Ninth Week Updates: Siena

When I first decided to pursue my Italian minor, I took an Italian women through literature class and the first Italian woman (Italian person in general) I learned about was Santa Caterina da Siena. I remember being so amazed by her life history and how (for lack of a better word) bad-ass she was for convincing Pope Gregory XI to leave Avignon and come back to Rome. Did I mention that she was a woman during the Middle Ages?totally not your average gal.

I was very excited to visit Siena because of the aforementioned reasons alone. My professor also told us that Siena is very contrada-oriented (rival districts, subdivisions in a town) with seventeen different contrade in the town itself. Siena is also very famous for having the oldest (surviving) bank in the world and housing Lorenzetti's Allegory of Good and Bad Government.

It was such a beautiful day in Siena! A group of girls decided to sun bathe on the steps of the duomo. Although it was a gorgeous exterior, Oriveto's still takes the cake.

The interior of the duomo was probably the most beautiful and intricate that I have seen. There was just so much going on and I am a sucker for striped patterns. I loved that Siena has four patron saints (Ansano, Savino, Crescenzio and Vittore) statues watching over the cathedral along with Saint Catherine. The cathedral also houses the famous works by Donatello (St. John the Baptist), Michelangelo (Saint Paul) and the frescoes of Pinturicchio (Piccolomini library) designed by Raphael.

The piccolomini library was extravagant. Perhaps a little too extravagant for me. The frescoes tell a history of  Enea Silvio Piccolomini, who became Pope Pius II.  

After the cathedral, we walked to the Palazzo Pubblico to see Lorenzetti's Allegory. I had no idea how destroyed most of the fresco was, but the parts that stayed intact were very interesting to see. This fresco was one of the first frescoes that discussed morals that were not pertaining to biblical/spiritual morals, but in this case, public, governmental morals to create a stable city life. 

The Palazzo Pubblico was in the Piazza del campo, which was one of the biggest piazzas I've seen in Italy, which ought to be, considering that famous Siennese Palio (a biannual horse race where ten of the seventeen contrade compete) is located there.

Speaking of contrade, I was so taken aback by the idea of a modestly sized town with so many rivaling districts. At each district, there are square plaques that state where each contrada boundaries are. Our tour guide, who was in the Elephant Contrada (colors consisting of maroon, white and blue... whoop?) are rivals with the Goose Contrada (Saint Catherine's contrada, by the way) and the Dolphin Contrada considers the Elephants their rivals but not vice versa. It all sounds like college rivalries to me (A&M rivals with TU who are rivals with OU, etc etc)! 

Another famous place in Siena is a pastry shop called Nannini's (after the famous singer) that supposedly has the best pastries in Italy. The really like the aesthetics of the shop and the atmosphere but honestly I've had better pastries at Le Perla in Castig. I will, however, admit that they have prettier pastries (which obviously matters - not kidding).

Doing a hairpose headstand inside the Santa Maria delle Scala Yurt. Don't ask why I am doing yoga or why I am in a yurt.

Siena was pretty rad. I loved trying to figure out where each contrada district ended and honestly the smaller towns (as compared to Rome, Venice and Florence) have been the best towns that we have visited (Orvieto, Assisi...) and have been very relaxing.

Here are some photos from our first girl's wine night (Wine Wednesdays)! We all got dressed up and enjoyed wine and stories. Of course, I am only drinking moscato. 

Until next time!

"Love is the most necessary of all virtues. Love in the person who preaches the word of God is like fire in a musket. If a person were to throw a bullet with his hands, he would hardly make a dent in anything; but if the person takes the same bullet and ignites some gunpowder behind it, it can kill. It is much the same with the word of God. If it is spoken by someone who is filled with the fire of charity- the fire of love of God and neighbor- it will work wonders." - Catherine of Siena

Spring Break Adventures: Midnight in Paris

We had the morning in London and I bought my last souvenirs; HP The Philosopher's Stone, Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea and a French grammar text (books, of course) and lunch at Pret Manger, which was a chain EVERYWHERE in London. The above photo is what my pomegranate juice cap read. No truer words spoken by a bottle cap. In the afternoon, we took a Eurostar train to Paris! I slept like a baby.

