This is Carnivale weekend. No, I am not going to Venice as I had wished, I'll be spending my evenings in Bellinzona all weekend. However it occured to me that I should take some time as I'm staying local to mention some cultural differences between Swiss and Americans.
There are some who will tell you that no one wears jeans abroad, and the fastest way to be marked as an American is to wander about in your favorite Levis. Well, that's just silly. Everyone wears jeans; however, Europeans do not wear flares, or anything beyond a very tight bootcut. Those straight leg-skinny jeans are very common, and easily tucked into your knee-high boots. As my jeans happen to have some flare to the cuff, I'm easily marked as an American in any crowd.
Swiss music is written predominantly in English. I understand, based entirely on a film about the 2006 Ticino Olympics, that the lingua franca of the world is currently English. Quite an achievement in Switzerland, which has four national languages (German, French, Italian, Romansch) and none are English. Still, this goes back to the issue faced by the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest. I refer to the winning song by pop super-group ABBA, who wrote in English, rather than the native Swedish. The resulting brou-haha about language qualifications ensured that everyone could write in English for maximum appeal.
Which is why I spent an hour in Bern watching Swiss bands sing in English. Best part? Generic music video backgrounds. Back in the States I could watch the morning block of music videos on VH1 and be guaranteed to see at least one abandoned factory, one farm, and one city street. Over here: Alps. Everything, no matter the song, includes one scene of the band by a mountain lake, with the ever-present Alps behind. Pretty much the greatest thing ever.
And then there's veal. I've had three meals centered around veal at the Villa. Which would be some sort of awful ethical and moral dilemma back home. But really? Baby cow is delicious. I get to eat a rabbit later this week. The food here is a whole different blog post, but in case I never mentioned it, Luigi is a genius.
As a preview of next week...I have finalized plans. I shall be staying at the Villa Saint-Expurey in Nice, and spending the entirety of 9 Feb. celebrating the birthday of my roommate. By loudly singing:
As I walk along the Bois Boolong
With an independent air
You can hear the girls declare
"He must be a Millionaire."
You can hear them sigh and wish to die,
You can see them wink the other eye
At the man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
All Cities Need a Bear Pit
As promised last time, I did spend the past weekend in Bern, the capital city of Switzerland. I managed at least some background reading on Bern before I left, which amounts to:
-Bern was founded in 1191, by Berchtold V of Zahringen. It is built on a peninsular area of land bordered by the river Arne.
-Bern receives its name from local legend that the Duke needed to name the city, and decided as he went out hunting that day he would name the city for the first animal he sighted. That happened to be a bear
-Bern is a UNESCO World Heritage site
-After a fire destroyed most of the city, it was rebuilt using sandstone from a nearby quarry that has a distinctive green color.
It's a bit like visiting the depressing version of OZ at first glance; everything is a drab sort of green. Of course, then you get off the bus and realize you're in one of the more fun cities to spend a weekend in.
This trip was sponsored by Tech, which requires some sense of educational merit. As such, we drove from Riva to Bern, a six hour trip, including breaks, and the memorable journey through the St. Gottard Pass. Or at least it would have been memorable to pass through the longest tunnel in Europe at 17 kilometers if the entire group hadn't been asleep after being woken far too early to get on a bus. It's worth noting that the St. Gottard Pass is the only way to cross the Alps between Northern and Southern Switzerland, and forms a geographic language barrier. The south is all Italian, but once we got through it was German everywhere.
We reached Bern about 13:00, and were sent to our hotel rooms to rest and recoup before a walking tour. It was there, in room 607 of the Bahnhof, I encountered the first television since arriving in Europe. I promptly found CNN and the music channels. Needless to say, I can away with an improved knowledge of Swiss pop music, but more on that later.
Our first walking tour took us around the highlights of Bern: main streets, the exterior of the Cathedral, the very high walls protecting Bern from attack, and finally the Einstein House. Sadly, the Einstein House is now pretty high on my list of "disappointing historical sites". Albert Einstein lived in Bern for seven years, in seven apartments, and the Einstein house (or first floor flat) is the only former resident of the physicist that the visitor can go inside of, anywhere in the world. The house really doesn't have a lot to show for itself, and one of the worst informative videos I've had the displeasure to sit through. Luckily it was a short visit.
