So I'm posting the address of the Rome center where I will be staying until April 30th or so. It costs alot of money for me to pick up packages, so please don't send packages, but I would love letters!!!
Alyson Singh
UW Italian Studies
c/o University of Washington Rome Center
Piazza del Biscione 95
00186 Rome, ITALY
grazie!
:-)
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Roma day 2!
Ciao tutti,
So our second day in Rome we had an orientation tour for the UW rome center and then our ital studies group went around the neighborhood around where our apts are. Then we went and got cell phones. my number is 339 7187289. in case of any emergencies. Also its free for me if anybody calls me, even from the US, which is cool. Then we walked around and I got pasta for lunch, super good. and Then we walked over to see the boys apartment which is about 20 min away from ours across the Tevere (The Tiber river) . Then we went to the supermarket, which are all under department stores which is weird. Imagine a grocery store under Macys. then we all walked to the Pantheon, which was amazing!!! Unfortunately my camera died before i could take any pictures of it, which stunk. but the architecture of it was soooo amazing! carved marble, and the detail was so intricate. Che bellisimo! We were super hungry by the time we got back to our apartment so we went to the nearest restaurant which was super expensive, because it was made for american tourists. haha oh well it was soooo yummy! haha ok well i gotta go.
Ci vediamo!
~Aly~
:-)
So our second day in Rome we had an orientation tour for the UW rome center and then our ital studies group went around the neighborhood around where our apts are. Then we went and got cell phones. my number is 339 7187289. in case of any emergencies. Also its free for me if anybody calls me, even from the US, which is cool. Then we walked around and I got pasta for lunch, super good. and Then we walked over to see the boys apartment which is about 20 min away from ours across the Tevere (The Tiber river) . Then we went to the supermarket, which are all under department stores which is weird. Imagine a grocery store under Macys. then we all walked to the Pantheon, which was amazing!!! Unfortunately my camera died before i could take any pictures of it, which stunk. but the architecture of it was soooo amazing! carved marble, and the detail was so intricate. Che bellisimo! We were super hungry by the time we got back to our apartment so we went to the nearest restaurant which was super expensive, because it was made for american tourists. haha oh well it was soooo yummy! haha ok well i gotta go.
Ci vediamo!
~Aly~
:-)
Monday, March 29, 2010
Arrivo a Roma!
Ciao tutti!!!
So I have successfully arrived in Rome!!!! Its so amazingly wonderful. We woke up super early to catch our flight. But when we got to the airport we were starving and so thirsty. So we stood in a really long line because they had this juice and pastry deal, but when we got to the front of the line they had no pastries! We were so sad, and then as soon as we sit down they get a whole bunch more, but there was still a line out the door. We were not happy. Anyways, so we got on a plane and arrived in rome and met the majority of our group and tried to find our way to the center of rome. We successfully found the train station and bought the right ticket, but then got on the wrong train. haha. It ended up working out, we had to take a cab from where we got off and had to pay a bunch of extra money, but we did find the UW Rome center. We checked in and found our apartment. I love the apartment! we got the best one!!! I am with 10 other girls in my program and we are literally 30 seconds from where our classes are and right in the center of Il Campo dei fiori, which has a great little market right outside of our door. The 8 of us who were in then went and walked around the area, and since most of us were starving, we went to a little Pizzeria. It was sooo good!!! and it tasted especially good since Lauren and I hadn't had a real meal since friday night. Tomorrow we are getting an orientation tour for the Rome Center and around the neighborhood, and I think classes start on Wednesday.
Arrivederci!!!
~Alyson~
:-)
p.s the pictures are of my room and the view from our window. I am in heaven.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Barcelona day 3 (Last Day)
Ciao Tutti!
