The Journey to Paris

Even though my train wasn't departing until noon, I was dropped off at the Padova train station bright and early on that Thursday morning. You see, this was the only time Chiara could take me. Mattia had a doctor's appointment in Padova that morning, which would last a few hours, Marco had work, and there is no form of public transportation near my house.

So at 8AM I found myself in line at the help desk inquiring where the left luggage station was. I made my way to platform one to the office where I could pay a small fee to leave my suitcase for the day.

By 8:30AM I was across the street at McDonald's ordering a croissant with cream, while noticing a man standing awkwardly close to me. 

I had planned to pass the time away by leisurely eating breakfast and reading my book until it was time to meet up with an Au Pair who lived nearby. As I was scoping out the sitting area looking for a good place to hangout that morning, I realized there weren't any good spots. It was full of students grabbing breakfast and studying before heading off to class for the day. So I found myself sitting at a table in the middle of a long bench where two tables were on either side of me. A girl occupied a table to my right. Unfortunately, no one was to my left. Two dirty trays were setting on the table directly to my left though and I figured that would be enough to ward off any unwanted company.

I was wrong.

The man entered the sitting area with his tray of food, proceeded to set his tray on the tall table across the way (I breathed a sigh of relief). But it was only to free up his hands so he could move the dirty trays setting on the table to my left, so he could sit directly next to me. I still had hope that maybe I would be able to enjoy my morning.

Once he sat down I decided to scoot closer to the girl who was to my right. As I did this the man said, "No, No." (Great. He had made contact with me. Morning ruined.)

He started speaking to me in Italian. I thought "Perfect, I'll just tell him I speak English and this will end. I will be free to enjoy my reading". No, of course, homeboy knew how to speak English. Just my luck. 

He began the conversation with what I'm presuming is his go to pick-up line: "Do you come here often? I have this extra discount for a coffee and croissant for one Euro, I'd like to give it to you."

I found myself trapped. I was speaking to this man whom I had no desire to be speaking with. I got asked the usual questions: Where are you from? Are you studying? Why are you here? You're a what? How long will you be here? Will you learn Italian? 

The last question, "Will you learn Italian?" was the kicker. I replied, "I want to." He then said, "I think I may be in the profession to help you. I'm an Italian teacher at the University!" I said, "Oh cool." He continued speaking with much excitement about meeting up with me again, showing me around Padova, teaching me Italian. All the while, I was sitting there thinking, "Oh great. This is miserable. He is not attractive at all. Will he please just stop talking?"

I answered each question with as little enthusiasm as possible hoping he would get the hint and let me be. 

He didn't get the hint. 

And thus began my statements of lies. 

I finally said, "I have to leave to meet my friend", which was a lie. He replied, "How can I contact you? Do you have a phone number?" I lied and said, "No" thinking that would be the end of it. Nope. Thanks to social media he then said, "Do you have Facebook?" If I had said no then I would've been strange. I mean who in this day and age doesn't have a Facebook?! He then handed me his phone to add myself as his friend. I lied again. I said, "I can't find my profile. There's too many to scroll through." He said, "What if I add myself on your Facebook?" "I need WiFi for it to work", I said. That was lie.

But did this deter him? Noooo! He then said, "Why don't I give you my name and you can add me later?!" So he typed his name in my notes and I thought, "Finally, I can leave!" 

No, not before he tried doing the European greeting with me. It was the most awkward thing ever. Even more awkward than my first meeting with Chiara at the airport when I was totally not expecting the "kiss kiss" thing and it turned into an embarrassing, awkward hug. 

This one with the random guy takes the cake! I was not trying to get up close and personal with this man. He shook my hand and then leaned in for the "kiss kiss", but I was sure not to let him touch my face. So it was just this awkward hand shake with him trying to kiss my cheek, but I was making sure to keep my distance. 

He then made this awkward laugh and said, "I look forward to getting your request on Facebook." I gave him a fake smile and by 9AM I was walking down the streets of Padova annoyed that my morning plans were ruined. 

Christina.

Christina is an older woman Sammie and I met at the Coliseum. She was there with two of her girl friends and we happened to be on the elevator at the same time. We made small talk then, but it wasn't until we bumped into each other on our exit that we learned more about Christina.

She was born and raised in Scotland. She met her husband at a University there. He just so happened to be Italian so they eventually moved to Rome. She told us that her husband just passed away last year. They had been together fifty years. She spoke so highly of him. She said, "He was a wonderful man, not a typical Italian. I am very lucky to have spent all those years with him".

She is now trying to relive her life. She had been to the Coliseum before but said, "There are always things you haven't seen!"

She told us she is trying to get through each day. Some days are harder than others. She has two children, but they have their own families. She said, "I lost my family when I lost my husband. Your children are your family, but they have their own families. You can't wait around on them."

Christina spoke with such sincerity and passion.

This is why I love traveling.
Traveling gives me the opportunity to meet wonderful people and hear their stories.
It's truly an amazing thing.

P-I-Z-Z-A!

 The oven takes 1-2 hours to heat.

The oven heats up to 300-400 degrees Celsius.

When the inside of the oven is completely white, it is ready.

Chiara normally makes 15-20 pizzas when they have guests. Tonight we settled for 4.

This pizza had cheese (no mozzarella though), potatoes, spices with no sauce.

It only takes 1-2 minutes to cook the pizza.

The pizza must be turned a quarter of the way every few seconds.

Time to eat!

