Once again, dearly beloved blog followers, we have a lot to catch up on. I apologize. Be relieved to know that a week or so of my life was completely wasted on midterms. After the R&B midterm, we had a day with Paul in Assisi which was both good/awful. Recently I have been to Copenhagen, but before we get there, here's some background hilights:
#1: I passed all my midterms. We didn't think that was going to happen. Especially not when the Italian teacher told us how disappointed she was in our tests. Oh well. Passing is passing.
#2: Assisi is gorgeous. It is also built on the worst series of hills I've ever seen in my entire life. Everything is steep and it's uphill like everywhere. But it's gorgeous. We went into several churches (something new and different) and down into the crypt of St. Francis. We saw tons of frescoes by Giotto. Sadly, cameras were not allowed in the church, so here are pictures of Assisi for you.
The view of the valley from the city. Paul made fun of us for taking these because they're all like industrial buildings. But they're pretty industrial buildings!!
This was a building that I thought had a pretty ladder while we walked back to the bus. Longest walk EVER. And also the only part of the day that was downhill. I stand corrected. 
View of Assisi from the walk up to it. Yes, I walked into the middle of that flipping city. I was genuinely sore for like 3 days afterward.
After walking around Assisi, we went to dinner at a place near Anagnina- which is scary, but the restaurant was amazing. We ate in threes and I'm pretty sure Paul tried to get me drunk. Everytime my wine glass was half empty he filled it up. Whatev. I did not get trashed in front of the program director, try as he might. So, dinner: three pastas, carbonara, canelloni and ravioli. Tons of meat dishes for the second course, we had a chicken thigh, some sort of thinly filled meat with sauce, other meats that I can't remember along with salads and fries. And then, we had dessert of Tiramisu and then we had hazelnut cookies that you dunk in sweet bubbly desert wine. We couldn't move.
#3: We found the coolest building ever to draw for class, it had faces with open mouths that created the doors and windows. However, it was being restored and therefore, we could not draw it. So we went to the Medici house which is now a museum. Yay! I was drawing the door (which you shall see in a second) and these official looking vans pulled up and parked right in front of me. While I was chanelling my upsetness into glares and a bad attitude, the driver of one asked me what I was drawing and then moved his car so I could see my door. He asked me how I was and I said good and then asked him how he was (in the polite form, so as not to be an ignorant tourist) and it was a good moment in my life.
#3: We found the coolest building ever to draw for class, it had faces with open mouths that created the doors and windows. However, it was being restored and therefore, we could not draw it. So we went to the Medici house which is now a museum. Yay! I was drawing the door (which you shall see in a second) and these official looking vans pulled up and parked right in front of me. While I was chanelling my upsetness into glares and a bad attitude, the driver of one asked me what I was drawing and then moved his car so I could see my door. He asked me how I was and I said good and then asked him how he was (in the polite form, so as not to be an ignorant tourist) and it was a good moment in my life.
Fountain outside the Medici-ness
I attempted to draw this cut off door. It was disasterous.After the drawing portion of the class we went to get new sketchbooks because ours were full and we amused ourselves in the art store by unintentionally blocking every aisle in that place and also drawing on Terrance's hands. (Artwork by Danielle)
The only two words you need to know in Italy!!!#4: St. Patrick's Day we had a Vertical Wine Tasting- one type of wine that you try different years of. The 1999 changed my life. Afterwards, the other girls went out and I went back to the residence where I ran into Alex. We dyed his hair.
The before picture
The after picture. He now has jet-black hair.
The before picture
The after picture. He now has jet-black hair. We stayed up late and baked cookies and watched "The Guardian". Depressing and weird movie, yo.
Alright, moving on.
Danmark!!!!
Danish is the strangest language I've ever heard in my life. Way stranger than Portugese. I rescind the comments in the earlier blog.
We flew to Kobenhavn on Saturday (Imagine that the "o" has a slash through it and you pronounce it "coo-behn-how-n") and left the next Saturday. We stayed the first 5 nights in a B&B, only the second B wasn't actually included, so it was just a B.
