWybWrDmftZPhZC3yqdsVKUW4hDSfP9td2FOmwiQpgtp_MVaH_4U-CwxnrtawMzOLF0hnR1-FWxCT7MIF3MK9FVMzjSkBNa4LgpOVeEa-CvqlZh_hTrIo0yble24thfOwwRIRU/s1600/caption-this-picture12.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrzeGZfMiWybWrDmftZPhZC3yqdsVKUW4hDSfP9td2FOmwiQpgtp_MVaH_4U-CwxnrtawMzOLF0hnR1-FWxCT7MIF3MK9FVMzjSkBNa4LgpOVeEa-CvqlZh_hTrIo0yble24thfOwwRIRU/s200/caption-this-picture12.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528276712543243698" /></a><br />It's been too long since I've posted food pictures/recipes. Time to remedy that.<div><br /></div><div>CANTUCCINI (Biscotti)</div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGLKFqMGR5e8LEN9cXJJFhshdQqevizUwr6rq7zkKq4301ZLKfY2a6F4u8750zDq4vh9IGtdReK4hWZ3swuCkFGT4GYJX338I4J18zAsAyBit4ZiAsOFXc6AaZztZ45uOiO5gN_sBTbGUu/s200/IMG_1520.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528274738812083490" /></div><div>330 g flour</div><div>150 g sugar</div><div>100 g almonds</div><div>2 eggs</div><div>1 egg yolk</div><div>4 Tsp baking powder</div><div>50 g butter</div><div>1 lemon</div><div><br /></div><div>(This recipe makes A LOT of biscotti, so we cut the recipe in half. I would advise you to do the same, unless you really want to eat biscotti for the next few days)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Mix the flour with butter to make crumbles, then add sugar, eggs, grated lemon zest and baking powder.</div><div>Incorporate the almonds and make 4 long rolls of dough. Place them in a buttered and floured baking pan and bake for 15 minutes at 180 C (350 F).</div><div>Let them cool completely and cut into pieces. Put back in the over for two minutes or until crisp and dry. Do not burn.</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>PAPPA AL POMODORO (Bread and Tomato Soup)</div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVAGSEWINRyOUiRsgguBo0AxTvwlew2z4eGU9UYBlsoPHhCK6T8k6V2MWq-TYGiSlzhMzo9xcOCtk6N8yCLC24BSE40qBnkesssJ4NQrePWac9LzQoKJqgniCoUQmAQhFQ_QCisy5SjMTT/s200/IMG_1521.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528274723860964402" /></div><div>250 g (8 oz) stale country bread, sliced</div><div>3 cloves of garlic, crushed</div><div>4-5 Tsp olive oil</div><div>1 leek, finely chopped (only the white part)</div><div>Fresh sage, chopped</div><div>1 cup water</div><div>700 g (1 1/2 lbs) ripe tomatoes, peeled and cut into pieces (OR you can use a jar of tomato sauce)</div><div>1 L (1 1/4 pints) chicken stock (OR 1 stock cube)</div><div>Salt and Pepper</div><div>3 Tsp shredded basil leaves</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Toast bread lightly in the oven so that it dries out but does not color, then break into pieces. Fry the garlic in 1 Tsp of oil until it just begins to color, then add the leek and sage and 2 Tsp of basil. Cook until the leek is transparent and the water is evaporated. Then add tomatoes or sauce and bread until the bread falls apart and blends with the sauce. Stir in enough hot stock, a little at a time, until you have a thick, mushy consistency. Season with salt and plenty of pepper, add the remaining basil, and simmer gently for about 20 minutes, stirring occassionally. Serve hot with a little olive oil dribbled over each serving.</div><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div>AGNELLO IN CROSTA (Leg of lamb stuffed with artichokes)</div><div>Not for those who don't absolutely love artichokes. You can ask for the recipe if you want it.</div><div><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWasb-xhZUx1M1opXU6EoOoMTvFt_J-Kdf8QN_-wqi8q108w5yh2eKc8MI_jHhyphenhyphenVp7sKC-42tmHq6Ivqq01SGz5DkqFJE28HEw5l0RN-46NXaiXRodnfuWpSXMhCkmFl3x60T1M7iXYnC_/s200/IMG_1523.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528274726852743666" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>PANNA COTTA</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheU1leA5F4IX101LX_3Zbs-aQPDlzn664dhjZK8lBGFX9lW6Yi1i9FWVrEdk7LZzvaOscDf4nJCQHQUelcnlqOT1yWuueKpUJ1UnGaianLT1weZGhd4IeWOqzf0eRexTGSYZ9HIrf3mo8y/s200/IMG_1363.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528274716533972786" /></div><div>300 ml (1/2 pint) cream</div><div>2 Tsp sugar, or more to taste</div><div>About 8 drops of vanilla essence, or one vanilla bean, split</div><div>1 tsp powdered gelatine</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Simmer the cream with the sugar and vanilla for 2-3 minutes. Do not let the cream boil. Dissolve the gelatine (do not use more or the gream will be rubbery) in 2 Tsp cold water and beat well into the cream. Pour into a little serving bowl or small ramekins. As the cream is very rich, small portions are best. Chill for a few hours until set.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>STRAWBERRY/BLACKBERRY SAUCE</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>1 box of strawberries</div><div>1 box of blackberries</div><div>1 lemon, juiced</div><div><br /></div><div>Blend strawberries and most of the lemon juice until smooth. Remove and then blend blackberries and remaining juice (blackberries are naturally more sour, so do not use too much) until smooth. Serve over panna cotta.</div><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div>Also, I went to Tijuana (the restaurant in Florence, not the city in Mexico) and ordered chicken fajitas. They were not anything spectacular, and certainly not real Mexican food, but they were delicious enough, resembling food from On the Border or any other typical American-Mexican restaurant. We also got delicious cocktails. I got a virgin strawberry daquiri and the others ordered strawberry pina coladas. Yum.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEied_VRsIcpYCKokr0lOOxt_v-oUz_4GYrINwbNQJfzJMb7tObvDmxFRR9QEwzrTPnpBl9vEIvlzl4D1nz_4m0GiQD8SiEVpGmYdhSX-jq2LsdGx5c_ratNf9t0EeuN_8pCLKcamG9FAr-e/s1600/IMG_1525.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEied_VRsIcpYCKokr0lOOxt_v-oUz_4GYrINwbNQJfzJMb7tObvDmxFRR9QEwzrTPnpBl9vEIvlzl4D1nz_4m0GiQD8SiEVpGmYdhSX-jq2LsdGx5c_ratNf9t0EeuN_8pCLKcamG9FAr-e/s200/IMG_1525.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528274711216513810" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHGVLnXybxZk9De2fpsm8feEKiWAysYydLPGHmQB8tDXwyrXunNuhvhrldSKdJ5vKEHWGAXim2TCNcI72UUuTMwHIY413TQ7OtbH1kvHgteJwjVnx9Q9_brvqaD17VeUfAeJHsENbRMQq2/s1600/IMG_1530.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHGVLnXybxZk9De2fpsm8feEKiWAysYydLPGHmQB8tDXwyrXunNuhvhrldSKdJ5vKEHWGAXim2TCNcI72UUuTMwHIY413TQ7OtbH1kvHgteJwjVnx9Q9_brvqaD17VeUfAeJHsENbRMQq2/s200/IMG_1530.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528274944682403186" /></a><br /></div><div>And yesterday was National Dessert Day in America, and in honor of it, I made a pumpkin cheesecake with a chocolate crust, and sugar cookies. The desserts were consumed before I could photograph them, but oh well. My cheesecake turned out a little more soupy than I expected, but otherwise, dessert day was a success. I had never made sugar cookies, and while they were good, I wouldn't recommend the recipe, and thus will not post it.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSMg3m4bK4uOBZUX3-wCfqGrextE-dnxa8M5fG3n-P_YSXmiz04HtK0_Lt0_KMI5xWDIch2CvTZUtnXlJhlw1UXGBGvU9RHwYj4evLTh_0bc2EU3_8p7tJA-SjOwO0tLcJZ8m1Cwm8iD0_/s1600/img_1894.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 129px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSMg3m4bK4uOBZUX3-wCfqGrextE-dnxa8M5fG3n-P_YSXmiz04HtK0_Lt0_KMI5xWDIch2CvTZUtnXlJhlw1UXGBGvU9RHwYj4evLTh_0bc2EU3_8p7tJA-SjOwO0tLcJZ8m1Cwm8iD0_/s200/img_1894.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528274942209813922" /></a><br /></div><div>PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE</div><div><a href="http://brannyboilsover.com/2010/10/13/pumpkin-cheesecake-pie/">http://brannyboilsover.com/2010/10/13/pumpkin-cheesecake-pie/</a></div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11705583397776601590noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2076998410662702438.post-45752617190377983362010-10-12T12:26:00.000-07:002010-10-15T06:33:37.889-07:00Côte d'Azur, or the French RivieraLast weekend I went to the French Riviera, which is basically the southern coast of France. It was absolutely beautiful. Being right next to Italy, however, meant that a lot of the Riviera's influence and culture is derived from the Italians, so I definitely didn't have an authentic French experience, but more of an Italian-French cocktail. Still, it was incredible, and I learned so much about the location.<img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMZVZ0g1UgkeBHELRhTURZ_x4V8e4uK2ttzi0C5izywpWfZqb5954u_X_a8SYNcmQf_nhwN7o7oicIjkRW2ZUC_zjr32bTWCxwBTr2KqKH34quSwBRqsoy6gH34QlCBk-BJmZABtW7ZBj5/s200/44917_1440595337388_1308180103_31045662_6777823_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528239103373379826" /><div><br /></div><div>Our first stop was in Monaco, an independent city-state within the borders of France. It is officially known as the Principality of Monaco, and has its own prince, currently Prince Albert II, son of Princess Grace Kelly.</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3dxHpo1c5D6Oufhv7zGlUbuCrLt5YUwWS5tTIJPXmNAUXPRM5Kox839Xii_rq2AYdmwG5QTRqVWQ2cLBQk4cOUmBLkx9FP6xFYJx-C7zotQ2L6jQGm6vvXxojR9R81FDpw-andtP9zU5_/s1600/68470_1440595617395_1308180103_31045664_7081705_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3dxHpo1c5D6Oufhv7zGlUbuCrLt5YUwWS5tTIJPXmNAUXPRM5Kox839Xii_rq2AYdmwG5QTRqVWQ2cLBQk4cOUmBLkx9FP6xFYJx-C7zotQ2L6jQGm6vvXxojR9R81FDpw-andtP9zU5_/s200/68470_1440595617395_1308180103_31045664_7081705_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528239096954283522" /></a><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDL-hQEOO6MWSg4JRlx0nWC68RlVwWbvBlGqrPySJSME1Kg_7qYJ4UcXjH0m9OMit9ksV6BsNWrEHMf7JjGxsrUXxrxgaMogv-T937hs_5e_nGvr_dW6AABuhf1dnQ9jTz3Nf6H3sE-d_c/s200/69824_1440641778549_1308180103_31045840_6054559_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528239088997555298" /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOcQvEB1WOnHm34l4q_2gZTbOJwoI-bkRKWlcY1b0c0Rx0QSh0MeTJK7nyZukD06cY60vr3gYpU0dJVA_0CiGN8mS9il9aiUy1IPdANcrRpC5sAyUovbHBAump3yjbFnAGFj8NkVSkr2nC/s1600/37163_1440598177459_1308180103_31045676_5537707_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOcQvEB1WOnHm34l4q_2gZTbOJwoI-bkRKWlcY1b0c0Rx0QSh0MeTJK7nyZukD06cY60vr3gYpU0dJVA_0CiGN8mS9il9aiUy1IPdANcrRpC5sAyUovbHBAump3yjbFnAGFj8NkVSkr2nC/s200/37163_1440598177459_1308180103_31045676_5537707_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528239091424030850" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Having only 2 km of area, Monaco is the second smallest country in the world, larger than only Vatican City. The residents of Monaco do not pay taxes, because the revenue of the country come from casino in Monte Carlo and the industrial sector, where they manufacture cosmetics. However, if you're an American looking to move here to lift your financial burden, I'm sorry to disappoint you. Only European residents are able to enjoy the benefits of this "tax haven."</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>There are no kings/queens in Monaco, although the government is a monarchy. The reason deals with politics and history. Long ago, the Genoans from Italy established a fortress here, to defend the Italian border. In Genoa, there were two main families (think Montagues and Capulets). One was under papal dominion and the other was essentially the ruling, political family. The political family, having more money and power, managed to expel the papal family from Genoa, giving them absolute control over the city. So in 1297, to take revenge, the head man in the papal family went to the fortress in Monaco and disguised himself as a Franciscan monk and asked to stay the night in the fortress. The guards were not legally allowed to bar monks from entry, so they allowed him to enter. That night, in true homage to the <i>Iliad,</i> he opened the gates and let his family flood in, take over the fortress, and establish dominion over the area. Ironically, monk in Italian is monaco. Ever since, that family has ruled over Monaco. However, since they were not descendant from royalty, they could not assume a title higher than prince, otherwise they would have been open to attack from France and Italy for insolence to the royal crowns. Thus, there will never be a king of Monaco.</div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfAxmh2du-PgyBwFSHabC-danyTdKNWPKP1fedwuqEWR-6XnrnvVfuVxgOgs7ogV4jCXvZIGXDvkxn-sf5_l2zwg4hZyfLyqdNM7VfyliFPwfleKhiaMBcs54qgYB-w-j3aihmnQg4JUa/s200/68011_1440596137408_1308180103_31045667_5551083_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528239992346116658" /></div><div>The palace, which is still the fortress that was besieged all those years ago, has an extensive set of guards. Monaco has no military, as France takes care of national defense for them, but the guards of the palace of Monaco are a local force. The interior guards have 24-hour shifts, while the guards at the entrance of the palace are changed every hour.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheohxhRFPcW96nZ24aOumSUMNZXv7xs8PGxrUuEoBp9wDb8e0tiKu3D1p1bnomiDlg3zSqAFE4wAYh6pjQ8QBhAXhsagaeLobGTTcQ9CKteuRRK2g8ljy_xLRgRVbpuzU15G_B7kCJ6SCg/s1600/67343_1440596657421_1308180103_31045670_4924220_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheohxhRFPcW96nZ24aOumSUMNZXv7xs8PGxrUuEoBp9wDb8e0tiKu3D1p1bnomiDlg3zSqAFE4wAYh6pjQ8QBhAXhsagaeLobGTTcQ9CKteuRRK2g8ljy_xLRgRVbpuzU15G_B7kCJ6SCg/s200/67343_1440596657421_1308180103_31045670_4924220_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528239084007795986" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGHxKm50IPSDPT60aqzu-Eifw0rI3qs4T_8RlWHLwV2tTMQQqS_Dr8fyZxp_QlT4fOX0PzznKja_3aDmNFZ3TFJisO8k1d7SQuOL3dtDb45Zj6bjpUTGBXFpJIovhyphenhyphenTyLkKqZfp370aNg3/s1600/71964_1440596897427_1308180103_31045671_1197661_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGHxKm50IPSDPT60aqzu-Eifw0rI3qs4T_8RlWHLwV2tTMQQqS_Dr8fyZxp_QlT4fOX0PzznKja_3aDmNFZ3TFJisO8k1d7SQuOL3dtDb45Zj6bjpUTGBXFpJIovhyphenhyphenTyLkKqZfp370aNg3/s200/71964_1440596897427_1308180103_31045671_1197661_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528243010583244418" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqGfuxLFrjwHQcW762hYoVw04v5jGsPHwkYabrLNv3UZWlj8QWWm3hKu7_J-FR2ZNkwX68HeLuqs7X5deScOXX9dEhWQd-KXQKUAwzRjT0OpNG6NBcQxuj4AA_Ec5NeUnc3b0TOwAB-Ehx/s1600/39550_1440597177434_1308180103_31045672_6086837_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqGfuxLFrjwHQcW762hYoVw04v5jGsPHwkYabrLNv3UZWlj8QWWm3hKu7_J-FR2ZNkwX68HeLuqs7X5deScOXX9dEhWQd-KXQKUAwzRjT0OpNG6NBcQxuj4AA_Ec5NeUnc3b0TOwAB-Ehx/s200/39550_1440597177434_1308180103_31045672_6086837_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528243002035541106" /></a><br /></div><div>Monaco's official language is French, but they speak Italian just as much, not only because of their proximity to the Italian border, but also because the ruling family of Monaco is Italian (from Genoa, remember?).</div><div><br /></div><div>Monaco is small, but they have several significant attractions. The first is the casino, where residents of Monaco are actually forbidden to gamble. This brings in the largest revenue for the state. They also have a Formula 1 racetrack in Monte Carlo, the resort sector of Monaco. It is the most difficult track in the world, and is also where they filmed a segment of Iron Man 2. Because there is not enough space to create a large track, drivers have to go around the track 78 times to complete the race. However, it takes an average driver just under an hour and a half to finish, again emphasizing how small the track is.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI7dgmt8ecWu9UW3aX3Cj1UASGnJr9sK26w3H0Htbln1UQykaQUiYpUHIOpkwX_bv_vHHjDu_JOReAJiZbfmZuSQfW6uuOPreMOgfZbInZJvptytJmKpgjMz-SRtEPWIjQGeE-C5nYjMTl/s1600/66669_1440598377464_1308180103_31045677_1014873_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI7dgmt8ecWu9UW3aX3Cj1UASGnJr9sK26w3H0Htbln1UQykaQUiYpUHIOpkwX_bv_vHHjDu_JOReAJiZbfmZuSQfW6uuOPreMOgfZbInZJvptytJmKpgjMz-SRtEPWIjQGeE-C5nYjMTl/s200/66669_1440598377464_1308180103_31045677_1014873_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528239991856458818" /></a><br /></div><div>Monaco is nestled between the Alps and the Mediterranean sea, making access difficult, or at least a long process. If you fly into the Nice airport (the closest airport to Monaco), you can take a taxi for about 90 euros, and it will take over 45 minutes to arrive. Or, you can take a helicopter for the same price, arrive in just under half an hour, and land on the helipad in style.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIxhYKxpvjQGPCDEaVSSy7ZkuWn1WwXyVxz2DSAfOpt9Huwnh_3qoC7pyPYKx7Y71QjxlyAqiv5Bi3ICFI4yP-DJQ-pK0vx1Wwr42Uv00k2MX7hO_DIMI6Imb9YmqxJitwHuUDNgXsPl03/s1600/66597_1440601697547_1308180103_31045702_4576079_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIxhYKxpvjQGPCDEaVSSy7ZkuWn1WwXyVxz2DSAfOpt9Huwnh_3qoC7pyPYKx7Y71QjxlyAqiv5Bi3ICFI4yP-DJQ-pK0vx1Wwr42Uv00k2MX7hO_DIMI6Imb9YmqxJitwHuUDNgXsPl03/s200/66597_1440601697547_1308180103_31045702_4576079_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528239986692789570" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ZKhWlT2toDNeRxNKcikJErYNPC2iWyEdwjj8mYcHntyHACSer9ygPncxPB0s1v3f91MPAx1Gc_Vz0Xp5QV6520LntU7TZi_VNM51z9MZaj9kJRkWWH1l-0JcUGAJJDPeI35me-364oIa/s1600/66957_1440601337538_1308180103_31045699_3328587_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ZKhWlT2toDNeRxNKcikJErYNPC2iWyEdwjj8mYcHntyHACSer9ygPncxPB0s1v3f91MPAx1Gc_Vz0Xp5QV6520LntU7TZi_VNM51z9MZaj9kJRkWWH1l-0JcUGAJJDPeI35me-364oIa/s200/66957_1440601337538_1308180103_31045699_3328587_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528240193319150738" /></a><br /></div><div>Speaking of Nice, that was the next stop on our trip. Nice is the second largest city in the French Riviera.