Hey Everybody,
A week ago today, I landed back in the US.
It took about 3 days to get over the jet lag, and the realization that I wont wake up in a European city is slowly settling in.
I came home to a loving family that missed me dearly, and they brought with them the Chicken Parm sandwich I mentioned I longed for in Rome.
The trip was unbelievable. Life changing. Exciting. Scary. Fun. Exhilarating. Stressful. The list goes on and on.
The most important aspect of my trip was not the places I went to. Instead, its the people who I met.
I now have met people from all over the world. A cop from Greece, a graffiti artist from Amsterdam. A cardshark from Australia. A professional baseball player in Germany. This list also goes on and on.
All of these people influenced me in their own way. Stereotypes I may have once had about certain countries have been broken.
To talk to people who have never been to the US and try to understand their perspective of what the US is was quite possibly the most interesting aspect of the trip. How do you explain that some people love guns in the US but others are totally opposed to it?
Some really cool statistics of the blog:
USA:
21 states looked at the blog
International
19 countries from every continent besides Africa
in total, there were 784 visits from around the world.
I would like to thank everyone for reading my blog.
More importantly, TRAVEL! TRAVEL TRAVEL TRAVEL! Nothing will make you a better person then traveling.
Also, if anyone knows of any jobs available in marketing please contact me. Applying for jobs kind of sucks.
Love you guys and good luck,
Zac
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
When in Rome (Part 2)
Hey Everybody,
I am back in the U.S.S.A, I was born in the U.S.A, This land is my land, this land is your land... etc.
The last few days of my trip were some of the best experiences that I had while abroad. I stayed with my friends Marisa and Max and we had a ball. Each morning that I was there, a small street market was open. We would go down to the market and buy different fruits and veggies, and make breakfast.
I had seen most of the big things in Rome by this point, so we were never really in any type of rush. After I left, they still had a few days to explore the city. The first full I day I had with them I had to wake up unbelievably early because I had yet to check out of my hostel. The night before we had drank a little too much, and we all came to the conclusion that it probably was not a smart idea for me to try to take the buses back to my hostel.
Rome does have a pretty good bus system, but the woman at the hostel gave me entirely horrible directions. She told me to take the bus for 6 stops, and then get off. What she failed to mention was the fact that if nobody is at the bus stop and no one gets off, then the bus driver speeds by your stop.
Of course, it was dark and rainy, so I couldn't see every single stop that we passed. After a little while I asked the guy across from me if I was near my stop. He laughed. Yes, he laughed. He told me directions to get back (in Italian), so I was totally lost.
A good thing and a bad thing happened at the same time. I remembered that I had put Google Maps on my phone, so I was able to type in their address, and walk an additional half mile or so. The problem was that my phone was nearly dead. Luckily, the phone stayed on until I was about a block away or so, and was able to get to their apartment with little trouble.
For two of the three nights I stayed with them, Marisa cooked unbelievable meals. The first was an eggplant Parmigiana , and the other night was an open forced cord on bleu. I do have to mention that Max is quite a good sous chef. Yummy.
We rented bikes for a day, and ended up doing the tour of the Colosseum. The Colosseum is as cool as I imagined it, granted a tad smaller then expected. I kept making corny jokes throughout the museum part saying things like: "They had lights 2000 years ago?!?", "I didnt know they had hand rails 2000 years ago?!?". I was eventually exhausted of making these types of jokes.
A group from Eastern Europe came up to the three of us and asked me to take a picture. Marisa started saying how I was a world famous photographer, and I should charge them quite a bit. The Eastern Europeans didn't really get the joke, but I thought it was funny, and that is really all that matters in that type of situation.
We rode around for a while, had great gelato and I took the two of them to the worlds most unique McDonalds (According to Travel Channel) in the world. It was more of a lounge then anything else.
The second day full day I was with them was also my last day in Rome. I bought gifts for a few friends, my parents, and went shopping at my new obsession, United Colors of Benetton.
That night, we drank to celebrate Marisa's birthday as well as my last day in Europe. Great times were had by all!
I plan on writing one more post about thoughts and statistics from the trip...
Thank you everyone!
Zac
I am back in the U.S.S.A, I was born in the U.S.A, This land is my land, this land is your land... etc.
The last few days of my trip were some of the best experiences that I had while abroad. I stayed with my friends Marisa and Max and we had a ball. Each morning that I was there, a small street market was open. We would go down to the market and buy different fruits and veggies, and make breakfast.
I had seen most of the big things in Rome by this point, so we were never really in any type of rush. After I left, they still had a few days to explore the city. The first full I day I had with them I had to wake up unbelievably early because I had yet to check out of my hostel. The night before we had drank a little too much, and we all came to the conclusion that it probably was not a smart idea for me to try to take the buses back to my hostel.
Rome does have a pretty good bus system, but the woman at the hostel gave me entirely horrible directions. She told me to take the bus for 6 stops, and then get off. What she failed to mention was the fact that if nobody is at the bus stop and no one gets off, then the bus driver speeds by your stop.
Of course, it was dark and rainy, so I couldn't see every single stop that we passed. After a little while I asked the guy across from me if I was near my stop. He laughed. Yes, he laughed. He told me directions to get back (in Italian), so I was totally lost.
A good thing and a bad thing happened at the same time. I remembered that I had put Google Maps on my phone, so I was able to type in their address, and walk an additional half mile or so. The problem was that my phone was nearly dead. Luckily, the phone stayed on until I was about a block away or so, and was able to get to their apartment with little trouble.
For two of the three nights I stayed with them, Marisa cooked unbelievable meals. The first was an eggplant Parmigiana , and the other night was an open forced cord on bleu. I do have to mention that Max is quite a good sous chef. Yummy.