Bed of the B. Warmest comforter I've ever come in contact with. It was like 2 degrees outside and we were burning up at night.
Plantish area. By my bed.
Bed of the B. Warmest comforter I've ever come in contact with. It was like 2 degrees outside and we were burning up at night.
Plantish area. By my bed. Quick overview of the rest of Danmark, because I don't want to take forever to post anything anymore and I'm afraid if I don't halfway catch up now, I never will.
X Factor!!!!!!! Lindsey and I accidentally stumbled into a concert in the main square in Denmark only to find out later that X Factor is Denmark's American Idol. We saw the rehersal for the live concert that they gave before the final voting and the winner was announced. Fun fact: In Denmark, groups can enter into X Factor instead of just solo singers. Also, in case you were wondering, Linda won.
Viking Museum! Really fun to try and pronounce the name of this town and try to buy bus tickets. We eventually had to pull out a pamphlet and point.
More Viking ships. These are, by the way 5 ships that were intentionally skulled back in the day and they found them and took like 20 years jigsawing them back together.
More X Factor. Everything is out of order here, in case you couldn't tell. Sorry.
Fun building with umbrellas that I liked across from Central Station.
More Vikings. In the summer you can actually sail in the Viking ships. We would have frozen to our deaths.
The super pretty train. Things are so CLEAN in Denmark!!!!!
Pretty park that we walked by.
More parkness.
More Vikings. I got the greatest keychain ever in the gift shop, by the way. You all shall be SO jealous.
The metro. You can see out the windows! There's no driver! I made Lindsey inch forward with me until we were in the front of the train!
Der Lille Havfrue! Don't want to say that my father was right and it was small and slightly unimpressive but....
Guess where these ships came from?
Pimped out Hearse that was driving along the streets of Copenhagen.
The Glyptotek. Where I finally got my subject for my Ancient paper. Yay, me!
Cool building. Don't know what it was.
Statues that I think were gagged for some political protest. Don't know what we were protesting though. Don't really know what the statues are either.
Me with the WORLD'S GREATEST truffle!!! It had caramel amazingness inside!
Denmark has Mexican food! This was Lindsey's burrito.
More of the park. They have pretty parks.
Crazy colored building. I think it's secretly a movie theater. Oh! Lindsey and I went to see a movie (not here) and we discovered that Denmark has the prettiest movie theaters ever (giant red leather seats that are like the most comfortable things I have ever sat in) not to mention that they gave us giftbags with flavored water, candy and a magazine! They assign seats too. We didn't know that until we got kicked out of the seats we had picked. And I also made the awesome faux pas of asking if the movie was in Dutch or English. Pretty sure they don't speak Dutch in Danmark....
This is crazy out of order. This is one of the buildings next to the Spanish steps. Terrance and I sat here and waited for our wine tasting to start before spring break. I think Shelley lived here.
The Carlsberg Brewery! Probably the best beer in the world. (No, that's literally their slogan). We took a brewery tour and got 2 free beers (Kris got 3 because Lindsey only drank 1). Good times! They have Clydesdales too! (I don't know if that's spelled correctly and I'm not checking. Deal.)
We ducked into a lot of stores when we were walking to warm up. This was one of them. I was thoroughly amused.
Crazy Borat suit that I saw in a window!!!
Bay outside of the Viking museum.
They have bagels in Denmark too. I know you all aren't jealous because you have access to them all the time, but oh, the other members of Rome 2009 totally were.
And they have Ben and Jerry's.
So... Early in the wee hours of Monday morning we all got woken up to some significant shaking. Well, everyone else did. I had a dream that I was riding the metro and it went off the tracks. And then I couldn't understand why I couldn't get a hold of my cell phone to check the time. There was an earthquake in Abruzzo, about 60 miles east of here. So far the death toll is over 200 and thousands of people have lost their homes. Sad times. However, just so you know, I have totally survived a natural disaster and all is well in Rome. This is the region that our favorite wine grape comes from though and we have had no update on how the vineyards have fared. On a rare and serious note, aftershocks are still going on and it's a bit creepy. I miss you all and hope you are well and safe in America. I'll try hard to keep you better posted from Rome.