Since we slept in most of the day yesterday, we had to get up and get going today. Our first spot was the Castle atop the Hills of Barcelona, Called the Castle Montjuic. It was so amazing (everything is so amazing, i know). You take a cable car up to the top of this hill, and like the good guidebook said, the cable car was half the trip. All around the Castle were gorgeous views of Barcelona! There was also a benefit "Spain for Chile" concert going on, which was really cool. We took tons of pictures with the castle and Barcelona in the background.
Next we took a bus (which took a really long time) to this park we read about called the Parc Guell. It was designed by a famous architect who also designed the Cathedral and the Casa de Batllo. It was soooo breathtaking! I felt like I was on another planet, it was so cool. James Cameron has got to come here to get inspiration for Avatar 2. Seriously, It was that beautiful. Unfortunately since we still needed to make it to the Picasso museum, we only had 1/2 hour which was not nearly enough time, but we made due, rushing like mad women to see as much as we could. The Park has these famous mosaic benches that were so intricate and cool.
*random story: So as were were taking the Metro back there was the cutest little kid in a stroller, who saw me holding on to the pole, so he held on too (even though he was in a stroller) he was frustrated that I was taller then him so he tried to raise himself higher than me so he could grab the pole higher. We played a pole grabbing game for the whole Metro ride, he was adorable! His parents told him to say "ciao ciao" to me after. So cute! :-)
After we rushed about the park, we took a bus back to the main square and rushed to the Picasso Museum. apparently the museum has over 30,000 total works by Picasso, much of which was donated by him. It has alot of his early work, which wasn't that abstract, and I didn't know he did alot of work before he went all abstract, so that was interesting. My favorite part was his interpretation of the "Las Meninas" painting by Velazquez. If you remember (or are actually still reading this) That was my favorite painting in the Prado Museum in Madrid. Picasso's interpretation of it was incredible and fascinating. My art history nerd self was having so much fun, hehe.
After the museum closed we just walked around Barcelona for a bit and stopped for a drink in guess where....STARBUCKS! haha yes, but it really did feel like and taste like Starbucks. Haha
After that we went back to our hotel while we now have to pack to take a very early plane flight tomorrow A ROMA PER 3 MESI!!! I can't believe it, I've ben wanted to go to Italy since I was 12, and I am finally going! eeeeee!!!! Spain was amazing! So many things to do and the people were so nice and helpful. If you are planning to go, I would say no more than 2 days in Madrid and spend more time if you can in Barcelona. Barcelona is amazingly beautiful and wonderful.
Arrivederci!
~Alyson~
:-)
Barcelona day 2
Ciao tutti!
So last post was on friday after we got to Barcelona. We went dancing that night, and ended up coming back and talking till 8 am, and then we were planning to take a short nap before we started our day, but we slept till 4 pm. So our day was basically shot. We did go and see La Segrada Familia! Its the most beautiful construction site in the world! It was started in late 1800s i think, and was never finished, so over the years they have added more and more, and they hope to have it finished in 2025. I did a project my senior year of high school on Barcelona, and La Segrada Familia has been one of the things I have been dying to see. And I finally did! Thanks to Mrs. Martinez, my high school spanish teacher. :-)
After that we were starving, so we went to this pastry place and got the most amazing churro I have ever had. It was perfect with this light cream, sort of like banana or lemon cream. It was soooo good!!!! (especially since we hadn't had anything to eat all day!)
So next we tried to go to the Picasso Museum, but it was closing and it was going to be free on sunday, so we decided to go today instead.
After that we just went to a supermarket (which are all under department stores interestingly enough) and got sandwich stuff for dinner. It was earth hour, so we turned off the lights and watched as they turned off all the lights in Barcelona! (more or less). After that we went down to the water front where the '92 Olympics were, which is the ultimate club spot in Barcelona. We paid way to much for a crazy dance club, but it was still fun.
We didn't stay out too late (stupid time change) and then went back to get a few hours sleep before we had to get up for a very full day today.
:-)
Friday, March 26, 2010
Barcelona
Ciao tutti!
So the last post was written last night, but i couldn't post it until just now.