Sette Giorni

Since I only have seven days left before my return I decided to catch everyone up on what's been going on:

• Since my trip to Paris, I have had a few more Italian lessons with my host grandpa. I can definitely understand and read more Italian than I can speak. 
• I went shopping and bought two shirts and a pair of leggings.
• I took a trip to Naples, Capri and Rome with my Au Pair friend, Sammie. We almost got robbed on the bus in Naples. 
• We went to the Blue Grotto in Capri, where you have to literally lie back in the boat to fit through the little cave entrance. The blue water was so spectacular.
• On the train to Rome from Naples, we met a father and his daughter who both happened to be psychologists. The father didn't speak English, but the daughter did.
• The Coliseum was amazing. It was there we met the sweetest older lady named Kristina.
• The hostel owner took us to see The Keyhole in Rome and the optical illusion with St. Peter's Basilica. (As you drive closer to the building it gets smaller, as you drive away it appears larger.)
• I didn't get to see the Sistine Chapel in Rome. For this reason, I must go back one day.
• My host family, aunt, cousins, both sets of grandparents and I went to a bird release in Limena. They also released a hare that all the children decided to chase. The poor hare had to literally jump over one child.
• I finally bought a pair of Italian high top shoes. I love them.
• My host family took me to a country bar to learn to line dance, but it didn't start for another thirty minutes and the children were tired so we returned home.
• I love closing the shutters to my window at night so I can sleep in total darkness. It's wonderful.
• I have read three books since being here. I ordered four new books on Amazon for this summer. I can't wait!
• I'm trying to learn more about photography and how to use my Nikon dSLR. 
• I haven't cut or colored my hair since I left the states.
• Last weekend, my host family took me to Verona, which is where my host mom is from. I saw Juliet's house, from Romeo and Juliet. We ate lunch with her parents, which lasted a full two hours and consisted of entrees, wine, dessert, coffee, and a limoncello shot. So much food and drink.
• I've already started packing my suitcase.
• This past Saturday I made pancakes for my host family! I even made Mickey Mouse ones for the kids. They loved them, especially, my host mom. They only drizzled a bit of maple syrup on their pancakes. I quickly corrected them and said your pancake needs to be drenched in syrup! 
• My host dad bought the children a little basketball goal and soccer goals, which has been fun. 
• My knee no longer hurts. I think it's healed, finally!
• I spent Sunday in Milan hanging out with a friend from college. It was so great catching up. It had been nearly five years. 
• Tuesday I spent the day in Venice with another Au Pair who lives nearby. The weather was beautiful! 
• I never took a ride in a gondola because they are roughly 80-100 Euro.
• I have ordered more TV shows and movies on Amazon than I'd like to admit. It's the only way to watch American TV here in Italy. Netflix, ABC.com, etc. are all blocked.
• I have seen the movie Frozen a gazillion times, but not once in English. I have YouTubed the songs in English though. So now Giorgia will sing the songs half in English and half in Italian. 
• She also knows "If You're Happy and You Know It", "1-2-Buckle My Shoe", "B-I-N-G-O", "Old MacDonald" and plenty of the Beatles songs. 
• We've been playing outside a lot lately, which I love.
• I've decided I want to learn Spanish and the piano. 
• This past Sunday was the "legal time" change, as they call it here. So we are now back to being six hours apart for all you Eastern Standard Timers. 
• I've actually gotten Giorgia to play Go Fish with me! She normally says, "No" every time I ask her to play. The other night we played four times in a row. It's so cute when she says, "Do you have tuttle?" and when she tells me, "Gooo fish"! She has such an adorable accent when she speaks English.
• My host family has an outdoor wood fire oven! We made homemade pizza last night. It was delicious and quite possibly the coolest thing ever. My host dad told me, "Now when you return home you can start a pizza shop!"
• My host grandpa is the coolest. He's a retired orthopedic doctor. He plays the banjo, ukulele, guitar, bass, and other stringed instruments. He taught himself how to play each instrument. He's in a jazz band, which plays every weekend. He and his wife have a house in Garda Lake that they stay at from May-September then they return to Verona for the remainder of the time.
• I was talking to my host parents about my time in college and how I lived in the dorm for two years. My host mom said, "Did you have your own chicken?" I was quite confused by this when my host dad said, "Chicken?! Kitchen!" It made for a good laugh. Apparently Italians get those two words confused quite often. 
• Mattia knows the American Sign Language for "Please". He uses it all the time with me to try to get everything he wants. Doesn't always work out in his favor. 
• This weekend my family is taking me to Gardaland Amusement Park! 
• My flight leaves in exactly one week at the break of dawn. Not looking forward to all the flights and layovers, but am stoked to be reunited with my puppy who will be awaiting my arrival at the airport. 

The Tale of Five Angels

On my return from Paris, I had to take the same amount of transportation as I did on the way there. In case you forgot that included a car, train, bus, plane, bus, metro, and a short walk. Just in reverse order.

Not fun.

Not fun with a bum knee.

And especially not fun with a bum knee and a rolly suitcase whose handle decided to break at the airport forcing you to act like a complete fool attempting to fix said handle but to no avail.

I blame the breaking of the handle on the lady working the RyanAir check-in desk. She made me put my suitcase on the scale to check its weight, so naturally I put the handle down first.

Afterwards, the handle just refused to extend. I even asked the guy working security to fix it. He couldn't. He proceeded to ask a BIG guy working security to fix it. He couldn't.

I continued attempting to fix it until I boarded the plane. This consisted of me hitting the top of the suitcase, and wiggling and jerking the handle upward. All while passersby stared at the silly American girl who walked with a limp.

On the flight to Treviso, Italy, I slept. Upon arrival, I asked a security guard where the bus stop to the train station was. He had a disappointing look on his face as he checked his watch. You see, my flight arrived at 9:30 at night. The security guard was afraid the last bus had left already, but he pointed in the general direction and said 100 meters Line 6. I have no idea what 100 meters is, so I just kept walking in the direction he pointed until I saw Line 6 bus stop. As I was waiting for this bus, other people leaving the airport kept walking past the Line 6 bus stop. I was a bit worried I was at the wrong one.

Maybe I hadn't walked 100 meters yet.

Maybe there were two Line 6 bus stops.

Maybe I was going to miss the bus.

Maybe it had already came.

It was dark outside and I was all alone.