Free time allowed me the opportunity to see some of the city on my own terms, including a gallery of Toblerone to celebrate 100 years of delicious Swiss chocolates. Unfortunately, everything was in German, with no helpful English leaflets, but i think I understood that Toblerone chocolates are delicious. Dinner and a quiet night in followed.
The second day began in the same manner: walking tour, which included several palatial exteriors, and the interior of the Cathedral. As a Reformed church, there's not a whole lot of decoration, but there was one really cool stained glass window with thirty scenes of Death carrying off victims. I have a picture somewhere, but it was stunning. Out from the church and across the bridge to find the Bear Pits- home to the city mascot. The two residents were out that day, which cause no end of thrill, especially as I had brought along Randolph the Bear for posing potential. The Bern visitor center next door had the best introductory video ever. It included the Duke's talking chair (which terrified everyone there), and ghosts of the Napoleonic wars (which made us all question who's running the city's tourism office).
A morning of education should have led into an afternoon of independent study- which promptly began with the realization that the city was crawling with police. One member of the group found a cop with some English. Good news! we were just in time to potentially see a protest group against the World Economic Forum..not being held in Bern. I sat with a few fellow students near the Parliament house hoping to see real, live protests in action. But they started late, so we contented ourselves with watching one guy get arrested and crossed the river to visit the Bern Historical Museum.
The Museum had a pretty cool Einstein exhibit, even attempting to explain the theory of relativity. More impressive was the entry stairwell walled by screens with rolling projections of Einstein and just enough mirrors to feel like I was walking through an Escher sketch. Einstein took so long that there wasn't nearly enough time for the silver collection or Romans, which was okay in the end. With more time to kill, one friend and I journeyed to the Swiss Rifle Museum to see the special exhibit on crossbows. We ended up arriving 45 minutes before closing, being the only visitors, and getting a special tour from the nice man in charge for the day. He spoke wonderful English, and took us through all three floors, explaining all the weapons, the history, the competitions, and how everything worked. Actually, it was one of my favorite museum trips. It turns out that there's an international crossbow competition, but really only Germany. France, and Switzerland show up. And there are handheld crossbows for in-home practice.
Also...recreational dueling pistols using wax bullets, similar to today's paintballs. I think I may have to bring recreational dueling back as a hobby.
After that is was the Kornhaus, a relic from Medieval times: a huge underground warehouse, designed to hold all taxes, as well as function as a market of sorts. Today it's a bar on the gallery, and a very fancy restaurant below. I stopped for a glass of wine, which has got to be one of the highlights of the trip. Really, the atmosphere was amazing.
We left the following day, pausing to visit the town of Thun, founded by the same Duke as Bern, and arrived back at the Villa to find Riva in a bit of a tizzy. Turns out January 27th is the celebration of Beato Manfredo, a local religious icon. The Chiesa di San Vitale holds his body in a glass case, and showcases him to the public for the festival. Looks pretty good for being dead since 1217.
Pretty exciting weekend, but back at the Villa for another week of study. This next weekend is Carnivale, and I should be spending mine in Bellinzona. I didn't plan well enough for Venice, though some people will be joining those festivities. Maybe Venice and a few Shakespeare cities the following weekend. Lots of planning to still be done.
-Bern was founded in 1191, by Berchtold V of Zahringen. It is built on a peninsular area of land bordered by the river Arne.
-Bern receives its name from local legend that the Duke needed to name the city, and decided as he went out hunting that day he would name the city for the first animal he sighted. That happened to be a bear
-Bern is a UNESCO World Heritage site
-After a fire destroyed most of the city, it was rebuilt using sandstone from a nearby quarry that has a distinctive green color.
It's a bit like visiting the depressing version of OZ at first glance; everything is a drab sort of green. Of course, then you get off the bus and realize you're in one of the more fun cities to spend a weekend in.
This trip was sponsored by Tech, which requires some sense of educational merit. As such, we drove from Riva to Bern, a six hour trip, including breaks, and the memorable journey through the St. Gottard Pass. Or at least it would have been memorable to pass through the longest tunnel in Europe at 17 kilometers if the entire group hadn't been asleep after being woken far too early to get on a bus. It's worth noting that the St. Gottard Pass is the only way to cross the Alps between Northern and Southern Switzerland, and forms a geographic language barrier. The south is all Italian, but once we got through it was German everywhere.