Once we arrived in Paris and were settled into our hotel, we stopped at a Vietnamese restaurant down the block. There were so many Vietnamese restaurants around that I felt like I was back in Arlington! We were the only people in the room and  the cute little old man who owned the restaurant was Vietnamese and so in order to get pass the French-English barrier, I spoke to him in Vietnamese instead, which was just mind-boggling that I could be in Paris speaking Vietnamese while we are studying abroad in Italy. Just too much for me to handle! But it was refreshing to speak my native tongue (and I even forgot a couple words) and it made me miss my family (especially my daddy) very much. BITTERSWEET MOMENTS ARE NOT MY FAVORITE.

But about the food. It was actually very delicious, which was surprising because it was just so horrible in London. It wasn't completely authentic Vietnamese pho, but it had a french twist to it that I  really enjoyed. And he made the BEST eggrolls that I've ever had, hands down.

I had three days to space out all the museums that I wanted to attend,, monuments I wanted to see and any sites I wanted to hit for my "Midnight in Paris" tour, which is my all-time favorite movie. I didn't hit every site (one being Gertrude Stein's house-- boo) but I'm quite ecstatic with every place I did go to!

The first full day we spent the day (around six hours) at the Louvre. I have never been so "museum fatigued" out in all my life. I'm happy it was the first museum we went to because I don't know how I would have survived it after seeing the other museums. I went straight to the Mona Lisa because I knew how crowded it would be once everyone started piling into the Louvre (I arrived 30 minutes before the museum opened at 9am and there was still a long line to get in). It was a lot smaller than I thought it would be. But my favorite piece of work at the Louvre was definitely Canova's Cupid and Psyche. I could have just looked at it forever. I also chatted it up with some Italian HS students that were on a tour. I think they were surprised that an Asian girl in Paris was speaking to them in Italian, ha!

The following day, Laura and I went to the Musee D'orsay and the Musee Orangerie (which houses the famous Les Nymphéas - Water Lilies of Monet). Since we were technically EU students, we were able to get into them for free!

I wish I could have taken photos inside the D'orsay. It was one of my top favorite museums that I have been to (right there next to the Uffizi and a Cubism: Picasso/Braque exhibit I attended at the Kimbell Art). There were so many beautiful (post)impressionist art by Degas, Monet, Gauguin, Van Gogh, Cezanne.. the list goes on. And to make it even better, there was a Dark Romanticism exhibit! I couldn't believe how close I was standing to Fuselli's The Nightmare or Goya's The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters. It was also a nice contrast to go from the lightness and pleasantness of Impressionist art to the dark, twisted and demonic characteristics of the Dark Romantics.

The de l'Orangerie held a lot of (post)impressionist art as well (I mean, it IS Paris), but is most famous for Monet's "Water Lilies" rooms. They were just breathtaking! When Monet created the rooms, the were meant to help relax and meditate anyone that entered them, and it really did just that. We weren't allowed to take any photos, but when have we ever gotten to take photos of cool stuff in museums?

   

However, here is my illegal shot of one of Monet's Nymphéas rooms. 

Outside the Orangerie was a copy mold of Rodin's The Kiss. One place I am sad that I didn't see was the Rodin museum and the gardens (Rodin's and Monet's -- but Monet's gardens were closed during the winter months).

 LUCIE. Loving how the French spell my name. Of course I went to a Starbucks for my fix.
However, Italian cappuccinos (con brown sugar) remain the top dog of all coffee drinks.

 An interesting view of the Luxor Obelisk, The Eiffel tower and other structures.

Beautiful Eiffel in the day.

Beautiful Eiffel in the night.

As for my "Midnight in Paris" walking tour, I visited the steps of St. Etienne du Mont (where Owen Wilson's character is picked up every night for his fantastical adventures to the 20's - my favorite era, which coincidentally was the exact street that my hotel was - how perfect and romantic!), Musee de l'orangerie, Notre Dame (although we did not go inside and I did not get to read at the Parc Jean XXIII), Pont du Alexandre III (where the movie ends), Versailles and ate delicious traditional french cuisine (the best chocolate mousse I've ever had) at Polidor restaurant (where Hemingway, Jack Kerouac, James Joyce and other literary folks have eaten at) with the lovely Laura. 

 On the way to Versailles, beignets and a crappy french cappuccino.

Our last full day was spend on beautiful day in Versailles. However, not much was open and the gardens were quite bare from the winter... It was definitely not the best time to see the gardens in all their glory, but we made the best out of it anyway and had lunch there, which was very peaceful and relaxing considering how busy the days prior were.