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiBeVUd9AWkGJBdIbpOMtSEJA7Bp37evgK6UiTOg0V48oaz_OCFpmWaOCpYE5_GCm5a80ozgPlNRYrAzjAJngchr9N5FzgLY8YBWUBr1A1CCCpngLc6D9aB0wLe5YmYiLXs18hPtV916_k/s1600/44896_1440603057581_1308180103_31045713_6411907_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiBeVUd9AWkGJBdIbpOMtSEJA7Bp37evgK6UiTOg0V48oaz_OCFpmWaOCpYE5_GCm5a80ozgPlNRYrAzjAJngchr9N5FzgLY8YBWUBr1A1CCCpngLc6D9aB0wLe5YmYiLXs18hPtV916_k/s200/44896_1440603057581_1308180103_31045713_6411907_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528250469828281682" /></a><br />Like Monaco, it was originally an Italian city, but France took over and so while the official language and culture is French, they are heavily influenced by Italian culture. But around the 18th century, Nice became a fashionable place for wealthy English citizens, and so the main street, the Promenade des Anglais (Walkway of the English), is named in honor of the people who made Nice into a great resort area. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs234Foz7M4ojCM1w99eaOJ9yPIycX3DGsWLYtniFNYOIORiic8tsffOg9BZ4MYbRV57LHNmBQ5PwyVf72Wh4grFIDVpf97iRWdRjtvJJhBff460ROc-SofxE1puYlI7aYroBerwmaZB41/s1600/66392_1440642418565_1308180103_31045846_427918_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs234Foz7M4ojCM1w99eaOJ9yPIycX3DGsWLYtniFNYOIORiic8tsffOg9BZ4MYbRV57LHNmBQ5PwyVf72Wh4grFIDVpf97iRWdRjtvJJhBff460ROc-SofxE1puYlI7aYroBerwmaZB41/s200/66392_1440642418565_1308180103_31045846_427918_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528250468382709186" /></a><br /></div><div>The Casino Ruhl was pointed out and significant for a reason that escapes me. But here's a picture of it!</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGm4kUfrWqDnJx5rmGDondnqmoYevr-4nv2OvoGoKl7RQXwMjGGn_lMyafuvWcgCeT13HYFeSfuZI6YUiAr8kCqou7X0L8cdgb-qc3_o7ay4oVsaEB2Kf-23O61R3eTXOnqr7ZI7v9JzoR/s1600/66594_1440642618570_1308180103_31045848_6853052_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGm4kUfrWqDnJx5rmGDondnqmoYevr-4nv2OvoGoKl7RQXwMjGGn_lMyafuvWcgCeT13HYFeSfuZI6YUiAr8kCqou7X0L8cdgb-qc3_o7ay4oVsaEB2Kf-23O61R3eTXOnqr7ZI7v9JzoR/s200/66594_1440642618570_1308180103_31045848_6853052_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528250461874234002" /></a><br /></div><div>Guiseppe Garibaldi, an Italian nationalist, was born in Nice in 1807 and was a key player in unifying Italy. He pushed very hard to get Nice recognized as a part of Italy, but the French king did not want that to happen, as Nice was a profitable city and well-known throughout Europe. So the king exiled Garibaldi. There is now a plaza dedicated to him in Nice, which goes to show how influential the Italians still are in Nice, since logically, Garibaldi has no reason to be honored in a French city.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKwZDVwRSc1lazzZKktTxhSOjWf-SapIwRAqwCEKoKj4VsRjYpzN-AZk_7Hr_CWsHa8ofE-O6SupfmW8MXUARgOmh_8Y782naMjeHOdzQAzVNIP8ZJbo2VxKS7eLjBq8wKyzrDfY7EKPpy/s1600/71552_1440603297587_1308180103_31045714_868113_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKwZDVwRSc1lazzZKktTxhSOjWf-SapIwRAqwCEKoKj4VsRjYpzN-AZk_7Hr_CWsHa8ofE-O6SupfmW8MXUARgOmh_8Y782naMjeHOdzQAzVNIP8ZJbo2VxKS7eLjBq8wKyzrDfY7EKPpy/s200/71552_1440603297587_1308180103_31045714_868113_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528250457167275410" /></a><br /></div><div>We were encouraged to try socca here, which is a type of crepe made with the flour of chickpeas and salt, rather than wheat flour and sugar. I was willing to try it, but didn't know what to expect. What I experienced was a thin pancake that tasted faintly of hummus and was quite delicious.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2fufDbM243v4i39EUXgnUTmmPdoWfmUOPD1xtyKZJfBusPVFvTV3Ml9xcYcQ6DuRe5_IsgUE09dGsP-_vZLNtg13A32cKbpdeQ_N18WuvfUeuqSvm31VNvNoFXFUnygR4AyoaP9a1P8bD/s1600/37953_1440644338613_1308180103_31045866_7913948_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2fufDbM243v4i39EUXgnUTmmPdoWfmUOPD1xtyKZJfBusPVFvTV3Ml9xcYcQ6DuRe5_IsgUE09dGsP-_vZLNtg13A32cKbpdeQ_N18WuvfUeuqSvm31VNvNoFXFUnygR4AyoaP9a1P8bD/s200/37953_1440644338613_1308180103_31045866_7913948_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528250455969588466" /></a><br /></div><div>Nice also tries to pretend that it's not a metropolitan city and thus has gardens and trees all over the city. Each patch of green has at least one fountain, and they are all well-lit at night, creating a very beautiful scene.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN8GErz3WRqD1bGRlhfd_fl7m6u3wMX6gfRGBufrFVN4fauDLfLM3ec7RYu21ukwtiKyrjYRfxRf1-WQxQtASTkUYBZUSfqwl2PL4cXQJX8Tpy7GzRy7iQaWpfYsVlBqAdmpz_v_bJSNtD/s1600/68763_1440644618620_1308180103_31045870_1356498_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN8GErz3WRqD1bGRlhfd_fl7m6u3wMX6gfRGBufrFVN4fauDLfLM3ec7RYu21ukwtiKyrjYRfxRf1-WQxQtASTkUYBZUSfqwl2PL4cXQJX8Tpy7GzRy7iQaWpfYsVlBqAdmpz_v_bJSNtD/s200/68763_1440644618620_1308180103_31045870_1356498_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528252311147047074" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>After Nice, we visited St. Paul de Vence. It is frequented by the creative types (artists, writers, musicians, actors), and has always had a reputation of being famous. It is certainly picturesque and easily a source of inspiration. Even the streets are artistic.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvs0hHhUMa4UBTQdq1vVwhWfTt-3vgflqncGlZsNZDfd6XV879sF9obw_Wns_LvgDBw5YhKOu-D-YUQP2yOjs1l1FmMTsRPJAoKe-L-S7J7Yw3nzos1Rjv7FC8xKxQlZwmCI68cx46nTO3/s1600/34420_1440620018005_1308180103_31045775_481487_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvs0hHhUMa4UBTQdq1vVwhWfTt-3vgflqncGlZsNZDfd6XV879sF9obw_Wns_LvgDBw5YhKOu-D-YUQP2yOjs1l1FmMTsRPJAoKe-L-S7J7Yw3nzos1Rjv7FC8xKxQlZwmCI68cx46nTO3/s200/34420_1440620018005_1308180103_31045775_481487_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528255701747337378" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxzw6Xr_j1voHNF_GYWAms9EQlWZcq1b9pnz7-T5b5MjASbTwAAnF3gUec_3u-1FSPORtwWqs4dVbOxlFkUEPV0yebTx4D6EtuAN8e9lKkKxbGyu0pDgwt8Vcf-eX_LeNnIFSD3Hl9K1XL/s1600/69393_1440616017905_1308180103_31045736_6890635_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxzw6Xr_j1voHNF_GYWAms9EQlWZcq1b9pnz7-T5b5MjASbTwAAnF3gUec_3u-1FSPORtwWqs4dVbOxlFkUEPV0yebTx4D6EtuAN8e9lKkKxbGyu0pDgwt8Vcf-eX_LeNnIFSD3Hl9K1XL/s200/69393_1440616017905_1308180103_31045736_6890635_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528255698790412338" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRUyWZwzo2SqV3jm9A5GeE3TWCQ7V9PQfia5ScPd4_Xay5H8-34j1DPAj0QgBvwfajMYivnAl0w6K6jlFcpmGTGAjayaYDoxUS4YD3JSXwYv08siYIHyb1K5OP4kVfOT54rjGnyAmf0Unv/s1600/67705_1440615617895_1308180103_31045733_327195_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRUyWZwzo2SqV3jm9A5GeE3TWCQ7V9PQfia5ScPd4_Xay5H8-34j1DPAj0QgBvwfajMYivnAl0w6K6jlFcpmGTGAjayaYDoxUS4YD3JSXwYv08siYIHyb1K5OP4kVfOT54rjGnyAmf0Unv/s200/67705_1440615617895_1308180103_31045733_327195_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528256212062183890" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjna37hvuy9PJaDH8k0OgDjfqgDfzsXwdgZ_Exv3EoTAhN0dCQc0t4eY_WJYO0nST8omp2qblOA7-3U6d4rCX28dTwlSSQhyphenhyphenfqkKjAFxT86DAm4ayf4o5oBPMMg4l2SYuBtQSL6PT3k-9w9/s1600/67392_1440617417940_1308180103_31045749_5764338_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjna37hvuy9PJaDH8k0OgDjfqgDfzsXwdgZ_Exv3EoTAhN0dCQc0t4eY_WJYO0nST8omp2qblOA7-3U6d4rCX28dTwlSSQhyphenhyphenfqkKjAFxT86DAm4ayf4o5oBPMMg4l2SYuBtQSL6PT3k-9w9/s200/67392_1440617417940_1308180103_31045749_5764338_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528255689911838962" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvLN6N-qNmBVOo1wMOYHrlf5MEqfh9RnQYIZH-WskN7o4cLOIbdS0iRATLXe1ajdh_aI7xjeVWjqdHb6XQ9XB8amPdZHLX1dUyPpR7iEp6BPr3yXxpWXIxrUmFyQQFMeOscxW1W-oUVusy/s1600/67009_1440617817950_1308180103_31045751_6596708_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvLN6N-qNmBVOo1wMOYHrlf5MEqfh9RnQYIZH-WskN7o4cLOIbdS0iRATLXe1ajdh_aI7xjeVWjqdHb6XQ9XB8amPdZHLX1dUyPpR7iEp6BPr3yXxpWXIxrUmFyQQFMeOscxW1W-oUVusy/s200/67009_1440617817950_1308180103_31045751_6596708_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528255683589729106" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKhqDyFsUJm5j90KnVDKxFsV8lA0jVV0ysvuqeFen1RLWhS79rIobkd9CcqStLOVGKbLmL6Xe2h40_fVw2Klt6WhHo_-n_mJULFwgI_EeXYzeUiKoU8fwgW6rXiTF0ELhFmOYqfPkEQLoR/s1600/67661_1440617577944_1308180103_31045750_2750992_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKhqDyFsUJm5j90KnVDKxFsV8lA0jVV0ysvuqeFen1RLWhS79rIobkd9CcqStLOVGKbLmL6Xe2h40_fVw2Klt6WhHo_-n_mJULFwgI_EeXYzeUiKoU8fwgW6rXiTF0ELhFmOYqfPkEQLoR/s200/67661_1440617577944_1308180103_31045750_2750992_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528255681635130482" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4GoqOUoTijAM0xtd3x-iikoYCbMfDznBQvM49daRh0wuX9ssQLY74kb8v-rOP1Aq22NU_u9kI5CwlwOiRlhwDkAIhfvegzOueJGLRB9fvYDsDbcY4PE0jlpwVORlHtLJhyphenhyphen15fez0EYQIo/s1600/68168_1440619217985_1308180103_31045766_3125685_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4GoqOUoTijAM0xtd3x-iikoYCbMfDznBQvM49daRh0wuX9ssQLY74kb8v-rOP1Aq22NU_u9kI5CwlwOiRlhwDkAIhfvegzOueJGLRB9fvYDsDbcY4PE0jlpwVORlHtLJhyphenhyphen15fez0EYQIo/s200/68168_1440619217985_1308180103_31045766_3125685_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528256210183150546" /></a><br /></div><div>There were galleries all over the town, filling the streets with art. I wish I could've spent a longer time there, browsing the galleries.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkvqGLDb_PUYqHbbQHda4sOy-_YjNyga32KEoAnFqP_Q1odUFcT0aDC2vf0PgzKZTSR_fzkYELRY-xLzkLVR9TGasfI2Wt5PqysqyexoD0MBeRCh0SE-lmmQL128-s5GHNmabEXUhCmSxR/s1600/67538_1440615977904_1308180103_31045735_1422903_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkvqGLDb_PUYqHbbQHda4sOy-_YjNyga32KEoAnFqP_Q1odUFcT0aDC2vf0PgzKZTSR_fzkYELRY-xLzkLVR9TGasfI2Wt5PqysqyexoD0MBeRCh0SE-lmmQL128-s5GHNmabEXUhCmSxR/s200/67538_1440615977904_1308180103_31045735_1422903_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528256198578455538" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj56zuImw1mNL4cVu5NnGjzGfl-KltfeuokOAom9OPxUM8PPniw6cnM_Y2RU1ByvEtY_OLBU0S63zFDDEl86x3QlObTbNvIsINSNHwuU0L25uVn9I9LOm0KT4hcC3LV8SrnEwpV8lOtW0qQ/s1600/39575_1440619777999_1308180103_31045772_6557300_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj56zuImw1mNL4cVu5NnGjzGfl-KltfeuokOAom9OPxUM8PPniw6cnM_Y2RU1ByvEtY_OLBU0S63zFDDEl86x3QlObTbNvIsINSNHwuU0L25uVn9I9LOm0KT4hcC3LV8SrnEwpV8lOtW0qQ/s200/39575_1440619777999_1308180103_31045772_6557300_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528256192305556866" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPFkstx4-l943UCuZ5ZpZ46ygnRzVxrKxAAn3s2hFjWBMMGFFHvqwaaFIWmPrrSGc88xPizxppETg6lKFzokL-ZtksArQIGAqSKLXwrkrF3n0C-QabI1N2iMO5PCtMpoywG8cLOHcPLqPD/s1600/36169_1440616937928_1308180103_31045745_6392823_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPFkstx4-l943UCuZ5ZpZ46ygnRzVxrKxAAn3s2hFjWBMMGFFHvqwaaFIWmPrrSGc88xPizxppETg6lKFzokL-ZtksArQIGAqSKLXwrkrF3n0C-QabI1N2iMO5PCtMpoywG8cLOHcPLqPD/s200/36169_1440616937928_1308180103_31045745_6392823_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528256189973420162" /></a><br /></div><div>We also went into the cemetery and saw Marc Chagall's tomb. He was a modernist Russian painter and pioneered Surrealism. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDGk4WJchrhTiR2gEcxevJ1jgmvJGDsi2OmmjNWkPQfsDm5OysngvnqKpGmqdWMt6b3zrZkaFuBby3iL1Z4_RQEM6HSEPJHEHavQ_PHPnTom_PxLUwi7TzsBqSv9Z1mYISY2IEjXJ1eXkV/s1600/66325_1440618697972_1308180103_31045761_4088259_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDGk4WJchrhTiR2gEcxevJ1jgmvJGDsi2OmmjNWkPQfsDm5OysngvnqKpGmqdWMt6b3zrZkaFuBby3iL1Z4_RQEM6HSEPJHEHavQ_PHPnTom_PxLUwi7TzsBqSv9Z1mYISY2IEjXJ1eXkV/s200/66325_1440618697972_1308180103_31045761_4088259_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528256689613478002" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsUGFY9IOWeWuX3NdDUKhnvogBWxaIYLqXC_bH-29oKiy6xfrctWrssA5FvEzC9xITy1QlxSrRLomE_Y01jUCOVaqlx3pTCZjw9LDuZiHf61eoUjpWe-n0mqnkuI2WbMx491sVzm6WUhiO/s1600/Chagall_Circus.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsUGFY9IOWeWuX3NdDUKhnvogBWxaIYLqXC_bH-29oKiy6xfrctWrssA5FvEzC9xITy1QlxSrRLomE_Y01jUCOVaqlx3pTCZjw9LDuZiHf61eoUjpWe-n0mqnkuI2WbMx491sVzm6WUhiO/s200/Chagall_Circus.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528256684532889858" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggzrAb6pOyTO2RDFY3pzazscJp6mUaSfAWELIVwxt2yHguN89DMTeeMidOsiTO3pwyVSm99OF_N9hH50A9vsZFNYNTxPEvzmh1VmyYv8wgaZBA9UPN5MnU6mT2hxtNnbyqHzQGjeuYDc_k/s1600/Chagall_parents.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 158px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggzrAb6pOyTO2RDFY3pzazscJp6mUaSfAWELIVwxt2yHguN89DMTeeMidOsiTO3pwyVSm99OF_N9hH50A9vsZFNYNTxPEvzmh1VmyYv8wgaZBA9UPN5MnU6mT2hxtNnbyqHzQGjeuYDc_k/s200/Chagall_parents.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528256678290040354" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>We departed from St. Paul and headed to Cannes, where the Cannes Film Festival is held every year. Most of the city is dedicated to hosting the festival, and since celebrities visit during these times, the streets are lined with luxury shops and everything, even the food, is very expensive.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkXvs_Z57GM26ufc9i0CmSt1kBU4pInljmFKutHXQr55MipjVRRDjJXbecGJO96KlnJ_YwMNvt9y7-VX2W-0vaWVVbRrOXEUwsY5UohnmL86jdn7dZ-Lt4mBY7eXzDzV2EqhO9bOXQQuxX/s1600/33731_1440620218010_1308180103_31045777_2020044_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkXvs_Z57GM26ufc9i0CmSt1kBU4pInljmFKutHXQr55MipjVRRDjJXbecGJO96KlnJ_YwMNvt9y7-VX2W-0vaWVVbRrOXEUwsY5UohnmL86jdn7dZ-Lt4mBY7eXzDzV2EqhO9bOXQQuxX/s200/33731_1440620218010_1308180103_31045777_2020044_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528259931766700770" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhXLyp_QIjvhlwm0P7XpqeGFy3NAQFAgbqRe8rx0QCpUpzVGMrFqb6_Jmttzy4AaDNGH2zTizdfSpGTeTR8-mrtDsO9evjTayTHf3JWE-AqGprrh1EIGZcb6m2rj-KJGeKJn7qoZmxhZOf/s1600/66497_1440620618020_1308180103_31045782_3766425_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhXLyp_QIjvhlwm0P7XpqeGFy3NAQFAgbqRe8rx0QCpUpzVGMrFqb6_Jmttzy4AaDNGH2zTizdfSpGTeTR8-mrtDsO9evjTayTHf3JWE-AqGprrh1EIGZcb6m2rj-KJGeKJn7qoZmxhZOf/s200/66497_1440620618020_1308180103_31045782_3766425_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528259930902854530" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivXqUkBC7BfWoykNXhUAB3DmHWpOMi1x82tYK5tHlsnNMMfHnrSwbclV6N2ibIXZHi93OqBWhiBc0sOFz_t0V-VrmYJiao6cXq7WanPWFpd61gmiBiujGhUQ5e_wgoTQ75m-cF8rAXooMs/s1600/37960_1440620538018_1308180103_31045781_5536061_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivXqUkBC7BfWoykNXhUAB3DmHWpOMi1x82tYK5tHlsnNMMfHnrSwbclV6N2ibIXZHi93OqBWhiBc0sOFz_t0V-VrmYJiao6cXq7WanPWFpd61gmiBiujGhUQ5e_wgoTQ75m-cF8rAXooMs/s200/37960_1440620538018_1308180103_31045781_5536061_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528259920463131554" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGSq7CTejeBy_oikp4PBEGHKqu2tQlXdRA6YVHa9vRtUZt2TseG_MbzMMSOJUNBRop4pGFuoXl9Z3jsAqQjDbrJnzKxcwsHLnBS4U55DHrayRL9lGNhX5-fac49Ozh4-3Pi-pSvtKme9KR/s1600/40870_1440621658046_1308180103_31045794_2938030_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGSq7CTejeBy_oikp4PBEGHKqu2tQlXdRA6YVHa9vRtUZt2TseG_MbzMMSOJUNBRop4pGFuoXl9Z3jsAqQjDbrJnzKxcwsHLnBS4U55DHrayRL9lGNhX5-fac49Ozh4-3Pi-pSvtKme9KR/s200/40870_1440621658046_1308180103_31045794_2938030_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528259914004383266" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZWzvfe9zS0LIdgCOrCuxiAZEOeDSiGqHm1J2RP6iM55P7SG7BCZ0UJOKtaw10cDs-N63AiDk-d_7e3xfxBqv6n5cWpqK-OLwz6YUH3HKIr0UtCYnVRjbZLYMdCcDomjfI945CYjEiFjD_/s1600/71624_1440623498092_1308180103_31045812_4210048_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZWzvfe9zS0LIdgCOrCuxiAZEOeDSiGqHm1J2RP6iM55P7SG7BCZ0UJOKtaw10cDs-N63AiDk-d_7e3xfxBqv6n5cWpqK-OLwz6YUH3HKIr0UtCYnVRjbZLYMdCcDomjfI945CYjEiFjD_/s200/71624_1440623498092_1308180103_31045812_4210048_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528259908990486114" /></a><br /></div><div>We walked along the street outside the film theaters, and saw the handprints of all the famous people who had been to Cannes. There were so many of them, but a lot of them were international actors, and since I don't have a memory for actors, I didn't recognize the vast majority of them. However, I did photograph the ones that I recognized, which means I photographed recent, American, big-name actors. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjmSrkJng20oxlL94_Ipo9uCMKCyigdzVFR4cdkHfODDfG7mlwmaMUuxfEIbUaP6h6hkUUo3ybN6jgr_rGkeCFMwQlUKxZyGJyHTc76ray5hih5zBzCW2jXPP7ID6DS16Q-umtC3cpmVGF/s1600/40128_1440622938078_1308180103_31045805_7396942_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjmSrkJng20oxlL94_Ipo9uCMKCyigdzVFR4cdkHfODDfG7mlwmaMUuxfEIbUaP6h6hkUUo3ybN6jgr_rGkeCFMwQlUKxZyGJyHTc76ray5hih5zBzCW2jXPP7ID6DS16Q-umtC3cpmVGF/s200/40128_1440622938078_1308180103_31045805_7396942_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528260297464907762" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgFrlOqXbgOXnw8ygvB-CfW5tJ1UHGhIaFO2wd_eKAMdzg8pcS8jMQD7ZpcuaP71yEDWWYD2VbN-w8sp9Vf9tBbrXOPW8dNK7Mqe4Cz4sFfvPEbw6yUuc5BebvnzxBdeC-Vp4UKOvcTJrS/s1600/40147_1440621778049_1308180103_31045795_943226_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgFrlOqXbgOXnw8ygvB-CfW5tJ1UHGhIaFO2wd_eKAMdzg8pcS8jMQD7ZpcuaP71yEDWWYD2VbN-w8sp9Vf9tBbrXOPW8dNK7Mqe4Cz4sFfvPEbw6yUuc5BebvnzxBdeC-Vp4UKOvcTJrS/s200/40147_1440621778049_1308180103_31045795_943226_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528260284282079634" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglTgk8N8HKxTchWltRUVNYFchdd__YOQqeZP3uW172dG7mf_pQgdoVSr1zQln9_lDcfm5s85kmbjZ7EIbIx-dOxFqbyFh3wDAtbHP9EwVEOy927cIBK_q69Zl_Fy3X_j5Htz_N8yKkHAIf/s1600/40740_1440621938053_1308180103_31045797_1772147_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglTgk8N8HKxTchWltRUVNYFchdd__YOQqeZP3uW172dG7mf_pQgdoVSr1zQln9_lDcfm5s85kmbjZ7EIbIx-dOxFqbyFh3wDAtbHP9EwVEOy927cIBK_q69Zl_Fy3X_j5Htz_N8yKkHAIf/s200/40740_1440621938053_1308180103_31045797_1772147_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528260279618336002" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkb4M8NuVhI_wmY_fQaPRGl31A41CDsHjBO8IRxx76beGTSKHSpCqhyphenhypheni1USKLRXFtoKR44xXuQhpsHlKQk0ATLNkIPR8TPb60zYfNbJB-YrGQg9fif_71BQIEkKZiw0NtvevqAfp3_wIdi/s1600/65942_1440622178059_1308180103_31045799_1533544_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkb4M8NuVhI_wmY_fQaPRGl31A41CDsHjBO8IRxx76beGTSKHSpCqhyphenhypheni1USKLRXFtoKR44xXuQhpsHlKQk0ATLNkIPR8TPb60zYfNbJB-YrGQg9fif_71BQIEkKZiw0NtvevqAfp3_wIdi/s200/65942_1440622178059_1308180103_31045799_1533544_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528260270929555346" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzOoMrEAvWH-zXwKhJ1aTWyUIIjSRSajui9Afv1cjYefMVyD3YgZmVLO53zMCUUasq66xMm2GmCq1wD0aiMKmmX6VhzRcCx0ZvvcC-A0ouvIqmSaTylYGfBpLJZxk3jaMvxs-g4Rsaw9UN/s1600/67351_1440622018055_1308180103_31045798_7797556_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzOoMrEAvWH-zXwKhJ1aTWyUIIjSRSajui9Afv1cjYefMVyD3YgZmVLO53zMCUUasq66xMm2GmCq1wD0aiMKmmX6VhzRcCx0ZvvcC-A0ouvIqmSaTylYGfBpLJZxk3jaMvxs-g4Rsaw9UN/s200/67351_1440622018055_1308180103_31045798_7797556_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528260267259457362" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoEURWQgu1zcRfVjwiSTbxo8szVRIjG-WJvYn3pxbKwGlFYhbUe2UMDnUKHTgOUtuKL1ueaZvwRD64xOwYQmmPeup51sEweEqsOHBdRyLi5HbzArTCKnjYnsMWyZgtOgJEOCCOauiU7HmA/s1600/67532_1440623898102_1308180103_31045817_7689147_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoEURWQgu1zcRfVjwiSTbxo8szVRIjG-WJvYn3pxbKwGlFYhbUe2UMDnUKHTgOUtuKL1ueaZvwRD64xOwYQmmPeup51sEweEqsOHBdRyLi5HbzArTCKnjYnsMWyZgtOgJEOCCOauiU7HmA/s200/67532_1440623898102_1308180103_31045817_7689147_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528260569617576322" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLIh7IKumW-9Hn2vgGc5vgy5OEG6crtT6OFOq5DLr8kJFwz_ODDzDLSMLEcn5bzkZq3hltQjyeX0cdOo1tbJvM2ekpCaeUMM-ouOa_mSHarHp1_MDa0Vl89deHoO98j79ZkeLFSUkOowLF/s1600/67777_1440624018105_1308180103_31045818_7515124_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLIh7IKumW-9Hn2vgGc5vgy5OEG6crtT6OFOq5DLr8kJFwz_ODDzDLSMLEcn5bzkZq3hltQjyeX0cdOo1tbJvM2ekpCaeUMM-ouOa_mSHarHp1_MDa0Vl89deHoO98j79ZkeLFSUkOowLF/s200/67777_1440624018105_1308180103_31045818_7515124_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528260559843250994" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUFDKWi-P2Mjn1cg13tNgk1gCl2xqUuOpprgzTF4ij5dRkeOqQK4oVsAb3pIa-JvX7uSBorwNl5j2R7u0WrSxhlGoeLV8Nwtv33YOsIICk9C1wBlCMC3AethWrjnG1xjG-Hiw0TuIXqJGM/s1600/67794_1440621898052_1308180103_31045796_2076184_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUFDKWi-P2Mjn1cg13tNgk1gCl2xqUuOpprgzTF4ij5dRkeOqQK4oVsAb3pIa-JvX7uSBorwNl5j2R7u0WrSxhlGoeLV8Nwtv33YOsIICk9C1wBlCMC3AethWrjnG1xjG-Hiw0TuIXqJGM/s200/67794_1440621898052_1308180103_31045796_2076184_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528260558883103474" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix0YYKmYo9zNvQgWjZ0AuRubUyUHJVYpQq34eI5k5GPAHtkcFkl_YGCIXg90wrvrGwk_UoDfVH7Z0RUPsr_hv1IocaKfmgG-VngT2RPbabEQNhmZlBvgAEVsbK-EHqW1VeoC5Cc3f358Pj/s1600/68702_1440622778074_1308180103_31045804_2839624_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix0YYKmYo9zNvQgWjZ0AuRubUyUHJVYpQq34eI5k5GPAHtkcFkl_YGCIXg90wrvrGwk_UoDfVH7Z0RUPsr_hv1IocaKfmgG-VngT2RPbabEQNhmZlBvgAEVsbK-EHqW1VeoC5Cc3f358Pj/s200/68702_1440622778074_1308180103_31045804_2839624_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528260556006233506" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQv9xoY6QfvOLXPVtVcG26M5aXqqs_ZTKrAe3g4TDygCRKAHIFGqhrWg3alrLDHxa84uQdijoJHI7TIVbH7773hAcHMbiXNBG7O48wDYcolHuTo9XtZZ_5MwIyOGBUUhldDkUkwB_36r6e/s1600/72446_1440622418065_1308180103_31045801_5069625_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQv9xoY6QfvOLXPVtVcG26M5aXqqs_ZTKrAe3g4TDygCRKAHIFGqhrWg3alrLDHxa84uQdijoJHI7TIVbH7773hAcHMbiXNBG7O48wDYcolHuTo9XtZZ_5MwIyOGBUUhldDkUkwB_36r6e/s200/72446_1440622418065_1308180103_31045801_5069625_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528260552297822674" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizYTPFWHQb1W4oejRfPCPH4_nxf5d6MVI8Qz-7NqvKud_MI4xq3esnxMpTb0hRu9MCsBTIk-cv25xevz8EIZgnSC6szmnxfTCc4933PcXr9Pz6fpFCsvE-KNxztlGv7AmQyCunqYvssv61/s1600/72539_1440623018080_1308180103_31045806_2719416_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizYTPFWHQb1W4oejRfPCPH4_nxf5d6MVI8Qz-7NqvKud_MI4xq3esnxMpTb0hRu9MCsBTIk-cv25xevz8EIZgnSC6szmnxfTCc4933PcXr9Pz6fpFCsvE-KNxztlGv7AmQyCunqYvssv61/s200/72539_1440623018080_1308180103_31045806_2719416_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528260955061973570" /></a><br /></div><div>I was least impressed with Cannes, because I expected it to be a glamorous area. Perhaps because it was overcast and drizzly, or because there was a lot of construction around the theaters (they were already preparing for next year's festival, in May), I was underwhelmed. It was still a beautiful area, with cool, Lothlorien-esque trees, and so many really amazing nautical vessels in the port, but it was my least favorite area of the French Riviera that we visited.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6azbToFYlTrPHPvjDoff9BJNSwcUNgWhI5AuXrX3lv8tSiCD-N0qdN7YgiqGirfFMuhzJUUMoB9oPjcCy-bb14TUPDTvDL89laBkl5zC_aOvu88Ichyz1vjE9uYu0dLqA-rhZJ8DJUU9T/s1600/67648_1440620378014_1308180103_31045779_7081643_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6azbToFYlTrPHPvjDoff9BJNSwcUNgWhI5AuXrX3lv8tSiCD-N0qdN7YgiqGirfFMuhzJUUMoB9oPjcCy-bb14TUPDTvDL89laBkl5zC_aOvu88Ichyz1vjE9uYu0dLqA-rhZJ8DJUU9T/s200/67648_1440620378014_1308180103_31045779_7081643_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528260949878268530" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq7AiFtVygjoaD8F-Vs7kKuMwkGepvx4QnJMKybHEoeCBFDG69pouDVBHclZ-y5jLKHqdDr_ZYWfFLPLXyGoH9ChDv69oRxt3qc3cGs03WIcjnYx_B7DAWh8-VfLIaCPsjL3SYLYJ43cvl/s1600/69096_1440620898027_1308180103_31045786_8356721_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq7AiFtVygjoaD8F-Vs7kKuMwkGepvx4QnJMKybHEoeCBFDG69pouDVBHclZ-y5jLKHqdDr_ZYWfFLPLXyGoH9ChDv69oRxt3qc3cGs03WIcjnYx_B7DAWh8-VfLIaCPsjL3SYLYJ43cvl/s200/69096_1440620898027_1308180103_31045786_8356721_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528260944838878898" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgooTRZyzhNWkSf89KFrIa5hCSFPzUcye_9q8pG3TFBK18_qD_OYsiQOd62H_jslR-AbGyU6BT2S1-xocqYgVGS6rYJ9hmWTlmWXGT4DBDE4LQ2rtP0Me8MeYMCfEEgD7BnE3BxbSQ0_gp7/s1600/72568_1440621258036_1308180103_31045790_3686198_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgooTRZyzhNWkSf89KFrIa5hCSFPzUcye_9q8pG3TFBK18_qD_OYsiQOd62H_jslR-AbGyU6BT2S1-xocqYgVGS6rYJ9hmWTlmWXGT4DBDE4LQ2rtP0Me8MeYMCfEEgD7BnE3BxbSQ0_gp7/s200/72568_1440621258036_1308180103_31045790_3686198_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528260938933110034" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-V335A7O1Ysi26dhl0S3E7fDBkCTfYD3V9sc-n4W0BpDNs5Kv_pgRiQ2aGOjA5dKsK_VtTCIkl6x_BUKPQdov_sT3Xc_iroXFGLkGnl6WEdxr59OyxWPnxfp1VobDeJ6FUMCFgzWA5DKa/s1600/37960_1440620538018_1308180103_31045781_5536061_n.jpg"><br /></a></div>Our final stop was Eze, where the Fragonard perfumery is located. French perfumes are world-renowned, and Fragonard is the best of the best. They have special workers, known as Noses because of their trained and highly sensitive noses, that are able to recognize over 3,000 scents and are responsible for creating new smells for the perfumes. There are only about 50 professional Noses in the world. They go to school to learn the trade and are forbidden to drink alcohol, smoke, or eat spicy food, otherwise they risk destroying their sensitivity. They only work 2-3 hours a day, because they cannot maintain a sharp sense of smell after much longer. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRYkeJFS7thT__IMMTHwNzUgzos1r9A0JTr5fJqUcd50ZLzKYumwinN4wXx-2RtuoCR4higJdTYckcNQ-KPN2Q8EFAprWCZj-yCR5b6rnw6TjUDrYGbRyu-s_BrKlP0QAyOiDC3Z9o9exf/s1600/66671_1440625298137_1308180103_31045829_7638803_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRYkeJFS7thT__IMMTHwNzUgzos1r9A0JTr5fJqUcd50ZLzKYumwinN4wXx-2RtuoCR4higJdTYckcNQ-KPN2Q8EFAprWCZj-yCR5b6rnw6TjUDrYGbRyu-s_BrKlP0QAyOiDC3Z9o9exf/s200/66671_1440625298137_1308180103_31045829_7638803_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528265301367516114" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMdrIQeoRHsKH2ET5m_m7Qv0UOk6aONNFYx4bG9S23cQ2j4puDF-OkRGKiyAZEbdKFrTOb3v5rruNqFqQhGuOZXr9TWnu4hpSWIxWof8_aT59itettM6Ew5LwIPTfuOSnVJYn0-6cHvlnw/s1600/71832_1440624138108_1308180103_31045819_2086693_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMdrIQeoRHsKH2ET5m_m7Qv0UOk6aONNFYx4bG9S23cQ2j4puDF-OkRGKiyAZEbdKFrTOb3v5rruNqFqQhGuOZXr9TWnu4hpSWIxWof8_aT59itettM6Ew5LwIPTfuOSnVJYn0-6cHvlnw/s200/71832_1440624138108_1308180103_31045819_2086693_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528265299328021490" /></a><br /></div><div>In the perfumery, we were invited to test our own noses, and sadly, we all struggled to match 8 fairly distinct smells. Then we saw the "perfumer's organ," which is several large shelves lined with thousands of essence oils that look like the pipes of an organ and are the tools of the perfumer.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwLA2QsaTWRydaYqvosG1MbgE1MiWbGWZLauT18pzHxgg4FeJrF3jL89AijmKZzLfDBdkIae9_kmWpOOmFJy0g0yvrFiLHqc_l_I3MunG0le3f6ARZCXwSFCdGnITT3_pNBRZ3-bsK1rwC/s1600/37193_1440624498117_1308180103_31045822_3078486_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwLA2QsaTWRydaYqvosG1MbgE1MiWbGWZLauT18pzHxgg4FeJrF3jL89AijmKZzLfDBdkIae9_kmWpOOmFJy0g0yvrFiLHqc_l_I3MunG0le3f6ARZCXwSFCdGnITT3_pNBRZ3-bsK1rwC/s200/37193_1440624498117_1308180103_31045822_3078486_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528265292817889314" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTnrHyHl6Wldc4J2H8JkMxA_grUZ282OTrPyYbF6GkKwcuNZvW5hAMPVzYloIHNS-kdaPVSTXBAusXAEYsFiL0QhDgRowV1sCkgGbiDCCOPa1SAWHXPhOnujMo4ZvcXQ-R8gh_lhiYTKTT/s1600/67088_1440624618120_1308180103_31045823_3136996_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTnrHyHl6Wldc4J2H8JkMxA_grUZ282OTrPyYbF6GkKwcuNZvW5hAMPVzYloIHNS-kdaPVSTXBAusXAEYsFiL0QhDgRowV1sCkgGbiDCCOPa1SAWHXPhOnujMo4ZvcXQ-R8gh_lhiYTKTT/s200/67088_1440624618120_1308180103_31045823_3136996_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528265288378199202" /></a><br /></div><div>That was what I experienced in the south of France. I loved it, and can't wait to travel to Paris during Fall Break and see what "real" France is like. But I have to get through midterms first...</div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11705583397776601590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2076998410662702438.post-88169385319386264482010-10-12T11:53:00.000-07:002010-10-12T12:12:37.060-07:00PapermakingMarbling paper is actually quite an easy process. The "magic" lies in the composition and art of creating the pattern. So here's a quick explanation on how to make marbled paper:<div><br /></div><div>Start with a tray of wallpaper glue. This glue keeps the paint floating on the surface in a thin film that will adhere to the paper to create the marbled effect. Using watered down acrylic paint, splatter a design on the surface of the glue. You can use as few or as many colors as you would like, and here is where the artistic flair comes in. After you have set the drops of paint over the glue, the design is technically done and able to be transferred to the paper, but we'll continue with the process.</div><div>Taking some sort of stick (the end of a paintbrush, a stir stick, a branch, etc), stir the glue in a zig zag pattern, starting from one end and going widthwise across the tray.</div><div>Around the beginning of the 18th century, the comb started to be used in marbling paper. Combs can vary in spacing, from extremely fine to extremely wide. Using different types of combs will create different effects. The comb is dragged across the surface lengthwise.</div><div>Then using a stick, the final touches are swirled into the paint, creating certain patterns that are known as peacock, flames, vortex, and many more.</div><div><br /></div><div>Some photos of me doing a marbled paper demo in Il Papiro, the paper store. The pattern I created in this demo was called flames.<div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoZlKIOb4VR95h66mBZqlceXI89_2f_IxsVTtiBFGyBTUIyFJxE6gECB4etqloVcPlzShZBSaFj5JzF4_uUov4xfnlx_yzagq4fB_nYZe8LIg73f4l-Nq11MhgkDhh6ZAxcZ4fJ6wIKQqe/s1600/P9300804.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoZlKIOb4VR95h66mBZqlceXI89_2f_IxsVTtiBFGyBTUIyFJxE6gECB4etqloVcPlzShZBSaFj5JzF4_uUov4xfnlx_yzagq4fB_nYZe8LIg73f4l-Nq11MhgkDhh6ZAxcZ4fJ6wIKQqe/s200/P9300804.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527235208214723202" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ClAf2e-bOlDW66hdx6yiXgShrGXSKCN28xjJkx7TZ4IA99qAJRGngsa_ApY_h6Ypha5adLOQcZScZ1WMi20dy1h-PxlqaK4ZDLuz5JM0ZNfsgSvfCG9ZbrgCW74sjZNw09deKl4dRmrb/s1600/P9300807.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ClAf2e-bOlDW66hdx6yiXgShrGXSKCN28xjJkx7TZ4IA99qAJRGngsa_ApY_h6Ypha5adLOQcZScZ1WMi20dy1h-PxlqaK4ZDLuz5JM0ZNfsgSvfCG9ZbrgCW74sjZNw09deKl4dRmrb/s200/P9300807.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527235203569522466" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbCVo1m-9kV-mQnkVK1ez8qpNWwXesgbg0xdlymLvy8qiA4GRJv3eK7nDnmzpO5q3L4D6wTs3fNpBr3qSu4qpQHz8Zq5PMkC14yByf8LCGKdWJFBfuLg7Cur06499r2ZKzyCZ2b-QbqGzV/s1600/P9300808.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbCVo1m-9kV-mQnkVK1ez8qpNWwXesgbg0xdlymLvy8qiA4GRJv3eK7nDnmzpO5q3L4D6wTs3fNpBr3qSu4qpQHz8Zq5PMkC14yByf8LCGKdWJFBfuLg7Cur06499r2ZKzyCZ2b-QbqGzV/s200/P9300808.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527235195862973746" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7iQeqUpBrbPDDSLQWcQ3UUg344TXRC3LmY87trHCoy8Hwa2y_wD7_kSUfjwgDyMZxlxHpBorijItYk_wYEkMKW3BJjoyZQgmUkzY-vACXxOuaVWSQTZ-d9fdg8ca8aQrsO3MG98bggdTD/s1600/P9300810.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7iQeqUpBrbPDDSLQWcQ3UUg344TXRC3LmY87trHCoy8Hwa2y_wD7_kSUfjwgDyMZxlxHpBorijItYk_wYEkMKW3BJjoyZQgmUkzY-vACXxOuaVWSQTZ-d9fdg8ca8aQrsO3MG98bggdTD/s200/P9300810.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527235191996168450" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtitWYLE6ufosc3QiulXhKGtJG8txFSiMIi_GHL04mMY-7N_Xl-FJ5vTKG-7R3RCYesO8XmRWso5V3cR9cZzXhCfPyEMEiDpUcWIY6GMpBAcBlJbhJ889sGCJhPQCDYwQUP1x1xeEa1Q0s/s1600/P9300813.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtitWYLE6ufosc3QiulXhKGtJG8txFSiMIi_GHL04mMY-7N_Xl-FJ5vTKG-7R3RCYesO8XmRWso5V3cR9cZzXhCfPyEMEiDpUcWIY6GMpBAcBlJbhJ889sGCJhPQCDYwQUP1x1xeEa1Q0s/s200/P9300813.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527235187611491170" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>And this is Gianni, the owner and the man I'm pseudo-apprenticing under:</div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEMc4GwmGgyI2e18Lj0mgpm7b6wrgjGG1o-DTGAmRuDxf5jbtlKwO26Tp7xaNlPP-H9mX3eILhGS4cgqaOKxCxEr2f2BPjXd6SE7aUocPSuUuAAIJapwTGp35EcgY3SJ45ysxvvagD_RNQ/s1600/64087_450505568136_593098136_5353884_6193570_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEMc4GwmGgyI2e18Lj0mgpm7b6wrgjGG1o-DTGAmRuDxf5jbtlKwO26Tp7xaNlPP-H9mX3eILhGS4cgqaOKxCxEr2f2BPjXd6SE7aUocPSuUuAAIJapwTGp35EcgY3SJ45ysxvvagD_RNQ/s200/64087_450505568136_593098136_5353884_6193570_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527235365863213570" /></a></div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11705583397776601590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2076998410662702438.post-2585572949995428862010-10-03T10:16:00.001-07:002010-10-03T12:09:00.830-07:00To Wine Country.... Take TwoThis morning, I had plans to attend a Catholic mass somewhere in Florence, and then go to the Uffizi Gallery and enjoy a nice dinner. So at seven this morning, I hit my alarm and mentally prepared myself for waking up. I closed my eyes and listened to the bells chiming loudly outside our window, announcing the hour. I counted the tolls and then opened my eyes. I checked the clock to see how long I had lain there, and the clock boldly told me that it was now 8:06. I had inadvertently dozed off again. Mass was at 8:30, and I was going to a church on the other side of the Arno River (about a 10 minute brisk walk), and I knew that I would not make it in time. So I rolled out of bed and popped in the oven a few of the cinnamon rolls I made from scratch yesterday. They came out beautifully, and so I drowned them in icing and shared them with my roommate. So delicious. I plan on making the rest for my house tomorrow morning, although I may decide to limit their intake so I can greedily consume more of them myself.<div><br /></div><div>Then I finished my plates for printmaking, and I am so excited to process and print them tomorrow afternoon. I really hope they turn out well, because I have been fighting with the acid and etching times and I think I'm starting to understand this new studio. Even if they aren't spectacular, I'm excited to see the "finished" prints.</div><div><br /></div><div>Some of the girls next door came back last night, and the six of us (four from next door, my roommate, and me) decided to take a bus to the Chianti Valley and see the beautiful vineyards and eat some delicious cinta senese, which is a pig that is raised solely in the Chianti region and is prepared in a delicious, savory sauce and served with pasta.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCKilApMOA-dfdOQ1LR4GW6zKO23fYv2V15XmopqaZzsj2KxYnFIv6eclu0Gl2VVUumFWprvOc1NFirSE89vCj2MVQYyxnOPWzmuJ_L3G07FJBdssPhjhyphenhyphenVvb9FOpLX4fGwk4WXo76RqBq/s1600/PA020833.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCKilApMOA-dfdOQ1LR4GW6zKO23fYv2V15XmopqaZzsj2KxYnFIv6eclu0Gl2VVUumFWprvOc1NFirSE89vCj2MVQYyxnOPWzmuJ_L3G07FJBdssPhjhyphenhyphenVvb9FOpLX4fGwk4WXo76RqBq/s200/PA020833.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523893472014738562" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjojy_-7090vUip6CO1nYoM1JeLN455HCMGo8OdlFGFXelMWeCKm6GhE2-vf77_HzeMZmVKkElL1HNbX73ZsqnjRyAVwAc0siuCcMWrhKLY3kn3tYGQkD-LLS4SNXBbq3gf5S0IsoonVUCZ/s1600/PA020837.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjojy_-7090vUip6CO1nYoM1JeLN455HCMGo8OdlFGFXelMWeCKm6GhE2-vf77_HzeMZmVKkElL1HNbX73ZsqnjRyAVwAc0siuCcMWrhKLY3kn3tYGQkD-LLS4SNXBbq3gf5S0IsoonVUCZ/s200/PA020837.