Unexepected Trip to... Seattle!

I just got back yesterday from a 3 day trip to Seattle, which showcased some of the most beautiful weather I have ever seen in this past month and a half. The sky was blue, and it was warm. (Well, warm when you compare it to 25-35 degree weather.) I could actually go outside without a coat on! It was magical. =)

I also got to go up the Seattle Space Needle,

 

 

Pike's Place Market

(where I saw the ORIGINAL Starbucks!), and some other wonderful places around the area.

A fantastic weekend all in all! =)

Aperitivo and Venice... The Carnival Experience!

Venice was like a fairytale. It was beautiful and the festivities just made it magical. I am currently in the process of uploading both pictures and videos. =)


5:15AM- Groggily wake up after the awesome Aperitivo that happened the night before with my two new friends Isabella and Federica. I should have taken pictures, but the food and company were just too good.

5:30AM- Finally manage to roll out of bed and got ready in a record time. =D

6:00AM- Walk out to the tram and realize that it won't be there for another 12 minutes, so we opt to take a taxi.

6:20AM- Arrive at the double decked buses- a first! and gasp in tired amazement at the coolness of this new experience before quickly realizing that I forgot my contacts, lol. So any pictures you see of me without glasses on- I'm a little blind in them.

Fast forward to...

11AM- because everything in between consisted of sleep to see the arrival into Venice and its eerie similarity to New Orleans. The only difference being the tracks along the side of the road, which don't exist on the way into New Orleans.

12PM- we walk into the city, and I've clearly stepped into another world. There are masked revelers and  people everywhere. After getting separated from the group we wander along the different alleys and streets until we cross one of the larger canals via gondola! (another first! video here: Gondola Ride) Please skip the first 9 seconds of the gondolier's butt. I was trying to figure out my camera.

   1PM-3PM- a lot of walking around and buying masks until we get to Piazza San Marcos.

3PM- There are cathedrals, fruit lions, giant grasshoppers, and more amazing costumes with melodic music in the background to set the mood (video available here: Piazza San Marcos)

And the day basically ends with eating food before the fire show!
(Fire Show)

2AM-3AM- It takes us an hour to walk back to the bus after everyone gets properly lost, and we're all exhausted.

7AM- Lena and I finally get back home and take some Coldeeze and drink some Refresh tea to ward off any possible colds that the day may bring before falling into bed.

End of Italian Class, Ikea, Super Bowl Victory and Travel Plans!

Sorry for the long delays, but Italian class has kept me busy. In between my last post and this one, so many things have happened, so this might be kind of wordy. Let's begin. =)

Getting a Permit of Stay:

The Permit of Stay process was, very honestly, difficult and time consuming and completely unlike getting your tram pass (which is a very enjoyable experience in comparison.)

Step One: Ironically, the easiest part of it all was filling out the necessary forms that were entirely in Italian- with the help of Bocconi of course.

Step Two: Then, you have to go to a Tobacco shop and buy a stamp for your forms.

Step Three: Afterward, a group of us ended up trekking to the post office on 2-3 separate days and had to go to three different post offices. One of the post offices kept running out of the receipts we needed. Another was closed. The third one was very crowded and closed at 6PM and only gave a certain amount of receipts out each day. So we went back to the closed one the next morning, and we were finally able to turn everything in.

Step Four: Now, I have to go to the police station at some point to turn everything in.

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Aperitivo:

Aperitivos are a Milan-only experience, so if anyone comes to visit me- this is a must! Basically, you pay 6-10 Euros for a drink, and you get a free buffet of food! We went to this place called Maya, and they had french fries, pasta, salami meats, and lots and lots of other food. I wish I had pictures of the food, but I wasn't thinking, heh. So I'll take some next time.

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My First Ikea Experience- Including the Ikea Bus!

I have never been to an IKEA, so this was an especially interesting experience on multiple levels. But the best part was definitely the IKEA bus. =D

Since everything is built around the public transportation system, IKEA has a bus that will take you from a stop off of the metro that will bring you to the store. It costs 2 Euros to go round trip, but if you go to the store and buy something, they subtract 1 Euro off of your total.

The Marketing dork in me came out in full force when I saw it!

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Who Dat! The Super Bowl in Italy!

So I found a bar in Milan called Fiori Oscuri, and a group of us went to go watch the Super Bowl! Woo! Unfortunately, there were a ton of Colts fans, but fortunately- we definitely got the last laugh! Moreover, the owner of the bar graduated from Texas Tech, so he made REAL burgers. And they were so delicious. I split a Bacon Cheeseburger with Jessica, who's also studying abroad from UT, and Lena had a BBQ Chicken burger and split it with Lene, who is our awesome other roommate. I'm sure you must be asking- why would you split an awesome burger? And I have a very simple answer for you- 10 Euros. That's right, 10, which with the exchange rate would bring it up to $15 or something, but man- I appreciated that burger. Please people, eat a burger for me! I miss it so.

Even better, the bar was so elegant. It's three floors with artwork and awesome light fixtures. Unfortunately, all the pictures i have are of the food and Saints game. Next time though, and there will be one, I'll take pics!

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Venice, Dublin, Paris, and Brussels Trips

Finally, TRIPS!

I'm going to Venice this Saturday for Carnivale! AHHH! I'm SO excited. I also bought tickets for Dublin, Paris, and Brussels. I'll be in Ireland for St. Patrick's Day! =D I'm afraid this entire portion will end up in all caps,  so I won't go on too much about it. But- here are the general dates:

Paris and Brussels- last week of Feb. to first week of March, spending 3 days in each city

And I'm currently planning my trip to the UK, yay!