We reached Bern about 13:00, and were sent to our hotel rooms to rest and recoup before a walking tour. It was there, in room 607 of the Bahnhof, I encountered the first television since arriving in Europe. I promptly found CNN and the music channels. Needless to say, I can away with an improved knowledge of Swiss pop music, but more on that later.
Our first walking tour took us around the highlights of Bern: main streets, the exterior of the Cathedral, the very high walls protecting Bern from attack, and finally the Einstein House. Sadly, the Einstein House is now pretty high on my list of "disappointing historical sites". Albert Einstein lived in Bern for seven years, in seven apartments, and the Einstein house (or first floor flat) is the only former resident of the physicist that the visitor can go inside of, anywhere in the world. The house really doesn't have a lot to show for itself, and one of the worst informative videos I've had the displeasure to sit through. Luckily it was a short visit.
Free time allowed me the opportunity to see some of the city on my own terms, including a gallery of Toblerone to celebrate 100 years of delicious Swiss chocolates. Unfortunately, everything was in German, with no helpful English leaflets, but i think I understood that Toblerone chocolates are delicious. Dinner and a quiet night in followed.
The second day began in the same manner: walking tour, which included several palatial exteriors, and the interior of the Cathedral. As a Reformed church, there's not a whole lot of decoration, but there was one really cool stained glass window with thirty scenes of Death carrying off victims. I have a picture somewhere, but it was stunning. Out from the church and across the bridge to find the Bear Pits- home to the city mascot. The two residents were out that day, which cause no end of thrill, especially as I had brought along Randolph the Bear for posing potential. The Bern visitor center next door had the best introductory video ever. It included the Duke's talking chair (which terrified everyone there), and ghosts of the Napoleonic wars (which made us all question who's running the city's tourism office).
A morning of education should have led into an afternoon of independent study- which promptly began with the realization that the city was crawling with police. One member of the group found a cop with some English. Good news! we were just in time to potentially see a protest group against the World Economic Forum..not being held in Bern. I sat with a few fellow students near the Parliament house hoping to see real, live protests in action. But they started late, so we contented ourselves with watching one guy get arrested and crossed the river to visit the Bern Historical Museum.
The Museum had a pretty cool Einstein exhibit, even attempting to explain the theory of relativity. More impressive was the entry stairwell walled by screens with rolling projections of Einstein and just enough mirrors to feel like I was walking through an Escher sketch. Einstein took so long that there wasn't nearly enough time for the silver collection or Romans, which was okay in the end. With more time to kill, one friend and I journeyed to the Swiss Rifle Museum to see the special exhibit on crossbows. We ended up arriving 45 minutes before closing, being the only visitors, and getting a special tour from the nice man in charge for the day. He spoke wonderful English, and took us through all three floors, explaining all the weapons, the history, the competitions, and how everything worked. Actually, it was one of my favorite museum trips. It turns out that there's an international crossbow competition, but really only Germany. France, and Switzerland show up. And there are handheld crossbows for in-home practice.
Also...recreational dueling pistols using wax bullets, similar to today's paintballs. I think I may have to bring recreational dueling back as a hobby.
After that is was the Kornhaus, a relic from Medieval times: a huge underground warehouse, designed to hold all taxes, as well as function as a market of sorts. Today it's a bar on the gallery, and a very fancy restaurant below. I stopped for a glass of wine, which has got to be one of the highlights of the trip. Really, the atmosphere was amazing.
We left the following day, pausing to visit the town of Thun, founded by the same Duke as Bern, and arrived back at the Villa to find Riva in a bit of a tizzy. Turns out January 27th is the celebration of Beato Manfredo, a local religious icon. The Chiesa di San Vitale holds his body in a glass case, and showcases him to the public for the festival. Looks pretty good for being dead since 1217.
Pretty exciting weekend, but back at the Villa for another week of study. This next weekend is Carnivale, and I should be spending mine in Bellinzona. I didn't plan well enough for Venice, though some people will be joining those festivities. Maybe Venice and a few Shakespeare cities the following weekend. Lots of planning to still be done.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
No naps, we have to go the Duomo
I had meant to update this blog on a more regular basis, and certainly a few weeks ago, but I've been distracted by the discovery of a routine completely new to me.
In a recap: the first weekend came, and I stayed local. The majority of the Liberal Arts students ventured out to Luzerne and Zurich, but I chose to spend another day in Lugano, exploring the city (at least the nice, safe, easy to find the train stations area), followed by a day in Milano.
