Bassano, Crespano, and a little bit of class

Last weekend I decided to “take it easy.” Instead of jetting off somewhere far away I decided to stay close to home. Friday evening Ailin, Brande, Zeb and I got “take away” pizzas and calzones from Al Sole – the pizzeria. We came back to campus and had a movie night. It was relaxing and fun.

Saturday we got up early and were on a bus by 8:00 a.m. to go to Bassano. Bassano is a town about 10 minutes by car if you drive straight there, but by bus it takes about 45 minutes. I absolutely hate the buses in Italy because I am constantly motion sick. When we got on the bus it was raining pretty hard, but we remained optimistic that it would clear up. Maybe that optimism was a tad unfounded. One of my professors said that Bassano had a market on Saturday mornings. Due to the rain only about 10 vendors showed up. It was frankly very miserable. We walked around, went to a few shops, and I bought a pair of cute flat shoes. I quickly found out that high heels and cobblestones are not a great combination. Flats became a necessity that I didn’t bring from the States.

After sloshing around the town for about two hours we decided to get some lunch. I was excited because we DIDN”T go to a pizzeria, although you could order pizza. I decided to try something a little new, so I ordered Linguine e Salmone. I though pasta and salmon sounded fantastic. Once again an unfounded assumption. When the cameriere (waiter) brought by dish I was instantly skeptical. I thought it would be some sort of garlic or white sauce. Nope, it was orange. In fact it was a goopy orange blob that smelled like dirty feet. The salmon was shredded very fine and hidden in the orange goop. I tried it though, thinking/praying it would taste better than it looked. No such luck. I only made it about half way through the dish. Never again!

Discouraged we headed back to the bus station in hopes that we could figure out the system well enough to get home. From behind us someone told us that he wasn't sure the bus went to Paderno, but he said it all in English. I whipped around and saw the most gorgeous man ever! I smiled and said thank you and he told us just to ask the bus driver. We did and it was our bus so we got on, but had to stand because the bus was packed. After a while I started getting really woosy and car sick. I turned to look around for a place to sit and made eye contact with that guy again. He smiled and I think I started grinning like a fool! Pretty soon some seats opened up and he sat down. He then offered the extra seat to me. Of course I took it. He spoke perfect English and even knew about the CIMBA program. He said he studies at the University in Padaua (Padava) and that he is studying molecular biology! He was going to Crespano to stay the weekend with his mom. I never got his name, but he was very kind. He said he had only been to the U.S. once and that he went to Albequrque, NM. We asked him what he thought and he said "It was desert, desert, more desert, a super wearhouse, one mountain with a few trees, and more desert and more desert, and more desert." We laughed because thats a pretty accurate description. He said he wants to go back to the U.S. but doesn't have the time or money right now. We told him we understood the feeling. He also gave us some hints about what to do in Rome. That may have been the best bus ride ever!

Once we reached Paderno we walked around for a little while and stumbled upon a WWII memorial. At first I was a little surprised because Italy was aligned with Germany during the war. But as we read the statue it was dedicated to the men from Paderno who died. Monday at school I asked my Italian teacher about the monument. She told me that there were some Italians who opposed the Nazi/Mousallini movement. They were called Partisans and many of them hid in the Dolomite Region – the mountains where I am. At the end of the war when the Nazis were retreating back to Germany, many Partisans came out of the mountains and there were great battles all along this region. Every little town along here has a statue for both WWI and WWII. Then my professoressa told me something else. Instituti Fillipin campus was a Nazi headquarters for the northern part of Italy. Many Partisans who were captured were kept on this campus until they could be taken to Bassano to be hung. I was shocked. I definitely want to do more research and find out about this area more. Its amazing to know that 60 years ago this was enemy run.

The rest of Saturday we chilled and watched another movie. Sunday though was amazing. We slept in a little. I was up by 9:00. I woke up to church bells. They were gorgeous, but kind of made me miss corporate worship. I am really depending on God…which is a good thing, but I do miss my church families. I also have been listening to K-Love online. Anyway Brande, Ailin and I took our time getting ready, then walked to Crespano. It was amazing and almost indiscribable. There were probably 200-300 vendors. You could buy anything and everything. I bought a cute purse, necklace and a couple of pairs of earrings. Then we found the chocolate vendor. I felt like I walked into paradise. It was mix and match, so Brande and I bought a selection to share. We wandered until about 11:30 and by that time the smell and sight of food made us feel famished. We stopped at a cheese vendor and bought some bufala mozzerrella. Then we went to a chicken vendor and bough an entire roasted chicken and french fries. Best french fries I have ever had. Then I tried the chicken. It was the jusiest, tenderist, most succulent chicken ever. It had be roasting while I was shopping and it seemed to melt in my mouth. The spices filled every corner and excited every tastebud. There were still herbs and spices dripping inside the chicken. We don’t have anything like it in the States. Dillons roasted chicken just won’t cut it anymore. By that time it started to sprinkle again so we headed home, stuffed and excited about our wares. I spent the rest of the evening working on homework and napping off the chicken.

