"But will they be dried?"

We get on the road early in the morning so we can get a good day in Venice. We take a ferry to Lido and find our hotel with relatively no problems (surprise, surprise, we really didn't get lost!) At the hotel, I ask for laundry service. I bring down my jeans and ask for them to be washed. I don't want my clothes pressed just washed I tell the hotel lady. Melissa asks "But will they be dried?" Um, have you ever received your clothes back wet when you pay someone to wash them? Too funny especially because we were speaking in English so there was no misinterpretation due to the language. The poor hotel lady looked at us like we were crazy Americans!
We walk around downtown, get lunch and I a lot of pictures. We head back to the hotel where we take the hotel private water taxi to Murano Island - home of the world famous blown glass. We watch a small demonstration on the art of glass blowing and then go into the Murano show room. The glass is beautiful - they actually are pieces of art and come with matching price tags to boot! We take the vaporetto (water taxi) to Venice and walk around. It is so cold that we skip the gondola ride but we do stop at Harry's Bar and have a Bellini. A Bellini is a champagne cocktail that was created at Harry's Bar. The place is pretty packed but we are able to grab four seats at the bar where we enjoy our Bellinis while we watch the bartender make at least 100 Bellinis! For dinner we head to a Chinese restaurant on Lido and Melissa has "shitty shrimp" for dinner. Yes I laughed - yes it was mean but oh it was sooooo funny! We head back to the hotel to change and get ready to celebrate the New Year. I fall into bed and am out. They say how you spend new year's is how you will spend the year - I guess this means I will be getting a lot of beauty sleep!

Fair Verona and my foul mood

Verona was probably the place I was most looking forward to visiting. I added it to our travel itinerary because I wanted to go to Gardaland and to see all the Romeo and Juliet stuff. Gardaland is Italy's largest amusement park. So many people go to Disneyland when they travel to the US and I thought how many people who go to Italy actually take part in the modern culture?

Since Heather and Melissa stayed in the South for an extra day, they were going to meet us at the front entrance at Gardaland. Amanda and I got lost (imagine that!) and were about a half hour late. Melissa and Heather were not out front and Amanda suggested they may have gone inside to wait for us. Of course, the idea of this made me mad because we weren't that late. About thirty minutes passed when I agreed with Amanda's viewpoint that we should go in the park since we did not have all day to enjoy the rides and such. We agreed that every hour or so we would go back and check for the girls. The park had these cool statues where you put your face inside the character - it actually looked like you had a costume on - they were that well made! Inside the park I want to buy a Gardaland hoodie as my souvenier but also because it is very cold. Damn these Italians for being so well dressed - the park's sweatshirt options are very limited. In fact, I will not ever see an Italian wearing a hoodie during the entire trip!

I do get a gray sweatshirt with Prezziamo on it. Prezziamo is the green dinosaur mascot of Gardaland (think Mickey Mouse). Prezziamo means Parsley in English. Throughout the park there are signs thanking the corporate sponsor of Gardaland. We are unsure if it is a cigarette, a tube of chapstick or a sparkplug.

The park inside was festive - they have music piped throughout the park in all different labguages and every once in awhile I get to hear my fave Chrisitmas tune "War is Over". We rode on the rides. Nothing as extreme as Six Flags since the big roller coasters were closed but we had fun and hours passed and still no sign of H&M. Amanda noticed that one of the big roller coasters was opened and we rushed over and got on - what fun! We checked the gate again and then decided to get a bite to eat in the park, ride two more rides and then head back to the hotel - hoping H&M would meet us there. The park's food was actually pretty good - better lasagna here then I would have in Rome later in the trip. I accidentally got bubbly water and have redeveloped a taste for it - I went through a phase a couple years ago where I drank a lot of Perrier. As we were finishing up our lunch, H&M walk in. They saw me in the window. What luck!

They decide to get something to eat as Amanda and I go to ride the last two rides (I love amusement park rides!), get some zucchero fileto, then we head to the hotel. The lady at the hotel wasn't the nicest of people because we apparently only had a room for three people and four people could not be in there - oops - she was very mad. Guilette's castle closes at 730pm and Heather has to take a shower. Everyone decides we should drive and knowing our track record, guess what - we get lost and drive around for two hours with a stop to see a castle. It is too late for Giulette's castle and I sat in the car for about 40 minutes while everyone else got directions when we finally find the place we wanted to be. As we are walking through Verona, a group of boys comment that we are BRUTTO. We end up eating pizza and I try the speck which is very much like a super thin bacon.

