How to be a Vero Italiano

1. Eggs may not be eaten before twelve noon.
2. Green means go, red means go. You, personally, always have the right of way.
3. After your three course lunch comes an espresso followed by a cigarette.
4. Family comes first. Period.
   
5. Chicken? In pasta? You can't!
6. Never walk barefoot in the house. You WILL get sick. Slippers are a must.
   
7. Mama always knows best.
8. In fact, while you're cooking, call her every 5 minutes to make sure you're following her recipe to a tee.
   
9. Own multiple cell phones so that you get the best deal with each company.
10. Buy either a big poofy down jacket or an ostentatious fur coat for the winter season.
11. In the summer, overtan.
12. Don't eat out. You can cook better and it will save you money.
13. Buy a motorino.
    
14. Look at waiting in lines as more of a suggestion than a rule.
15. If you are a man, you must own a pair of red pants.
16. Eat only Italian cuisine as that of other countries just isn't as good.
17. Only study in the morning. The evenings are for relaxation.
    
18. Take a break between the hours of 1 and 3 in the afternoon.
    
19. In fact, take the whole month of August off, too.
20. Be wary of prostitutes, their pimps are mafiosi.
21. Never be on time.
22. Don't make eye contact with men. They take it as an invitation.
23. Eat pasta at least once a day.
    
24. Whether it be a watch, a purse, or glasses, you must own something by Roberto Cavalli and something by Dolce and Gabbana.
    
25. You can be certain that your region is the most beautiful and has the best cuisine.
26. Go ahead and think that foods like tangerines and bread are native to your home country.
    
27. If you don't feel well, you probably have a fever.
28. Class is optional and you don't have to accept a grade you don't like.
    
29. Speak in a language that has 14 verb tenses, as opposed to the mere 6 the English language possesses.
30. Only eat sausage that was processed by your grandmother, wine that was fermented by your uncle, and olive oil that was hand-picked by your grandfather.
31. Don't live to work. Work to live!

Budapest

Budapest was my first jaunt into Eastern Europe and is the most unique place I have visited thus far. It was filled with old, large, bushy mustache-covered men. It was not filled with people who speak English. Budapest doesn't mess around with silly things like new paint jobs or refurbishments. It is old and dilapidated and proud of it. This was its best quality! Everything was so old-looking! So authentic! Well, actually most of its big sights were built in the year 1896 for the country's millennium celebrations...so the big stuff isn't that old...but most of the other buildings make such a contrast to the shining metropolises of, say, London and Paris.

The first day we spent exploring what is known as Castle Hill. The main sights we visited here were the Fisherman's Bastion, Matthias Church, and the Labyrinth of Buda Castle. The Fisherman's Bastion is reminiscent of something out of a Disney movie with beautiful views over the Danube River to Pest (Budapest is actually a combination of the two cities Buda and Pest) and the Parliament Building.

Fisherman's Bastion

Us with some statues

Me, as a statue

Parliament

When Charlotte and I went into Matthias Church we handed the ticket guy our Bologna student IDs and he started speaking to us in Italian! It was so obscure but really funny. The church has a beautiful, frilly mosaicked roof while inside is very dark and gothic. It was beautiful.

Afterwards, we headed to the Labyrinth of Buda Castle, which consists of miles of caves under Castle Hill. It was very dark and creepy (especially when the boys jumped out from hidden caves) and so a very cool experience. There was even a wine fountain (don't ask me how it works):

That night Andrew really wanted to go to this sports bar because they were showing the Patriots v. Chargers game, and we went reluctantly because, come on, we all know bar food isn't that great. However, it was fun to watch the game (even tho the screen was minuscule and the narration was in Hungarian) and I called my dad to verify my hunch that he was watching the game too! It was neat to share that game with him from halfway around the world.