There are a number of things lacking in guidebooks. I admit that I am not a great reader of guidebooks, and have managed to open two for the duration of my trip, and not one before I left. But I doubt any guidebook includes a section on "Great things you can do for 5 of the local currency [dollars, Euros, francs, pounds]". In Milan, the true highlight has got to be the roof of the Duomo.
Milan has great things to see; it lacks the vast history and art of Rome, the glory and romanticism of Venice, or the Renaissance remnants of Florence. It's really only known for its recent status as fashion capital, and before this weekend I had no idea that a little church just beyond the central piazza held "The Last Supper" (which requires a reservation four months in advance, and costs roughly €15). When I read the guidebook the main sights listed are the Galleria, La Scala, Duomo, and Castle Sforza.
The Galleria is a lovely shopping center built in the Victorian period, which is fun to look at, but far beyond the budget of the casual student traveler. La Scala is the great theatre of Italy, and I intend to return for a closer look, but getting tickets for a show there is proving to be difficult.
The Sforza Castle is a stunner of a castle; it's built of red brick, so already a bit of a change from the cold gray stone I'm used to. The courtyards are open to the public, allowing for a lovely walk, and inside are four museums (to be delayed for a later visit). The highlight of everything has to be the Duomo. This cathedral dominates the central piazza, looking for all the world like delicate lace shaped into a monster of a building. The detail work is astonishing. The inside is dark, and filled with art and monuments, and a basement in the crypt. Somewhat like every other cathedral in the Old World, and the true joy lies in its exterior.
This is where the €5 trick comes in; that's the entry free to climb the stairs of the Duomo. I have climbed St. Pauls in London, which is a much higher altitude, somewhere around 2,000 steps. The Milano Duomo has maybe 500, but the view is stunning. We had a somewhat hazy day, but I emerged from the stairwell to find the city spread out before me. I stood with the rest of the tourists amidst the gargoyles and saints, staring out at a living city. There's a path that leads around the roof, until you reach the front, where another set of stairs takes the visitor up to the true roof. It's a similar experience to entering the Duomo from street level. From the center you wak down the main aisle of the nave to approach the extraordinary altar piece. On the roof you still walk that central nave to approach a central altar. Below, I was surrounded by pews with smaller chapels in the darker recesses, with a ceiling high above, and ornamental. Above, my pews were the boundary spires topped with statues of saints, and beyond a sharp drop to the roofs of the chapels, brightly lit, with statues and gargoyles replacing the paintings. I walked the unsteady, narrow path of the nave, to approach an altar of a golden statue, the Madonna of the city.
On the roof of the Duomo, you retrace the building within, but instead of a series of coffins, and images of saints and gold leaf wherever it fits, all lit desperately by a few stained glass windows and strategically placed candles, I have the sun bearing down, bathing everything in light, illuminating the kingdom of Heaven. It's an experience I loved...there's nothing that compares to walking the parallel church, seeing the world in all its glory.
From a physical perspective, there's one heck of an adrenaline rush; I don't have a fear of heights so much as a concern that the stable-for-centuries architecture will suddenly give way at an inopportune moment. Gets the pulse racing, and really heightens awareness of the situation. I think this was best highlighted when my companion mentioned to me that she wanted an Italian soccer scarf, and we should probably visit one of the many sport supply shops in the piazza below, and I responed with "Dude...we're on the Duomo!" Not my most eloquent speech, but it did rather bring the moment back into focus. We were on top of the city, as it were, observing the goings on from an angel's eye view. Below us I watched a security van pull up, it's guards in green and gray, ready to removed the daily offerings from the Galleria, tourists and locals wandered the shops and took coffee on the sidewalks. Still more tourists pointed up at us and at the sights around them, while some of their fellows fell for one of the many, many scam artists operating in the Piazza. Saints, sinners, and those just visiting, laid out for all to see, provided one took the opportunity to look.
The guidebook will tell you that the Duomo roof is accessible. It does not mention that your €5 should be spent on that climb rather than another cappuccino e biscotti.
This weekend I'll be traveling to Bern, and half about half my tour guided, and another half left to my own preference. I think I missed my chance to visit the inner workings of the Glockenspiel, but plenty other delights remain. I should have a faster update on those, and perhaps one on the nature of classes, as well as the daily workings of the Villa.