I know that the whole Romeo and Juliet thing in Verona is a tourist trap and not the actual people referred to in the Shakespearean play but I had really had my heart set on seeing them. Not being able to, the unappetizing pizza for dinner, missing some stuff at the park because of the constant trips to the Gardaland front gate, being called ugly, everyone snapping at each other while we were lost - it really put me in a bad mood which lasted until the next morning. Luckily, I have good friends who forgive me for being a butthead but this day made me miss my mom who I realize I love to travel with - thankfully in three to four years I might be able to come back to fair Verona for another chance to see the sites.

Mezzogiorno - The South

Today Amanda and I left Naples and headed southeast. Heather and Melissa took a train to Sorrento and will meet us in Verona tomorrow. On Amanda and my road trip agenda is seeing Castel de Monte, the Trani Cathedral, and the truji -these beehive structures that no one is quite sure why they were built - maybe religious or battle related.

During our road trip, we have lots of time to talk and ponder all things Italian. Like for instance, no public toilet has a toilet seat. Does everyone in Italy straddle the toilet seat? Is this the way to prevent people from sitting on the seat? Did they all get broken? Is there a toilet seat shortage in Italy? All questions and no answers.

Castel de Monte was built around the number eight with a beautiful view. We have decided it would be the perfect wedding place. Guests could stay on the top floor and all the wedding activities could happen on the first floor with a different activity in each of the eight rooms. I suppose I would be open for marriage if some guy could afford to rent the castle and fly all my friends and family to Italy for my wedding!

Inside the castel, there is a "modern" art show. One wall is covered with wall paper containing sketches of people having sex.

We had a nice lunch outside the castle - I had sausage (not really a big sausage eater) but I wasn't really sure what I was ordering since it was not in the Italian dictionaries. Yes, I could have asked the waiter but I just wanted to take a chance. The sausage was okay but scored an A+ for presentation. It came with mashed potatoes (very good but different from the US version) and green onions that were really good but I have no idea how they were prepared - maybe blanched.

A lot of Italians speak English to us right off the bat without giving me a chance to practice my mad Italian skills. We decide it is because Amanda has red hair and pale skin. She most definitely cannot pass as an Italian so they know we are foreigners.

At the Trani Cathedral, we get to see the Adriatic Sea. It has a beautiful turquoise color that is amazing. It starts to sprinkle at the Cathedral so we decided to cut our sightseeing short and begin our long drive up to Verona. Because it is winter, it gets dark very early so I am sure we missed some beautiful views but the ones we did get to see were great.

Driving has gotten a little easier as we have decided we need to start trying to read the directional signs as Italians. When we start to get lost and frustrated for the rest of the time we are in Italy, we will simply remind ourselves to "not think like an American". Finally, we arrive in Verona after spending an exorbitant amount of money on the toll roads. The man only has a room with a Frenc (no h on purpose) bed - we don't know what this means but we take it. A frenc bed is a full.

Uncovering a lost city

Today we took a train to Pompeii - the ancient city destroyed by Mount Vesuvius in 79. It was amazing that in 2005 they are still excavating the city - in fact only about 70% has been uncovered. The city is still pretty well preserved - many statues, mosaics, and paintings are still in great shape. A lot of the valuable statues and such are stored in the Museo Archeological Nationzionale in Naples (MANN) that we went to later in the afternoon. We had hoped to climb to the top of Mount Vesuvius but buses were not going there because of all the rain yesterday. Thankfully the rain cleared up and I was able to get some great pictures at Pompeii with a blue sky in the background.

We are amazed by the lack of regulations and such that are so common in the US. In order to lock our hotel room when we were inside sleeping, we had to use the key. I can't imagine the fire marshals would allow this back home. During the entire trip, we would have problems opening doors. The push to exit, pull to enter US method is opposite in Italy.

After we check out the MANN, we have dinner and of course drink some great wine. Amanda is drunk when she exclaims, "My lips are farther apart than I think they are". Good times. This picture is of a stand outside of Pompeii - look at the size of those lemons!

All the tour books I read said that Naples was crime ridden and very unsafe. We didn't get this feeling and enjoyed our time here. Naples was great - definitely a city I would revisit when I come back to Italy.

A rainy day three

After last night I was so exhausted, I slept so soundly and probably would have slept for an hour or two longer but when I pushed up to turn around, the slat of wood holding my mattress cracked. Nice way to wake up. If I am up, everyone else might as well wake up! We shower, eat breakfast (yummy meat and cheese sandwiches), and hit the road. Destination Napoli (Naples for you American folks).