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523895461158084850" /></a><br /></div><div>We trekked to the bus station and nearly missed our bus because we were in the wrong place and couldn't figure out where to buy tickets. But we held up the bus for ten minutes to sort everything out and were successful in getting on the correct bus heading in the right direction. As we drove out, I recognized the way, since we had <a href="http://piztravel.blogspot.com/2010/09/cycling-to-chianti.html">biked most of it a few weekends before</a>. I didn't realize how hard we worked to get up that mountain, but being in the bus only confirmed how steep the road up to Chianti actually was. The bus stayed in first gear the entire way up and struggled up some of the steeper sections.</div><div><br /></div><div>About two miles past where we had turned around on our bikes, we started the descent into the valley. I am glad we didn't complete the journey, because the downhill was just as steep, and we would've had to bike back up that monstrous incline. But in the bus, it was a beautiful journey, with a gorgeous view and no stress or exertion on my part.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYr7mZ-YXVh8kKO6CR3htCXfSb4jhQ6bNuvamb8BM_SOpeJCpWEVH57xWjES2FgRloWZ0XV0OgDwWo6Z252zl8_bd2MT2xjSiFpPgYoxdfyV7E2P6LdQLuL36shixbYSQSuPKvaHhfUEx0/s1600/PA020832.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYr7mZ-YXVh8kKO6CR3htCXfSb4jhQ6bNuvamb8BM_SOpeJCpWEVH57xWjES2FgRloWZ0XV0OgDwWo6Z252zl8_bd2MT2xjSiFpPgYoxdfyV7E2P6LdQLuL36shixbYSQSuPKvaHhfUEx0/s200/PA020832.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523893474439779442" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi17lsgHYlcE4g4ULMxZ7xB6L9qhJUCbwfxTMIyIGV2nKDWQ-mmkvfqMI1C0SVAWZ28Zu9rXbzDlS7Q_zh0AINE8Wyna7H8EfRqenUshnGFVeIr_TbXaDjiZWYFuIHz4DChTPAY7e8qSmBG/s1600/PA020823.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi17lsgHYlcE4g4ULMxZ7xB6L9qhJUCbwfxTMIyIGV2nKDWQ-mmkvfqMI1C0SVAWZ28Zu9rXbzDlS7Q_zh0AINE8Wyna7H8EfRqenUshnGFVeIr_TbXaDjiZWYFuIHz4DChTPAY7e8qSmBG/s200/PA020823.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523893482822602818" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIgpyFXDD-UYsRPUGlvDA-dAJ3MDCubTUgPxnkokXJ6D3I403hMrShihpDlWQc0tSEd0lAzeXrhmqQsaLbgT5mTolUplfJ82M47KBWYYekqcwWtP0Hi2G3F70VQqFPgo07aMBU2majyPCg/s1600/PA020825.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIgpyFXDD-UYsRPUGlvDA-dAJ3MDCubTUgPxnkokXJ6D3I403hMrShihpDlWQc0tSEd0lAzeXrhmqQsaLbgT5mTolUplfJ82M47KBWYYekqcwWtP0Hi2G3F70VQqFPgo07aMBU2majyPCg/s200/PA020825.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523893482131157346" /></a><br /></div><div>We got off the bus and entered a small piazza full of pretty restaurants. There were several Dutch girls with us, and as we walked around the square, they pointed out a man who apparently is a famous Dutch TV host. He looked like he was on vacation and was trying to be very low-key, so we didn't swarm him and act obnoxiously. Instead, we picked out a highly recommended restaurant and prepared to enjoy a long, delicious meal. And we did. I ordered cinta senese, and it was everything I was expecting. We also tried a Chianti wine (since the region is a wine valley and known for producing some of the best wines in Tuscany), and it was really light and fruity and delicious. I enjoyed it, even though I don't really care for red wine.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvjDeDkGs8Bcqg2pRcLoePHp-VfkHzAkXoWRk38eXxbzfJmldRpocBVk579WwJegoj_0YiTWjmnf2Y5t2LowKDiIdLC4Sqn0TZ6KQC20ZLcdndBYPGQVcbEkfCxgJyBGPL-Qt8MM271kgP/s1600/PA020836.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvjDeDkGs8Bcqg2pRcLoePHp-VfkHzAkXoWRk38eXxbzfJmldRpocBVk579WwJegoj_0YiTWjmnf2Y5t2LowKDiIdLC4Sqn0TZ6KQC20ZLcdndBYPGQVcbEkfCxgJyBGPL-Qt8MM271kgP/s200/PA020836.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523893472727775954" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNeA8fdk7vevMBPCffda7kPS7OGlm585fSOR_moLY85w4zZGYfFJ3mEO3d7urR0yDA3flGsONQttMHnPrFf-n3DuxiyKp0jijK8TGxitF2jpS-qX3iP_aJjQ7r_WmIn8h5hKHXboQhc-Wr/s1600/PA020834.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNeA8fdk7vevMBPCffda7kPS7OGlm585fSOR_moLY85w4zZGYfFJ3mEO3d7urR0yDA3flGsONQttMHnPrFf-n3DuxiyKp0jijK8TGxitF2jpS-qX3iP_aJjQ7r_WmIn8h5hKHXboQhc-Wr/s200/PA020834.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523895471757059474" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2VKWC4NbVyCCB3c5BZulxutGJgZ_plnhET3P8r98XNWbbl0nTew_3yJgCPKBCqJD-rjdJwg5XBmA3ZJm7voP6q-aDYr5vMiwJkm6VwbzXhzLZxBeorTa6ZR-uDwzU6dcZDZjImxI-XOoK/s1600/PA020835.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2VKWC4NbVyCCB3c5BZulxutGJgZ_plnhET3P8r98XNWbbl0nTew_3yJgCPKBCqJD-rjdJwg5XBmA3ZJm7voP6q-aDYr5vMiwJkm6VwbzXhzLZxBeorTa6ZR-uDwzU6dcZDZjImxI-XOoK/s200/PA020835.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523895465900888594" /></a><br /></div><div>Then we went to a wine tasting museum, and looked at all the vintage wines and tried a few of the newer wines. There were over 140 different wines to try, and some of the bottles were being sold for over 200 euros. We also did some oil tasting, although none of us could really tell the difference. They also had some really wonderful honey and balsamic vinegar. It was a cool experience.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4YPJ94N6OyNj2rjjSrw4iLzGeokXQWfIyvIdI4uPC6cIK7kj8Pnbx-vOo37z1bGKc7sAAVsoAPWCypcLZdnRg2OP3f5tOoJZktX6AWwx7e-7uitedpANIEk3ggs1tCjFGhnE_3pfBZbkZ/s1600/PA020839.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4YPJ94N6OyNj2rjjSrw4iLzGeokXQWfIyvIdI4uPC6cIK7kj8Pnbx-vOo37z1bGKc7sAAVsoAPWCypcLZdnRg2OP3f5tOoJZktX6AWwx7e-7uitedpANIEk3ggs1tCjFGhnE_3pfBZbkZ/s200/PA020839.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523895460574278034" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_nN8ccqLFUX_q9A7ByOKop3ZJ9qsVsK9gmTlApJkCZwtUM4dUHhWKO4FcS9DB9fTDJ_Tfgwl7Oun5mUlomM-dodLcgsnjpeMHLKTh5NmrTFJnTxtMzH-1HjCxwrQ0_NTv7SfTTv2ttn2Y/s1600/IMG_1342.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_nN8ccqLFUX_q9A7ByOKop3ZJ9qsVsK9gmTlApJkCZwtUM4dUHhWKO4FcS9DB9fTDJ_Tfgwl7Oun5mUlomM-dodLcgsnjpeMHLKTh5NmrTFJnTxtMzH-1HjCxwrQ0_NTv7SfTTv2ttn2Y/s200/IMG_1342.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523895454801556962" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0zVhy_2YeKrEyJMjrpoDDyoG2nVtMnqFLI_WbSP5_bxQ7NXYF6pEHWSST9XuBb8KzZ_vom0qztOnSHt61CN_IEaroFDJVf1o9JWlVw-bTZ-WTf45H_PGGSMnU6F3mqPi2bT620VSSw8xc/s1600/IMG_1345.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0zVhy_2YeKrEyJMjrpoDDyoG2nVtMnqFLI_WbSP5_bxQ7NXYF6pEHWSST9XuBb8KzZ_vom0qztOnSHt61CN_IEaroFDJVf1o9JWlVw-bTZ-WTf45H_PGGSMnU6F3mqPi2bT620VSSw8xc/s200/IMG_1345.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523898686686258834" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw_wBGxVydQnagZlfVAf62wPNLDz7OmYYqB3HM-ka7RXQeMrvLSBxFTE0-dVXb4PWKJoshCWF25QLKolsFZ_pRnTEY3Y7EIvac0uwt2tPLQ93rQku-Il4bf_MqZJ9GiW5c6Qzxafis1ssH/s1600/IMG_1347.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw_wBGxVydQnagZlfVAf62wPNLDz7OmYYqB3HM-ka7RXQeMrvLSBxFTE0-dVXb4PWKJoshCWF25QLKolsFZ_pRnTEY3Y7EIvac0uwt2tPLQ93rQku-Il4bf_MqZJ9GiW5c6Qzxafis1ssH/s200/IMG_1347.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523898683309076706" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgxjDcXTIKTNG9NfdoLURGA4MweVGTxc16qrpzn7y7IZtgjc8nD6Mmde-x56tfJCxXOBrJA1xzjUkmPGDL_uwgmaG7KBZFOi_Eh6wwtzZbOZaY2eyHv-1NPJkAAof5-zXSbe3xMCl9bVER/s1600/IMG_1357.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgxjDcXTIKTNG9NfdoLURGA4MweVGTxc16qrpzn7y7IZtgjc8nD6Mmde-x56tfJCxXOBrJA1xzjUkmPGDL_uwgmaG7KBZFOi_Eh6wwtzZbOZaY2eyHv-1NPJkAAof5-zXSbe3xMCl9bVER/s200/IMG_1357.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523898673353877394" /></a><br /></div><div>It was a long day, but a great one, and I'm glad that I finally made it all the way to Chianti, even if it wasn't by bike. It's beautiful, full of vineyards, and it has so many unique experiences that I do not regret this trip at all.</div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11705583397776601590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2076998410662702438.post-59745111558672123522010-10-01T14:46:00.000-07:002010-10-02T09:46:01.000-07:00Abandoned!This weekend, not only did all seven of my roommates leave to go on various adventures (Oktoberfest, Ibiza, Milan), but so did all of the girls across the hall. So I was left alone in the penthouse all weekend.<div><br /></div><div>But I didn't despair, dear reader. Oh no. Instead, I made a delicious breakfast omelette and freshly squeezed lemonade, and then went on an adventure to see a printmaking gallery. However, on the way, I got sidetracked by a paper store, because I am a little obsessed with paper. I went in, and examined all the beautiful marbled paper until the store owner stopped by and offered to show me around. I asked a few questions about the marbleization process, and he showed me a demo at the little marbling station he had set up in the front of the store. Then he showed me how they used the paper in bookbinding. I told him that I loved bookbinding and did it in my printmaking classes, and he got really excited and told me that he would teach me how to marble paper myself. So he took me to the marbling station, handed me an apron and set me to work. I made three different types of marbled paper: vortex, peacock, and flames. It was a lot of fun and apparently I was halfway decent at it, because he had me run the next demo by myself, and when I brought friends back later, he let me teach them how to do it, and even left the store in my care when he had to run a quick errand elsewhere in town. He also let me package customers' purchases. I have become his unofficial apprentice.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy4DWrH6OOLAbZGUugAV0uO2j7dgUYh_hkzAl3JnDKd63YIiFBfyVS8iaSo-dKolLSQk8u3b3cpDWuOpuUYj6Ps0CJgh3QJSjNSaOEd6Y-SaQ_A-Z6tnGQVHKe-70kM58A3uvM-4q62ex3/s1600/IMG_1302.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy4DWrH6OOLAbZGUugAV0uO2j7dgUYh_hkzAl3JnDKd63YIiFBfyVS8iaSo-dKolLSQk8u3b3cpDWuOpuUYj6Ps0CJgh3QJSjNSaOEd6Y-SaQ_A-Z6tnGQVHKe-70kM58A3uvM-4q62ex3/s200/IMG_1302.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523483498306284274" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP3vw2dh7tLTRZfNNBCAT40W9Q1ZyRYVhKLFThRRWsFkhzrHTcuRO_P0E73FmykaAXhgk9XmiO_CKDtLQ3VzuQ6XkCemvA2sWZewHcb_l7jxFoVDiM1qwlMuUn4-71GIprIDaHAAA3tEYj/s1600/IMG_1303.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP3vw2dh7tLTRZfNNBCAT40W9Q1ZyRYVhKLFThRRWsFkhzrHTcuRO_P0E73FmykaAXhgk9XmiO_CKDtLQ3VzuQ6XkCemvA2sWZewHcb_l7jxFoVDiM1qwlMuUn4-71GIprIDaHAAA3tEYj/s200/IMG_1303.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523483498762330914" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5HLZFBboVaxwtJFZn0D0XoVx8q4l1TPojUUwWITW8egZaCu0zWCrVGa4XK3IzxmhKK_f1G4cv_jQLp9LY48WTt9eWJtKmbNNJNvGI5wLZFmw_A1McjRr6YDaFVzFj8oREJe0iGj8SU52Z/s1600/IMG_1304.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5HLZFBboVaxwtJFZn0D0XoVx8q4l1TPojUUwWITW8egZaCu0zWCrVGa4XK3IzxmhKK_f1G4cv_jQLp9LY48WTt9eWJtKmbNNJNvGI5wLZFmw_A1McjRr6YDaFVzFj8oREJe0iGj8SU52Z/s200/IMG_1304.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523483493667368850" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxeGPsnfQy9dPIACqTrgllNhG52nvgU7uwDKcwYjSAVhSfgmXHqbGnecCkbdvFVQH1nDRAlASmzLoR1mFXjYN_u911sZgon8qMsvIS2ZH2bS3NLdlTugf7PBdy6lIbyvk6P9erxJW_EtcL/s1600/IMG_1305.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxeGPsnfQy9dPIACqTrgllNhG52nvgU7uwDKcwYjSAVhSfgmXHqbGnecCkbdvFVQH1nDRAlASmzLoR1mFXjYN_u911sZgon8qMsvIS2ZH2bS3NLdlTugf7PBdy6lIbyvk6P9erxJW_EtcL/s200/IMG_1305.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523483489536456866" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCuURinJiYpKDQv1NeH3aIpXXCUPK0jW8ep4EHPEUhrwWVzWyyXdE0UaI1nlfv-Ac7vj1U7TQ90aojUh7xclvx3XRQw8stZ5hPObWaicmfcoG8SHPdP6Ci1mO78FxXDdZij1CGl0NHKlJv/s1600/IMG_1307.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCuURinJiYpKDQv1NeH3aIpXXCUPK0jW8ep4EHPEUhrwWVzWyyXdE0UaI1nlfv-Ac7vj1U7TQ90aojUh7xclvx3XRQw8stZ5hPObWaicmfcoG8SHPdP6Ci1mO78FxXDdZij1CGl0NHKlJv/s200/IMG_1307.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523483485662121890" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzFf5L6BkqxXDrfQrbHDOEIVAWpMris0n-Uowb0TAqxrQZ3X-5RWhfYoyC5BAlF8Yb9G2rMtu1Ic2MVYmieGrwlEFdWo4x4mlEqUp_ehSthu23GhoHqUgiYujeZiiOfQ78q27OShYI9Ala/s1600/IMG_1311.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzFf5L6BkqxXDrfQrbHDOEIVAWpMris0n-Uowb0TAqxrQZ3X-5RWhfYoyC5BAlF8Yb9G2rMtu1Ic2MVYmieGrwlEFdWo4x4mlEqUp_ehSthu23GhoHqUgiYujeZiiOfQ78q27OShYI9Ala/s200/IMG_1311.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523483989822068066" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH8ohXDu3umQR7LeTyaMEE5XDW3fjxsT9eQSIns8KNxqJfEiQUowa8G482t2p4SDNHnkaIVLzgqCIoE5wyrn46r5ThfXoz_D5JsaIjn_Atv7AYrebDwWkfMzZ5HX_U43oDof_eLAvjyLDe/s1600/IMG_1312.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH8ohXDu3umQR7LeTyaMEE5XDW3fjxsT9eQSIns8KNxqJfEiQUowa8G482t2p4SDNHnkaIVLzgqCIoE5wyrn46r5ThfXoz_D5JsaIjn_Atv7AYrebDwWkfMzZ5HX_U43oDof_eLAvjyLDe/s200/IMG_1312.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523483986250362002" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig9sDslVKdC9m8L9PgRyjfRnTO_8y9RqbrxljmzvbUtEXsGx4HhZKzEOxAUSm13rvMDk2bztlrexottovcc99dsoEMLkeGH_m8frZqWfsr75LX2j5_xkKGYdXOcuJbA4L1J0fpEebGMB2o/s1600/IMG_1313.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig9sDslVKdC9m8L9PgRyjfRnTO_8y9RqbrxljmzvbUtEXsGx4HhZKzEOxAUSm13rvMDk2bztlrexottovcc99dsoEMLkeGH_m8frZqWfsr75LX2j5_xkKGYdXOcuJbA4L1J0fpEebGMB2o/s200/IMG_1313.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523483981079016098" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNxbKJ-bBYe_zX1kcRbjK9Yjx_2AQ41NbP6I-G-C7Oz_MgB9Dx93NrhCuudB1qQbhfa8EYzL1-oadKe5Tn6b0GceCaVW-fTArN1q1A7_txCM8Qs_xq-TGfYZ-HiAyYgHwSIvmJw3M2P3hf/s1600/IMG_1314.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNxbKJ-bBYe_zX1kcRbjK9Yjx_2AQ41NbP6I-G-C7Oz_MgB9Dx93NrhCuudB1qQbhfa8EYzL1-oadKe5Tn6b0GceCaVW-fTArN1q1A7_txCM8Qs_xq-TGfYZ-HiAyYgHwSIvmJw3M2P3hf/s200/IMG_1314.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523483976808270946" /></a><br /></div><div>I finally made my way to the print gallery, which was wonderful. All the prints in the show were intaglios and etchings, and some were well-known artists, like Rubens, Rembrandt, Piranesi, and and even Manet. However, I was disappointed by the presentation of the works. The gallery walls were painted a bright red, making it hard to view the works without a haze clouding your vision and forcing you to look away. Also, the frames were poorly constructed and the mats were cut with little regard for the size of the print, which meant that the print either hung out of the mat or if the piece was float mounted, it was not properly centered (and it was quite obviously not centered). I was sad that such beautiful prints were displayed so poorly.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl0oHm6YlUVn-H8JcR8K46gI0YySZiCZs_-WN0yWjjEprxx9QGDxPkBBbVlmLsHFl1w7HOpJvAmZKBUy-b-lvVnTeCawYN7Rb0zTjwVgXuazNu8Bl7u0PyrDJO34Bq-OgzdF00QaCLtqX2/s1600/IMG_1317.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl0oHm6YlUVn-H8JcR8K46gI0YySZiCZs_-WN0yWjjEprxx9QGDxPkBBbVlmLsHFl1w7HOpJvAmZKBUy-b-lvVnTeCawYN7Rb0zTjwVgXuazNu8Bl7u0PyrDJO34Bq-OgzdF00QaCLtqX2/s200/IMG_1317.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523483974287245058" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLMsi-z6Zezz7KUn9KkQAf9On-_kLVt9F0SBkBI4r065wff7mfrvkuMpDa4axLt3TIKoLBySJ6iLjgUGeTI2UC1nDKxN7PYGxe3hksTpP4ffzPZsjiDS4ET7qTLpO5d5sfXerRQzT15oLx/s1600/IMG_1318.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLMsi-z6Zezz7KUn9KkQAf9On-_kLVt9F0SBkBI4r065wff7mfrvkuMpDa4axLt3TIKoLBySJ6iLjgUGeTI2UC1nDKxN7PYGxe3hksTpP4ffzPZsjiDS4ET7qTLpO5d5sfXerRQzT15oLx/s200/IMG_1318.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523488163259508162" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMzmqV61ndIeC0T-VmbdaG-oA3AYYTeM34hxH6yeqMIfmJB9sXBh4nrcBA4tdRNLI8vuHLRH3VpYCjt34j668YxzsUkKIeU1uMSd6nJ-9sgqSFm0rQHlPdO5N0KpQXGqp7JG3oWLQbxLCG/s1600/IMG_1319.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMzmqV61ndIeC0T-VmbdaG-oA3AYYTeM34hxH6yeqMIfmJB9sXBh4nrcBA4tdRNLI8vuHLRH3VpYCjt34j668YxzsUkKIeU1uMSd6nJ-9sgqSFm0rQHlPdO5N0KpQXGqp7JG3oWLQbxLCG/s200/IMG_1319.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523488159068418434" /></a><br /></div><div>This weekend is also Tuscany's wine celebration, so I visited another gallery that was displaying the best wines of the decade as well as beautiful photos of all the Tuscan vineyards.</div><div><br /></div><div>Emily, Megan, and I also visited a Leonardo da Vinci exhibit. It was mostly his inventions, although there was a small exhibit of anatomy, describing da Vinci's obsession with the human form, as well as a History Channel documentary playing in a room. It was incredible to see mechanisms we still use today with little deviation of design, even though they were invented centuries ago.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtjqu2ymw_f09XhjzXhnDsqqCGnKsJBz3Ic8vjZZO3uUBDniHJ8Ya7izRRKYZ9j3Dt0-O3RomGRIOPNiG4k_zf2LF1JnDJfeat2FSWj67f7VVyRx049LDP7S5xDdRMfrTywoWHPeDVL0Hr/s1600/IMG_1320.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtjqu2ymw_f09XhjzXhnDsqqCGnKsJBz3Ic8vjZZO3uUBDniHJ8Ya7izRRKYZ9j3Dt0-O3RomGRIOPNiG4k_zf2LF1JnDJfeat2FSWj67f7VVyRx049LDP7S5xDdRMfrTywoWHPeDVL0Hr/s200/IMG_1320.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523488152383434946" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2NxMPWogNq7dnA5_29RjjHsLW_KHYxuQBhryu_TGZfOeMwwSnoHCx1YRV2k7WJ4HYZlwagnye5Ok2dQvcC36OW2Tuf3qD3fgj-n9KUZUWb4RfSuRuPSG1_ac4sQUqPnj9F-fEardXRPkS/s1600/IMG_1321.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2NxMPWogNq7dnA5_29RjjHsLW_KHYxuQBhryu_TGZfOeMwwSnoHCx1YRV2k7WJ4HYZlwagnye5Ok2dQvcC36OW2Tuf3qD3fgj-n9KUZUWb4RfSuRuPSG1_ac4sQUqPnj9F-fEardXRPkS/s200/IMG_1321.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523488145474309090" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGVIizs8ypwI3hF9nOD6NR61QUVwiyViLvdaFpOOKW7RMNRDOza6x5k3ALVH9QwR4aM0bl0D0vVhAXSS_e1d7NQkgxQR7_rbEBTD7GhQt86Ij_vqYLigovVycKSS-vlihbr0stb5PnsxF/s1600/IMG_1322.