Anyways I arrived safely in Barcelona, the train ride didn't have the best accomodations, but we dealt. We were in a 6 bunker small room, and had to have the couple there with us help load our (very) heavy suitcases up onto the ceiling storage area, it was quite the task. But it was kind of fun to fall asleep to the rocking of the train.
We arrived in Barcelona around 8 am this morning, and since we couldn't find a place to stay ahead of time, we went to the travel place at the train station, and we ended up booking a 3 star hotel, that was the same price as a hostel. So we took the metro to find our hotel, which is a little above las Ramblas street, in a very nice area fairly close to the center. Its a really nice hotel for the discounted price we paid for it.
So we stored our bags at the hotel and walked around Barcelona for a while, we found the cathedral, and some other amazing buildings! Barcelona is gorgeous!!! Its a really sunny warm day (but all the locals are dressed warm, so I think its a colder day for barcelona, even though we think its so hot, especially since Madrid had been freezing). All of the buildings have so much detail, its amazing! I also cannot understand anything anyone says, they are speaking Catalan, which is half spanish half french, and completely impossible to understand. But parts of Barcelona that we walked down are considered to be pick pocketers paradise, so I made sure i had my hand around my little over the shoulder purse thing (Thank you nani!) and nothing was stolen.
So we finally checked into our room, and now I am in the hotel lobby using the internet, as we decide what we are going to do later!
Arrivederci!
~Alyson~
:-)
So the last post was written last night, but i couldn't post it until just now.
Anyways I arrived safely in Barcelona, the train ride didn't have the best accomodations, but we dealt. We were in a 6 bunker small room, and had to have the couple there with us help load our (very) heavy suitcases up onto the ceiling storage area, it was quite the task. But it was kind of fun to fall asleep to the rocking of the train.
We arrived in Barcelona around 8 am this morning, and since we couldn't find a place to stay ahead of time, we went to the travel place at the train station, and we ended up booking a 3 star hotel, that was the same price as a hostel. So we took the metro to find our hotel, which is a little above las Ramblas street, in a very nice area fairly close to the center. Its a really nice hotel for the discounted price we paid for it.
So we stored our bags at the hotel and walked around Barcelona for a while, we found the cathedral, and some other amazing buildings! Barcelona is gorgeous!!! Its a really sunny warm day (but all the locals are dressed warm, so I think its a colder day for barcelona, even though we think its so hot, especially since Madrid had been freezing). All of the buildings have so much detail, its amazing! I also cannot understand anything anyone says, they are speaking Catalan, which is half spanish half french, and completely impossible to understand. But parts of Barcelona that we walked down are considered to be pick pocketers paradise, so I made sure i had my hand around my little over the shoulder purse thing (Thank you nani!) and nothing was stolen.
So we finally checked into our room, and now I am in the hotel lobby using the internet, as we decide what we are going to do later!
Arrivederci!
~Alyson~
:-)
Madrid day #3
Ciao tutti!
Ok so we originally weren't planning on spending another day in Madrid, but the way the trains worked out we were able to. Last night we weren't able to go out because we were trying to find a last min hostel to stay in in Barcelona, up till 5 and no luck finding a hostel.
Anyways, the next morning we checked out of our hostel at noon, and then I went and got a pear pastry for breakfast. Then we just decided to walk around Madrid till we could have a nice lunch. We ended up almost making a complete square of Madrid. We walked so far!!! But we saw amazing architecture, the library, gave high fives to a random statue of a hand. haha
So its about 4 pm. by this point we are starving! so we tried to find a restaurant, but it took us a while. We ended up taking the metro to this other area, and we finally found a little restaurant/cafe and I had empanadas y gallas (i think), i had not idea what it was, it turned out to be this pastry thing with chicken and peppers. It was really good. Anyways, we went back to our hostel and got out bags and now we are waiting at the train station for our overnight train to Barcelona! We should get there around 7:15 tomorrow morning.
Arrivederci!
