Pieces of England So Far

LONDON BABY! 

London is one of my favorite cities in the world. It has a laid back feel (unless it's a Saturday and there is a gay pride event in Trafalgar Square) and for the most part the people are all very classy and well-behaved. The city exudes a sense of freshness and the hints of royalty laid throughout London add a regal impression. 

On the first day we saw Stonehenge and Windsor Castle where Henry VIII lived. Although Henry VIII pretty much lived in every castle in England so I am not sure why this one is specifically known as his house. > My favorite part of Windsor Castle was not actually the castle itself. It at two points outside of the castle. The first was with a guard who, every time Elise got close to him so she could get a picture with him, would begin to march away in the opposite direction. Then he would return, and repeat the charade all over again when she would try to sneak up on him. The next point was at a little fudge shop down the street from Windsor. We were greeted by a very enthusiastic British man who looked a lot like Russell Brand, Katy Perry's ex-husband. He gave us as many free samples as we wanted and began to sing a jolly little song about fudge. This was my first impression of Englanders. 

> My favorite part of Stonehenge was the mystery aspect to it. No one really knows what its purpose was or why it is still standing today. Some think it had magical healing powers. And since I love spooky things, I let my imagination run wild and enjoyed it all the more. 

The next day we did a double decker bus tour around London. I turned on "London Calling" on my ipod and had one of those surreal moments when I couldn't believe I was doing something I had always dreamed about. 

We drove past Big Ben and the London Eye. I got a picture of both at one time :) 

But let's be honest. My favorite part just may have been shopping on Oxford Street. 

Airport Adventures

My flights are always more exciting than I anticipate. I think this has proved to be both a good and a bad thing.

- My first adventure started while I waited for 4 hours in the airport for my flight (my friends' flights were all earlier than mine). There was a large group of Brazilian ladies sitting around me and it was obvious they didn't speak any English. They were having trouble connecting to the free wifi and once they saw that I was successfully using my computer... they flocked. So I helped each Brazilian woman log onto their phones and computers, one by one, while they showered me with hugs and squeals because that's the only way we could communicate. I love that appreciation can be shown simply through expressions and gestures. Language barriers can't stop all communication.

- Later while I was standing in line, a guy came up behind me and surprised me by saying in English "Why, you're as American as shit, aren't you?" He was referring to my leopard print luggage, which I lovingly bought in my junior high years but now wish I could leave on the side of the road. We got talking and apparently he makes commercials in New York for a living. Budweiser commercials, and Skullcandy commercials... or so he says. But all I could think about was the movie "Taken." I mean, he was a good looking guy in his thirties, flirting with me and telling me he lived a fabulous life in New York City. I ran away quickly.

- The flight was pretty painless from Italy to England. I slept for most of the short three hours. It was landing that was the issue. I have never been through such an intense customs line before. First off, the line was probably a good hour and a half long wait. But I met a nice Canadian girl and passed time talking with her about Italy since she had just come from studying there too. The Heathrow Airport workers are pretty fierce about their questioning. It was like an investigation and I almost didn't get through the border because I didn't have an address of my friend's cousin with whom I would be staying. Luckily they took a phone number. I was finally officially in London  :)

Leaving Home

For some reason I never got homesick for Utah. I definitely miss my family and want to be with them, yes. But Utah? Nah, I haven't really been feeling any of that homesickness stuff. Until I left Italy. Siena started to feel like home to me after living there for 5 weeks. I had host parents and ate dinner with them every night. I had a roommate and friends in my program who began to feel like my brothers and sisters. I started to make friends with locals and through practicing my Italian with them, began to feel like I was finally getting a hang of the language. I went on daily runs on the Fortezza with a beautiful view of the city (as seen in the picture below). And then my time was up. Utah is home because that is where my family is, but aside from my family, Siena feels more like home than anywhere else in the world. Sometimes I miss it so bad it hurts.

Miss These Moments in Italy

Empty park + Empty swing = Me having my very own view of the Tuscan countryside. 

My Italian Idol

I didn't know what it was specifically that was different about Italian women when I first came to Italy but I have realized it is because they are confident in themselves so completely that they can't help but be happy. It's obvious in the way they present themselves and interact with one another.

One time I was sitting in the piazza switching between reading and people watching - two of my favorite pastimes- and I saw the cutest Italian couple. Both in their 20's and gorgeous, they were just relaxing in the piazza like they didn't have a trouble in the world. The guy would tease the girl and she just laughed and waved him off. They laugh so easily and seem so carefree, I can't help but admire them.