Finally, a couple stopped at the Line 6 bus stop. I felt so relieved that I was no longer alone and was able to confirm that it was indeed the correct stop. My first set of Angels had arrived to help me out.

After I had been waiting roughly twenty minutes, the bus arrived. We were the only three to board the bus and the only three on the bus excluding the driver. I had to purchase my ticket from the driver which meant a higher price. He told me the amount in Italian to which I looked at my new bus stop friends for the English translation. I paid the two and a half Euros and scanned my ticket.

We arrived at the Treviso train station not long after and there was literally no one around. I proceeded to the automated machine to purchase my train ticket like I have done numerous times in the past, except this time the machine told me my ticket was non-saleable. Considering it was now close to 10:30 at night, there was no ticket office open. My bus stop friends tried helping me, but they couldn't figure it out either. They had no idea why it said that. The guy was kind enough to check his phone to see which platform I should be waiting at and told me I would have to buy a ticket onboard, which of course would be more expensive.

I hobbled down the stairs and back up another set of stairs, all while carrying my suitcase whose handle still refused to extend, to reach my platform. A cheery lady walked past me and spoke to me in Italian. I replied that I speak English, and so she began speaking with me in English! She had said, "It's cold out!" in Italian. She was the third Angel sent from God to look after me. She was the sweetest woman. I told her that I was an Au Pair from America.  She told me she was from Germany but now lived in Italy with her three children. She had moved here for love, but that  Italian men aren't what they seem at first. Then she said, "I have a gift for you, if you will accept it." She pulled out a book and told me that it was written by her son. It was a new book and had just been published. I thanked her for the gift as it was such a kind gesture, even though the book is in Italian. I then explained my ticket situation to her, so she made me go back to the automated machine so she could try to figure it out. This of course meant, going back down the stairs and up another set and repeating it on the return.

She didn't know what the deal with the ticket was either, so when we boarded the train she took me to the first car. She explained the issue with the ticket machine to the attendant. She spoke all in Italian, but I could understand she was telling her that I tried to purchase a ticket, but wasn't allowed. The attendant then printed me off a ticket to my final destination for only five and a half Euro. She didn't charge the extra fee because this sweet Angel, Martina, had explained to her my situation. Martina told me that I had five stops before I needed to exit and get on my connecting train. Martina exited at stop four. Before she left she told me I could find her son on Twitter.

When the train arrived at the fifth stop, I had knots in my stomach. The train arrived ten minutes late, which left me negative five minutes to get on my connecting train. I asked the attendant if I had missed the train. She said that I probably had and no more trains would leave until morning so it would be best to call someone. I kindly thanked her and continued down the stairs to exit the platform. It was now near 11pm. I looked on the television screen for the times of other trains, and there was one that hadn't left yet. I climbed the stairs to that platform where my fourth Angel was awaiting. I asked her where that train was headed. It was not in my direction, but she walked down the stairs with me to look at the schedule for the next train to Grisignano di Zocco.

We were the only ones in the tunnel, which connects all the platforms, when a drunk man entered. We were occupied looking at the time table, so we didn't notice him until we heard what sounded like a gunshot. We were instantly filled with fear as we looked up to see what was going on. This lady, my fourth angel of the night, shielded me from this man and repeated "It's okay. It's okay." The man picked up the rock or whatever it was he had thrown and made direct eye contact with me. His eyes were crazy. I will never forget that look. I thought he was going to throw the object at us, but he walked past and proceeded to climb the stairs to a platform.

I was terrified after this experience and called Marco as quickly as possible. He didn't quite understand what I was saying though. Luckily this lady was so kind, I handed the phone to her so she could explain to him in Italian that I needed a ride. She got off the phone and told me, "He said for you to wait inside and he will be here in 40-45 minutes. He will call when he arrives." I couldn't have thanked this sweet lady enough. Unfortunately, I didn't even catch her name.

I am so grateful God placed those four people in my path that night. I'm not sure I would've survived that dreadful night without them.

I walked to the inside of the train station to wait for Marco's arrival.

I was exhausted.

I was terrified.

I sat by myself in the corner of the station and cried.

Forty-Five minutes later,my fifth Angel arrived. Marco called and said, "You can exit. I am outside."

The Culture We Call Home

My Cool Friend, Martha, Who's in Africa

I just finished Facebook chatting with one of my college friends, who is currently in Africa for WorldTeach. She has only been there two months, but has experienced so many wonderful, crazy, funny, strange things. She definitely has a great outlook on life and is sharing all of her wonderful stories on her blog. Her writing is humorous and honest. You should definitely check it out!

As we were talking, I realized how many similar things we are both experiencing. I know the European and African cultures are completely different, but they're both also different from the culture we're used to. The one we call home.

As Martha talked about missing her lack of independence, it made me realize that's exactly what I have been missing. I can't go anywhere without first consulting Chiara or Marco. I live in the country. There is nothing within walking distance. Well, at least not a distance I'm willing to walk. I do have my International Driver's License. While they have both graciously offered to let me drive their cars, I just can't for three reasons:

1. Italian country roads are different than what I'm used to in America. Roundabouts, instead of traffic lights, stop signs that people don't stop at, and roads so narrow I'm not sure how two cars manage to pass. 
2. Chiara drives a manual. (Never learned how to drive one of those.) 
3. Marco drives an Audi. (Wouldn't want to wreck one of those.)

A small thing that most people probably take for granted is being on your own schedule. Martha and I discussed how we would love to wander up and down the grocery store aisles for two hours. But we can't because we're on someone else's schedule. We must not keep our generous chauffeurs waiting because next time they might not be so generous. So as much as I love being independent and having my own freedom, I definitely don't have it here in Italy. I must rely on Chiara and Marco. Much the same as Martha must rely on scheduling other people to drive her into town for groceries or whatnot. 