Melissa drives the two and a half hours to Naples where we stay at the Hotel Tourist. The hotel is located next to the main train and bus station and is walking distance from all the shops. The room has a view that is quite nice but later tonight we will discover that Naples is a city that does not sleep and the nice view turns to constant traffic all night long. The hotel staff is amazing in helping us plan our two days here (definitely recommend staying here if you go!)

Today we headed to Spaccanapoli - the heart of the historic downtown that is a endless maze of winding streets. The streets are full of shops (not touristy ones though) and each street has many interesting churches and such. It was a bit bizarre to see such modern day shops smack dab next to a historical buildings that was thousands of years old. The day started wih a drizzle and ended in a downpour but it didn't stop us from walking all over the city and trying to see as much as we could.

For lunch, I had pizza and wine. The pizza was okay but was not as saucy or cheesy as the American version. The wine was so good (Castel de Romano) and was actually cheaper than the water. The rest of the trip we will actually compare all the wines we drank to this first one - it definitely was the best.

Day one - Roma driving

So I convinced my friends we needed to rent a car in Italy so we could get around and by the time they arrived at the airport I was ready to turn the car in and actually go home. Yes, a bit overdramatic but I was tired since I did not sleep on the plane and my first driving experience in Italy was brutal.

I rented the next size up from compact to insure we would be comfortable - four girls, our luggage, and room for all our souvenirs. Then I saw the car and I laughed for a good five minutes. Can you imagine if I did not upgrade?!

I picked up the car at the airport at 1130am and planned to check in to the hotel, take a shower, and then drive to see Ostia Antica before Heather and Melissa arrived at 5pm. I had printed Mapquest directions and was off. The first ten minutes went well - I got out of the airport and was on the correct road. Then it all went bad.

I took wrong exits, I tried to turn around, I got lost, I asked for directions, I wanted to cry, and then I repeated this over and over for 5 hours! Twice when I asked for directions I was told to drive two kilometers down the road and ask someone else. At first I thought I did not understand what they were saying. I only took a semester and a half of Italian so it is not like I am anywhere near fluent but that was what they said - really!

Turning around in Italy - not so easy - in fact nearly impossible. I would get all turned around, find the way I should be going and then bam - lost again and would spend a good half hour getting back to the direction I was going in.

Apparently, December 26th is a national holiday in Italy and everything was closed. After driving around for several hours, I needed to pee but could not find anything that resembled a public restroom. I pulled into a grocery store parking lot opened the driver and passenger doors to cover the sides, used an umbrella to cover the front and gave a new meaning to PUBLIC toilet! And wouldn't you know I had to pee for like three minutes! I sure hope there weren't any cameras in that lot but if there was I hope I brought humor to their life and am not a wanted criminal in Rome!

I was real close and I asked a man walking his dog for directions. After one more time being lost, I finally found the hotel! I check in to the hotel at the same time I should be leaving to pick up Heather and Melissa. Instead of rushing to pick up the girls, I shower. The shower did not have any walls and the whole bathroom got wet.

Before I head back to the airport, I ask the hotel receptionist if I have the correct directions to the hotel. She says what I have is correct and offers me a map of Rome but tells me that the hotel itself is off the map grid (um - how would that help?). I actually only get lost a few times and would not have been too late picking H&M up if I did not have to sit in traffic for an hour. Several cars were involved in what probably would have been a fender bender but because their cars are so little, the cars now resemble accordions. Lanes in Rome are not clearly marked. A big section of road could be for three cars at a time. Could be for six - just depends where the people around you want to go. I didn't mind the aggressive driving and just worried about myself. This policy would be all fine and dandy until the ambulance needs to make it past my car and there is no where to go. I definitely thought I was going to get run over!
At the airport, we wait till Amanda arrives before heading back to the hotel. Our first Italian meal is at McDonald's. Amanda tries to order in Italian with my help and the guy looks at her like she is crazy and repeats her order in English. Melissa tries to order in Spanish - this will be the theme of the trip :)

Even the four of us with my five hours of experience take two hours to make it to the hotel which is only 20 minutes away from the airport. Exhausted, we all hit the sack eager to put this day behind me and go to Naples in the morning. The photo is Melissa and Amanda sleeping.

Andiamo Italia

So Christmas itself was not good other than the fact that I was going to Italy. Family and friends sent me gifts early and I being the shining example of restraint did not leave a single present to open on Christmas day. I do realize this was bad and in my effort to keep up appearances made it worse by lying to people and telling them that I did not open their presents early.

My colleague Brian took me to the airport. To thank him, we went to lunch at the local Chinese place before he dropped me off at the airport. I was surprised at the number of people eating there - there were more people there on Christmas day then I think I have ever seen there and I have been there during the lunch rush!