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGVIizs8ypwI3hF9nOD6NR61QUVwiyViLvdaFpOOKW7RMNRDOza6x5k3ALVH9QwR4aM0bl0D0vVhAXSS_e1d7NQkgxQR7_rbEBTD7GhQt86Ij_vqYLigovVycKSS-vlihbr0stb5PnsxF/s200/IMG_1322.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523488146057064802" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7VxxZ0dEhTHfT9aGoE2Q6hLQqMSWcg_vp7UAFbtgiptBjVnvg_sNCEVZkDH7EIRqdnF_5JKJ5vxE1bri8biDKuPAXO85BYS1X5XVpYEcMaNSp6lccNlUOc41XdClTbIEn1gnaNXl0yt-u/s1600/IMG_1323.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7VxxZ0dEhTHfT9aGoE2Q6hLQqMSWcg_vp7UAFbtgiptBjVnvg_sNCEVZkDH7EIRqdnF_5JKJ5vxE1bri8biDKuPAXO85BYS1X5XVpYEcMaNSp6lccNlUOc41XdClTbIEn1gnaNXl0yt-u/s200/IMG_1323.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523488919149430354" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHiORQwncaM7oLRFv3Kd9BsH1DzbN6HITIWYYJW_Tsfe6lbKuohQ64jIz2PgW87DzBAMJthU-vaIT5O9ERxvTEBScAWz1cZSXZlWE2-0AwNk4PGkzCOXRH_Va7C1HuEBzJ8zN-AfIX1WkQ/s1600/IMG_1324.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHiORQwncaM7oLRFv3Kd9BsH1DzbN6HITIWYYJW_Tsfe6lbKuohQ64jIz2PgW87DzBAMJthU-vaIT5O9ERxvTEBScAWz1cZSXZlWE2-0AwNk4PGkzCOXRH_Va7C1HuEBzJ8zN-AfIX1WkQ/s200/IMG_1324.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523488913914811026" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPkT7hQHJS2ZPJG6COxrZP9vSNSkrEHNdyVST2B9_iOeXDl3grtYhUPGbg01Gg6MKcX_7m1ShNihve-h3F7cB0ASff_YTPy0zsgcFl8AmtFMaat8jAFaRbP10pGzx1V2m2g_iIl9N2G5yy/s1600/IMG_1327.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPkT7hQHJS2ZPJG6COxrZP9vSNSkrEHNdyVST2B9_iOeXDl3grtYhUPGbg01Gg6MKcX_7m1ShNihve-h3F7cB0ASff_YTPy0zsgcFl8AmtFMaat8jAFaRbP10pGzx1V2m2g_iIl9N2G5yy/s200/IMG_1327.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523488916764172834" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdX7vcHZz3EwEFSZz5M9e_jUh2ON1xtGtUZSEy6KZL6CLDUZLbMHIbtFvDm-B9VGi5xJVKuvLMYvC65pLsCfgRmG21359VxV8LCDr8TZsIU8ks9m1v7hD0zIF6SlAmPUDq6RB5-709ThMO/s1600/IMG_1325.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdX7vcHZz3EwEFSZz5M9e_jUh2ON1xtGtUZSEy6KZL6CLDUZLbMHIbtFvDm-B9VGi5xJVKuvLMYvC65pLsCfgRmG21359VxV8LCDr8TZsIU8ks9m1v7hD0zIF6SlAmPUDq6RB5-709ThMO/s200/IMG_1325.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523488912540504210" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE2iMEDQCgg-t1UBN7uZq3RATEzQ73sgwaFX_yIverakq2GlIMjohlC4wKRlr3VNcCEQC6aiNdpKsMmBX5TakXu49XZENwJktOAzkEq1UHhy6MwDqn_VLoSi3ho8ApNPwNxU6AzIPc2YdL/s1600/IMG_1326.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE2iMEDQCgg-t1UBN7uZq3RATEzQ73sgwaFX_yIverakq2GlIMjohlC4wKRlr3VNcCEQC6aiNdpKsMmBX5TakXu49XZENwJktOAzkEq1UHhy6MwDqn_VLoSi3ho8ApNPwNxU6AzIPc2YdL/s200/IMG_1326.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523488911864643634" /></a><br /></div><div>Then I went to dinner with some of the international students. We had Brazil, Norway, Sweden, Holland, Mexico and America represented at our table at the pizzeria. We were able to make our own pizzas, which was fun, although we didn't learn much, because the pizza guy did most of it for us and didn't explain any of it. The pizza was good and reasonably priced, so I'll probably venture back there again. They also had wine on tap!</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjd1i9qHFG34D4WQ79ZxNT-OHa6LVGHkDZzt_NnLutMNp73dpVdaWntb-KT1QdQJUnQ0NlPPOAsatEdKxKjy8-G3UAfmc5vtMhLMeRGyEjOtmJBKd3zQk5i8qrWyBG3y06TXuzctf0DGhl/s1600/IMG_1331.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjd1i9qHFG34D4WQ79ZxNT-OHa6LVGHkDZzt_NnLutMNp73dpVdaWntb-KT1QdQJUnQ0NlPPOAsatEdKxKjy8-G3UAfmc5vtMhLMeRGyEjOtmJBKd3zQk5i8qrWyBG3y06TXuzctf0DGhl/s200/IMG_1331.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523489292553574034" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzYooUOzvF2SqMESea4aG86X1zafpjj7Szr064hG50o5doovC4ZlO6iaFOVgRd2_evFIIwaXOjMLJaXVYAgA9f-m_8sJxm-O3RC5CBMwXL0oVUMCHtrLQiodh3lKDuKLZXGAMVrzmwrPog/s1600/IMG_1333.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzYooUOzvF2SqMESea4aG86X1zafpjj7Szr064hG50o5doovC4ZlO6iaFOVgRd2_evFIIwaXOjMLJaXVYAgA9f-m_8sJxm-O3RC5CBMwXL0oVUMCHtrLQiodh3lKDuKLZXGAMVrzmwrPog/s200/IMG_1333.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523489295222043890" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBhu6YXGVuoHjLepZXWRST0XkE1DXjtyMx3OyIhyphenhyphen9auOcrqh5ugpAnNAQw9Ir3i17uERgrgH5Sv-Rwe706Ewlh82LslMk3qdJVyTQf47TexI68FOTiHwbvDJ1MId5745dlM8jL7PqVECnq/s1600/IMG_1334.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBhu6YXGVuoHjLepZXWRST0XkE1DXjtyMx3OyIhyphenhyphen9auOcrqh5ugpAnNAQw9Ir3i17uERgrgH5Sv-Rwe706Ewlh82LslMk3qdJVyTQf47TexI68FOTiHwbvDJ1MId5745dlM8jL7PqVECnq/s200/IMG_1334.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523489286433504034" /></a><br /></div><div>After dinner, Megan and I went to the Piazza de Santa Croce, where an international festival was being held. We walked through to see all the food from different countries, and picked up a few Belgian chocolates to eat for our dessert. They were assorted truffles, so we had no idea what we had, but knew they would all be delicious. So we went through them, enjoying all the chocolate thoroughly. We were right, in that there were no bad chocolates in the bunch.</div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihNCdIme0W7upkQPjID1Os5V0rGeqGM462ZCubozCAlTV_XFEOpK0JEJUUW4o3sxW95QwKVcIUh7D5GvaqoG2Di7CEgsQD9DT3wKz0Hr82bKKWA35M35tNn_ntH3D-IFO-08ml4gN55ac8/s1600/IMG_1337.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihNCdIme0W7upkQPjID1Os5V0rGeqGM462ZCubozCAlTV_XFEOpK0JEJUUW4o3sxW95QwKVcIUh7D5GvaqoG2Di7CEgsQD9DT3wKz0Hr82bKKWA35M35tNn_ntH3D-IFO-08ml4gN55ac8/s200/IMG_1337.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523489274588820114" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjhd7v4n1zpGbQKsXH34-BXg4DHNctJksIU2Q0lm9VwO6-gfD5vkbLvzxNjt8CVakWwTz2hBzCpVpbiTjD5pxn7NsUXfjz4_pe1GYCkQCJP0sTEGfPWITdV1lxERkELp4bCy1PIkGNN_yf/s1600/IMG_1338.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjhd7v4n1zpGbQKsXH34-BXg4DHNctJksIU2Q0lm9VwO6-gfD5vkbLvzxNjt8CVakWwTz2hBzCpVpbiTjD5pxn7NsUXfjz4_pe1GYCkQCJP0sTEGfPWITdV1lxERkELp4bCy1PIkGNN_yf/s200/IMG_1338.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523489276472858306" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAXmp75TIqWXEY64cwhyphenhyphenIo022n_TzIQmjSVqFFwoa0HlKPTXZUGbqz5eR0URIkrsPkPoKTvxf0WHS9qgPc3kiOt2o0SNfk4ySKI039_o0LvfExVdr2YmBU7Qk21GhrbkGwjOkZ0Hk4wCtB/s1600/IMG_1340.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAXmp75TIqWXEY64cwhyphenhyphenIo022n_TzIQmjSVqFFwoa0HlKPTXZUGbqz5eR0URIkrsPkPoKTvxf0WHS9qgPc3kiOt2o0SNfk4ySKI039_o0LvfExVdr2YmBU7Qk21GhrbkGwjOkZ0Hk4wCtB/s200/IMG_1340.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523490754911920210" /></a>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11705583397776601590noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2076998410662702438.post-66284111523251475922010-09-29T14:14:00.000-07:002010-09-30T01:31:36.377-07:00FOOD<div>Italy has been a lot of fun, but the best part about my time here has definitely been the food. I have been cooking so many different kinds of things, and have had to be very creative about how to cook things in our apartment, because it is severely understocked. Also, my food class is wonderful, because we get to make delicious food and learn all about the regional cuisine of Italy. Here are some photos of food, as well as some recipes to try at home:</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvW2d3uV8O4f77G6gANA4jgB_JDLTCuZr_EoUUrHvArqUcJUgUBeALLgJbehXfn18nh9Bu980OyZ5IrVn_Nd43opOWrvFFT2Hw-a-D7kwq0CptfSJUstyNACDypOmDJwEoV78oNSJq2-Qr/s1600/IMG_1293.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvW2d3uV8O4f77G6gANA4jgB_JDLTCuZr_EoUUrHvArqUcJUgUBeALLgJbehXfn18nh9Bu980OyZ5IrVn_Nd43opOWrvFFT2Hw-a-D7kwq0CptfSJUstyNACDypOmDJwEoV78oNSJq2-Qr/s200/IMG_1293.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522619842857317554" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYF9MhOokCmi2WXxFmuY_7POY32xX5vBFM-v5hXri4ab3q_EGyOe0SV-_CMFI9Jh2yva47jwgjfeFpghfeEE67F5w0yrO_aAH1JqoBT_mVVw74ttND0mxPRbtQ7lUZg8eFcfvcYbJuE5tx/s1600/IMG_1294.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYF9MhOokCmi2WXxFmuY_7POY32xX5vBFM-v5hXri4ab3q_EGyOe0SV-_CMFI9Jh2yva47jwgjfeFpghfeEE67F5w0yrO_aAH1JqoBT_mVVw74ttND0mxPRbtQ7lUZg8eFcfvcYbJuE5tx/s200/IMG_1294.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522619837034156658" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhet8arDf-d_k1yDQASUXkI6b3BHzm56GjOkgM0Yfy4m9NntLL3mYc0pL-TnTbfL4EJOVVXHR7kmX71wtILEoQPWrpFwX2V0Q-b5v7OeRNRjlFXTxm2-JeVNo64mNudC9QSQ0QXLrAwmyEd/s1600/IMG_1297.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhet8arDf-d_k1yDQASUXkI6b3BHzm56GjOkgM0Yfy4m9NntLL3mYc0pL-TnTbfL4EJOVVXHR7kmX71wtILEoQPWrpFwX2V0Q-b5v7OeRNRjlFXTxm2-JeVNo64mNudC9QSQ0QXLrAwmyEd/s200/IMG_1297.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522619827622248034" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbp0IggtJ-SUGAFiRRnu3NX4K_A2sTE1OnRnsuRRE1PdthmidvUHY5IzVR04eY_IHxUFzEQ_RKC6enuwoHCFH6kguyuuscJzUtL2p7cGwKR7zOUecejTsBpnvPXrFsuG5x3kpfsGpPABuz/s1600/IMG_1299.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbp0IggtJ-SUGAFiRRnu3NX4K_A2sTE1OnRnsuRRE1PdthmidvUHY5IzVR04eY_IHxUFzEQ_RKC6enuwoHCFH6kguyuuscJzUtL2p7cGwKR7zOUecejTsBpnvPXrFsuG5x3kpfsGpPABuz/s200/IMG_1299.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522620899353615218" /></a><br />FRESH PASTA:<br /><br />300 g flour<br />3 eggs<br />Salt<br />Olive Oil<br />120 ml water<br /><br />Dump the flour in a pile on a clean surface and make a well in the center of the pile. Put the eggs, generous pinch of salt, water, and a small amount (1/4 teaspoon?) of oil in the well. Mix together with your hands, adding the surrounding flour to the liquid center until everything is combined well. Knead aggressively until the dough is smooth. Place in plastic wrap and let rest for 10-15 minutes. Then roll out and slice into squares or run through a pasta machine to create your desired pasta. Dust with flour to prevent the noodles from sticking together.<br />Boil water. Add a pinch of salt and a dash of oil and then add noodles. Cook for 3-5 minutes and then serve with sauce.<br /><br /><br />Caramelle alle mele (Literally: Candy apples, although it is a pastry):<br /><br />220 g flour<br />2 apples<br />2 eggs<br />Pine nuts<br />140 g +1 Tbs butter<br />Salt<br />200 g apricot jam<br />2 Tbs sugar<br />Powdered sugar<br /><br />Knead the flour with softened butter (do not overwork!), add the eggs, a pinch of salt, and 2 Tbs of water (if needed). Let rest for 30 minutes.<br />Peel the apples, cut in slices and sauté with 1 Tbs of butter until golden. Sprinkle 2 Tbs of sugar and sauté a few minutes more. Let cool.<br />Roll the dough and cut into rectangular shapes, about 2" x 4". Place a tsp of jam, one slice of apple, and a few pine nuts in the middle of each rectangle. Close the edges like a bon bon candy wrapper. Dust with powdered sugar and bake for 15 minutes at 180 degrees C.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUYNhob75-5GnuObVYZ8BAy7IEWxHvT1tVkLYpnkAFbU6b5vSMb2fFQkQZNa7YHWvNxVO-sG-bztHtBU-ECV_OawV4CQByOeteSyfhTaKIVVpvhPwkvsTngNJZDHwy_sMu6dD5QOJeXiLO/s1600/IMG_1224.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUYNhob75-5GnuObVYZ8BAy7IEWxHvT1tVkLYpnkAFbU6b5vSMb2fFQkQZNa7YHWvNxVO-sG-bztHtBU-ECV_OawV4CQByOeteSyfhTaKIVVpvhPwkvsTngNJZDHwy_sMu6dD5QOJeXiLO/s200/IMG_1224.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522619857071040354" /></a><br /><br /><br />Soft Pretzels (non-Italian, but delicious nonetheless):<br /><a href="http://www.choosy-beggars.com/index.php/2010/08/09/perfect-soft-pretzels/">http://www.choosy-beggars.com/index.php/2010/08/09/perfect-soft-pretzels/<br /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-eC6iW_-4K0tkVcKMrgA45PKhEbRKzdw2_f1UOIbb3TLhv5PlOUQHH7ve14OCjJAvRm5gyeW3CDo7ZogL47WIIHxWjAqxxCVmkrqbOZuWRPuX9hUkmUv1mmlxxyhDpEcgqKANt_4LazBf/s1600/IMG_1291.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-eC6iW_-4K0tkVcKMrgA45PKhEbRKzdw2_f1UOIbb3TLhv5PlOUQHH7ve14OCjJAvRm5gyeW3CDo7ZogL47WIIHxWjAqxxCVmkrqbOZuWRPuX9hUkmUv1mmlxxyhDpEcgqKANt_4LazBf/s200/IMG_1291.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522619847849870498" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div>More recipes and pictures to come!</div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11705583397776601590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2076998410662702438.post-4887332045468031892010-09-27T06:57:00.000-07:002010-09-27T07:47:06.409-07:00Interlaken, SwitzerlandThis weekend I traveled to Switzerland. It was such a great experience and I'm really glad I went.<div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv-_mxJ28zXuyyfTgeHITXpjcz5MHLD9pu4XjKgfrwnult1jCBqRVshWRHg3dKn_FF4-G1H-QUoNgR3aj0jfvr2hTa4-azB4ititZTwkwA0S7H3g65sdw-3w3Osjia3Y3RF5DcAvVaSXpY/s1600/IMG_1226.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv-_mxJ28zXuyyfTgeHITXpjcz5MHLD9pu4XjKgfrwnult1jCBqRVshWRHg3dKn_FF4-G1H-QUoNgR3aj0jfvr2hTa4-azB4ititZTwkwA0S7H3g65sdw-3w3Osjia3Y3RF5DcAvVaSXpY/s200/IMG_1226.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521592584929380338" /></a><br /></div><div>We started off the trip in Florence at the Santa Maria Novella train station. Our train was delayed, and so the projected arrival time into Pisa was scheduled for one minute before our next connecting train was scheduled to leave. So naturally, our hearts were pounding and our breath was bated the entire train ride. We arrived in Pisa at the time promised, and we stood at the door of the train, waiting for it to open so we could dash off and find our next train. And we waited. And waited. Finally, an impatient Italian man behind us pushed to the front and pressed a button on the side of the door, opening the way for us. We thanked him quickly, slightly embarrassed that we couldn't figure out a door, and ran off, looking around to find the train that was leaving for Milan. We ran up to the platform and, with hearts falling, realized that there was no train waiting there for us, and not many people waiting on the platform. Panting heavily, we asked an old lady if the train from Milan had left yet and she responded with wonderful news: this train, too, was delayed and would be arriving in 10 minutes. We dropped our bags and let out giant sighs of relief.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOlBicihbJDXhIHFa9FwA1q5KsW3V7ZaRPnTQJHsAjSTwIxdGcaMGLvSNuKbkvSg2uY63i9qDsLm8bXd8lkPOpqeImgs8C-iOKqC-BpOuMotRuTLq0b5-yOTq8UNWNrHmR4IGyT2oIgoMI/s1600/IMG_1228.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOlBicihbJDXhIHFa9FwA1q5KsW3V7ZaRPnTQJHsAjSTwIxdGcaMGLvSNuKbkvSg2uY63i9qDsLm8bXd8lkPOpqeImgs8C-iOKqC-BpOuMotRuTLq0b5-yOTq8UNWNrHmR4IGyT2oIgoMI/s200/IMG_1228.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521592581064978306" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVINTi_stFhWHRoAe_AokXEx2qQVo3uh-9ISKJp_lfTWw8MdlLxBZKuEYVUSSXr1UyK-0mCqm_zgwFfkLcSOFra_JJLCN1f7mjEqZlZfmRFIhyUQKjRnoaXNT2zUhYRL3WasTIK0l1RLIy/s1600/IMG_1240.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVINTi_stFhWHRoAe_AokXEx2qQVo3uh-9ISKJp_lfTWw8MdlLxBZKuEYVUSSXr1UyK-0mCqm_zgwFfkLcSOFra_JJLCN1f7mjEqZlZfmRFIhyUQKjRnoaXNT2zUhYRL3WasTIK0l1RLIy/s200/IMG_1240.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521592570855570706" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEziU2i60vsEhwwzAU2JuIPuOl6Z2iuu4sc0OmjAdOnmJxvWKUQTGw9mujEYIZG-Bh2j1ZbI_qSBjEJzLKyM8jDn8uALRxZiIeRhzfbtZOcp0mF5qx4JwoJw5Pcs3n3d4HiQG2FenyN463/s1600/IMG_1233.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEziU2i60vsEhwwzAU2JuIPuOl6Z2iuu4sc0OmjAdOnmJxvWKUQTGw9mujEYIZG-Bh2j1ZbI_qSBjEJzLKyM8jDn8uALRxZiIeRhzfbtZOcp0mF5qx4JwoJw5Pcs3n3d4HiQG2FenyN463/s200/IMG_1233.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521592581213672402" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8RmhY96Slwo_f6HlFC3N1UAYIuMVpB3KAy_86vFl95Ax-HfAxd31Jaw0NtEC023yoqNBIwhO9aaDPVqs08lnPBcNizn1wVjJlCTFyl3cwuQRl5rZ5cZLkJJZvYD-bCQMgcCFQVc9TtvgS/s1600/IMG_1234.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8RmhY96Slwo_f6HlFC3N1UAYIuMVpB3KAy_86vFl95Ax-HfAxd31Jaw0NtEC023yoqNBIwhO9aaDPVqs08lnPBcNizn1wVjJlCTFyl3cwuQRl5rZ5cZLkJJZvYD-bCQMgcCFQVc9TtvgS/s200/IMG_1234.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521592577721916082" /></a><br /></div><div>The train arrived and we climbed aboard. We picked a deserted car and sat down and started playing cards. Then some creepy Italian guys came and sat in the seats next to us and started obviously talking about us in Italian and trying to photograph us with their phones. It was awkward and we were very relieved when they got off the train. We arrived in Milan just before 1 AM and our next connecting train didn't leave until 7:35, so we prepared ourselves for a night in the train station.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Milan station is a rather sketchy place, especially at night. There were guards around the perimeter of the station, so we didn't want to risk leaving, in case we couldn't get back in. Also, we felt like dragging luggage around the streets of Milan at 2 in the morning was a bad idea. So we found a row of chairs and sat down and waited for the hours to pass. We discussed sleeping in shifts, but shortly after our conversation, a bloodied, bruised man in handcuffs was escorted by two policemen past us and all thoughts of sleep instantly left our minds. But finally, the station started to come alive around 6, and we found it easier to wait out the last hour because there was activity around us (and we were able to buy cappuccinos and muffins). So we gladly left Milan behind us and departed for Spiez, Switzerland.</div><div><br /></div><div>On that train, we struggled to stay awake, but there were patrolling policemen and dogs in every car, and they kept checking our passports. One time, they flipped through my passport, discussed with each other how long I was staying in Italy, and started laughing. Then they returned the passport to me and moved on. It was a bizarre experience. However, the sun rose and illuminated the landscape, and everything around us was absolutely beautiful. There were mountains and incredibly blue lakes and attractive, quaint Swiss houses.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUQnxlRJVeEYwQb-xLuGSalbVSuAVdkwEiIS-XCDHMMsHSB-BEuzeqf22x4MUeWgj0pI-tswYTBMX1eqzZu7jNkdjgjkbowi2SYoB0D3rlRfOoobpqG6-MZrDPIRcRjZOQgboUH6coMWXZ/s1600/IMG_1241.