~Alyson~
:-)
Ok so we originally weren't planning on spending another day in Madrid, but the way the trains worked out we were able to. Last night we weren't able to go out because we were trying to find a last min hostel to stay in in Barcelona, up till 5 and no luck finding a hostel.
Anyways, the next morning we checked out of our hostel at noon, and then I went and got a pear pastry for breakfast. Then we just decided to walk around Madrid till we could have a nice lunch. We ended up almost making a complete square of Madrid. We walked so far!!! But we saw amazing architecture, the library, gave high fives to a random statue of a hand. haha
So its about 4 pm. by this point we are starving! so we tried to find a restaurant, but it took us a while. We ended up taking the metro to this other area, and we finally found a little restaurant/cafe and I had empanadas y gallas (i think), i had not idea what it was, it turned out to be this pastry thing with chicken and peppers. It was really good. Anyways, we went back to our hostel and got out bags and now we are waiting at the train station for our overnight train to Barcelona! We should get there around 7:15 tomorrow morning.
Arrivederci!
~Alyson~
:-)
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Madrid day #2
Ciao everyone!
Ok so we had a wonderful day in Madrid here. First it was supposed to rain all day, and it didn't start raining until 4ish, which was great.
So we slept in and then went out at about 11ish to find breakfast. We ended up going to this indoor market thing, and talked with this great lady from mexico who gave us discount on orange juice, we also got churros con chocolate, which were delicious!
Then we wanted to find this park that we read was really nice, but on the way we saw this grand cathedral, so we decided to check it out. Called the Catedral de la Almudena. It was so amazing, I'll post pictures on facebook.
So after the Catedral, we continued on to find the park, but on the way this time we found La Palacia Real--the Royal Palace of the Spanish Monarchy. So of course we went inside. We went to buy tickets (it said it was supposed to be about 8E) but the guy at the entrance said, "lo ciento, only EU citizens today, where are you from?" we said "los estados unidos" and he said" no, only EU citizens today, where are you from?" so finally we said "Roma" and he gave us free tickets to the Palace! It was so cool!!! (we made sure not to speak english around any of the guards, so we wouldn't get in trouble), but it was great 1800 furnishing and decorations, so pretty. Another good find. After the state rooms, we went to the armory, which had guns over 10 feel long! Then we saw the official Farmacia. Which had jars of herbs and old medicines. It was really interesting, I had never seen something like that before.
Ok so after that we went and got 1E baguette for lunch, and headed off first to El Museo Thyssen, an art museum. They were having a Monet Exhibit, It wasn't that amazing, and not worth the money.
BUT THEN we went to El Museo del Prado, which is the most famous art museum in most of Spain, It has all the famous spanish artists, Goya, Titan, and Valazquez. Our favorite was the painting Las Meninas (I think). But El Prado was amazing! If you go to Madrid, you HAVE TO GO!!!
Ok, so by this point we were all dead tired, but we had to go to the train station to buy our tickets for barcelona. We are taking the overnight train tomorrow night, we so get one more day in Madrid than we originally thought, which is nice.
We then came back to our hostel and got tostadas, which were very yummy, and now we are just relaxing in our hostel resting before we go out tonight! So overall a great day! I probably won't write on this before I get to Barcelona, but ill try my best.
Ciao tutti!
~Alyson~
:-)
Ok so we had a wonderful day in Madrid here. First it was supposed to rain all day, and it didn't start raining until 4ish, which was great.
So we slept in and then went out at about 11ish to find breakfast. We ended up going to this indoor market thing, and talked with this great lady from mexico who gave us discount on orange juice, we also got churros con chocolate, which were delicious!
Then we wanted to find this park that we read was really nice, but on the way we saw this grand cathedral, so we decided to check it out. Called the Catedral de la Almudena. It was so amazing, I'll post pictures on facebook.