There is one Italian woman in particular that I especially admire. She is the daughter-in-law of my host mom and came over a few times for dinner with her adorable little girls Vittoria and Claudia. Everything about her struck me as intelligent. The way she held herself so upright and came in with a presence that overwhelmed the room. She immediately greeted me and Melanie with a smile and a firm handshake, and was outgoing and good-mannered, making sure to slow down so we understood her Italian. She just looked like walking success. But what really struck me about her was her confidence. She didn't seem cocky, but rather like she knew she was someone with a worth that didn't come from outside sources but from within. Later on I found out from my host mom that she did really well in school and is now a successful lawyer working to help people who struggle with jobs and things like that. She is smart, but she uses that intelligence to help other people. Really she is just my Italian idol. She possesses many of the qualities I hope to see in myself some day. There is a passage from this book called "Juliet" that I read while in Italy because it is set in Siena, where I was living. The main character comments on one of the Italian women she sees around her saying:

      "She laughed out loud, a warm knowing laughter that made me once again wonder about the secret ingredient in these women's lives. Whatever it was, I was clearly missing it. It was so much more than just self-confidence; it seemed to be the ability to love oneself, enthusiastically and unsparingly, body and soul, naturally followed by the assumption that every man on the planet is dying to get in on the act." 

This description is completely accurate. These Italian women have got something figured out. They know how to love themselves, and that seems to be directly linked to confidence and happiness, two of the qualities every girl wants to have. 

Just. Wow.

I had heard from a few people that Venice may not even be worth going to because it doesn't have much to offer. Well, to those few people all I have to say is... "Whaaaaaat???!"

Venice is probably the most beautiful place on earth. Although it's due to the fact that the island is sinking, the streets are lined with beautiful canals and gondolas on every corner. I think I was in shock for at least 15 minutes after I got off the bus and stepped into this dream of a place.

We had a lot of adventures in Venice last weekend. Here's a few of the most memorable:

- We checked into a sketch hotel run by sketchy people who kept complimenting us and calling us "belle ragazze." But I gotta say I have loved getting free stuff because I am a girl. These Italians really pull some serious strings for you if you just stand there and look pretty.

- The room was a sauna because it was 91,000 degrees outside and even with the fan on, one sheet as a blanket, and minimal sleepwear, we all still woke up multiple times in the night sweating. Ick. (Ps. I hope you all get that reference)

- Saturday night it started raining. Hard. Somehow the expensive umbrella my mom bought me especially for Europe broke (I'm so suing the expensive umbrella company) and so I had to get a new one to avoid drowning. I purchased one from an Indian who owned a little shop on the side of the street. While I was getting my money out he gave me an umbrella to hold over my head so I wouldn't get wet. Which was really nice of him... Well, I walked away with said umbrella... not realizing that I had the other umbrella I actually wanted to by under my other arm. I got all the way around the corner before I realized and ran back to give him one of the umbrellas. As I handed it back to him and explained what happened in Italian, he just started laughing at me. He just kept laughing.. so I backed away and said a hurried "Ciao, mi dispiace!" and then split before other people figured out what was happening and joined in on the joke. I swear I embarrass myself every day in Italy. Hopefully I'll at least be humble by the time I come back.

- We met a waiter on the side of the street who claimed he used to be Vittorio, a former player on the Italia Men's soccer team. He insisted that we get our hands signed by him. Too bad I can't sell my hand for money. And too bad he probably was senile and had no idea what he was talking about.

- On our last day we had heard rumors that a train strike was happening right at the time we were supposed to take our train home. Italians have these strikes all the time. It's a totally normal thing to do. Ya we didn't know that. We started making plans to take a late train, since the strike stopped at 9pm and get home really late, or take some kind of bus instead. But luckily we found out the strike was only for trains within the Venetian region and not the fast train between regions of Italy like the one we were taking. Close one.

MURANO 

There are two little islands that are part of the Venetian region just a little ways off the main part of Venice. The boat ride to get there is beautiful and to me that was half the fun! But these islands... they are something else. The first one is called Murano, and it's the island where they do glass-blowing. There are a lot less tourists and it's more laid back than the main island of Venice. It's worth it for the free glass-blowing demonstration alone. 

This is the "maestro" at work. It was probably one of the coolest things I have ever seen. But if you do go here, make sure to not buy the Venetian glass jewelry right outside the demonstration room. You can find it for half the price anywhere else in Venice and my 20 euro ring broke after 3 days. Yep. I am THAT tourist who fell into the trap. You live and you learn. 

BURANO

Okay but Burano... Burano is the place to go. Granted there is not much to do there because it's a small island, it was my most favorite place in Italy. It's like Cinque Terre and Venice combined. It has the beautifully colored buildings and the canals running through the streets. It's the island of lace-making too... and in case you didn't know I am obsessed with lace. Obsessed. I bought way too many things because I was overcome by all the lace. Again... THAT tourist. But it was worth it this time. There is nothing like this place. 

Island of lace! 

Rainy Days In Siena

I love thunderstorms to begin with. The steady rain against my roof and the sound of the thunder that seems to shake everything around me, followed by an unexpected flash across the sky. In Siena they are even better. We had a really good thunderstorm the other day and I just left my window open, ate biscotti, and read a novel - enjoying some of my favorite things in my most favorite place.

This is what the Tuscan countryside looks like covered in rain --->