So, I let my sweet tooth get to me and decided to go to the famous Laduree pastry shop with the famous macaroons. They were the MOST expensive pastries I have ever bought (I am at this point very accustomed to 90 centesimi pastries at La Posta and other bar/cafes) but once my mouth tasted its crunchy outlayer and chewy inside, I could see why they were so famous. I got a gift box of the lemon, chocolate, pistachio, "Marie-Antoinette," strawberry and coffee flavors.

For my last day in Paris, I bought as my book souvenir "Le Petit Prince," a famous french children's book that I read in high school. I, since then, haven't perfectly retained a lot of my french and really hope to pick it up once again (with the help of my french grammar book and the aforementioned).

I wasn't quite ready to leave Paris. Although I love Italy and definitely am more comfortable with myself there (and missed cappuccinos very much), I had a very personal connection with Paris, from the Vietnamese influence and culture to the art-romantic and nostalgic atmosphere that it showered me with to the people walking and conversing on the streets. Spring Break was so surreal and I hope to be able to spend more time in Paris/France in the near future (and London as well) for a longer extended period of time, like anyone should for any foreign area. You just cannot know a city, no matter how small, in a couple days, a week, or even a couple months. This was my teaser for Paris and if history repeats itself, I will be in Paris once again doing what I am doing now in Italy (but maybe not taking classes, we can just cut that idea out).

Until next time!

"You know, I sometimes think, how is anyone ever gonna come up with a book, or a painting, or a symphony, or a sculpture that can compete with a great city. You can't. Because you look around and every street, every boulevard, is its own special art form and when you think that in the cold, violent, meaningless universe that Paris exists, these lights, I mean come on, there's nothing happening on Jupiter or Neptune, but from way out in space you can see these lights, the cafe, people drinking and singing. For all we know, Paris is the hottest spot in the universe." - Gil (Midnight in Paris)

Spring Break Adventures: London

Hello, London! When we arrived at the the Gatwick Airport, Kirsti and I realized that we had no idea how to get to our hostel (no address, no maps, no nothing) and luckily the information desk was so sweet and even called our hostel to make sure the name we gave him was correct, and once we arrived at our hostel, the desk told us they have never received a call like that before, ha!

Of course, the first place I went to was Starbucks. How I have missed you skinny white mocha with light whip! 

The first site we visited the night we arrived was the millennium bridge, which is beautiful at night. The next morning, Saint Patrick's Day, we visited the Tower of London. I didn't go to the museum to see all the awesome royal jewels. I also expected the tower to be more massive than it was. It all seemed so short and unimpressive.

After a walk around town, we all walked to the Kensington Palace for afternoon tea at the Orangerie.
I had the Chinese green tea, and have never had sugar cubes before! I felt so fancy! Although it was quite expensive (25 pounds - about 40 dollars), it was worth the experience and actually quite filling. The sandwiches were to die for.

Stay classy, folks.

Our hostel was an experience all in it's own. I have never seen so many different races, cultures, and languages spoken in one place. Most of the people that were there were there to improve their english. Which I think is magnificent. I would love to just work at a hostel like this one and just soak in all the different types of characters that fill the rooms.

The hostel was also connected to a bar, and since it was saint patrick's day, I thought I'd try a beer. Nope. I didn't care for it very much, and so a sweet swedish girl name Anna who recommended me (and even bought it for me) a delish sweet swedish cider (Rekorderlig) that came in many different flavors. So good!

London is so gorgeous in the rain!

Big Ben! I also rode the London Eye and saw it from a bird's eye view. I didn't get good pictures since it was so dark, but I was happy to have done it at night and saw the beautiful lights of London.

Abbey Road! It was hilarious to watch people walk the road and have  their pictures snapped not to their liking and so they had to re-do it but the people in cars were getting so frustrated each time.

This is also when I publicly defaced public property for my good friend and Beatles fanatic, Peter. Don't say I never did anything for you!

A cool giraffe and I. I was deeply reminded about my best friend and how much I miss her!

Asides from the aforementioned events, we also went to the Tate Modern museum (saw really awesome surrealist art) and the British Museum which disappointed me because I had hoped to see Hokusai's famous The Great Wave Off Kanagawa, which I had walked TWICE to the museum to search for, but after finally giving up to ask the information desk, they informed me that most of the Japanese art was under restoration. SAD. DAY.

One of the main objectives of my spring break was to NOT EAT ANYTHING ITALIAN. And after my traditional mcdonald's meal, I tried some Vietnamese food. It was awful. Everything was pre-cooked and the noodles weren't even cooked through. But the Vietnamese coffee did not disappoint, so at least it was a halfway decent experience. MORAL: don't eat Vietnamese in London! 

but of course, one SHOULD get traditional british food. And of course I opted with fish and chips. DEEEELISH! It came with mashed peas as well, which I've never had, and it was pretty yummy.