Another commonality we both share is teaching people who don't have the same native language as us. Granted the people I'm teaching speak Italian, while the people Martha teaches speak Oshindonga. (I definitely just went to her blog and looked under "Glossary of Terms" to figure that out. Thanks for being so organized, Martha!) But we are both faced with similar challenges in trying to help them grasp the lessons we are teaching. It gets frustrating, especially when the four year old tells me "No! Italiano!" everytime I attempt to teach her something new in English. I'm sure Martha doesn't quite have that issue, but she is teaching much more complicated subjects that I couldn't even imagine attempting to teach.

Though the most important lesson we are both having to learn is how to live in a culture that is not our own. We must adapt to our new life or we will never be able to enjoy the experience. Learning to accept things the way they are in our new culture is difficult, but it opens our eyes to have a deeper appreciation for the culture we call home.

Say What?!

According to Italians, these candies are "MMM's".

I tried explaining to Chiara how to say it correctly.

She tried, but failed.

It's funny how some English words that are simple to pronounce are actually quite difficult for Italians.

Learning the Language

"Io ho un bel vestito bianco come mia sorella."

This is the first sentence I learned to say in Italian. Naturally, one would think it must be an important statement. One that I would say almost daily, but that is not the case. It's actually a sentence I don't believe I have ever used in the English language.

You see, the translation is, "I have a beautiful white dress like my sister."

Random photo of me and the kids being silly

Firenze

On Top of the Bell Tower

We left Pisa early Saturday morning to catch the train into Florence, which was our last stop together. We had originally planned to visit Cinque Terre Saturday, but the weather forecast said 100% rain. Cinque Terre is a beautiful place by the sea, but not a place to visit when the weather isn't sunny. It's definitely a place that you should Google! Seriously, look it up.

View of the Duomo

We walked outside just as the taxi was pulling up. The driver helped put our luggage in the trunk, then off we went to the train station. We arrived a bit early, so after buying our tickets we headed to the McCafe for some breakfast. Chocolate croissants was obviously what we ordered plus two bottles of water. Zach also ordered a coffee to go, then we headed to our platform, but not before we validated our tickets! We were sure never to forget that again! The train to Florence was a bit sketchy. It was definitely an older train, but we survived!

With the help of Google Maps, we made our way from the train station to the Hotel Marriott! We arrived early and at first the lady working told us there were no rooms ready at that time. Yet, somehow five minutes later a room was available, which was great because we were exhausted and hot. The lobby was like a sauna for some reason. I'm not even kidding. 

Our room was nice and clean, but the view from the window was not. Our window overlooked apartment buildings that were a bit run down with laundry hanging on lines outside, even in the rain. Pretty sure that defeats the purpose.

View from the Belltower

After freshening up, we headed out to explore the city. There was a train that stopped near our hotel which took us close to the city center in just one stop. Our first place to visit was a restaurant. We were starving. We ate at this cute cafe with seating outside in a covered area. Then we went to The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, also known as The Duomo. We decided to climb the 414 steps to the top of the Campanile or bell tower. The staircase is narrow and spiral, which isn't a good combination when numerous tourists are ascending and descending these stairs each day. There were a few rooms connecting the staircase, which allowed one to sit and rest before continuing the climb. But it was also a bit of a cruel trick because we thought we had made it to the top, but in reality we still had lots of stairs left to climb. Once arriving to the top, the view was beautiful! We had a perfect view of the dome on the cathedral and also a lovely view of the city. It was worth the climb. Going down the stairs went much quicker and after exiting, we entered the Cathedral. The interior of the dome has a magnificent fresco of "The Last Judgement", which was amazing to see! Afterwards, we went to the basement or Crypt where archeological remains of the Santa Reparata cathedral are kept and also tombs of past bishops of Florence. It was really interesting. 

The Last Judgment 

Of course, after climbing all those stairs we deserved some gelato. So we went to Grom, where they supposedly have the best gelato in Florence. We both ordered the house special, Crema di Grom. After trying it out, we concur that it is the best gelato.

Grom Gelato

We walked around the city and stumbled upon Palazzo Vecchio, where we thought we had found the David statue. Although, I was certain I read it was in the Accademia. We were very confused. Later we realized the statue in the Palazzo Vecchio is merely a replica, standing in the square where the original once stood. The real David is now protected in the Accademia. 

Double Rainbow Over Florence

It began to rain so we busted out the umbrella and decided to walk to a museum, but we never made it. The weather cleared up quickly so we walked to a place to get a good view of the Ponte Vecchio. This bridge is Florence's oldest bridge and only surviving bridge from the Medieval days. The bridge is lined with jewelry and tourist shops now, but was once lined with butcher shops. On our walk back, we saw a double rainbow! It was so cool to see a double rainbow in Florence, Italy. I mean, how many people can say that?! 

We stopped inside the Galileo museum, considered buying tickets, but decided against it. The weather was still nice so we walked across Ponte Vecchio. It didn't seem like much of bridge with all the shops lined up on either side, but it was cool! We explored this part of the city a bit and then headed back towards the train station to go back to the hotel before dinner.

Ponte Vecchio

By this time my knee was hurting a lot. It had started hurting that morning, for reasons I don't know. We grabbed dinner at a cool restaurant next to our hotel, so I wouldn't have to walk far. I ate a cheeseburger, which wasn't too bad and I believe, Zach ordered a pizza. We also ordered an appetizer of bread. The waiter brought out the appetizer fairly quickly, but our entrees took forever. Zach said it was probably because we hadn't finished our appetizer. I didn't think so, but he was right! As soon as we put the last two slices of bread on our plates, the waiter delivered our meal. So strange. After dinner we returned to the hotel room because I could barely walk.

First thing on our list for Sunday was the Accademia! We stopped by a bakery for some croissants before continuing on our journey to find this museum. Along the way, we happened across a building with $1 bills on the outside. It was the strangest thing. A random man was standing outside a shop, so I asked him if he knew about the building across the way. He said, "Someone has too much money. A very rich man put the money up there." All along the bottom half of the building there are marks where money used to be, but people snatched 'em all up!