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUQnxlRJVeEYwQb-xLuGSalbVSuAVdkwEiIS-XCDHMMsHSB-BEuzeqf22x4MUeWgj0pI-tswYTBMX1eqzZu7jNkdjgjkbowi2SYoB0D3rlRfOoobpqG6-MZrDPIRcRjZOQgboUH6coMWXZ/s200/IMG_1241.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521594458834276338" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7l-moMnNCZ1ckgxPqXxl5SKjPPUjuG2yNonFSStKM6mA-4hkBNcRHRCbyFwzPLQPBXb8_hldslJgK-zAgsRAhM4Egb7oFj4xmMbf3LXZiDjPGTR9b2JzgVYJWuq9aPTk8XcWVQYl1JyIP/s1600/IMG_1243.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7l-moMnNCZ1ckgxPqXxl5SKjPPUjuG2yNonFSStKM6mA-4hkBNcRHRCbyFwzPLQPBXb8_hldslJgK-zAgsRAhM4Egb7oFj4xmMbf3LXZiDjPGTR9b2JzgVYJWuq9aPTk8XcWVQYl1JyIP/s200/IMG_1243.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521594451013318642" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLeX26ItqXTPXj9mvUE8IdAzxB_Za5OJ7GdGFUAlad1BRMuW5qjSNJfD_QXtAnxIbzpEIcUsoqpuDn0TUKSrLS0G144tfO7KtbSn36EG5QiP_i8nnjVj-ATTPD52rJqDvMeekAlwgjTtDU/s1600/IMG_1245.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLeX26ItqXTPXj9mvUE8IdAzxB_Za5OJ7GdGFUAlad1BRMuW5qjSNJfD_QXtAnxIbzpEIcUsoqpuDn0TUKSrLS0G144tfO7KtbSn36EG5QiP_i8nnjVj-ATTPD52rJqDvMeekAlwgjTtDU/s200/IMG_1245.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521594448179195058" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-zmzx9jv-S0OzkdGYC-3jrLPjgRQ3s3gFHRye8dtZVW6rxOcOeaZ2BFaAusFjsGH3255hy684jQ4dvYXsgItmeMZbP8flfteNwBgM_qPfevvuxHJnuMdTvOdWk3y-XUN-v-ZZhENUfq-f/s1600/IMG_1249.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-zmzx9jv-S0OzkdGYC-3jrLPjgRQ3s3gFHRye8dtZVW6rxOcOeaZ2BFaAusFjsGH3255hy684jQ4dvYXsgItmeMZbP8flfteNwBgM_qPfevvuxHJnuMdTvOdWk3y-XUN-v-ZZhENUfq-f/s200/IMG_1249.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521594442479387522" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi75UQoIY1j2Ul0EY9o0c29CImW1__DIQ5wpC1d8LF7srJAocPK4Mywk-y1rvrOjzMuXDS5YGp2t5BLxOR62fBTmoJeiesz58BzDzjW1saQZ9oY3bhC73ZsRKsJq8vrKEqUI1X5khkmtwi2/s1600/IMG_1252.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi75UQoIY1j2Ul0EY9o0c29CImW1__DIQ5wpC1d8LF7srJAocPK4Mywk-y1rvrOjzMuXDS5YGp2t5BLxOR62fBTmoJeiesz58BzDzjW1saQZ9oY3bhC73ZsRKsJq8vrKEqUI1X5khkmtwi2/s200/IMG_1252.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521594443842180770" /></a><br /></div><div>Our last connection was finally to Interlaken, and we were so relieved to have finally arrived. It was significantly colder than Italy, but that was because we were actually nestled in the Alps and it was the beginning of autumn. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNZZwwaBO1dlNcPLJSrvH4y6FMOXWkuLd50tG2uzh2yh8dSTJAqroUnwJlfoaEKRDSOJT11K9FEP56iDfAwpViTI45AKwnpVMDSCzNGnxdlQKgncPnqcldLi8KJKRAQg-QK_KRaqmIdv9r/s1600/IMG_1254.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNZZwwaBO1dlNcPLJSrvH4y6FMOXWkuLd50tG2uzh2yh8dSTJAqroUnwJlfoaEKRDSOJT11K9FEP56iDfAwpViTI45AKwnpVMDSCzNGnxdlQKgncPnqcldLi8KJKRAQg-QK_KRaqmIdv9r/s200/IMG_1254.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521595393158442882" /></a><br />We changed money (they use Swiss francs, or CHF) and went into a nearby supermarket to buy some chocolate, since we knew that the Swiss are famous for their chocolate. We tried many different kinds, such as milk chocolate with cream, caramel filled, chocolate mousse filled, dark chocolate with crushed cocoa beans - even chili chocolate. But the most memorable chocolate experience was our Kirsch chocolate.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuUj1SvVpyMZ5yW4epd9VdWNsmPM6zevgyCnq9G8aeAHcaWVksIKMyOYk13xUBbJfbQUHhge_TbNeuXvwxGhAaFYJxjbdzz5HwIRxWGkcKikAsg02nS1auk_2dMqBDazwsc7uNjWXfybgx/s1600/IMG_1255.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuUj1SvVpyMZ5yW4epd9VdWNsmPM6zevgyCnq9G8aeAHcaWVksIKMyOYk13xUBbJfbQUHhge_TbNeuXvwxGhAaFYJxjbdzz5HwIRxWGkcKikAsg02nS1auk_2dMqBDazwsc7uNjWXfybgx/s200/IMG_1255.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521595390385697874" /></a><br /></div><div><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirsch">Kirsch</a> is a brandy made from distilled cherries, but it is not sweet like other fruit brandies. At the time, we only knew that Kirsch was an alcoholic beverage, and wanted to try an alcohol chocolate, but we had no idea what we were getting into. The chocolate is a hollow shell filled with the brandy. Unknowingly, I took the first taste. My facial expression was apparently horrendous, and my words described the essence of what I was experiencing. However, once I bit into the chocolate and realized how terrible it was, my instinct was to shove the rest of it into my mouth (mostly because it was dripping all over the place and causing a mess). So I swallowed the chocolate before my brain was able to process my actions and tell me to spit it out. Because I ate the whole thing, my companions thought I was exaggerating, because they know I don't like the taste of alcohol, and all agreed to try it and find out how it actually was. As expected, their reactions were similar, although they had enough sense to either dump out the alcohol and finish the chocolate or just throw it out completely. We were appalled at the defiled chocolate and vowed never to eat Kirsch chocolate again.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-DpYaksbJstVgG6x-m3BxYgeDHj6-BBRoprYH-jwxqo4WgQ05rlws0FKkmdslmmNOzFNGXacbQdvD94avMaGPdF4WMEDiHJefA4-VaK19u2GXulNHYWu7NKiOdNSiYoWx2kaB1kKKTUCj/s1600/IMG_1258.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-DpYaksbJstVgG6x-m3BxYgeDHj6-BBRoprYH-jwxqo4WgQ05rlws0FKkmdslmmNOzFNGXacbQdvD94avMaGPdF4WMEDiHJefA4-VaK19u2GXulNHYWu7NKiOdNSiYoWx2kaB1kKKTUCj/s200/IMG_1258.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521595390894095330" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB28tr4mfZBbp93HTVPck-DdYLMvAzmXQRqUDPTKJUd56iBMN3pTe-0A6jCFV_L0Yaf7Se2XqqT8P6Wm0d1tKDqv2c4FVzQG3HUuWFYaAC91OeubYdnUv20EamgdY0qTlbAiNOL2Ux0VHn/s1600/IMG_1260.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB28tr4mfZBbp93HTVPck-DdYLMvAzmXQRqUDPTKJUd56iBMN3pTe-0A6jCFV_L0Yaf7Se2XqqT8P6Wm0d1tKDqv2c4FVzQG3HUuWFYaAC91OeubYdnUv20EamgdY0qTlbAiNOL2Ux0VHn/s200/IMG_1260.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521595384868323538" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX9yXqwmsC1BzcbirDEJf0xRVF8i4WLaujY6wK6HSauZK_fxzpUs9wJx8WPsOf9dI5tiyJRyN7cj_1rcZG_GL36GxAu197AcMMCcrzTPJmjILZZxzeB54EWYy7J9PXMEMwZyCmgDCdrOus/s1600/IMG_1259.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX9yXqwmsC1BzcbirDEJf0xRVF8i4WLaujY6wK6HSauZK_fxzpUs9wJx8WPsOf9dI5tiyJRyN7cj_1rcZG_GL36GxAu197AcMMCcrzTPJmjILZZxzeB54EWYy7J9PXMEMwZyCmgDCdrOus/s200/IMG_1259.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521595386037653490" /></a><br /></div><div>Shortly afterwards, we went on our canyoning adventure. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life. We donned wetsuits and helmets and hiked up a cliff to get to the top of the canyon. Our guide was Sebastian, and he told crude jokes and dunked us under the water and generally made the adventure more lively. He also taught me the two most essential German phrases (according to him): ein Bier bitte (a beer please) and Ich brauche ein Kondom (I need a condom). We did flips off one of the jumps, and slid backwards down some of the rock slides, and even walked under a waterfall. The water was cold, but not unbearable, and it was exhilarating to jump and swim and slide down a canyon. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5BF9CXHip5oo1eTeP1UK5TRmZjwZGZ5nwfZpZHegiL8a3gZeiFuQnaLMZgWHW1zrlRPcLETIwnZUZIXDSjQ4N27JlH9CdS2OHlQmbvg2LscRrs6IzpCKbjKa1219nOBAfnAdezm7iECN1/s1600/DSC_8347.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5BF9CXHip5oo1eTeP1UK5TRmZjwZGZ5nwfZpZHegiL8a3gZeiFuQnaLMZgWHW1zrlRPcLETIwnZUZIXDSjQ4N27JlH9CdS2OHlQmbvg2LscRrs6IzpCKbjKa1219nOBAfnAdezm7iECN1/s200/DSC_8347.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521596150422483010" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjG_-_aV5f6p7kX-M1pZe_bRUrBAHwNDNhKG5QNB5oCh9Ws2FlMLFUMUK7GIF2ADRYg59HzzE_AEfpcFwGctFRq6Nw5uLw3zzCtCo17YN4Ti9JaVzUHtQb7d366aOlEPdhFNxgDJfd3KPS/s1600/DSC_8350.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjG_-_aV5f6p7kX-M1pZe_bRUrBAHwNDNhKG5QNB5oCh9Ws2FlMLFUMUK7GIF2ADRYg59HzzE_AEfpcFwGctFRq6Nw5uLw3zzCtCo17YN4Ti9JaVzUHtQb7d366aOlEPdhFNxgDJfd3KPS/s200/DSC_8350.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521596145067820706" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigrzJQcKw33ogIMteRs2TThEiZfEbsbW-6mCFUawn25iRznjNAFZdPIlk_cgOKFczfX6Ia29mA8a7Bp1JbkX7mvvu5wfCPMNO1EoTH80Tojjh1lBW__-A1e7lH_V4Hrw-oggkQQy9usdC7/s1600/DSC_8362.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigrzJQcKw33ogIMteRs2TThEiZfEbsbW-6mCFUawn25iRznjNAFZdPIlk_cgOKFczfX6Ia29mA8a7Bp1JbkX7mvvu5wfCPMNO1EoTH80Tojjh1lBW__-A1e7lH_V4Hrw-oggkQQy9usdC7/s200/DSC_8362.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521596139164117890" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMEfsi2kWb6S5LqM_elz62HWveJ5P-Rnf7zKEGCgGHZbsPzta4_eTyNUyJTrZn1Za-p57Bwy6gqidZ-9dUhknQJeaq0dqU01y_MT5x_Wr4aOVBtZqHeQ2cp39gZ1xDzZKcV2xIltMAk0Dw/s1600/DSC_8363.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMEfsi2kWb6S5LqM_elz62HWveJ5P-Rnf7zKEGCgGHZbsPzta4_eTyNUyJTrZn1Za-p57Bwy6gqidZ-9dUhknQJeaq0dqU01y_MT5x_Wr4aOVBtZqHeQ2cp39gZ1xDzZKcV2xIltMAk0Dw/s200/DSC_8363.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521596139122796274" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIlVr0DZPC2EU8hZicnCrk-opWi1_DtKrorrPXtNt5510U3ICGnBiHwZwn2T-2j0qm5CYPvZh7E_BW_todrK0nXzzAP24KnjBnW8dVkUT61auLnUMIu-VzaaJJupFOD-1Du_w3eLyoseJL/s1600/DSC_8365.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIlVr0DZPC2EU8hZicnCrk-opWi1_DtKrorrPXtNt5510U3ICGnBiHwZwn2T-2j0qm5CYPvZh7E_BW_todrK0nXzzAP24KnjBnW8dVkUT61auLnUMIu-VzaaJJupFOD-1Du_w3eLyoseJL/s200/DSC_8365.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521596138261806578" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQJlwAygOquOTGJEtC2BdvNGNuLiX8uoyYXyTZsqP8wmT1Fd63u7H0L-umWCUvYmBGt0_aBm3TovN6btD7s8rAh_LQamsYx5Wu5ZBIL-hD0zIW3IoT-DDmwJ-S5vEyadkwI7mklDwSMa8S/s1600/DSC_8367.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQJlwAygOquOTGJEtC2BdvNGNuLiX8uoyYXyTZsqP8wmT1Fd63u7H0L-umWCUvYmBGt0_aBm3TovN6btD7s8rAh_LQamsYx5Wu5ZBIL-hD0zIW3IoT-DDmwJ-S5vEyadkwI7mklDwSMa8S/s200/DSC_8367.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521597102503974306" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFXdxDGzrtLulke0FzQvqm8Epd-Kz5GyTOkrI6YePrwtRGrz_PHx1WlzjALaIwPj81AuzQkvfp8eSlnLvMUaX_xbi3eI4mDANXvRlpeOJU4r3TcB3WKJs2AKnKn2hBCp5thCFU0se1OZmD/s1600/DSC_8387.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFXdxDGzrtLulke0FzQvqm8Epd-Kz5GyTOkrI6YePrwtRGrz_PHx1WlzjALaIwPj81AuzQkvfp8eSlnLvMUaX_xbi3eI4mDANXvRlpeOJU4r3TcB3WKJs2AKnKn2hBCp5thCFU0se1OZmD/s200/DSC_8387.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521597100277023794" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVBxXD8dpLuV-6j2QRkNJRM3kdCgw5kTjvC62L5oJf9PnQTu-yyIFn4uaIzSbLZs_ZgliO3HQvfysykfIuBta8UrbgHkWsm019-rciT5HgUFHp3KY1sewDtmGNC_FzDROoC3hIJ8akP-Dr/s1600/DSC_8418.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVBxXD8dpLuV-6j2QRkNJRM3kdCgw5kTjvC62L5oJf9PnQTu-yyIFn4uaIzSbLZs_ZgliO3HQvfysykfIuBta8UrbgHkWsm019-rciT5HgUFHp3KY1sewDtmGNC_FzDROoC3hIJ8akP-Dr/s200/DSC_8418.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521597092415240770" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh__yuz_xOz-HTv1h5V471LBOltixVPrhMjIJsZrbMS0nr2BhwNmsVFWU1860QOleWC0plIgw-zKKH1Ete2fJbY7Vs5RCZImO30SOjf24_w04DAdILt2FYC0Su6majE0_vDzU4Xtzeh3waM/s1600/DSC_8442.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh__yuz_xOz-HTv1h5V471LBOltixVPrhMjIJsZrbMS0nr2BhwNmsVFWU1860QOleWC0plIgw-zKKH1Ete2fJbY7Vs5RCZImO30SOjf24_w04DAdILt2FYC0Su6majE0_vDzU4Xtzeh3waM/s200/DSC_8442.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521597095247070690" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1hTizskgfJwDN8jBtfNlrO0bJOF2z05N0Xy51OzXVYjOIbpC0GKc3pVD7oVC2QfNIAM9QoO9v3Sc0bgUi6gv0gTB8k0OplOntLuh5RV0KprQItfLKH1r8-95NYzI5sbs6aeYHvK8GBKw2/s1600/DSC_8486.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1hTizskgfJwDN8jBtfNlrO0bJOF2z05N0Xy51OzXVYjOIbpC0GKc3pVD7oVC2QfNIAM9QoO9v3Sc0bgUi6gv0gTB8k0OplOntLuh5RV0KprQItfLKH1r8-95NYzI5sbs6aeYHvK8GBKw2/s200/DSC_8486.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521597769132623042" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ-xf5P39WjHpjR7SLlS355SWlpAPBMa1mTAU26Gu6eOKHH8Crl7L9eVvSIYU3a4qis2tchKsh0NjrkkGC1J4a4moXVzX_oeEDOgxNTlF94GKzZ_6wgFotnoysl1-A9VG360gVqtGXJvnq/s1600/DSC_8471.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ-xf5P39WjHpjR7SLlS355SWlpAPBMa1mTAU26Gu6eOKHH8Crl7L9eVvSIYU3a4qis2tchKsh0NjrkkGC1J4a4moXVzX_oeEDOgxNTlF94GKzZ_6wgFotnoysl1-A9VG360gVqtGXJvnq/s200/DSC_8471.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521597766124145906" /></a><br />They gave us drinks after we returned to Interlaken, and we were offered Rugen Bräs, a local beer. I ordered a tea instead, and the bartender had to ask for clarification, since he was shocked I was turning down a free beer.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4nyS-AM5GjHYk20Lk4E380UQ5dK8Yqq8DntiZPKVoa_bosDij0GkFCw3alyYavkR0B1haGPf7_xgsymIFU4t6BpuyLgO3un7vhyphenhyphenN7CN0jmRC8VNJHWw8OhKNQHCTXgsjPd2EFWSqCN5jV/s1600/IMG_1262.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4nyS-AM5GjHYk20Lk4E380UQ5dK8Yqq8DntiZPKVoa_bosDij0GkFCw3alyYavkR0B1haGPf7_xgsymIFU4t6BpuyLgO3un7vhyphenhyphenN7CN0jmRC8VNJHWw8OhKNQHCTXgsjPd2EFWSqCN5jV/s200/IMG_1262.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521597761763815490" /></a><br />After finishing our drinks and changing into dry clothes, we told Sebastian about our Kirsch mishap and he laughed and told us that we were to avoid supermarket chocolate in general, since the actual good chocolate comes from the chocolatiers around town. He told us that good Kirsch chocolate is actually in stick form, and is filled with a mousse that is mixed with Kirsch. He then suggested a good restaurant for dinner and also a bar that we should try out on Saturday night. We thanked him and went to dinner, even though it was only 4:30.</div><div><br /></div><div>We sat down at the restaurant, looking to order cheese fondue, since cheese is another famous Swiss food, but the prices were outrageous. So we tried the Rösti instead, which was grated potatoes topped with diced vegetables and meat and egg and was quite delicious.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdnF1uhSc6w__eJOqFCsghaH7m_Wec24gSQWrhY8hmc6GwaeQfAAcoNlJoAfQP86BvN4sW7MzfYSF5ozyeRJjJJ9Pc3gAce65N8cUKTBPRqweAJOpb-HhfcvRv2NEpBYgPrbD2a34p4ejZ/s1600/IMG_1265.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdnF1uhSc6w__eJOqFCsghaH7m_Wec24gSQWrhY8hmc6GwaeQfAAcoNlJoAfQP86BvN4sW7MzfYSF5ozyeRJjJJ9Pc3gAce65N8cUKTBPRqweAJOpb-HhfcvRv2NEpBYgPrbD2a34p4ejZ/s200/IMG_1265.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521597753925215138" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhprUxntP_2comDJuCIvraRLSC979WEkTHRP2l8A5nLye6i7vV-hRkJkoNbMEO_wbUFqNqzbrf-2qDZOVFohEsiEIee4VyODp7cSU3YUtyJfIlP9urDXa79MFdgicCMRsj5mM5VX02D-O59/s1600/IMG_1266.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhprUxntP_2comDJuCIvraRLSC979WEkTHRP2l8A5nLye6i7vV-hRkJkoNbMEO_wbUFqNqzbrf-2qDZOVFohEsiEIee4VyODp7cSU3YUtyJfIlP9urDXa79MFdgicCMRsj5mM5VX02D-O59/s200/IMG_1266.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521597753429614610" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmdz_aQg2ttWA8Bnj3MiDMGuPFANsCF-75uB2sQrnlkUzI-F3RfOjdPpmQW-suByc0tHm8GihyphenhyphenBsM-zzZkqhRraYkA0sRubFkh3Wmnd2wWlVAsSXDGXjqIYrAtpqUK19iKqGyIcigMNgJ3/s1600/IMG_1267.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmdz_aQg2ttWA8Bnj3MiDMGuPFANsCF-75uB2sQrnlkUzI-F3RfOjdPpmQW-suByc0tHm8GihyphenhyphenBsM-zzZkqhRraYkA0sRubFkh3Wmnd2wWlVAsSXDGXjqIYrAtpqUK19iKqGyIcigMNgJ3/s200/IMG_1267.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521598827038558914" /></a><br />It started raining during dinner, so we had to walk back to our hostel in the rain. We were exhausted from our day of adventure, and we hadn't slept since Wednesday night, so we got ready for bed and passed out around 6:30 PM.</div><div><br /></div><div>We didn't wake up until 10:00 the next morning, but we were rested and refreshed and ready to go. Unfortunately, it was still raining, so we bundled up and put on our rain gear and headed out into the chilly weather. We decided to walk around town and discover what we could do in the rain. We stopped in a few chocolatiers and purchased some delicious chocolate. We bought these little dark chocolate shells filled with marshmallow fluff, and they were some of the best chocolate I've ever had. I don't even particularly care for marshmallows, but this tasted like a marshmallow mousse and was paired perfectly with the dark chocolate and was finished with a delicate, crispy wafer on the bottom to clear the palette.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpRYfqKucv-k1FbX16FpZvXveGLVXI-N6tk55h6aZpfiMNp7WHVeSxiyB1X9WWqTlssKu5OQyhf1RTk8-edG0zYOQaSz5_1iDeulhCMCDQPBymHEhvReLhbUtjxyS-DAVgsjb01utArd1g/s1600/P9240544.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpRYfqKucv-k1FbX16FpZvXveGLVXI-N6tk55h6aZpfiMNp7WHVeSxiyB1X9WWqTlssKu5OQyhf1RTk8-edG0zYOQaSz5_1iDeulhCMCDQPBymHEhvReLhbUtjxyS-DAVgsjb01utArd1g/s200/P9240544.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521598825200667378" /></a><br />We also tried some chocolate truffles and they were rich and smooth and delicious. We tried orange, caramel, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, coconut, and Bailey's. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIvATW7T0tt_prVpStfVOUI4lVmgGN-CdByLaLgS65UkMmkCGjBf9TZuK7UxEMaDeyer2EN00T80Iwx6AtZd31-SYHzSd5wq65JUddu5MBFqLUhTkcvRkjoWBm6aBe_3B1tWjIoKPTcvic/s1600/P9240570.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIvATW7T0tt_prVpStfVOUI4lVmgGN-CdByLaLgS65UkMmkCGjBf9TZuK7UxEMaDeyer2EN00T80Iwx6AtZd31-SYHzSd5wq65JUddu5MBFqLUhTkcvRkjoWBm6aBe_3B1tWjIoKPTcvic/s200/P9240570.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521598812284943042" /></a><br />We found Kirsch sticks there too, and decided to try it and see what Kirsch chocolate was actually supposed to taste like, even though we were wary. But one bite into it, and we were greeted by a mouthful of liquid Kirsch again. We were done with Kirsch. No more experimenting.