Overall, London was beautiful and very lively. It was awfully relieving to hear English again (although British english is just as hard to understand, and it took a while for me to learn to stifle my laughter when I couldn't understand a darn word)! The three whole days we stayed just wasn't enough to see London to it's fullest. But as a general theme that I cannot stress enough, no amount of time that I will spend in a city, or a country, is going to be enough to explore and really know and understand them. It takes so much time to get a feel for a certain place. I really hate being a tourist. 

Paris, you're next!

"When it's three o'clock in New York, it's still 1938 in London." - Bette Midler

Venice: That's Amore!

Benvenuti a Venezia! While A&M was on their spring break, our program took us on a week-long trip to Venice. As much as I loved the Capri's beautiful coast and the neighboring islands, I have never seen a place as unique and amazing as Venice.

When they say that Venice surrounded by water, they really mean it is SURROUNDED by water. And since we didn't stay on what is proper Venice but one of the Venetian islands called Lido, the only way to really get around is by boats, which after my first experience, I was naturally very frightened, but I actually got used to the feeling and am glad for it. There is something about the waters that really do make Venice the romantic city that it is known for.

Bellinis and hot wine while we stroll the Rialto Market. (Taken from Cece)

The many views of San Marco!

We all visited the San Lorenzo and Rialto which had giant markets filled with souvenirs, the most prominent being masks. So many masks! I didn't invest in a Venetian mask, but my friends bought gorgeous handmade masks that are to die for. We also visited the Doge's Palace, the Basilica of Venice (both of these toured by a tiny old woman who would grab your attention by shouting "YOO-HOO!" or "thaaaaat's a ques-tionnnn!") and the Guggenheim museum (which was incredibly refreshing - I have been going to a lot of churches and not enough art museums). We also bought tickets to see a Vivaldi's The Four Seasons' concert. They were completely amazing and the cellist was so filled with character, vigor and passion that it was just as amazing to watch him as it was to listen to it all.

My girls and the cellist and violinist, respectfully.

One of the most unforgetable events was when my friends and I went on our first gondola ride. When people think of Venice, one of the ideas I'm sure that pops up is romantic gondola rides down skinny waterways of the town. Well, we did exactly that, except no one played "that's amore" or other cheesy songs.

Asides from Venice, we also took day trips to Vicenza, which houses the Teatro Olympico, which is the first building that was built strictly to be a permanent theater, and Verona, where the famous Juilet house and statue are.

Vicenza's beautiful streets. Seriously I couldn't believe how wide and lovely the streets looked, especially when it began to drizzle.

I don't think I can really describe this theater. Honestly, I didn't understand what was the hype or why it was such an important theater in history, but unless you see it for yourself, you can't see the magnitude of how elaborate and impressive this stage is. It was designed to cater for the first performance of Sophocles' Oedipus The King. The background you see behind the arches is completely 3-dimensional and utilizes force perspective to create the linear perspective that we perceive. So incredibly amazing. And to top that, there was a surprise LIGHT SHOW during our visit that played contemporary rock music. I'll try to upload the video but internet here is not quick enough to upload large files.

Then there was Verona.

We first visited the Coliseum in Verona (yes, Rome isn't the only place with one!), which is the best preserved Colosseum in Italy. It was definitely impressive. I hope to see the inside of Roma's coliseum so that I can make a comparison as to which is the "better" of the two. Then we walked to Juliet's house and her famous balcony and statue. It is supposed to be good luck to touch Juliet's right boob with your left hand (or something like that) and watching everyone touch her boob or do other weird, hilarious photo shoots was very entertaining. 

"I touched the boob!"

The only negative thing I can say about Venice is how crowded its streets are. It is literally a tourist town, with about 22 MILLION tourists every year filling up the town. You can't really experience Venice until you find a part of town that no one goes to (such as local neighborhoods) and just listen to the silence that fills the air. It was so refreshing.

As much as I was afraid of Venice (I knew we had to use the water transportation system and because of my awful experience before, I didn't think I would make it through the first night), I was even more in love with it. Just strolling down San Lorenzo or the Rialto, and getting so far lost was just as fun (or even more) as when we had a game plan.

Until next time!

"A realist, in Venice, would become a romantic by mere faithfulness to what he saw before him."- Arthur Symons