One more thing....Happy Birthday Allie! I know you're looking for updates constantly, so consider this the birthday treat I can actually give you in a timely fashion. The chocolate will have to wait until May.
In a recap: the first weekend came, and I stayed local. The majority of the Liberal Arts students ventured out to Luzerne and Zurich, but I chose to spend another day in Lugano, exploring the city (at least the nice, safe, easy to find the train stations area), followed by a day in Milano.
There are a number of things lacking in guidebooks. I admit that I am not a great reader of guidebooks, and have managed to open two for the duration of my trip, and not one before I left. But I doubt any guidebook includes a section on "Great things you can do for 5 of the local currency [dollars, Euros, francs, pounds]". In Milan, the true highlight has got to be the roof of the Duomo.
Milan has great things to see; it lacks the vast history and art of Rome, the glory and romanticism of Venice, or the Renaissance remnants of Florence. It's really only known for its recent status as fashion capital, and before this weekend I had no idea that a little church just beyond the central piazza held "The Last Supper" (which requires a reservation four months in advance, and costs roughly €15). When I read the guidebook the main sights listed are the Galleria, La Scala, Duomo, and Castle Sforza.
The Galleria is a lovely shopping center built in the Victorian period, which is fun to look at, but far beyond the budget of the casual student traveler. La Scala is the great theatre of Italy, and I intend to return for a closer look, but getting tickets for a show there is proving to be difficult.
The Sforza Castle is a stunner of a castle; it's built of red brick, so already a bit of a change from the cold gray stone I'm used to. The courtyards are open to the public, allowing for a lovely walk, and inside are four museums (to be delayed for a later visit). The highlight of everything has to be the Duomo. This cathedral dominates the central piazza, looking for all the world like delicate lace shaped into a monster of a building. The detail work is astonishing. The inside is dark, and filled with art and monuments, and a basement in the crypt. Somewhat like every other cathedral in the Old World, and the true joy lies in its exterior.
This is where the €5 trick comes in; that's the entry free to climb the stairs of the Duomo. I have climbed St. Pauls in London, which is a much higher altitude, somewhere around 2,000 steps. The Milano Duomo has maybe 500, but the view is stunning. We had a somewhat hazy day, but I emerged from the stairwell to find the city spread out before me. I stood with the rest of the tourists amidst the gargoyles and saints, staring out at a living city. There's a path that leads around the roof, until you reach the front, where another set of stairs takes the visitor up to the true roof. It's a similar experience to entering the Duomo from street level. From the center you wak down the main aisle of the nave to approach the extraordinary altar piece. On the roof you still walk that central nave to approach a central altar. Below, I was surrounded by pews with smaller chapels in the darker recesses, with a ceiling high above, and ornamental. Above, my pews were the boundary spires topped with statues of saints, and beyond a sharp drop to the roofs of the chapels, brightly lit, with statues and gargoyles replacing the paintings. I walked the unsteady, narrow path of the nave, to approach an altar of a golden statue, the Madonna of the city.
On the roof of the Duomo, you retrace the building within, but instead of a series of coffins, and images of saints and gold leaf wherever it fits, all lit desperately by a few stained glass windows and strategically placed candles, I have the sun bearing down, bathing everything in light, illuminating the kingdom of Heaven. It's an experience I loved...there's nothing that compares to walking the parallel church, seeing the world in all its glory.
From a physical perspective, there's one heck of an adrenaline rush; I don't have a fear of heights so much as a concern that the stable-for-centuries architecture will suddenly give way at an inopportune moment. Gets the pulse racing, and really heightens awareness of the situation. I think this was best highlighted when my companion mentioned to me that she wanted an Italian soccer scarf, and we should probably visit one of the many sport supply shops in the piazza below, and I responed with "Dude...we're on the Duomo!" Not my most eloquent speech, but it did rather bring the moment back into focus. We were on top of the city, as it were, observing the goings on from an angel's eye view. Below us I watched a security van pull up, it's guards in green and gray, ready to removed the daily offerings from the Galleria, tourists and locals wandered the shops and took coffee on the sidewalks. Still more tourists pointed up at us and at the sights around them, while some of their fellows fell for one of the many, many scam artists operating in the Piazza. Saints, sinners, and those just visiting, laid out for all to see, provided one took the opportunity to look.
The guidebook will tell you that the Duomo roof is accessible. It does not mention that your €5 should be spent on that climb rather than another cappuccino e biscotti.