The nine hour flight from Detroit to Amsterdam sucked. Airplane seats - not so big to begin with and I need my entire seat. I had the luck of sitting next to a woman who also needed half of my seat so I sat with her arm resting on my chest for the entire flight. The flight was full so changing seats was not an option. Next time I am flying first class even if I have to take a loan out to pay for it!

We arrived in Amsterdam at 830am and it was still dark outside - the sun had not risen. Weird. In the bathroom, they had a toilet seat cleaner dispenser in the stall. Did they really expect me to use my hand and a wad of toilet paper to clean the seat of a PUBLIC toilet? Double Weird. On the plane from Amsterdam to Rome, they gave us this juice to drink. Cute bottle - strawberry orange flavor but it had square chunks of fruit in it. Um, triple weird.

Maybe it is the fact that it is legal to smoke some pot in Amsterdam cause they seem to be a bit - um, what is the word - oh yeah - weird.

Priceless

Ugly passport photo and passport- $107.99
Ticket to Italy - $880
Spending 12 days in Italy with 3 good friends - PRICELESS

Be back on January 6th. Check back here for pictures later.

Ciao!

Another exaggeration

One of the strangest things about the city of Evansville is what appears to be their ability to exaggerate beyond belief. This summer, Amanda and I went to an Otters baseball (the city's minor league team) game. They announced that 3500 people were in attendance at the stadium. Yes, the stadium seats 5,000 (according to the website) but half the seats were empty!

About 140,000 people live in Evansville but every year, they say, almost half a million attend some of the events that the city hosts. In the summer, we have Thunder on the Ohio. It's a bunch of boat races on the Ohio river. A lot of people do go but really, not as many as they say. In fact, I know more Evansville people who say they don't go then I know people who say they do!

In October, there is Fall Fest. It's billed as the second largest street festival in the nation. The West Side Nut Club (a group of men who were born and currently live and work on the west side of Evansville - yeah, I know - NUTS) host this week long event which is a carnival with 100 food booths. Yes, everyone does go and several people go more than one night but in order to pull in half a million people, folks would have to drive hours to come to this event. Not buying it!

Tonight, Sarah and I went to Fantasy of Lights at Garvin Park. You pay seven dollars (the money goes to Easter Seals) and drive around the park and look at a lot of light displays. Some of the displays were nice. It was very festive and the money went to a good cause but as we finished the drive, the radio station said it was the largest light display in the state of Indiana!

Shopping during a vacation???

Today was the Holiday Party for the Student Affairs division at work. During the luncheon, I was sitting with one of the administrative assistants for our office. We were talking about my upcoming trip to Italy (he he he - it's really all I talk about now) when I mentioned that while we were going to Milan, we would probably be doing our shopping in the outlet mall outside of Florence. Milan would probably be too expensive but I read that they had good deals at the outlet mall on the big designers.

Pat was amazed that we would want to go shopping on our vacation. She suggested that we do something else because she just couldn't imagine going shopping. She apparently does not know me too well. I would plan a trip just to get in some good shopping - especially if I was shopping for shoes!

Big time excitement in Eville!

Sarah works for a local news station as a camera person. She likes to call herself a Photog, short for photo-journalist. Sometimes, we drive around in the station vehicle so she can be prepared to film any big, exciting thing for the news show. One time, Sarah made me go to a conference on fine living. It was boring but everyone treated us like royalty because we were the media. Whenever we drive around in the station vehicle, people wave to us like they know us.

Sarah and I went out for dinner tonight at Logan's. When we were leaving the restaurant, there was a cop car canvassing the parking lot with its search light on. Sarah called the station and we went to the scene of a stabbing (well, as close as the cops would let us).

Some woman got mad and stabbed another woman and then took off running with a gun. The cops brought out the dogs to help look for the woman. I sat in the news vehicle for about an hour why Sarah filmed outside - hoping to catch on film the moment when the police found the woman hiding in the woods. They never caught the woman while we were there filming but eventually caught her later that evening at an apartment complex near Logan's.

I had my digital camera with me (I always do) and snapped a few pictures. It was big excitement for about 40 minutes then I was bored and called my friend Chelle.

Dumb Tests

I could take those dumb "What kind of so and so are you" tests forever. Especially when they give me the right answer :)

Here is another fun one:

The World's Shortest Personality Test

You are pure, moral, and adaptable. You tend to blend into your surroundings. Shy on the outside, you're outspoken to your friends (true). You believe that you live a virtuous life (Believe? Shouldn't it say "You live a virtuous life"? Does this mean I really don't??) ...And you tend to judge others with a harsh eye (yeah, so true). As a result, people tend to crave your approval.