School is ok. It is definitely the hardest part of this adventure. We have to cover the same amount of information as our home universities, in less time, with more distractions. Its definitely challenging my personal planning skills. My favorite class is my travel writing class. I will start posting my pieces in addition of these stories. I also really love my Italian class. The others are ok, but not as fun. On a side note I joined the CIMBA yearbook staff. I’m pretty excited. It will help me get to know more people as well as look good on a resume.

Last night was our first of three formal dinners. Everyone dresses in the best clothes they have. I wore a cute little black dress with a maroon sholder cover. We ate at Ristorante Barbesin where they served “Tortino di sfoglia arcobaleno al profumo di basilico” – a vegetable pot pie style anit pasti. It was fabulous. The best vegetables I’ve had in Europe. Then for the Primi Piatti we had “Risotto al radicchio” and “Bigoli as sugo d’anitra” Radicchio riche and pasta with duck and sauce. For the Secondo Piatto “Brasato di manzo con pure di patate e radicchio al forno” – Braised beef with mashed potatoes and grilled radicchio. Finally for dessert we had “Merigna d’inverno” It was a chocolate mouse with meriugne. Delicious. They also served Gambellara Classico and Piave Cabernet Sauvignon. I didn’t get to sit and enjoy the meal as much because we also took all the “yearbook pictures” during dinner. I didn’t mind though, because it helped me to get to know everyone. Overall it was an amazing evening.

Now I’m off to Rome, Sorrento, the Amalfi coast and Pompeii. I’m sad because my blog is going to be extremely long and complicated when I get back. I didn’t realize how much I would actually have to say. So until I get back “A piu tarde” (I’ll see you later!)

Verse of the night: Matthew 28: 19-20 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Florence: the beautiful

Finding time during the week is extremely challenging because of my class schedule, tutoring, and homework. Then on the weekends I’m off traipsing through Europe. So more than a week later here is my account of Florence.

To start I know already that I will be returning to Florence some time in my life, maybe with a significant other, because Florence is more beautiful and romantic than any other place I’ve ever been.

We woke up at 3:00 a.m. on Jan 30 to be on the bus by 4:00 a.m. go to Florence. Alberto, the guy that runs the front gate of the Institute Filippine, set up a bus to go to Florence and Rome. For €50 we got a roundtrip bus ride. That’s cheaper and faster than taking a train which is €36 each direction for second class tickets.

On recommendations from other CIMBA students we booked the Archie Rossi Hostel. It was absolutely amazing! For 20 Euros we got a 5 bed – room with a private bath, breakfast included, free dinner on Friday night, and walking tours every day. We got into Florence around 9:00 and dropped our bags off at the hostel. We couldn’t technically check in until 2:30. The hostel has graffiti all over the walls. Every person that has stayed there writes their name and some little remembrance on the walls. I wrote “Niki Thiessen, Feb. 2, 2009, Proverbs 3:5-6.”

We walked to a little café for breakfast where I had my first coffee. I ordered caffelatte which is one shot of espresso and lots and lots of steamed milk. I don’t normally like coffee in the States but this was fantastic! While we were there Erin, one of my traveling companions slid her chair backwards to go to the bathroom, but in the process knocked over the table behind us. It was a marble top table that sounded like a gunshot when it hit the floor! IT was quite embarrassing, but the owners were forgiving, and refused to let me pay for the cup of sugar that broke when it fell.

At 10:00 we went back to the hostel for a walking tour. We saw historical Florence including the Medici tombs, the Florence Cathedral…aka the Duomo, Chisea de Santa Cruce, Palaces, Dante’s house, and much more. We ended at the Uffizi gallery of art where some famous statues still stood outside. The cathedrals were absolutely gorgeous. The facades are made of green and white marble and almost look fake. They are built so precisely that they kind of look like giant 3-D puzzles.

We then toured the Uffizi gallery, one of the most famous art museums in Italy. All the art and the building it was in was commissioned by the Medici family. This family ruled Florence for more than 300 years. I learned about them in my Western Civ classes at KU. It was amazing to know a lot of the history behind the things I was seeing.
We grabbed some lunch at a local pizzeria, which I’m already getting sick of pizza. Valerie and I split a ham and sausage pizza. There were two types of sausage…one tasted like hot dogs. It was weird to have on my pizza. Next we walked through the open air market. Every other shop was either leather goods or pashmina and cassimere scarves.