Dollar Bill Building

The Original David

We got to the Accademia just before the crowd hit. We toured the entire museum, but our main reason for going was to see Michelangelo's David. It was such an amazing thing to see this piece of history. To see this masterpiece in person, instead of in the history books. Very very cool. Although photos weren't allowed, we snapped a couple. Some people weren't so sneaky though and got yelled at.

The Hard Rock Cafe Florence

Lunch time came so we headed to The Hard Rock Cafe! I find it quite interesting to eat in American restaurants in different countries. I like to compare and contrast. This Hard Rock was quite similar to those found in the States with all the memorabilia. The food was good, also. Afterwards, we headed to the Chocolate Festival! Once a year all of the best Chocolatiers around Florence come together. Zach and I just so happened to be in town during this wonderful event. There were so many types of chocolate! Obviously we bought some and it was, of course, delicious.

We climbed, technically rode, like five different escalators, to the top of a department store to a little cafe on the top where there was a nice view of the city. It was super windy though so we only stayed long enough to snap a few photos.

Chocolate wrenches, guns, horseshoes, etc.

By that evening my knee was really bothering me, so we went back to the hotel so I could rest. Zach headed back out though just in time to catch the sunset in Michelangelo Square and to walk around a cool local part of Florence. That night, we met back up at the department store entrance before dinner. We went to a little pub for pasta, only they no longer served pasta. However, it was listed on their menu and written on their window. Anyways, we ended up at a fairly nice restaurant where we both ordered some pretty legit pasta. I'm starting to think that all food in Italy is just delicious. We walked around a bit before going back to catch the train to the hotel.

Monday morning came quickly, but we didn't have many plans. It was our last day together in Florence, so we went out for breakfast. My knee was still giving me issues. I could barely walk, so we went to the restaurant by our hotel. We had no idea it was a bakery too! They had every kind of sweet one could want. We settled on croissants with nutella and got bananas, as well. We were bummed we discovered this place on our last day. It was such a good breakfast stop! We had already checked out of our hotel, but we went back to hang out in the lobby before heading to the train station. We tried watching the Olympics, but couldn't find the right channel. We decided to head out a bit early so we could grab some food at the station before our trains left. I got a mozzarella, tomato and basil sandwich. It is one of my new favorite foods, for sure!

My train left a few minutes before Zach's train, who by the way, was headed to Rome! Way better destination than where I was traveling to. We said our goodbyes, then I hobbled to car number five to board my train home. 

2.5 Hours

We arrived in Pisa and waited outside for our host, V, to pick us up. We had decided to Couch Surf for the first time! I had arranged everything with this guy who had great references and said he would be happy to host us. I, however, failed to mention it would be a guy and a girl. So as we are waiting by the fountain I receive a text from the guy asking if it would be "two womens or guy and girl". I was getting worried that he wasn't going to show up because there was a guy with me. However, his Couch Surfing profile stated that any gender could stay with him, so I still had hope. He finally showed up 15 minutes late and kept going on and on about there being a guy. His English was poor, so it was difficult to understand everything he said. But he basically was saying he thought it was going to be two girls because my profile picture is of me and another girl. And that he would like to know ahead of time so it's not such a surprise. We apologized, but I was really thinking 'Well, that's what you get when you assume. If it was really that big of a deal, you should've asked before offering to let us stay'. By the time we arrived to the house, he had gotten over the initial shock of it being a guy and girl. He took us to his friend's house, which is where the extra bedroom was. Zach and I were slightly confused with the situation, but we think the room is rented during the summer to vacationers and during the winter they let Couch Surfers use it free of charge. The room was nice and big. The bathroom, not so much. It was shared by the all the roommates, so we chose to use it as minimally as possible. They had put clean sheets on the bed and laid towels out for us to use. The back of the door had information about the wifi and a taxi number. One guy who lived there knew very little English, but was quite funny and friendly. The other roommates were a bit stand-offish. They did say "Ciao" when they saw us though. We got settled in and then headed out with V for our full walking tour of Pisa.

The first stop was a famous square where men would arrive on their horses way back when for meetings. The square is now home to a University and a few shops.

Our next stop was the most anticipated! We had made it to the Leaning Tower of Pisa! It was so neat to see it in person. Tickets could be purchased to climb the stairs inside to the top, but we opted to just admire it from the outside and take the cliche' photo.

Unfortunately, our photographer was much better at the tour guide gig than the photographer one so that -->
picture didn't quite turn out. But I still like it!

Zach, V, and I

Although V's English was limited, we were still able to communicate. We talked about superstitions, which just so happens to be the same in Italy as in America. I explained to him how I fell off an elephant in Thailand. And he told us how he wants to visit Brazil before America. At dinner, we taught him the word "mall" and about the Mall of America. We ate at little restaurant on the main shopping street of Pisa. I ordered a cutto (similar to ham) and mozzarella sandwich. It looked amazing, but tasted completely opposite. The cutto smelled like wet dog, so I couldn't eat it. It was terrible. I tried scraping it off and just eating the mozzarella and bread, but the smell was still there. Zach enjoyed his calzone though and V drank his Fanta. After dinner we got gelato! Chocolate and banana was such a great choice!

The last part of Pisa V wanted to show us was of a building with a mural on the side of it, which was done by a famous New York writer in 1989. Technically, he was an artist. I guess V was just a bit confused on the word. He was very surprised though that Zach and I had no idea who Keith Haring was.

The mural was interesting and it was neat that it was completed in the year Zach and I were born. After this, V said, "The tour of Pisa is finished." This full tour of Pisa only lasted about two and a half hours. Pisa is such a small town and is only famous because of the Leaning Tower, but it was definitely worth the trip!

Tuttomondo
According to Wikipedia, "In June, on the rear wall of the convent of the Church of Sant'Antonio (in Italian: Chiesa di Sant'Antonio abate) in Pisa (Italy), he painted the last public work of his life, the mural "Tuttomondo" (translation: "the whole world")."