Further evidence

You scored as Peter Pan. Your alter ego is Peter Pan. You are a child at heart. Anything you believe is possible, and you never want to grow up. Peter Pan 94% Ariel 81% Cinderella 75% Cruella De Ville 63% The Beast 56% Goofy 50% Sleeping Beauty 50% Pinocchio 50% Donald Duck 44% Snow White 31% Which Disney Character is your Alter Ego? created with QuizFarm.com

Yellow

"The Woman in Yellow" by Dante
Gabriel Rossetti

Quiet and demure you
are a very softspoken individual. Others may
not notice you often, because you tend to blend
in with the crowd. However you are not
oridinary at all. In fact you are very unique.
What is hidden in your silence is a truly
sensitive and empathetic being who is is
extremely creative and caring. You are a
natural artist who is attuned with the world
and all its secrets. Lying underneath your
intricate facade is an even more elaborate,
mysterious, and wholly enigmatic personality.

Which beautiful pre-Raphaelite painting represents you?
brought to you by

Best night ever followed by the best day ever

Last night was the best ever. I went to my last class of the semester - it took 15 minutes. Finals are next week but I do not have any finals- just three papers due on Monday. I was home by 630pm and spent an hour hanging out with my students at the front desk. This is something I have missed this semester just because I could not fit it into my schedule.

My schedule for the past semester:

Mondays - Work from 9am - 5pm, Grab dinner at 5pm, Class from 6-9pm, Staff meeting from 9pm - 1030pm followed by Homework and me time till 2am or so.

Tuesdays - Work from 10am - 5pm, Grab dinner at 5pm, Class from 6-9pm, SHA meeting (a student organization I advise) from 930pm - 1030pm followed by Homework and me time till 2am or so.

Wednesdays - Work from 9am - 5pm, Grab dinner at 5pm, Class from 6-9pm followed by Homework and me time till 2am or so.

Thursdays - Work from 9am - 6pm, No Class from 6-9pm, RHC meeting (another student organization I advise) from 830pm - 10pm followed by Homework and me time till 2am or so.

Fridays - Work from 8am - 4pm and then read and study till Monday morning

I didn't have a lot of time to hang out with my students at the desk when they were working it from 6pm - 10pm. This was unfortunate because it really is a good time to bond with the students. Getting to do so last night was so nice. At 930pm, I went to sleep. No joke - I can't remember when I went to sleep that early and wasn't sick.

This morning, I woke up refreshed at 750am (ten minutes before the alarm went off - that also never happens). By 10 am it was snowing (the first snow of the season). We got about 2 inches. It's so pretty as you can tell from my pictures. I built my first real snowman with a couple RAs and had a blast in our snowball fight. Later today, Jefferson and I made snow angels. Snow rocks!

Avada Kedavra!

Yes, the forbidden curse to a horrid movie. At first I wrote this post thinking the movie wasn't too bad when taken for itself (I kept telling myself in the theater to avoid refer to the books - just take the movie as it is) but writing this I realize how much more disappointed I was by the film and had to start over.

There were good parts in the movie - Hermione in at the Yule Ball (which is also one of my favorite scenes from the book) but it was all shot to hell when she cried because "Ron ruined it all". Hermione is a strong role model and shouldn't have been played so emotional. For heaven's sake in the last movie she punched Malfoy for running his mouth!

All in all the movie seemed choppy like so much was missing (and it was). I wonder if people who never read the book caught the repeated reference to polyjuice. I don't think they might have remembered from the earlier movie. There was no focus on the lead characters so that you could identify with them.

Book four is probably my favorite of the series so far (I have high hopes for 7) with book five in a close second followed by book two and then book one (in case you were wondering) so I was a bit more critical of this film than I might otherwise have been.

Where the heck where the house elves? Leaving out how Barty Crouch got out of Azcaban was silly. And why even introduce Rita Skeeter if you didn't play out her entire character! The Quidditch world cup, George and Fred and the blackmailing story (their future joke store can't be left out!), oh I could go on...

Maybe I need to watch it again but right now I am too disappointed. I wait full of anticipation for book seven but also with a tinge of sadness because it will mean the end of something I have loved for such a long time.

Wassail!

I made Sarah go to Madrigals with me tonight. Madrigals is a 15th century themed concert and dinner event hosted by the university's chamber choir. It was a really long show (about two and a half hours). Now I can cross it off my list of things to do.

Quote of the Week

I tried to create a quote wall on the sidebar but I couldn't get it to look just right.

When I was driving the students to Wisconsin for their leadership conference, I asked Jefferson what he grew on his farm and he said "Jelly beans and weed".

I swear I don't need Q-tips :)