This weekend I'll be traveling to Bern, and half about half my tour guided, and another half left to my own preference. I think I missed my chance to visit the inner workings of the Glockenspiel, but plenty other delights remain. I should have a faster update on those, and perhaps one on the nature of classes, as well as the daily workings of the Villa.
One more thing....Happy Birthday Allie! I know you're looking for updates constantly, so consider this the birthday treat I can actually give you in a timely fashion. The chocolate will have to wait until May.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Settled in and Technical Difficulties
This is my third day in Switzerland, I suppose. At the very least it's the second day that I woke up in a nice fluffy IKEA bed in a Swiss villa built in 1750. Which, one would have to admit, is one of the better ways to wake up.
Yes, I did indeed arrive safely in London Heathrow, had a small delay before flying safely to Milan-Malpensa. Got all the luggage (except possibly a toothbrush I was certain had been packed), and a nice bus trip over the border to Switzerland and Riva-San Vitale. I couldn't tell you a thing about first impressions of the Alps or of Europe in general because of two things:
1: Rain. It rained at Dulles International as I arrived for my grand trip. It rained in London as I got off my flight and waited for the next. It rained in Milan as we wandered through Customs and onto the bus. And it only stopped raining in Riva late last night. Luckily, it was dry enough for the bars.
2: British Airways has really advanced their entertainment options. Lots of television and 100+ movie choices. Which meant I had Top Gear and Doctor Who and movies! Attempted "Withnail and I", as that has been on the Netflix list for awhile, but sacrificed that in favor of "Shrek 3". That was after the two hours of BBC programming. Which made sleep of any sort nearly impossible.
And because of those two things, I was unable to sleep until I got on the plane to Milan, whereupon I slept as much as possible before getting to Villa.
The Villa itself is gorgeous. Three levels with handmade tile floors (all of which are impossible to replace, so no bare feet anywhere), plaster walls (please do not touch or lean), and very high ceilings (with awesome acoustics. You can hear everything...everywhere). My room is just off from the Liberal Arts classroom, which means no slacking for me. Not that that was possible with such a small group. We have two Italians cooking for us, so I haven't had a boring meal since I arrived. Highlights? Tonight was veal and tiramisu. Yesterday we had chicken with mushroom sauce. The first night was had turkey. Everything has been delicious, beyond anything I've had. And so I will be a bit of a food snob when I return.
The town of Riva is very small, so to do more than take a short walk we have to take the train over to Lugano, which we probably will get to sometime this week. One of my roommates needs some things, and I can think of a few items that would make this experience a little easier.
Which brings us to a few recommendations: Skype is fine and dandy. It makes computer to computer calls for free. I don't have a calling card, and I'll probably only use the international cell to call restaurants or museums. I can have frequent chats with the home, and if my usb port doesn't get grumpy again, I'll see others, and they can see me. However, I have spent more than an hour tonight trying to make it work. I know everything little thing about the sound applications of my computer, and have more than once considered throwing it all away and hoping I could order another computer in time. And then the headset I have for the Skype is fiddling with my iTunes indirectly. Meaning? Simply that I will learn very quickly the joys of a technology free life over here. I have three-day weekends, so I should be off adventuring. While the Villa's library has few options, I think I'll be tackling James Joyce for lack of anything else. And walking will happen; lots of walking tours. Too much to see to be troubled by grumpy mechanics.
As for what I've done so far: I arrived, and slept. Woke up on Saturday, had many hours of orientation, with a luncheon intermission. Went with a group to the local mini-mart to discover that I had arrived in a land where Snickers are exotic foreign candy, while Lindt, Toblerone, and Haribo gummi bears are the norm. I have since decided that this is how things ought to be, and I may never come home. Got back from that, after a quick walk around town, for dinner. Afterwards, nearly the entire group came to the conclusion that it was high time we went to the bar. And so off to the bars! There are supposedly six in Riva/Capo Lago (the town that borders Riva, and really is part of Riva as far as I can tell). We managed twenty people in Bar Ticino for a bit, and after the locals came in, and a few of our group went out, we learned the secret to international relations.