The next day was dedicated to Budapest's THERMAL BATHS! This has been one of my favorite experiences since coming to Europe, and I think a lot of that had to do with the novelty of being in a bikini in the middle of January. Plus, it was such an awkward, uncharted experience that we just had to kind of roll with it. There was a lot of shrugging, laughing, and "umm...oookay"s involved. I've included a lot of pictures because the place was just so beautiful, I want you all to get the best picture you can! There were jets and current pools and fountains and people playing chess in the baths (pictures of Charlotte and me in bathing suits are purposefully omitted):

Everything was relatively cheap in Hungary, and so when Charlotte and I saw that they offered other spa services, we jumped right on it. We each got pedicures (which were really strange and included scalpels but no nail polish) and I also got a massage. This was bizarre as well. The guy that ended up being my masseuse was so strange looking, had selective English and sang something about the Starship Enterprise as I entered. When he untied my bikini strap it was so awkward because it flew and hit my face and he made a whip sound! Later, when he was moving to my hips, he wanted to move my bottoms down and so he asked if he could "steal some territory." Haha! It was not a good massage, but it was a hilarious experience. After a couple more hours in the baths we headed home. We walked through City Park, Hero's Square, and a street called Andrassy ut which is supposed to be the best shopping street in Budapest.

Hero's Square

The next day we went to the Great Market Hall to check out Budapest's culinary possibilities. Simply put, I've never seen more parts of animals in my life. I mean, what the hell do you do with a kilo of chicken feet? Bleh. I just have to show you though:

Chicken feet

But it was cool to see all the baked goods, meat products, paprika and various souveniers including goulash mix and lace that they sold. Afterwards we started heading back to Andrassy Ut but this time we decided to brave the metro, where we ended up getting lost for about an hour. At one point, this guy walked up to us and started asking in Italian if we needed help. It was so bizarre...I asked him why on earth he thought we would speak Italian, and he said he recognized one of us or something. It was SO out of nowhere, but he was really helpful and sweet and we got where we needed to go!

After, we headed to the House of Terror which was the former headquarters of the secret police during the regimes of Nazi-occupied Hungary and communist Hungary. There were very memorable, moving exhibits in the museum that really conveyed the feeling of terror from those times. The most striking exhibit for me was when we were able to actually tour the prison cells. There were three main types. One had about 3 inches of water all along the bottom, another was like the Chokie in Matilda where one is unable to sit, and the last one had only a 3 foot tall ceiling so one is incapable of standing straight. We went into that last one and were overtaken be fear and claustrophobia after just seconds. It is impossible to imagine what it was like for the poor innocents who were incarcerated and tortured in these horrific conditions for years. This is just a sampling of everything we saw and learned about. The building has an overhang that casts the shadow of the word "Terror" onto it. It was a very modern museum, with extremely effective exhibits.

House of Terror

Ironically, after the House of Terror, we went to eat at a restaurant called Menza, which is the old communist word for "school cafeteria". It's decorated all in 1970s decor and has a great vibe. It was our last authentic Hungarian meal, so I ordered goulash again of course. It was so nice to have a different set of spices on my palate!

I haven't talked about our hostels yet! The one in Budapest (7x24 Central Hostel) was so much better than the one we stayed at in Berlin (BaxPax Downtown hostel) even though that one was just fine. In Budapest, there was no one else staying in the hostel which basically meant we had an entire apartment to ourselves, including our private room and bathroom, a kitchen with free tea and coffee, and a common room with TV and free internet. It was so personal and the family was really sweet...the mom even made us cookies! We spent lots of time here relaxing, playing gin, and watching VH1 Classics...in ENGLISH! What a novelty.

Budapest Hostel

It was an interesting experience traveling with new friends from Bologna and staying in hostels. I was worried that traveling would put a strain our friendships because it can be a very stressful thing, especially when personalities and preferences clash. However, it actually went quite smoothly. Charlotte and I had a lot of fun commiserating over the shortcomings of the boys and took several opportunities to distance ourselves from them! But it was great to have an even four and an even balance of boys and girls. It made for a great trip.

Now it's time to get my life back in order, start classes, and start studying! Besides, I'd like to keep my feet on the ground for awhile anyway. That last flight from Budapest to Milan was my least favorite ever...so Bologna is where I will hang my hat for at least the next month!