Train Travel

Train travel through Italy is so simple! The train ticket can be purchased at a kiosk in the train station. They even have multiple languages to choose from. Our train to Pisa was not a direct route; we had to switch trains in Florence. We arrived in Florence just in time to catch a train that was leaving in ten minutes. We purchased our tickets from the kiosk in record timing and looked at the departure board for the platform number our train was leaving from, except we couldn't find it. Zach asked one of the workers who told us it was platform three. By this time, we had less than five minutes to get on that train. We were rushing past people trying to find platform three, which was at the opposite end of the station, of course. We finally found it and boarded the train just in time! Only we forgot to validate our tickets. The train attendant came by asking for our tickets, so we handed them over. She was apparently having the worst day of her life, because she was not a happy camper. She asked us why the tickets weren't validated, to which we replied that we didn't know we had to. She said, "It's going to be five Euro each. I'll be right back." She angrily walked off and returned moments later with our now validated tickets and stuck her hand out for our money. We paid up and never saw her again.

The Sinking City-Part Two

Random Alleyway

Zach and I decided to head back to the hotel before going out to dinner that night. We figured we would wander around and eventually find our way back. The weather was still amazing and we had no place to be. So we took off walking; over a bridge, through the square, down an alley, past some shops until I finally saw something that looked familiar. It was a sign that said, "Igloo". I had pointed it out to Sammie earlier that morning because it reminded me of the "Icee" logo. I was for sure I knew where we were going at this point, so Zach followed me. I did not know where I was going. We ended up at a dead end. Then we took another wrong turn and ended up farther away from the hotel. Roughly two hours after we began this journey, we found the right street and our hotel!

Zach's First Italian Pizza

Later that evening we headed out for pizza! We found a place near our hotel that served pizza, so we walked right in. We asked our server how large the pizza was because in Italy most pizza's are not the personal size that one would see in America. The smallest pizza here is still one that can be shared by two people. But our waitress assured us that the pizza was the perfect size for one person. Taking her advice, we each ordered our own. Well, she was full of lies. The pizza's were huge and could've easily been split between two people! Zach almost finished his pizza. I tried, but didn't come close. The pizza in Italy is so much better than American pizza. I will certainly miss it when I return to the States. After dinner, we stopped back by the place with the macaroons. I got a vanilla one this time, but didn't end up eating it until the next day.

Rialto Market

We checked out of our room before venturing out the next morning. We were able to leave our luggage at the hotel though while we checked out Rialto Market. This is the same market Sammie and I went to the previous day, but it was already shutting down. Every morning in Rialto Square, there is a large market consisting of fruits, vegetables, and raw fish. Fish of every kind, octopus, squid, crawdads. They were all very fresh, in fact some were still alive! All the raw fish were kept laid out in the open on ice. The smell was not pleasant, but it was very interesting to see. We bought two bananas from a guy at a fruit stand and walked around a bit before heading back to the hotel to pick up our bags. This time we didn't get lost! We actually made it back quicker than expected. We retrieved our bags then

Rialto Market

walked down to the Grand Canal to board the vaporetto. The dang tourists who boarded before us asked the man working if he needed a ticket, so we had to purchase tickets too. I mean, we totally would've slipped by without tickets. We didn't even look like tourists. We just had our luggage and cameras and Go Pros and map. Totally fit in with the Venetians. 

We enjoyed one last cruise down the Grand Canal, then boarded the train to Pisa!

The Sinking City-Part One

Grand Canal from Rialto Bridge

They say Venice is slowly sinking, even so, it's a beautiful city! Venice is full of winding alleys, boats, bridges, and dogs. Because of all the winding alleys, it is very easy to get turned around. One minute you are headed in the right direction, the next, you are completely lost. Gondolas, cargo boats, vaporettos (water taxis), private taxis are always floating up and down the Grand Canal. There are large bridges, small bridges, beautiful bridges and bridges with a beautiful view. Dogs are everywhere. Some are walking on a leash, while others are unleashed walking next to their owners. Dogs were in stores, on boats, in restaurants.

Sammie and I stoked to be in Venice

Sammie and I took the train into Venice early Thursday morning. The weather was the best! We couldn't have asked for better weather to tour Venice in. When we arrived, Sammie had planned to meet another Au Pair I nicknamed Brave for the mere fact she has crazy red hair. When we arrived at the train station though we didn't see her waiting outside and we were pretty sure she couldn't have been missed. So we continued on. I needed to drop my suitcase off at the hotel first thing, so I didn't have to drag it around Venice all day. We got in line to buy a ticket for the vaporetto. After standing at the window for entirely way too long trying to figure out how to say what we needed in Italian, the lady working angrily said, "What do you need?" We were like, "Ahh, she speaks English!" So we purchased our tickets then continued onto the dock to wait for the taxi. Sammie figured out the vaporetto route and that our stop would be third; however, we ended up at the wrong dock. Luckily, I noticed before the taxi arrived so we were able to walk to the correct dock in time, but not before getting stuck at the turnstile. Two older gentlemen were in front of us trying to figure out how to work it. One of the men said, "Aspetta", which meant for us to wait. After they finally got through the turnstile it was mine and Sammie's turn. It took us a minute to figure it out, but we got it! We just had to scan our ticket and wait for the beep. We boarded the correct vaporetto and headed down the Grand Canal to the San Samuele stop.

The ride to our stop was full of people squished in together on this vaporetto, but it was also full of beauty! Riding down the Grand Canal in Venice was something I had never imagined doing before. The city is simply beautiful. The Venetians are wonderful people. There are no cars on the island. All supplies/cargo must arrive by boat, which we actually got to see. Everywhere you looked, people are walking. Walking with their kids. Walking with their dog. Walking with their friends. Everyone seemed so full of life.