X Factor!!!!!!! Lindsey and I accidentally stumbled into a concert in the main square in Denmark only to find out later that X Factor is Denmark's American Idol. We saw the rehersal for the live concert that they gave before the final voting and the winner was announced. Fun fact: In Denmark, groups can enter into X Factor instead of just solo singers. Also, in case you were wondering, Linda won. 
Viking Museum! Really fun to try and pronounce the name of this town and try to buy bus tickets. We eventually had to pull out a pamphlet and point. 
More Viking ships. These are, by the way 5 ships that were intentionally skulled back in the day and they found them and took like 20 years jigsawing them back together.
More X Factor. Everything is out of order here, in case you couldn't tell. Sorry. 
Fun building with umbrellas that I liked across from Central Station.
More Vikings. In the summer you can actually sail in the Viking ships. We would have frozen to our deaths.
The super pretty train. Things are so CLEAN in Denmark!!!!!
Pretty park that we walked by.
More parkness.
More Vikings. I got the greatest keychain ever in the gift shop, by the way. You all shall be SO jealous.
The metro. You can see out the windows! There's no driver! I made Lindsey inch forward with me until we were in the front of the train!
Der Lille Havfrue! Don't want to say that my father was right and it was small and slightly unimpressive but....
Guess where these ships came from?
Pimped out Hearse that was driving along the streets of Copenhagen. 
The Glyptotek. Where I finally got my subject for my Ancient paper. Yay, me!
Cool building. Don't know what it was.
Statues that I think were gagged for some political protest. Don't know what we were protesting though. Don't really know what the statues are either.
Me with the WORLD'S GREATEST truffle!!! It had caramel amazingness inside!
Denmark has Mexican food! This was Lindsey's burrito.
More of the park. They have pretty parks.
Crazy colored building. I think it's secretly a movie theater. Oh! Lindsey and I went to see a movie (not here) and we discovered that Denmark has the prettiest movie theaters ever (giant red leather seats that are like the most comfortable things I have ever sat in) not to mention that they gave us giftbags with flavored water, candy and a magazine! They assign seats too. We didn't know that until we got kicked out of the seats we had picked. And I also made the awesome faux pas of asking if the movie was in Dutch or English. Pretty sure they don't speak Dutch in Danmark....
This is crazy out of order. This is one of the buildings next to the Spanish steps. Terrance and I sat here and waited for our wine tasting to start before spring break. I think Shelley lived here. 
The Carlsberg Brewery! Probably the best beer in the world. (No, that's literally their slogan). We took a brewery tour and got 2 free beers (Kris got 3 because Lindsey only drank 1). Good times! They have Clydesdales too! (I don't know if that's spelled correctly and I'm not checking. Deal.)
We ducked into a lot of stores when we were walking to warm up. This was one of them. I was thoroughly amused.
Crazy Borat suit that I saw in a window!!!
Bay outside of the Viking museum.
They have bagels in Denmark too. I know you all aren't jealous because you have access to them all the time, but oh, the other members of Rome 2009 totally were.
And they have Ben and Jerry's. So... Early in the wee hours of Monday morning we all got woken up to some significant shaking. Well, everyone else did. I had a dream that I was riding the metro and it went off the tracks. And then I couldn't understand why I couldn't get a hold of my cell phone to check the time. There was an earthquake in Abruzzo, about 60 miles east of here. So far the death toll is over 200 and thousands of people have lost their homes. Sad times. However, just so you know, I have totally survived a natural disaster and all is well in Rome. This is the region that our favorite wine grape comes from though and we have had no update on how the vineyards have fared. On a rare and serious note, aftershocks are still going on and it's a bit creepy. I miss you all and hope you are well and safe in America. I'll try hard to keep you better posted from Rome.
there's something rotten in the state of kris' blog.
ReplyDeletehope you're well. :D