Put simply, everyone love Bon Jovi. Or at least American music. I believe we were considered the obnoxious Americans for an hour, until "Living on a Prayer" began, and we lost all shame. Nothing compares to 12 American students belting, and matched by one Swiss woman who's clearly had a few more than us. Follow that up with Three Non-Blondes' "What's Going On" and you have got a night out on the town. We left once the music switched to Italian, and divided the groups. I followed some to the osteria across the street for locals who clearly weren't pleased by the addition of Americans, but the owners did give us a panetonne for one girl's birthday.
Today was a trip to Bellinzona, a medieval fortified town. So fortified, in fact, that it has three castles. Sweet little town, but covered in snow, and closed up for Sunday. As such, all we could manage was a brief walking tour, with a stop off at the blessedly open pastry shop.
All in all, I've had a great time so far. Classes begin tomorrow, as will serious planning of how to spend this semester. I'm thinking about going to Milan next weekend, it being so close. And Prague for spring break.
The bear has been named as well. He is to be called Randolph.
Yes, I did indeed arrive safely in London Heathrow, had a small delay before flying safely to Milan-Malpensa. Got all the luggage (except possibly a toothbrush I was certain had been packed), and a nice bus trip over the border to Switzerland and Riva-San Vitale. I couldn't tell you a thing about first impressions of the Alps or of Europe in general because of two things:
1: Rain. It rained at Dulles International as I arrived for my grand trip. It rained in London as I got off my flight and waited for the next. It rained in Milan as we wandered through Customs and onto the bus. And it only stopped raining in Riva late last night. Luckily, it was dry enough for the bars.
2: British Airways has really advanced their entertainment options. Lots of television and 100+ movie choices. Which meant I had Top Gear and Doctor Who and movies! Attempted "Withnail and I", as that has been on the Netflix list for awhile, but sacrificed that in favor of "Shrek 3". That was after the two hours of BBC programming. Which made sleep of any sort nearly impossible.
And because of those two things, I was unable to sleep until I got on the plane to Milan, whereupon I slept as much as possible before getting to Villa.
The Villa itself is gorgeous. Three levels with handmade tile floors (all of which are impossible to replace, so no bare feet anywhere), plaster walls (please do not touch or lean), and very high ceilings (with awesome acoustics. You can hear everything...everywhere). My room is just off from the Liberal Arts classroom, which means no slacking for me. Not that that was possible with such a small group. We have two Italians cooking for us, so I haven't had a boring meal since I arrived. Highlights? Tonight was veal and tiramisu. Yesterday we had chicken with mushroom sauce. The first night was had turkey. Everything has been delicious, beyond anything I've had. And so I will be a bit of a food snob when I return.
The town of Riva is very small, so to do more than take a short walk we have to take the train over to Lugano, which we probably will get to sometime this week. One of my roommates needs some things, and I can think of a few items that would make this experience a little easier.
Which brings us to a few recommendations: Skype is fine and dandy. It makes computer to computer calls for free. I don't have a calling card, and I'll probably only use the international cell to call restaurants or museums. I can have frequent chats with the home, and if my usb port doesn't get grumpy again, I'll see others, and they can see me. However, I have spent more than an hour tonight trying to make it work. I know everything little thing about the sound applications of my computer, and have more than once considered throwing it all away and hoping I could order another computer in time. And then the headset I have for the Skype is fiddling with my iTunes indirectly. Meaning? Simply that I will learn very quickly the joys of a technology free life over here. I have three-day weekends, so I should be off adventuring. While the Villa's library has few options, I think I'll be tackling James Joyce for lack of anything else. And walking will happen; lots of walking tours. Too much to see to be troubled by grumpy mechanics.
As for what I've done so far: I arrived, and slept. Woke up on Saturday, had many hours of orientation, with a luncheon intermission. Went with a group to the local mini-mart to discover that I had arrived in a land where Snickers are exotic foreign candy, while Lindt, Toblerone, and Haribo gummi bears are the norm. I have since decided that this is how things ought to be, and I may never come home. Got back from that, after a quick walk around town, for dinner. Afterwards, nearly the entire group came to the conclusion that it was high time we went to the bar. And so off to the bars! There are supposedly six in Riva/Capo Lago (the town that borders Riva, and really is part of Riva as far as I can tell). We managed twenty people in Bar Ticino for a bit, and after the locals came in, and a few of our group went out, we learned the secret to international relations.