Albergo San Samuele Hotel

We arrived at San Samuele and began the search for my hotel. We had directions, but still weren't entirely sure if we knew where we were going. We found the hotel without issues though and the hostess was so sweet. She upgraded my room to one with an ensuite bathroom. She even let me check-in hours early. She then gave Sammie and I a map that she carefully marked for us, showing us what we should see and do during our stay.  It was interesting trying to use a real map. I refused to use Google Maps though, which made for a fun adventure!

After putting my suitcase in the room, we took off for the morning market in Rialto Square. On the way, we passed all kinds of people, shops, statues, bridges. One bridge was exceptionally pretty, Rialto Bridge. It overlooked the Grand Canal where the boats were passing by and buildings were lined up on either side. Of course, we had to stop for a few photos before continuing on. By the time we arrived at the market, most of the stalls had been taken down already. We just ventured around, exploring Venice before we had to head back to the hotel to meet up with Zach.

Zach, my friend from high school, was arriving in Venice on his birthday! Sammie and I stopped at a little bakery on the way back to pick up a slice of cake for him and obviously for ourselves. We got an amazing chocolate cake that the worker said was "the best one in the shop"! Sammie and I ate ours right then, which left us tempted to eat Zach's slice before he arrived. We held out though. We waited at the San Samuele taxi stop for about thirty minutes before we finally saw him arriving on the boat! As soon as he exited, we yelled "Happy Birthday!!" We showed him the way to the hotel room and made him open his cake. Sammie was surprised he didn't eat it right away. She said, "I would've been like 'excuse me for a moment while I eat this!'" I know I would've devoured it right away too!

Zach and I in St. Mark's Square

After Zach got changed and ate his cake, we headed to St. Mark's Square! We got lost along the way, but happened to end up at the tip of the island. It was a really nice view and had a gorgeous Cathedral on it. We got back on track though and decided to stop in a bakery before arriving in St. Mark's Square. The bakery had delicious macaroons! I had never had one before. I tried fragola (strawberry). It was delizioso! St. Mark's Square was full of pigeons and people! If you stood still with your arms out, pigeons would actually land on you! None of us tried it though, but plenty of other people did. We tried taking some cool video with Zach's GoPro, and didn't realize the battery had died until after we made complete fools of ourselves. It was fun though! We saw the bell tower, St. Mark's Basilica, and Doge's Palace. All were very beautiful!

St. Mark's Basilica

We walked along the Grand Canal where Sammie slipped and almost fell in. Luckily, I witnessed the entire thing, which made for a good laugh. We went inside a cool antique shop that had hand made wooden ships. The details were unreal. We continued walking and came upon a statue that had the year in Roman Numerals. After a few minutes, we were able to figure out which year it was. But of course, I don't remember it now. Sammie spent a little more time with us before having to head back to the train station to come back to Campodoro.

Bananas Make Everything Better

As I was elevating my leg with ice on my knee, Giorgia randomly brought me a banana. I was slightly confused by this when Chiara explained. She said, "Whenever Giorgia's legs hurt from growing, she eats a banana. She thought you needed a banana to feel better."

She can be a sweetheart sometimes! 

Thiene-Campodoro-Rome

Last Tuesday, February 4th, Sammie came to stay with me and my host family for a while. Things weren't quite working out with her host family in Thiene, so it was best that she move out.

I'm so glad she felt comfortable enough to text me asking if she could stay with me for a few days. And I am so thankful for an understanding and welcoming host family, who had no problem letting Sammie crash on the couch. They couldn't believe her host family wasn't more understanding or helpful in the situation. They also knew how difficult it must be with Sammie being in a different country with no one she knew. So that Tuesday afternoon, Chiara picked her up from the Grisignano di Zocco train station nearby!  

It was so much fun having her stay with us. It was like a slumber party every night! The timing couldn't have been better because I was leaving that Thursday for a trip around Venice, Pisa, and Florence with my friend, Zach, from high school. Sammie was able to stay even longer because she was able to use my bedroom, instead of the couch.

She got to work trying to find a new host family and lucked out because her real parents knew an Italian tour guide in Rome who could use an Au Pair. So the following Monday she boarded the train to Rome, but not before going to Venice with me that Thursday!

Marco's Sayings

• Marco said, "I learned a new saying, 'It's a dirty work but someone has to do it!'" He was so proud of himself. 

• "The morning hours are gold in the mouth."

• The other night when we had gelato, Marco told me I could put Crispy M&M's on my gelato. I said, "Oh, the Crispy M&M's are finito!" He said, "Wahhh? Randi, you are going to get (used his arms to demonstrate a large person), just like me!" I was like, gee thanks a lot, Marco! 

• Marco jokingly said, "Do you know McDonald's? It's a typical Italian restaurant!"

• The night of the Super Bowl I tried to teach Giorgia to say "Go Seahawks!" Marco said, "Don't corrupt my children!"

• My friend, Sammie, gave me blue house slippers which I've been wearing around the house. The first time Marco saw them he laughed and said, "Those are very sexy"! A few seconds later he said, "I joke, I joke."

• One night at dinner, I opened a container of yogurt and Marco slightly freaked out. I was so confused. He said, "The bubble! It is good luck!" Chiara explained that if a bubble forms in the yogurt when you open the container, it's lucky. She said, "Marco has been trying for years to get one!" I happened to get a bubble again the very next day. I guess I'm just a lucky person! 

• "Once upon a time...eh, no. Many years ago, I worked at a tennis camp. At seven in the morning me and another boy played the radio softly to wake everyone up in the hotel. One morning while everyone in hotel sleeps, we used the microphone to the radio and said, 'GOOOOOD MOOORRRNNINGGG!' I will wake you up tomorrow morning by saying 'GOOOOD MOOORRRNNINGGG!' at 6AM." 

• Referring to a retired Italian actress Marco said, "She has the eye of a pig." Chiara laughed and told me that was not a translatable phrase. 

• I hurt my knee recently, so Marco gave me an ice pack for it. He then said, "It's terrible to get old. I see a white hair!" 