</div><div><br /></div><div>After buying chocolate, we decided to go out to St. Beatus Höhlen, which was a neighboring town that had a beautiful cave where apparently St. Beatus slayed a dragon and then set up a pilgrim's sanctuary. We hopped on a bus and just as we left, the bus stopped and had to let a few cow herders escort a long line of cows through the town. We were very excited about it and started taking pictures through the bus window and exclaiming about the odds of seeing cows walk through town. The rest of the bus travelers watched us with the most curiosity and seemed bemused at our excitement over a daily occurrence. The busses also had hydraulics so at each stop, the bus would tilt toward the curb so the distance between the bus and the ground was minimal. It was a cool feature!</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHBk_KLR66-ujFZzaJKnuoRWq_kyByx_FuOj8dQLDrenPMZqYqMoWPbGaefxPsdWrq_OCIzboGL-3i2skZhLtFJV1lpsuTsRB5o7ZDb0tYXfexeSI5vj3m2jh5ZBeKZgemBDv1KGLETBsl/s1600/P9240584.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHBk_KLR66-ujFZzaJKnuoRWq_kyByx_FuOj8dQLDrenPMZqYqMoWPbGaefxPsdWrq_OCIzboGL-3i2skZhLtFJV1lpsuTsRB5o7ZDb0tYXfexeSI5vj3m2jh5ZBeKZgemBDv1KGLETBsl/s200/P9240584.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521600016483032530" /></a><br /></div><div>We finally made it to St. Beatus, but discovered that the caves were flooded from the rain. We hiked up to the cave anyway and took some beautiful pictures of the surrounding buildings and mountains and waterfalls.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7BBc0mVxdU4ZdNcVrmLIk7TJPFWjDmWQUIQWE5o7lYgDqPyMfDB6VVy7pWLAhmNtKVCrw0eitq9W0Kt1-bB4iqqOZJWCIdA2lhhC_-w_CYST_890Y_lA0495yydhv_IxCCiA0d6qC_SaP/s1600/P9240592.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7BBc0mVxdU4ZdNcVrmLIk7TJPFWjDmWQUIQWE5o7lYgDqPyMfDB6VVy7pWLAhmNtKVCrw0eitq9W0Kt1-bB4iqqOZJWCIdA2lhhC_-w_CYST_890Y_lA0495yydhv_IxCCiA0d6qC_SaP/s200/P9240592.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521600009933733298" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDyjtEH-fSR5rhcDDZHNwLFZBvJusKHNghtHJI-I5avfofcg1x3II0Pp9fGhm-I05qcz1PLgqVhrk0WnJQ186lUGtNyrW16vxbcdHrxSs57bu0fdUvw-qVbr-hNywXNK1YQlAXNUR2XVLC/s1600/P9240593.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDyjtEH-fSR5rhcDDZHNwLFZBvJusKHNghtHJI-I5avfofcg1x3II0Pp9fGhm-I05qcz1PLgqVhrk0WnJQ186lUGtNyrW16vxbcdHrxSs57bu0fdUvw-qVbr-hNywXNK1YQlAXNUR2XVLC/s200/P9240593.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521600006534323826" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK5ykrWElyDoFIpA-CuZ2TS-wBfPyCcIAFHa2flb0cNfXUNnfMdcu1OPAh_e-VQEtBV924TACzhweU4oeRBHJv93Z-MbxSVzK7dH3LRIwlGkqXVrCRqwmyCyJbp0XOY41uQ7rjrWGtweik/s1600/P9240603.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK5ykrWElyDoFIpA-CuZ2TS-wBfPyCcIAFHa2flb0cNfXUNnfMdcu1OPAh_e-VQEtBV924TACzhweU4oeRBHJv93Z-MbxSVzK7dH3LRIwlGkqXVrCRqwmyCyJbp0XOY41uQ7rjrWGtweik/s200/P9240603.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521600000425889122" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZJVz_5qij9GvaI9DtdRiAKo8dQ8-tyCgjI-yN5d5XmhsefYSzrUBoFuvvqW1MUwWe7UgnH1rrTqiJgQfn5_2TlHLOAybZWpYmE_aDUSY9H2F2NMg7YBENlZ6nCzQEEb6u_6DRl2mokWie/s1600/P9240624.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZJVz_5qij9GvaI9DtdRiAKo8dQ8-tyCgjI-yN5d5XmhsefYSzrUBoFuvvqW1MUwWe7UgnH1rrTqiJgQfn5_2TlHLOAybZWpYmE_aDUSY9H2F2NMg7YBENlZ6nCzQEEb6u_6DRl2mokWie/s200/P9240624.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521599997151815842" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZr9-DDzFIIwsamc2dILOT24yf8AV8zy90OrKV0_NK92ul0kR_sq4H32AD2JC6OWmnhl0lJm17WSkapGNmqvwkS_TZbriY1fbDDlEUE3eTm5GqyGIGPjfRSqv5l38F89XfMWjfFCNvSrv6/s1600/P9240632.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZr9-DDzFIIwsamc2dILOT24yf8AV8zy90OrKV0_NK92ul0kR_sq4H32AD2JC6OWmnhl0lJm17WSkapGNmqvwkS_TZbriY1fbDDlEUE3eTm5GqyGIGPjfRSqv5l38F89XfMWjfFCNvSrv6/s200/P9240632.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521600487875240450" /></a><br /></div><div>When we returned to Interlaken, Emily purchased cow suspenders in honor of our cow sighting. We also bought hot chocolate mix, because at lunch, where we had spinach quiche and hot drinks, I had the most delicious Swiss hot chocolate.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEhag5XxcEEhfqAT7He3A8rarIdT4tUBspGuqtKj85yGDPMAc7vf_TCSkbBBB6mrPFHEH9uo7FE4sgSFlLnd2ANmc-zv_ZkvYhyphenhyphenkAYvv-tiKat83HWsdla84dZjvwrHcO4tBNxPn33NJM6/s1600/P9250660.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEhag5XxcEEhfqAT7He3A8rarIdT4tUBspGuqtKj85yGDPMAc7vf_TCSkbBBB6mrPFHEH9uo7FE4sgSFlLnd2ANmc-zv_ZkvYhyphenhyphenkAYvv-tiKat83HWsdla84dZjvwrHcO4tBNxPn33NJM6/s200/P9250660.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521603621116113858" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTQdmsLr7HOMAlQ4Ne6xAeNlIilVHmzAbQtzJjzG_dLjc41-ziIi6h48vgAV_1_5PBOefuV91-rWv8OESpPK4UwU6KBOy1S3HlaM7c9tayMXcvi3zDtF0cgZralf-udC9WeL4rxoWIelXF/s1600/P9240565.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTQdmsLr7HOMAlQ4Ne6xAeNlIilVHmzAbQtzJjzG_dLjc41-ziIi6h48vgAV_1_5PBOefuV91-rWv8OESpPK4UwU6KBOy1S3HlaM7c9tayMXcvi3zDtF0cgZralf-udC9WeL4rxoWIelXF/s200/P9240565.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521598817961399618" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx5diL6RRtzNz4IIJ4Wwa0S13rUSNln4zLWSBhwu8GSE0JInCdUpJpG1HG98ZEJkBTOniq7Ul8MJvy3Jx1kWSXIfWChECTHfegDDmz4dUUNuegNCXMjp6PVFcw-szLvkn5u0c5sKSlehSf/s1600/P9240560.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx5diL6RRtzNz4IIJ4Wwa0S13rUSNln4zLWSBhwu8GSE0JInCdUpJpG1HG98ZEJkBTOniq7Ul8MJvy3Jx1kWSXIfWChECTHfegDDmz4dUUNuegNCXMjp6PVFcw-szLvkn5u0c5sKSlehSf/s200/P9240560.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521598817000627714" /></a><br /></div><div>For dinner, we still wanted to experience Swiss cheese fondue, and were recommended to a little restaurant called Bären. We ordered two pots of fondue, both cheese. One had mushrooms and the other had green peppers and capers. They were served with a soft, delicious wheat bread and the whole meal was quite delicious. They served Rugen Bräs with the meal. After demolishing the cheese fondue, we decided to ask about a chocolate fondue for dessert. Our waiter was appalled that we would ask about it, because apparently chocolate fondue is actually a French food. Also, chocolate fondue is apparently incredibly difficult to clean, and their kitchen couldn't handle the cleanup, even if they wanted to defile their Swiss kitchen with a French dessert. So we ordered Swiss ice cream instead, which I thought tasted like Breyer's ice cream, which is by no means a bad thing. I ordered an apple pie with vanilla ice cream and the others got tiramisu with amaretto poured over it.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikG-uUKzUEYWPfkN8sT40BQnZyxdQ4eJcKKWY0dZv9gw5TbcEjUjW0F6N6_EIxvDnxqjKhwsdzEjcqdPIayfFaHuB0Lh1HKcJ-buS8Lkq9bsAnm4dxyIA5NICsBRqhyi_WxGtmIMHf439G/s1600/IMG_1273.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikG-uUKzUEYWPfkN8sT40BQnZyxdQ4eJcKKWY0dZv9gw5TbcEjUjW0F6N6_EIxvDnxqjKhwsdzEjcqdPIayfFaHuB0Lh1HKcJ-buS8Lkq9bsAnm4dxyIA5NICsBRqhyi_WxGtmIMHf439G/s200/IMG_1273.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521602787313396114" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs7wsKi4jpTfsCpUuL4bV4qyCaLCUdzz8oAqyz30Jx5Mf23UuI54P7KM9HtLmNuvGRrcIoFCJSLPpWl5Kft5GMXkj39OX3GCdUi0vobtp22EwfvG9e5qTxkCLUi0STl630_MFWe9a08JCe/s1600/IMG_1274.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs7wsKi4jpTfsCpUuL4bV4qyCaLCUdzz8oAqyz30Jx5Mf23UuI54P7KM9HtLmNuvGRrcIoFCJSLPpWl5Kft5GMXkj39OX3GCdUi0vobtp22EwfvG9e5qTxkCLUi0STl630_MFWe9a08JCe/s200/IMG_1274.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521602782317500290" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXYUIuimd1R07_gPERXsOUlpI_bD-wk5HSDxb4WxI8OtrqnqyxBMIKxEJk82yvKOpxVBxa3RqQK324kERTLYiakwrvyUAGYv5CUCTmMKRDP8rTrj0DaSfDEl9pFWZHJDSwpPxYnz9hPu4S/s1600/IMG_1276.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXYUIuimd1R07_gPERXsOUlpI_bD-wk5HSDxb4WxI8OtrqnqyxBMIKxEJk82yvKOpxVBxa3RqQK324kERTLYiakwrvyUAGYv5CUCTmMKRDP8rTrj0DaSfDEl9pFWZHJDSwpPxYnz9hPu4S/s200/IMG_1276.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521602770900256930" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsh4hWFebwKFhZgZTwKLyqUzxI0cI4u1fGBczYZd6o5TkhgTbYKR8aqFCoEyPLT3aHWknCe0621_JWrjz9CdjU-jH_mi1_X4ocH5_jFIOEy8yqdECK9ysRVvhelMlC7RzKH6onHuOP7b3k/s1600/IMG_1279.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsh4hWFebwKFhZgZTwKLyqUzxI0cI4u1fGBczYZd6o5TkhgTbYKR8aqFCoEyPLT3aHWknCe0621_JWrjz9CdjU-jH_mi1_X4ocH5_jFIOEy8yqdECK9ysRVvhelMlC7RzKH6onHuOP7b3k/s200/IMG_1279.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521602771213962194" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6vovcBIu_HTMX54qufs_7xJtLwLVwYYJzA62YWKDmrGs79HVKPerQexEsqR9ibUsijEaBZ1zNUB2UHUCI7JWG6oaVmAy4w9YyBwS39Gi2ZklNo9ZRP0ZB5Fuen_JTEuXXbaEgu-BAAYdw/s1600/IMG_1280.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6vovcBIu_HTMX54qufs_7xJtLwLVwYYJzA62YWKDmrGs79HVKPerQexEsqR9ibUsijEaBZ1zNUB2UHUCI7JWG6oaVmAy4w9YyBwS39Gi2ZklNo9ZRP0ZB5Fuen_JTEuXXbaEgu-BAAYdw/s200/IMG_1280.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521602767717723490" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-m0sW-obP9qzZAIKgfjDBGFczSPsGeZj8Rn4AhIzcJFkoNEJ2F6iZ_GmxSXtCx__tqD5cyd4Srl8yMi7wShljbjvnEAMRogZ0n8O1JgdAYAc6FcBe3GYIew6cpp1tv2zwO6fisktdQlXm/s1600/IMG_1282.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-m0sW-obP9qzZAIKgfjDBGFczSPsGeZj8Rn4AhIzcJFkoNEJ2F6iZ_GmxSXtCx__tqD5cyd4Srl8yMi7wShljbjvnEAMRogZ0n8O1JgdAYAc6FcBe3GYIew6cpp1tv2zwO6fisktdQlXm/s200/IMG_1282.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521603633095822418" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFiLUfgmEsl2_eJOGuKhofeAGX-T3-d-cesUjZF9GJbn3dfFhXWrWxmOxf7uXZiAEKEevC-lolUkzwWZdXDjYKtJQg2d9YyGwfiOCR8MMkTUmL2ojjdXpVAJj4RmnHl4C4EjfX0lmGhjiQ/s1600/IMG_1284.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFiLUfgmEsl2_eJOGuKhofeAGX-T3-d-cesUjZF9GJbn3dfFhXWrWxmOxf7uXZiAEKEevC-lolUkzwWZdXDjYKtJQg2d9YyGwfiOCR8MMkTUmL2ojjdXpVAJj4RmnHl4C4EjfX0lmGhjiQ/s200/IMG_1284.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521603632538657714" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir4dRsfn77f9REh8SURNSJ2aQeAQNOt0DDW1UXcYbM1hgPDfaOodsirr5DZe7FAUR54ZAVgK3eYGLXBFgAMM3c2TEOquhFSNWypa8gg4YUlS4Q5rPlZhGtslsuPt-siJH6CMeY2nbChb4C/s1600/IMG_1286.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir4dRsfn77f9REh8SURNSJ2aQeAQNOt0DDW1UXcYbM1hgPDfaOodsirr5DZe7FAUR54ZAVgK3eYGLXBFgAMM3c2TEOquhFSNWypa8gg4YUlS4Q5rPlZhGtslsuPt-siJH6CMeY2nbChb4C/s200/IMG_1286.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521603628441189026" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuY6yuMEPEZ4D3ECKpA-dcHu5Oa8ZIFFRfoXroN6LZ-U1mv3gWRvO1D8upplChDA04QpvLC7rBVCVYbgysVEx6CHWQ0gHeGfemN-QpjEaV6OEjaa1kN3jkH5kmi7bLkVgr4JfDfYa6UNSx/s1600/IMG_1287.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuY6yuMEPEZ4D3ECKpA-dcHu5Oa8ZIFFRfoXroN6LZ-U1mv3gWRvO1D8upplChDA04QpvLC7rBVCVYbgysVEx6CHWQ0gHeGfemN-QpjEaV6OEjaa1kN3jkH5kmi7bLkVgr4JfDfYa6UNSx/s200/IMG_1287.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521603623309741234" /></a><br />After dinner, we went to Balmers, which was the bar Sebastian mentioned, but we were rejected from entering. We were sort of surprised that a group of girls would be denied entry into one of the few bars in Interlaken, but we walked home instead of trying harder to get in. The other girls still really wanted to get drinks, so we stopped at another bar, but it was full of middle-aged people and looked really awkward and dull. Then we decided to check out the casino, but it seemed like mostly slot machines, and since we didn't want to spend any more money (the franc is essentially equivalent to the dollar, but everything is much more expensive in Switzerland), we went back to the hostel. We discovered how to turn on the heater and our room heated up very nicely, which was wonderful, considering we'd been out in the cold rain all day.</div><div><br /></div><div>The final day, we woke up once again around 10, and found out that checkout was at 10 as well. Our housekeeper, Oswaldo, was very nice, however, and let us check out an hour later without having to pay for another day. We tried to walk around the town before our train left, but nothing was open (it was a Sunday, after all). So we stopped at a cafe and ate some delicious pastries and then took our trains, with little mishap, back to Florence.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGoYVD1FEmbLAabF0v3CU_nMge2_N3Y7kjVu86hlWM9AgP8SOTLnkBh949rOjw_VFsKStvE8y9v65dbNAW7AMkSZCgk49Q_dqtrZNS5vDYQf3JH8gS-l4R8bFXI-GqnZeaBqyik3cCl2Y8/s1600/P9250665.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGoYVD1FEmbLAabF0v3CU_nMge2_N3Y7kjVu86hlWM9AgP8SOTLnkBh949rOjw_VFsKStvE8y9v65dbNAW7AMkSZCgk49Q_dqtrZNS5vDYQf3JH8gS-l4R8bFXI-GqnZeaBqyik3cCl2Y8/s200/P9250665.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521604466659761490" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijLXb4VADAB6ROisDS2Asvt_eepRI6YQaL1Sa9umn_JznDgT-14L7PEu1KDPkXvvcl37SZGwjY5hpZifilaA2-1JIpD6EfjIWq2fAmICkdGln1Yz8EHjJBPsCBLeovrR5tiKdvlzIvuCHW/s1600/P9250666.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijLXb4VADAB6ROisDS2Asvt_eepRI6YQaL1Sa9umn_JznDgT-14L7PEu1KDPkXvvcl37SZGwjY5hpZifilaA2-1JIpD6EfjIWq2fAmICkdGln1Yz8EHjJBPsCBLeovrR5tiKdvlzIvuCHW/s200/P9250666.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521604458404492946" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLz3N3U6tapjkZujgJyJw7WxJXYnRqrISnSyLrMKleqHB-07AQNx-kuuLPiX_WCp31TxHbPi1166AK-2KuRRm2CUkjYH2KvcY8lNHZUOyaZSrRPeNtrd_g7NBayjehK08e5LJv6L0RH4a1/s1600/P9250667.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLz3N3U6tapjkZujgJyJw7WxJXYnRqrISnSyLrMKleqHB-07AQNx-kuuLPiX_WCp31TxHbPi1166AK-2KuRRm2CUkjYH2KvcY8lNHZUOyaZSrRPeNtrd_g7NBayjehK08e5LJv6L0RH4a1/s200/P9250667.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521604457827357554" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjElnewY0EzY7FObEKA-B6MUnLpffkTV2I_AeMw4W-Kc56oy-X4XxKeuWGuEWY4S6C2BUlL_792oeQqPeEgaBVpfU1YFcF0hBrfB6sE3BFYvzXTtnkRVZ6CoKsGhHFxVS_SvQXz883fx7IM/s1600/P9250670.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjElnewY0EzY7FObEKA-B6MUnLpffkTV2I_AeMw4W-Kc56oy-X4XxKeuWGuEWY4S6C2BUlL_792oeQqPeEgaBVpfU1YFcF0hBrfB6sE3BFYvzXTtnkRVZ6CoKsGhHFxVS_SvQXz883fx7IM/s200/P9250670.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521604453621143106" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEqIVR-dCBrrfF4u3Q7l23lyVABws35qgu-3qLgfcYfz_QcvJCoPe7x1pfxsf6yYxuH3H9v0Yhea4Vgmvy3JE2ULT27O4FJcSbFiizC1BJnyIhZOazSKxKcFz3PLUwW84m5UO87egpi4Oh/s1600/P9250671.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEqIVR-dCBrrfF4u3Q7l23lyVABws35qgu-3qLgfcYfz_QcvJCoPe7x1pfxsf6yYxuH3H9v0Yhea4Vgmvy3JE2ULT27O4FJcSbFiizC1BJnyIhZOazSKxKcFz3PLUwW84m5UO87egpi4Oh/s200/P9250671.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521604449627491986" /></a><br /></div><div>As we stepped off the train in Italy, we were immediately greeted by oppressive cigarette smoke. We had been breathing in such clean, fresh air in Switzerland that the difference was palpable. And as we were walking back to our apartment, a man tried to pickpocket us. What a great welcome back to our wonderful city. </div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11705583397776601590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2076998410662702438.post-17613819603059882482010-09-22T11:56:00.000-07:002010-09-22T17:23:50.143-07:00Back from HiatusSorry for the long delay between posts. We lost internet connection over the weekend and I haven't had time to update since we got it back. But let me fill you in on what I've been up to since I last posted:<div><br /></div><div>Wednesday was my cooking class, and we made delicious food. I learned that there is no such thing as traditional Italian cuisine, because Italy is split into many regions that are geographically separated and spread out and have developed their own type of food. So the next time you go to an "authentic Italian" restaurant...</div><div><br /></div><div>We learned how to make food from Northern Italy (Piedmont, Liguria, Valle d'Aosta) and our meal consisted of fresh pasta with walnut sauce and crepes suzette. Fact: Crepes were actually invented by Italians, and the recipe was stolen by the French and developed into national French cuisine. The French apparently steal everything that belongs to the Italians, and they are very bitter about it. Crepes, the Mona Lisa....</div><div><br /></div><div>I didn't get any pictures of our first meal, but it was successful. There was nothing particularly special or difficult about these recipes, but simple does not mean bad. Not at all.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div>On Friday, a bunch of us went to the Boboli gardens and Pitti Palace. They were quite stunning. The gardens went on for acres, with huge trees and sloped paths. The gardens are situated in a series of hills, so at times, you are at the top of the world, able to see all around you, and during others, you're sunk deep in a valley, surrounded by towering trees and the paths seem to stretch to the sky and it sort of feels like you're in Middle Earth and a hobbit is going to jump out from behind the next tree.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVwTD-3mkclxT-BU-kfUJbKyerrKHeXijgetweA4Yu6zVwbfu8B6HCK03rIvevCqotjxTmfRs7Qz5EcARmblPFFne_QozWtmKQIgPg94HwgTxtytwpjEfcaWP-HLcAng7QMn5CdY5x22mz/s1600/IMG_1171.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVwTD-3mkclxT-BU-kfUJbKyerrKHeXijgetweA4Yu6zVwbfu8B6HCK03rIvevCqotjxTmfRs7Qz5EcARmblPFFne_QozWtmKQIgPg94HwgTxtytwpjEfcaWP-HLcAng7QMn5CdY5x22mz/s200/IMG_1171.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519888931507722066" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuvphOPi_rnRyM5-9LH2saE1PSq3bXrTXAhznzv8tvqcncAxHsdquV5I_ySCje-6d94axelpXPr2S_GkBmSBfTEGpKD1Jf1lEWHudhCOKgAEEJlwH61hWbieGIy-onra-P3irmaAezWkdX/s1600/IMG_1172.