So after the Catedral, we continued on to find the park, but on the way this time we found La Palacia Real--the Royal Palace of the Spanish Monarchy. So of course we went inside. We went to buy tickets (it said it was supposed to be about 8E) but the guy at the entrance said, "lo ciento, only EU citizens today, where are you from?" we said "los estados unidos" and he said" no, only EU citizens today, where are you from?" so finally we said "Roma" and he gave us free tickets to the Palace! It was so cool!!! (we made sure not to speak english around any of the guards, so we wouldn't get in trouble), but it was great 1800 furnishing and decorations, so pretty. Another good find. After the state rooms, we went to the armory, which had guns over 10 feel long! Then we saw the official Farmacia. Which had jars of herbs and old medicines. It was really interesting, I had never seen something like that before.
Ok so after that we went and got 1E baguette for lunch, and headed off first to El Museo Thyssen, an art museum. They were having a Monet Exhibit, It wasn't that amazing, and not worth the money.
BUT THEN we went to El Museo del Prado, which is the most famous art museum in most of Spain, It has all the famous spanish artists, Goya, Titan, and Valazquez. Our favorite was the painting Las Meninas (I think). But El Prado was amazing! If you go to Madrid, you HAVE TO GO!!!
Ok, so by this point we were all dead tired, but we had to go to the train station to buy our tickets for barcelona. We are taking the overnight train tomorrow night, we so get one more day in Madrid than we originally thought, which is nice.
We then came back to our hostel and got tostadas, which were very yummy, and now we are just relaxing in our hostel resting before we go out tonight! So overall a great day! I probably won't write on this before I get to Barcelona, but ill try my best.
Ciao tutti!
~Alyson~
:-)
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Madrid day #1
Ciao everyone!
So I successfully made it to madrid! We are staying in a nice cheap hostel. The flight went perfect, I got to Madrid with way too much time to spare (especially since my friend's flight was delayed). The metro here in Madrid is amazing! it takes you anywhere you want to go for 1 Euro. We got into out hostel about 845ish, then we got ready and went out to dinner. It was nice, and midway through these spanish guys from the local university came and sang us songs which was very entertaining. haha Anyways, I must go to bed, we have a very full day ahead of ourselves tomorrow. Ciao!!!
~Alyson~
:-)
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Beginning
Hello Everybody,
So I am keeping this blog to keep updated whoever is interested in my adventures in Europe this spring/summer 2010.
The plan at this point is to leave tomorrow (Ah!!!) March 22 and travel to Madrid and Barcelona for Spring Break with friends. Then I will be studying with the UW Italian studies dept, at the UW Rome center for 5 weeks, and then will travel with my program to southern Italy in Rogliano, in the region of Calabria. (Its near the toe of the boot) and stay with a host family for 5 weeks.
After that, my mother will come over, and we are doing a cruise around Greece, and then off to London where I will start a 20 day tour through EF College Breaks that will go from London to Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, Budapest, Vienna, and then leave on July 5th back to the US from Munich. (I have a hard life, right?)
That is the plan at this moment, so If you are still interested I will keep updating as often as I can and tell you all the details about my travels!
Grazie, Ciao!
~Alyson~
:-)
So I am keeping this blog to keep updated whoever is interested in my adventures in Europe this spring/summer 2010.
The plan at this point is to leave tomorrow (Ah!!!) March 22 and travel to Madrid and Barcelona for Spring Break with friends. Then I will be studying with the UW Italian studies dept, at the UW Rome center for 5 weeks, and then will travel with my program to southern Italy in Rogliano, in the region of Calabria. (Its near the toe of the boot) and stay with a host family for 5 weeks.
After that, my mother will come over, and we are doing a cruise around Greece, and then off to London where I will start a 20 day tour through EF College Breaks that will go from London to Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, Budapest, Vienna, and then leave on July 5th back to the US from Munich. (I have a hard life, right?)
That is the plan at this moment, so If you are still interested I will keep updating as often as I can and tell you all the details about my travels!
Grazie, Ciao!
~Alyson~
:-)
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