• I'm always cold and therefore, always covered up with a blanket. He said, "My grandmother always used a blanket." Implying that I was an old lady!

• We were watching a movie one night that Tom Cruise was in. Marco jokingly said, "That is me. I am really Tom Cruise." Chiara replied, "If he is Tom Cruise, I am The Rock!"

• The other night Marco was talking to me about going out at night and meeting new people. He said, "I don't want you to get bored. I want you to meet some Italian friends too." I said, "Do you know of any single Italian boys?" His reply, "It is difficult for me because I see you as my son and I want a good boy for you." I didn't have the heart to tell him it should be "daughter". 

Go Seahawks!

Super Bowl Sunday, or Monday as it didn't start until 12:30AM, was a great time! Well, not the actual game since I was the only one to stay awake for it, but the entire evening before was awesome. Chiara and I picked up Sammie from the train station in Vicenza Sunday before dinner. On the way home Sammie informed us she would be cheering for the Broncos, which meant I was the only Seahawks fan. Chiara said, "Randi, do you want me to stop the car and kick her out? You need to find a Seahawks fan!"

For dinner that night Chiara made Mexican food. I'm not normally a huge fan of Mexican cuisine, but this was actually really good. We had chicken fajitas, chips and salsa, chili, peppers. She went all out!

Sammie and I hung out in my room for a while waiting until it was close to game time. When we came downstairs, we were surprised to find this!

We cracked up laughing! Marco said, "Chiara did that!" When Chiara came down the stairs she said, "What?!" Pretending she had no idea why we were laughing. She said she was sneaking around trying to get it done before we came downstairs.

Marco and Chiara told us they were too tired to stay up for the game, so it ended up just being me and Sammie at first. Then an hour into it, it was just me. The entire game was broadcast in Italian. I could only understand a few words that were said. Luckily, the half time show was in English! Although in the beginning the broadcaster was talking over the singing. Not cool, man. I tried to wake Sammie up for Bruno Mars since it was actually something we could understand, but she was out.

I ended up falling asleep for about 15 minutes. I guess I was getting bored since the Seahawks were killing the Broncos. But just so happens during the time I was sleeping was when the Broncos finally decided to score. I woke up with no idea how the score had changed, but was happy the Seahawks were still in the lead. I managed to stay awake for the rest of the game. Before going to bed I, of course, switched the signs Chiara had made and proudly wrote out the final score!

Solus Per Aqua

A couple weekends ago my host family took me to the Natural Hot Springs spa in Garda Lake. It was about an hour and a half drive to get there, which involved me being squished in the back seat between the door and Giorgia. She just so happened to think it would be a great idea to lean her entire body on me during this drive. I would tell her to stop and push her back over, but that did not deter her. I was annoyed, to say the least.

We stopped at the grocery store because Marco needed to pick up swim diapers for Mattia. He comes out of the store with an entire bag of stuff! Chiara said, "I send him in for two things and look at this!" We continued on our way with Giorgia still leaning up against me every now and then and also moving my leg out of the way because she thought I had Mattia's stickers. I did not have his stickers. I gave them to him once I opened them. She apparently missed the whole event of me leaning across her to hand them to Mattia. Anyway, Marco had bought some candy in the store so that kept the kids happy for a while.

It was just about lunch time when we were getting close, so we stopped at McDonald's to eat. This was my first time eating a meal at an Italian McDonald's. I got my usual plain cheeseburger with fries. Tasted just like America! I'm pretty sure the slogan for McDonald's is "The Great Tastes of America" because there were signs everywhere! This McDonald's also served pasta and pizza. Inside the McDonald's was the regular counter we are used to in America, where you order your food. But they also had a cafe counter that was really nice! They served coffee, croissants, breakfast sweets, etc. I would gladly take this McDonald's over the ones in America, except for one thing. There were no huge pump containers of ketchup setting out. Ketchup had to be purchased!

When we arrived at the spa, there were only four other people which was nice! We got changed in the locker rooms then walked up the stairs into the pool area. Before we left the house that morning, Chiara had given me a robe, sandals, and a swim cap. I packed everything she gave me, but in the back of my head I was thinking 'no way am I wearing a swim cap'. As I entered the pool Chiara was putting a swim cap on both kids and herself. As soon as I got in the water, Marco told me I needed the swim cap. I had a confused look on my face. Chiara then said, "In all public pools in Italy a swim cap must be worn so hair doesn't get everywhere." I said, "That makes sense. In America, you do not have to wear a swim cap. Girls with long hair will swim with their hair down." She looked disgusted. So I got out of the pool to put on this swim cap. It took me a solid five minutes to get it on. I had never worn a swim cap before. I got back in the pool and Marco said, "You look marvelous!" Haha

Part of the pool was indoor, while the other half was partly covered but had no walls. It was actually really nice using the outdoor section because the air was cool so it was easier to breathe. The indoor side got stuffy with all the steam. There was also a hot tub in the outdoor area! It made the heated pool feel cold afterwards though. The pools had jets, which were so strong I could barely walk around. Marco had to grab my arm once because I couldn't get past with the current. He just laughed at me. The pool had these waterfalls that you were supposed to sit underneath to massage your neck and shoulders. It was strange, but nice!

After a couple hours, we got out of the water to dry off and relax. We ate some snacks too. We were eating chocolate wafers, which had gotten a bit melty from the heat. The kids got chocolate everywhere! It was such a mess. Once we had dried off, we went back into the locker rooms to change and head home. The locker rooms had blowdryers attached to the walls, not like you see at a hotel though. They were quite strange looking.

The hot springs was such a cool experience. Even though it reminded me of a heated, covered pool, it was neat knowing that the water is heated naturally! Marco also taught me that S.P.A. stands for Solus Per Aqua. I don't remember what that means though, except something something water!

Luckily, the drive home was nice and calm because Giorgia and Mattia slept most of the way!