Berlin

What an amazing trip this last week has been! I went to Berlin and then Budapest for 3 days each with Charlotte, Andrew and Ian, and we had a really great time exploring! I've never been to Germany or to Hungary, and so it was a drastic change from the places I have visited thus far which I'd either been to already (London, Paris) or which are more English-speaking (Holland).

I didn't really know what to expect from Berlin other than it would be a hot spot for WWII history and monuments. I knew it had been mostly destroyed in the war, but for some reason I didn't picture that all the rebuilding would make it so new world! The majority of the city is very modern, very hip, very young. And yet all of this is set on the backdrop of such a dense, dark history. It was an incredible contrast. We went on an amazing free walking tour of the city where we got to hear a lot of history and anecdotes as well as see many sights we wouldn't have known about without the tour. The Brandenburg gate was quite a sight to see. It's the city's claim to monumental fame, and it miraculously made it through all the bombings of the past century. Here's a pic I found of the Then Vs. Now:

Isn't that a great display? I found it on a street exhibit about Checkpoint Charlie (which is called Charlie because it was the 3rd checkpoint to Eastern Germany: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie...) and also the Berlin Wall. It's so weird to see these things in person and have history come alive like that. I mean, in high school it was pretty much blah blah blah and in Berlin, it's like, "Oh my God, Hitler walked here...omg, people actually died here..." and so on. It boggled my mind the pure reality of it all. And then the contrast with the bustling culture and freedom that is in place today.

Checkpoint Charlie

Charlotte and I with matching shoes straddling the line between East and West

We went to the Holocaust memorial as well, which is in the center of the city. It's a bunch of concrete squares which are the same width and depth, but differing heights that take up an entire city block. It seems very abstract, but the ideas for why the artist found it significant and interpretable are very interesting. One is that since the blocks are shorter from the outside and taller moving in, it signifies the Holocaust's subtle snowballing effect. Another is that since it's practically a maze, it's easy to lose the person you are with, portraying the lonesomeness and sudden loss of loved ones among those directly affected by the terrible event. It was very moving, and yet at the same time a fun memorial to explore (which once again contrasted the city's morbid history with the new wave of youthful culture).

We also went into the Parliament Building, the Reichstag, which has been destroyed more than once and rebuilt, and now has the addition of a VERY modern dome, which we entered. It was an interesting work of architecture, with spiraling walkways up, floor to ceiling windows, and an oculus at the top:

It's a really cool structure, with a partially glass floor where you can look down at Parliament, allowing the electors to keep watch on the elected.

Thursday night was free museum night on Museum Island, so we went to a couple of the art museums for free. At the Altes Museum, we saw a neat collection of Egyptian art, the most inspiring of which was the Bust of Queen Nefertiti, which dates back to 1340 BC! At the Pergamonmuseum we saw the awe-striking Ishtar Gate, from Babylon, which dates back to the 6th century BC. Now I only went to these museums because they were free and my roommate is an art history major, but I'm really glad I did because I saw things other than what I normally would have.

Statue outside the Altes Museum

Bust of Queen Nefertiti

Ishtar Gate

Other sites we visited were Hitler's Bunker (or the uninteresting/unmarked ground above Hitler's Bunker), the Book Burning Mermorial (a small glass square in the ground where you can see one story of stark white, empty bookshelves covering the walls), and the exhibit at the SS and Gestapo Headquarters (a la-ha-hot of reading). Also, I don't know if you can call this a significant sight of Berlin or not, but our tour guide pointed out the infamous hotel where the infamous Michael Jackson dangled his baby out the window. Around town there were a lot of bears with various decorations on them. Berlin has quite the bustling art scene. This bear had the flags of the European Union on it, and I took a pic of my favorite:

The Berlin Wall was very moving to learn about. The number one thing I learned is that I knew nothing about it before going to Berlin! I was flabbergasted at how long the wall had been in place, how difficult life had been for those living within the walls, the heroic attempts and failures and successes of those trying to escape, and so on. Now, many sections of the wall have been left up as reminders and memorials to that part of Berlin's history. In fact, many are part of an art project where pieces of the wall are decorated and dispersed throughout the world. Here's me with two of them:

I desperately wanted a picture of the four of us, so I made everyone stop. Here's an example of the difficulty of getting four people into one frame...