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuvphOPi_rnRyM5-9LH2saE1PSq3bXrTXAhznzv8tvqcncAxHsdquV5I_ySCje-6d94axelpXPr2S_GkBmSBfTEGpKD1Jf1lEWHudhCOKgAEEJlwH61hWbieGIy-onra-P3irmaAezWkdX/s200/IMG_1172.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519888923855353586" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhByVi6aJVCiKkTNTUG4fMPw93Pg0It6tkcYTRSKnsWoYvV4Gf2GuSo-Mi_dRaVUKXnjh191CiTXvny6DnfPPyxhGPhOjFZjym_hj-LTYvUI6GxMOhzFlusE9Gc_AncEisO1ACMKqEuLuqU/s1600/IMG_1180.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhByVi6aJVCiKkTNTUG4fMPw93Pg0It6tkcYTRSKnsWoYvV4Gf2GuSo-Mi_dRaVUKXnjh191CiTXvny6DnfPPyxhGPhOjFZjym_hj-LTYvUI6GxMOhzFlusE9Gc_AncEisO1ACMKqEuLuqU/s200/IMG_1180.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519888923587373394" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgluBdXeI36Q4QYywqIRLqtgknSCCRY0IjnhyQXrUgvRUXsjvM7zUPdYKA28bWPtnQzcG9sA65CZvNlo1xwY81mzp0XG7UX7ANw0MyGt2nLEUtQX0GW2m6u6t2tozOuPPqIwCC9Hsui29oW/s1600/IMG_1174.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgluBdXeI36Q4QYywqIRLqtgknSCCRY0IjnhyQXrUgvRUXsjvM7zUPdYKA28bWPtnQzcG9sA65CZvNlo1xwY81mzp0XG7UX7ANw0MyGt2nLEUtQX0GW2m6u6t2tozOuPPqIwCC9Hsui29oW/s200/IMG_1174.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519888917092631714" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCRLGtWcVTlHSgo4j2PSSDk5nvQu5g2sjyegynQAeGT-U5nMslxo4jn1NSQmNMSgtFpErQruz-NWKI66-5hCX9BrchBP67a6GCPtx1yM1uMmd_IvWkF8uCCXCG0elnXyq5KdxTnTvOvRZG/s1600/IMG_1199.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCRLGtWcVTlHSgo4j2PSSDk5nvQu5g2sjyegynQAeGT-U5nMslxo4jn1NSQmNMSgtFpErQruz-NWKI66-5hCX9BrchBP67a6GCPtx1yM1uMmd_IvWkF8uCCXCG0elnXyq5KdxTnTvOvRZG/s200/IMG_1199.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519888917976431346" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI3IBkr8SZqY8yC7-1h4kgyq1oezhqA0HhL1Fk3gVQj8pM8t-Pc6kdHo2xLLVcMAb4rPv9PfhFW7BrQ-Ul3HBV9UcNXC1QWQtQAhm3TQAscDxReRJo81O44i3sQBnP-_B2929Tkq3VkXkV/s1600/IMG_1184.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI3IBkr8SZqY8yC7-1h4kgyq1oezhqA0HhL1Fk3gVQj8pM8t-Pc6kdHo2xLLVcMAb4rPv9PfhFW7BrQ-Ul3HBV9UcNXC1QWQtQAhm3TQAscDxReRJo81O44i3sQBnP-_B2929Tkq3VkXkV/s200/IMG_1184.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519889752614011986" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlEpPlN7INe2pgN5jWl5XkOnXoluYgyk99MWqfiUNgJAwi13AEeCziIKlrzqnMwGaB91ocleT6aujLTPiW_TylWvemjISurui3o_y7X14wmRbFoHSJFAj8KR9hHq0HDfcjojlsQdBEAdjH/s1600/IMG_1185.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlEpPlN7INe2pgN5jWl5XkOnXoluYgyk99MWqfiUNgJAwi13AEeCziIKlrzqnMwGaB91ocleT6aujLTPiW_TylWvemjISurui3o_y7X14wmRbFoHSJFAj8KR9hHq0HDfcjojlsQdBEAdjH/s200/IMG_1185.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519889724716747874" /></a><br /></div><div>I was getting a little tired of the gardens, and we wandered toward what we thought was the exit. We came upon this hilarious statue of a large man riding a turtle, and stopped to photograph it. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9G8ZfJtVE4hWEH_HDJJZ8jBdRPwTF4cTBr91ViegiMymX-NhPh0NPWpqOmrzoXNh8PX_wPhHZ-mcxG-0f9LJxljVXmJn-focn_sNl73dl5ZCa37X-yVc6wm34Jk51RElPugK47Cs2PwDM/s1600/IMG_1214.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9G8ZfJtVE4hWEH_HDJJZ8jBdRPwTF4cTBr91ViegiMymX-NhPh0NPWpqOmrzoXNh8PX_wPhHZ-mcxG-0f9LJxljVXmJn-focn_sNl73dl5ZCa37X-yVc6wm34Jk51RElPugK47Cs2PwDM/s200/IMG_1214.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519891009479899330" /></a><br />And then, hidden away and just barely in view, was this incredible grotto. We went over and marveled at the intricate detail of the place. We had entered the Grotto di Buontalenti, which houses Michelangelo's <i>Prisoners. </i>Those statues were originally intended for Pope Julius II's tomb, but the design changed early on and the statues were unwanted. Of course, the statues we saw there were copies (as the originals are in the Academia), but they were still impressive. The other statues were made with stalactites and seemed to be melting from the wall and they were incredibly detailed and intricate and I was surprised I'd never seen them before in art history books, because they were some of my favorite statues I've seen. Ever. They are from the Mannerist period, which was short-lived and not incredibly influential, but those statues have such power and emotion that I think I might have to reevaluate that period. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioqH3Gwxhro3LKrqQiWBBbcmZbdHs_pntrKmuLbdegSr4Y1hMZV2n5ScLNAy0el_U02ZqFt05RVzjQAoImrbx0gC-Ro2A8dmkmAbcTs2FKAzEGCaaY-L-v4dfrkkn6IVxkSoxi8IPL-25Z/s1600/IMG_1202.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioqH3Gwxhro3LKrqQiWBBbcmZbdHs_pntrKmuLbdegSr4Y1hMZV2n5ScLNAy0el_U02ZqFt05RVzjQAoImrbx0gC-Ro2A8dmkmAbcTs2FKAzEGCaaY-L-v4dfrkkn6IVxkSoxi8IPL-25Z/s200/IMG_1202.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519889714857111490" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdBf0J-NcERvOS7BaPfrnWihYnDfQJO4NwUioW2jKR4lsF47IR1zLYt52vrFDQSHln5n40xNBefO3Z4zLt3ksgD9juqa7p_cLePl-79t1WK6McJWD1Uy7JgTc2kTS7YbgLNynazhQ8QvX0/s1600/IMG_1203.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdBf0J-NcERvOS7BaPfrnWihYnDfQJO4NwUioW2jKR4lsF47IR1zLYt52vrFDQSHln5n40xNBefO3Z4zLt3ksgD9juqa7p_cLePl-79t1WK6McJWD1Uy7JgTc2kTS7YbgLNynazhQ8QvX0/s200/IMG_1203.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519889710660872706" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnFNysIwgoszuEOFaMmA1R_RBPFphnk497zLigb1iYKgl8WaXcwp0hyphenhyphenbyZ3a0jZPDPpMI4FK0ArzYoaE5CtQPpxyRoyxt-_M8oJN5J7Hz9D9Qc9oWnoey-sUpXIW8VXh5XePGo2rdL55um/s1600/IMG_1204.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnFNysIwgoszuEOFaMmA1R_RBPFphnk497zLigb1iYKgl8WaXcwp0hyphenhyphenbyZ3a0jZPDPpMI4FK0ArzYoaE5CtQPpxyRoyxt-_M8oJN5J7Hz9D9Qc9oWnoey-sUpXIW8VXh5XePGo2rdL55um/s200/IMG_1204.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519889706663656338" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7KlUipiQSaiIp3-AsZby7j7EExnpAkv2WmKoeftIgwz7_dk2wJOiYKtATqVFZWBSKngDy28dlCIc6_Yy6lBTAJgjbtcjbfQzAGURaLeezA6Eh1XmkORbLaSJdMdvePsHJRxo2zrcdgOSt/s1600/IMG_1205.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7KlUipiQSaiIp3-AsZby7j7EExnpAkv2WmKoeftIgwz7_dk2wJOiYKtATqVFZWBSKngDy28dlCIc6_Yy6lBTAJgjbtcjbfQzAGURaLeezA6Eh1XmkORbLaSJdMdvePsHJRxo2zrcdgOSt/s200/IMG_1205.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519891023111068946" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnSb_B_dHEj6vLd761A2AYOlTik3MVyR9erlYwIEEHwK8197eRkj75VYCdHqPtkzLwoF-k7d3a6ySJFw2rgzXSqakwNpJifovlnV-35sS-xwjKjJSBw3hzhzFHXyPTAum0GfAhS1YzpP9B/s1600/IMG_1209.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnSb_B_dHEj6vLd761A2AYOlTik3MVyR9erlYwIEEHwK8197eRkj75VYCdHqPtkzLwoF-k7d3a6ySJFw2rgzXSqakwNpJifovlnV-35sS-xwjKjJSBw3hzhzFHXyPTAum0GfAhS1YzpP9B/s200/IMG_1209.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519891015466703650" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikm7KAdpkR8QeQhl1g9XVdC_9DorTxYptjlyneTD8LjQLyuy1FCj1_lCzVLrzl5f8F_8nfe5EkrB9NefFpxyZsv8G7H7I0ajL-sJZzezxiiV9JuyN4wLXiF0aE_XrmQHyZ6F7CyU3_ewmA/s1600/IMG_1212.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikm7KAdpkR8QeQhl1g9XVdC_9DorTxYptjlyneTD8LjQLyuy1FCj1_lCzVLrzl5f8F_8nfe5EkrB9NefFpxyZsv8G7H7I0ajL-sJZzezxiiV9JuyN4wLXiF0aE_XrmQHyZ6F7CyU3_ewmA/s200/IMG_1212.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519891016785401714" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Qyoh532WS5IinRN7O9w_q8fpfCmHkNDjFqdaFmfgX3vwOV_5FVlVr1gu7YgH-8OyLylc298QtuDoSTPgQICXYpk0Wxw2yuBD18pV-7Md2Hbd_zaUt-H6a9xKzOpt5jmF9JkT7XbIJjjq/s1600/IMG_1213.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Qyoh532WS5IinRN7O9w_q8fpfCmHkNDjFqdaFmfgX3vwOV_5FVlVr1gu7YgH-8OyLylc298QtuDoSTPgQICXYpk0Wxw2yuBD18pV-7Md2Hbd_zaUt-H6a9xKzOpt5jmF9JkT7XbIJjjq/s200/IMG_1213.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519891014061886466" /></a><br /></div><div>There were also two other famous statues inside: Giambologna's Bathing Venus and Paris and Helen by Vincenzo de Rossi.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq4OcEfYlCHKYTs1yvYo9Chqyv017ZuqtMl_4cvX_5TbMf8ylTj6baTqcJ-ahZ24SJ-pIbLQpRvfGK3Wh2SW5xavHo9PixDH6SSsfoCtEXMLfvo0SlWVGsmNZf7fy6Gsewc_bzCd1SwX-5/s1600/IMG_1210.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq4OcEfYlCHKYTs1yvYo9Chqyv017ZuqtMl_4cvX_5TbMf8ylTj6baTqcJ-ahZ24SJ-pIbLQpRvfGK3Wh2SW5xavHo9PixDH6SSsfoCtEXMLfvo0SlWVGsmNZf7fy6Gsewc_bzCd1SwX-5/s200/IMG_1210.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519894613337810850" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK0F5zsZDlj3tIxFybDxu9KFwe0AbpDDjgr0a54AWz4ijuJEQWoPj59aLlGSKMWi41uI4500uc78JtMUwLB7h2w1_4_Mwrhq_E05pNeRrCYS1vp8YB3LX83lIIGAcTtMgFIIVFG-jcFkpZ/s1600/IMG_1207.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK0F5zsZDlj3tIxFybDxu9KFwe0AbpDDjgr0a54AWz4ijuJEQWoPj59aLlGSKMWi41uI4500uc78JtMUwLB7h2w1_4_Mwrhq_E05pNeRrCYS1vp8YB3LX83lIIGAcTtMgFIIVFG-jcFkpZ/s200/IMG_1207.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519894603533685170" /></a><br /></div><div>Inside the Palace, we walked through only one of the many museums. Being in a group of girls, we had to visit the fashion gallery. I snuck a few photos before the guards yelled at me, but I was mostly interested in the architecture of the palace itself, because the gilded walls and painted ceilings and draperies and embellished wall carvings were all so gorgeous.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFty6wk9607Xvk_Ifx4SeY6xg9xLNcRd96bzXENtY8LjSj28CRfVg9dBqhtVN6GlOqz0nXViDf3dKpygbuUwG6iAw_PP3t0PZBRQrnvLgaYkBASHSdBt5OELCz1O8fr1hSlRxsx6Qq-z8l/s1600/IMG_1215.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFty6wk9607Xvk_Ifx4SeY6xg9xLNcRd96bzXENtY8LjSj28CRfVg9dBqhtVN6GlOqz0nXViDf3dKpygbuUwG6iAw_PP3t0PZBRQrnvLgaYkBASHSdBt5OELCz1O8fr1hSlRxsx6Qq-z8l/s200/IMG_1215.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519894602242763154" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8GYO5PRlpsP2KbDZGp69yvjpHd-RiuCGi1EKJqPnc8DS4jIxN4DeQbyabIAi3I3Ay6iEARsD22UVTVomqh2DPtOPVty1AAtXrZeMHutaiAdTftr7xh6V7IiHYz2TgF93wrFU1ftknAwws/s1600/IMG_1216.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8GYO5PRlpsP2KbDZGp69yvjpHd-RiuCGi1EKJqPnc8DS4jIxN4DeQbyabIAi3I3Ay6iEARsD22UVTVomqh2DPtOPVty1AAtXrZeMHutaiAdTftr7xh6V7IiHYz2TgF93wrFU1ftknAwws/s200/IMG_1216.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519894588874873106" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEuTyG3tGGIHdIkFSjVTn5zm5Lq3ALfXYuVnZ7-PINkSOyz_kYoMmBnS3oAlvs0ZMmii0M0nVpdRR5RuURYUYh2DqTgmSDw7gcL174UC14KcoGlu3dYcH04tNOAFiRCkoRbhIOY2Fq_1th/s1600/IMG_1217.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEuTyG3tGGIHdIkFSjVTn5zm5Lq3ALfXYuVnZ7-PINkSOyz_kYoMmBnS3oAlvs0ZMmii0M0nVpdRR5RuURYUYh2DqTgmSDw7gcL174UC14KcoGlu3dYcH04tNOAFiRCkoRbhIOY2Fq_1th/s200/IMG_1217.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519894592767847218" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1OnY9mA71a7j4O3P7DE2rxjMJvfUc6nEKMlNgHfbBDvd-8HP0O2RCSPcUaWVSl7IOr_lggMDaLsmViuw1Q-PuUUZlRAfJfuS2g7yKUH7TU0HKXR8yIkhtofPIvOON7pj48iXxDZIw0esM/s1600/IMG_1218.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1OnY9mA71a7j4O3P7DE2rxjMJvfUc6nEKMlNgHfbBDvd-8HP0O2RCSPcUaWVSl7IOr_lggMDaLsmViuw1Q-PuUUZlRAfJfuS2g7yKUH7TU0HKXR8yIkhtofPIvOON7pj48iXxDZIw0esM/s200/IMG_1218.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519896498851999810" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Saturday was game day! We attended a soccer game [soccer is called calcio (kal-chee-oh), not futbol, in Italian]. Fiorentina (Florence's team) v. Lazio! It was a great game, although we lost 2-1. Our goalie was not very good, and our defense was really lazy, but our forwards managed to keep the ball at the other goal for most of the game. The other team had some amazing plays, though, and overall it was a great game to watch. At once point, the spectators lit a smoke bomb and sparklers in the stands, and there were guards around the visiting team's section. The guards were necessary, because our fans tried to swarm the Lazio fans and fight several times. So when there wasn't much of a show on the field, there was plenty to watch in the stands. The only thing I regret was that we didn't know all the Italian cheers, so we could only clap along with the creative and interesting chants that the rest of the fans bellowed throughout the stadium. And another strange point was that the field was square.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2jRKcjwfj4_hRy2VQqMHZSP6tloIdwsk6XkZ7B8WeVULER9ND9fZoc6XlZqmdFokXdVYRP8p9DaSsDsWTOtuzOFRJfKF1wT3xC7Rju_0NWO2w2g2tNvcUvcTSW9_74Hom6jYjP7oQ_-JY/s1600/60820_435011884674_647074674_4823680_4250538_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 112px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2jRKcjwfj4_hRy2VQqMHZSP6tloIdwsk6XkZ7B8WeVULER9ND9fZoc6XlZqmdFokXdVYRP8p9DaSsDsWTOtuzOFRJfKF1wT3xC7Rju_0NWO2w2g2tNvcUvcTSW9_74Hom6jYjP7oQ_-JY/s200/60820_435011884674_647074674_4823680_4250538_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519897434779876258" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_chxXLqPshSRdL3733ChROzCkjCrcY4xRBmzwPLSw5hfSoaEEfFisnO-sxF6uS4Nk9_CFYPaN-Ov9NY7OaM96L-n0CQYNyXhhUZQKLeKaH5rqXXi9uu8Ue-knhLmIZV34pCweWklrwAmb/s1600/61846_435012094674_647074674_4823689_1910259_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 112px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_chxXLqPshSRdL3733ChROzCkjCrcY4xRBmzwPLSw5hfSoaEEfFisnO-sxF6uS4Nk9_CFYPaN-Ov9NY7OaM96L-n0CQYNyXhhUZQKLeKaH5rqXXi9uu8Ue-knhLmIZV34pCweWklrwAmb/s200/61846_435012094674_647074674_4823689_1910259_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519897428963102418" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6C7l8GFaYa9u7aVtx5OH3MzPF0UIhXC2ITdaUUF8mDdqi53g4Hyyzwa6ZqCpt9ZZkdznemp8ZlHW30gmeSNkgsjx9ROtoJnshK5ckyfEvP0HwKCgx4tf8lJLYMp8n5imXnCwH1QaUCZa9/s1600/61846_435012109674_647074674_4823691_554467_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 112px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6C7l8GFaYa9u7aVtx5OH3MzPF0UIhXC2ITdaUUF8mDdqi53g4Hyyzwa6ZqCpt9ZZkdznemp8ZlHW30gmeSNkgsjx9ROtoJnshK5ckyfEvP0HwKCgx4tf8lJLYMp8n5imXnCwH1QaUCZa9/s200/61846_435012109674_647074674_4823691_554467_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519897430230898962" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>On Sunday, our house made brunch together. We made crepes with Nutella and bananas(thanks to my previous cooking class and new recipe) and omlettes and bacon. The bacon was so thick and fresh and crispy, and I was surprised that the bacon was so incredibly superior to the packaged stuff in America. I am loving the fact that everything is fresh and unprocessed and natural here, because it really makes a difference in how the meal turns out. I never really enjoyed cooking that much in America, but here, I'm basically the resident cook in our apartment and I feel like I'm making things all the time, and everything is so delicious. For dinner, we made burgers and fries, because we were getting sick of pasta for every meal. That meal was incredible. We put caramelized onions and grilled apples on the juicy and pink burgers and fried the potatoes in olive oil. Delicious.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>And then today, I had my cooking class again and we made the best osso bucco I've ever had. We also made risotto with saffron and pastries that were incredible, although I forget what they were called. The pastries were so light and flaky and gently sweet, and I couldn't believe that I had made that myself. It wasn't the prettiest job (the picture is from another batch, crafted by the instructor), but the presentation didn't affect the taste in any way. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2y24iJ6xqVjTYsS_8I45p-jPOZhtjBr6L76nutFq0Dh3CIe4L_MOduybEdnnwKy86I3oYNDqGzvEWs1bgdWzEF7A5JNjXQSGW0xFyt3RlTmU2LV-jGOj6O8EutvkZem_zHvs0GYgjBxd7/s1600/IMG_1221.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2y24iJ6xqVjTYsS_8I45p-jPOZhtjBr6L76nutFq0Dh3CIe4L_MOduybEdnnwKy86I3oYNDqGzvEWs1bgdWzEF7A5JNjXQSGW0xFyt3RlTmU2LV-jGOj6O8EutvkZem_zHvs0GYgjBxd7/s200/IMG_1221.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519896490052148402" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLjDI0mWCOtXvNLVv1VbExMZcwV4Y06LPCF1ZgXzv6DUPV-EWurmALYXxJ4jCapgNXPI86RfS8NNnUTm5WxKBi2NVqqs_r8xEPgqE-lLs8cB9HUvHNa5cQRxkuLah6DBpK7cS1M_u28SyO/s1600/IMG_1223.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLjDI0mWCOtXvNLVv1VbExMZcwV4Y06LPCF1ZgXzv6DUPV-EWurmALYXxJ4jCapgNXPI86RfS8NNnUTm5WxKBi2NVqqs_r8xEPgqE-lLs8cB9HUvHNa5cQRxkuLah6DBpK7cS1M_u28SyO/s200/IMG_1223.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519896487043316578" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhX5wJAHP0KAar6KjKodp3pu1LYxSXIWd9cIVk0vOGErTTh_DpUpLO66Z6nKHuEE7N1JYvEPx9e8fjYD9KJZvdBGfEmIphLFZZ8dfVNoiP10YgqQ0YtgJCARJElwTL6cK_DA9uxJmh_goO/s1600/IMG_1224.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhX5wJAHP0KAar6KjKodp3pu1LYxSXIWd9cIVk0vOGErTTh_DpUpLO66Z6nKHuEE7N1JYvEPx9e8fjYD9KJZvdBGfEmIphLFZZ8dfVNoiP10YgqQ0YtgJCARJElwTL6cK_DA9uxJmh_goO/s200/IMG_1224.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519896480454130642" /></a><br /></div><div>After class, I made a Nutella cake with mocha buttercream frosting, because tomorrow is Veronika's birthday and we aren't able to celebrate it until next Monday. So we did a small pre-celebration tonight. The cake was a little undercooked, but it was also delicious, and I'm glad it turned out well, because I really had to improvise with some of the ingredients and techniques, since our kitchen is lacking in a lot of departments. But it was a success, and I look forward to making another delicious cake in a few days.</div><div><br /></div><div>This weekend I'm going to Interlaken, Switzerland. I will be canyoning, and I'm so excited. I will write all about it when I get back on Sunday, but until then, watch this video so you know what I'll be up to:</div><br /><object width="500" height="405"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Z7jDxUk1g7k?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Z7jDxUk1g7k?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="500" height="405"></embed></object>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11705583397776601590noreply@blogger.com0