Exhausted we wandered back to the hostel where I laid down for a while. Our room had 5 beds, but there were only 4 CIMBA girls. We thought that extra bed would be empty, but nope, we had another roommate. Her name was Susan and she was from Ireland! She was going on “holiday” by herself. I couldn’t believe it. I don’t know if I would be courageous enough to go to Italy by myself! She is an amazing person and fun to talk to. She spent most of the day with us on Friday and Saturday.

Friday dinner we ate at the hostel. It may have been the best pasta I’ve had to date in Italy and it was included in our hostel cost! After dinner we all took showers and got ready to “go out.” We heard about a club called “Twice” but when we got there it was pretty empty. Italians don’t go out until after 1:00 a.m. Valerie and Susan and I stuck around for a while, but decided to head back toward the hostel and find something else along the way. We ended up in this quaint pizza place. When the cameriere (waiter) brought us our food, he showed us that our pizzas were heart shaped. We got good service that night! ;) We finally got back to our hostel around 1 a.m. and I crashed.

Saturday was just as much as a whirlwind! We got up and had breakfast at the hostel. This hostel is special because they served eggs! I got eggs, ham and toast and another caffelatte! At 10 we went on the walking tour again. This time we saw Florence from “off the beaten path.” This time we saw more chapels, statues, Medici buildings. We even saw a palace that was built specially for a mistress of one of the Medici. They were extremely wealthy and could do whatever they wanted.

We grabbed a quick lunch on Ponte Vecchio, a famous bridge. This bridge, again commissioned by the Medici, used to have houses and stores on it. The Medici thought that the meat stores that were there smelled awful, so they created a law that only jewlers and goldsmiths could work and live on the bridge. That law is still in place today!

After lunch we went back to the Duomo and decided to climb all 463 steps to the top. It was the most amazing view I’ve seen yet in Italy. I have great pictures and even some cool panoramas! It was an extremely long and somewhat treacherous climb, but worth every single step.

Then we went to the Academia Gallery. This was what I had been waiting for in all of Florence. Here is where the statue of David is housed. I’ve known what the statue was for almost ever, but you are still blown away when you see it. Michelangelo must have been an amazing artist to have created something as wonderful as the David. When you look at him from one side his face looks calm and almost sad that he had to take the life of anyone. From the other side his face is fierce and knows that he has done the work of God. I could have sat and looked at the statue for hours. But exhaustion set in, so we headed back to the hostel.

We all rested for a while, got cleaned up and then went to supper around 8:00. We decided to eat at a little hole in the wall a couple doors down from our hostel. Apparently that little hole led to culinary heaven! Our waitress was in training but spoke perfect English, so that was helpful. Her trainer though didn’t speak English so we practiced our Italian with him. Everyone is so patient and encouraging with us and our attempts at Italian. I had grilled chicken and roasted potatoes. Fresh bread and oil and vinegar came before the meal. Finally for dessert I had a chocolate torte with cream sauce and a strawberry. AMAZING! We stayed there and talked for a couple of hours. The restaurant was very beautiful. When they sat us the waiter lit candles on our table and all around us. It seemed tiny, but the place was 3 stories tall and longer than we expected.

Toward the end of the meal, Tami came back from the bathroom and said “Every has to go to the bathroom while we are here!” It is most definitely the nicest bathroom I’ve been in, in Italy. Everything was automatic, including the light. It was beautifully decorated and some what soothing, if bathrooms can be soothing.

Afterward we all went back to the hostel and chatted before bed.

Sunday morning we woke up early, grabbed breakfast at the hostel and jumped a train to Pisa. We were carrying all our travel backpacks, it was raining, and it was a 30 minute walk from the train station to the Leaning Tower of Pisa but it was totally worth it. It was once again one of those things I’ve seen all my life but was still blown away when I got there!

We didn’t stay very long because we had to get back to Florence to catch our bus to Paderno. Before we left we stopped once again at a pizzeria. When we got there the kind of laughed at us and seated us. Pretty soon about 10 guys in black athletic suits came in and started chatting with the owners. One was carrying a mysterious silver briefcase. Pretty soon all the guys in matching suits were escorted to a private back room. We all started giggling and freaking out a little because it felt like we had just happened upon some Mob boss’s front for something illegal. It got even funnier when I realized it was a poker game. The silver case was definitely a chips case!

The weekend was exhausting, exhilarating and way too short. The bus ride home was slow, boring and way too long! All I know is that I can’t wait to get back to Florence and see everything

Verse of the day: Isaiah 48: 17 "This is what the Lord says - your Redeemer, the Holy One of Isreael: 'I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go."