...we're cute, but you can hardly tell we're in front of the Brandenburg Gate!

Now I will tell you about my absolute favorite thing in Berlin: Amplemann!! Eastern Germany designed special green/red streetlight crossing signs for walk/don't walk and now Berlin is filled with them! After the wall fell, there was talk of taking them down since they were influenced by a communist regime, but the people fought back against it, and now it's a Berlin specialty. They are on just about every corner, and are sooo cute. Here's what he looks like (prepare for the ultimate in cuteness):

On our last night in Berlin we decided to go out to this place we had read had amazing, authentic American Hamburgers. And it SOOOO did! It was started by this guy from New York named John who moved to Berlin because he got his German girlfriend pregnant. We started talking to him (obviously that information isn't in the guidebook), and he was so cool, friendly, and happy to talk to some Americans. Since Andrew's originally from New York, they hit it off. Well, the guy wanted to share his hospitality and ended up bringing this very strong German alcohol to the table wanting to do shots with us, which you obviously do not turn down.

Considering we had all already had beer, it turned into a very interesting night! After we finally left the restaurant, we went to a techno club in the city and danced and danced until we realized we should probably get some sleep before our flight to Budapest the next morning!

Cheers from Scotland!

After Leeds, Brittany and I trained to Scotland, where we were my met by my Uncle Simon (my dad's "brother" whom he met while living/working in southern England). On our first full day, he drove us all over the highlands of northern Scotland. We listened to Shaniah Twain most of the trip, which was really funny, and far too much fun. The highlands are really beautiful and rich with history. We also stopped by his mother-in-law's house for tea.

On our second (and last!) day, Brittany and I went to Edinburgh. We saw the usual touristy things...

...and had lots of fun being silly!

A mirror that made us look like supermodels...

...and one that did quite the opposite.

After I punched Brittany in the arm, she punched me in the neck. This is a recreation.

And now, finally, after 17 days of traveling, I'm home in Bologna. When Azzurra opened the door for me, she practically knocked me over with a hug. It's so nice to see everyone again! Especially after Calabria, I really feel at home here. Thinking back to how nervous I was before coming here, I can't believe how well I've settled in.

Leeds and York

I was in Leeds with Britt for two days, the first of which was spent showing me Leeds, and the second of which was spent in York. In Leeds, I got to see the University, which included a cute little cemetery, downtown with all the shops, and the Royal Armory Museum (which was quite funny).

Part of Brittany's dorm

The cemetery on campus

The Tournament Room in the Museum

That night we went out for Mexican food (!) with one of her friends from the program, and afterwards just the two of us went to a really neat club called Oceana where we spent most of the night sidestepping weird guys. Dancing with Brittany was SO much fun! There were a couple of middle-aged men there who were really getting their groove on on the dance floor. It was intense. Also there was this guy who could not have been any drunker and still standing who tried to dance with me. To get him to leave me alone I finally just pushed his face away with my hand, hehe. Later Brittany and I saw him conversing with his bicep. Good times.

The next morning, when we woke up, it was snowing!!! The bus ride to York was so much more beautiful for it, too. We spent most of the time in York Minster, looking inside the church and also climbing the cramped tower.

Unplanned yet coordinated confused faces

Brittany was thrilled by the snow

Brittany "praying" atop the Minster

Descending the 275 steps of the tower

After the Minster, we walked around town a bit, and on our way to a French restaurant for amazing soup, bread, and chicken, we happened upon a fudge shop where this crazy employee was beckoning us to enter for a free sample. He was so hyper and giddy he must have been drunk, which he even confessed to. He said that since we're Americans, we're better than most! Hehe...I'm sure you could guess, but he's the one in the middle:

And that was that! That evening Brittany and I had popcorn and Ben and Jerry's for dinner while watching a movie...it was just like we were back at UCSD!