Put simply, everyone love Bon Jovi. Or at least American music. I believe we were considered the obnoxious Americans for an hour, until "Living on a Prayer" began, and we lost all shame. Nothing compares to 12 American students belting, and matched by one Swiss woman who's clearly had a few more than us. Follow that up with Three Non-Blondes' "What's Going On" and you have got a night out on the town. We left once the music switched to Italian, and divided the groups. I followed some to the osteria across the street for locals who clearly weren't pleased by the addition of Americans, but the owners did give us a panetonne for one girl's birthday.
Today was a trip to Bellinzona, a medieval fortified town. So fortified, in fact, that it has three castles. Sweet little town, but covered in snow, and closed up for Sunday. As such, all we could manage was a brief walking tour, with a stop off at the blessedly open pastry shop.
All in all, I've had a great time so far. Classes begin tomorrow, as will serious planning of how to spend this semester. I'm thinking about going to Milan next weekend, it being so close. And Prague for spring break.
The bear has been named as well. He is to be called Randolph.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
A New Friend
It's been quite some time since I last updated, but there's been little to report. I finished a semester, and went on break. No advancements in my travel plans beyond packing, and really the only interesting thing has been the recent introduction of a new traveling companion, who remains nameless.
I hope he does not remain nameless long. It's really tragic for him to be unable to make introductions, but he's new. He was quite literally born yesterday, and in his one day has only managed to acquire a scarf. Not quite a name, but we're working on it.
I am speaking, you should know, of my new bear. I spent the last week and a half making him from an old bear kit we picked up in Germany five years ago. He's a lovely cream color, with a sweet smile and darling black eyes. And really, a bear is the ideal travelling companion. Think of Paddington, Abner Smoothie, Aloycious, Winnie the Pooh. These are the great bears- great travelers, and fine companions. Perhaps I've had a few too many bears in my childhood, but I really think this bear is critical to the success of this entire experience. The shelf of bears I leave behind will simply have to cope.
As it is, I probably shouldn't have spent the last few days so focused on the bear; I ended my days at seven in order to finish DVDs and the bear. I'd spend hours on that, and ignore the many, many chores that needed doing. As a result, my last few hours in the States will involve some frantic last packing and things. Packets to be mailed, e-mails to be sent, and throwing many things into a box to be dealt with in four months. Does this mean I regret this bear? Not in the slightest, but I know that for London I'll have to make my days more productive to avoid this trouble again.
It's strange to think that the next time I post here or anywhere else I'll be six time zones away, with an ocean between me and everything I find familiar. It's a bit daunting if I take the time to think about what's really going to happen in only a few hours, which is why I try to not think about it. I simply have to go to the airport tomorrow, and get on a flight. I'll have to take quite a few things, as I'll be gone for some time. But not to worry, I'll come back. The return has already been planned. In four months time I'll be back at this desk, typing up some grand summation of the trip, and the bear will be named by then, I hope.
I hope he does not remain nameless long. It's really tragic for him to be unable to make introductions, but he's new. He was quite literally born yesterday, and in his one day has only managed to acquire a scarf. Not quite a name, but we're working on it.
I am speaking, you should know, of my new bear. I spent the last week and a half making him from an old bear kit we picked up in Germany five years ago. He's a lovely cream color, with a sweet smile and darling black eyes. And really, a bear is the ideal travelling companion. Think of Paddington, Abner Smoothie, Aloycious, Winnie the Pooh. These are the great bears- great travelers, and fine companions. Perhaps I've had a few too many bears in my childhood, but I really think this bear is critical to the success of this entire experience. The shelf of bears I leave behind will simply have to cope.
As it is, I probably shouldn't have spent the last few days so focused on the bear; I ended my days at seven in order to finish DVDs and the bear. I'd spend hours on that, and ignore the many, many chores that needed doing. As a result, my last few hours in the States will involve some frantic last packing and things. Packets to be mailed, e-mails to be sent, and throwing many things into a box to be dealt with in four months. Does this mean I regret this bear? Not in the slightest, but I know that for London I'll have to make my days more productive to avoid this trouble again.
It's strange to think that the next time I post here or anywhere else I'll be six time zones away, with an ocean between me and everything I find familiar. It's a bit daunting if I take the time to think about what's really going to happen in only a few hours, which is why I try to not think about it. I simply have to go to the airport tomorrow, and get on a flight. I'll have to take quite a few things, as I'll be gone for some time. But not to worry, I'll come back. The return has already been planned. In four months time I'll be back at this desk, typing up some grand summation of the trip, and the bear will be named by then, I hope.
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