We rented bikes for a day, and ended up doing the tour of the Colosseum. The Colosseum is as cool as I imagined it, granted a tad smaller then expected. I kept making corny jokes throughout the museum part saying things like: "They had lights 2000 years ago?!?", "I didnt know they had hand rails 2000 years ago?!?". I was eventually exhausted of making these types of jokes.
A group from Eastern Europe came up to the three of us and asked me to take a picture. Marisa started saying how I was a world famous photographer, and I should charge them quite a bit. The Eastern Europeans didn't really get the joke, but I thought it was funny, and that is really all that matters in that type of situation.
We rode around for a while, had great gelato and I took the two of them to the worlds most unique McDonalds (According to Travel Channel) in the world. It was more of a lounge then anything else.
The second day full day I was with them was also my last day in Rome. I bought gifts for a few friends, my parents, and went shopping at my new obsession, United Colors of Benetton.
That night, we drank to celebrate Marisa's birthday as well as my last day in Europe. Great times were had by all!
I plan on writing one more post about thoughts and statistics from the trip...
Thank you everyone!
Zac
Sunday, August 1, 2010
When in Rome! (Part 1)
Hey Everybody,
First off, Thank you Jeffrey for reminding me to use that phrase as often as I possibly can. It may be the most overused phrase ever uttered in Rome.
I arrived in Rome on the 28th of July. In my mind, I had one night to meet as many people as I could, in order to do a proper birthday dinner the following night. Unfortunately, the bar was practically empty, though at around midnight, the bartender gave me a free shot of limoncello.
The first major thing I did the night of the 28th was a free tour. Most major cities offer some type of free tour. The idea is that at the end you tip your guide. While waiting to start the tour, I ran into one of the four med students from Jersey.
Throughout my trip, I have seen these 4 med students in 4 different cities, as well as in 4 different countries.... The probability of that happening is pretty slim.
The tour took us to all the major sights in the heart of Rome. It started at the Spanish Steps, and went through a bunch of churches, the Italian equivalent of the White House, the Pantheon, and finally ended at the Trevi Fountain.
At the Trevi fountain, I ran into a friend of mine from Syracuse. Small World.
After the fountain, I ended up getting dinner with the four students. That was there last night in Rome, so we discussed everything that they did, and I tried to formulate some type of plan in order to best see Rome.
The next day it was my birthday!
WOOO!
As mentioned above, I tried to meet as many people as I could, and that failed.
I decided that I was going to enjoy the day as best I could by myself.
My friend Lainie from home told me that she had the best chicken parm in the world in Rome. Her and I come from the same hometown, and she knows damn well how good the chicken parm is at the Deli. She also knows I am basically addicted to it, so for her to claim that this was life changing was more of a challenge then anything.
I decided to go for lunch. After walking about 40 minutes, I got to the location, but couldnt find it. Then and there, I realized that the restaurant was only open for dinner. FUCK!!!
Zac: 0 World: 1
In Rome, people vow all the time. I VOWED to go back and have my birthday dinner there.
I had hours to kill. I decided to go to Saint Angelos Castle. This is a castle that overlooks the main river that runs through Rome. The castle had unbelivable views of the city, and more mosiacs then one can imagine.
On a side note
I have had to pay full price for all of my tickets into museums. There is a student rate, but one needs to be a European Union student. Even though I graduated, I still have my student ID simply because there isnt an expiration date on it. Thanks Syracuse!
If I ever open a museum, I will charge double for anyone from the EU, specifically students. I will laugh as they cry the tears of shame.
The castle is a quick two minute walk from the Vatican. I wanted to see the Vatican museum, and thought that I was on the appropriate line. Apparently, I was on line to see the Popes tombs. This was somewhat interesting, but not every tomb was there, and the history of each Pope was boiled down to a couple of sentences.
After this experience, I went to the Vatican Museum. I had been given directions, but the tourist information offices I went to decided to not tell me it was a fifteen minute walk, and that the museum closed at 4pm. I arrived at 4:05 PM.
Zac:0 World: 2
DAMN!
I needed to change this day for the better quickly. The World was beating me 2 zip on my own birthday!
I knew of a park that overlooked the city. I imagined it would be beautiful at dusk. I figured that the restaurant wouldnt open until 6:30, so I had some time to kill.
I found a bench where these two girls were sitting. We started talking. They were British, and in their early 20s.
Zac:1 World:2
After spending a couple of hours with them, we parted ways. The chicken parm was scratching at my soul, and I needed to quell the urge.
I got really lost, but eventually found my way to the restaurant. The parm was calling my name.
I sat down after a long day, and decided to celebrate my getting a first and second course. I am CrAzY!!!
First course was just bruschette, but it was good.
The chicken parm came out second.
Da Da Dummmmm
It was really good. Really really good. It wasnt as good as the Delis, but after a full day of waiting, it was worth it.
Zac: 2 World: 2
Afterwords, I decided to go and walk to the Colosseum to see it at night. It was absoluetly gorgeous. Throughout the night I called some friends and family to hear their voices, very pleasant.
Zac: 3 World: 2
I win!
The next day I did the full Vatican museum. It just shows how the Vatican took over the world stealing and pillaging, and then put all of the stuff they stole on display. In other words, I am not a fan of the ideas of the Vatican, but the museum was pretty.
The amount of money that could be made if the Vatican sold half of its assets it could arguably stop world hunger. Hmmm....
Either way, I saw the Sistine Chapel. The iconic image of God with Adam is quite breathtaking. I was blown away by the detail that was in the chapel. The Sistine chapel is also where all of the cardinals vote for the next pope.
The whole museum took about 3 hours, its huge.
The next day I went to Pompei.
On the way down, an older lady started talking to me in Italian. I understood that she wanted me to get her bags. After I did this, she offered me her seat, which was next to four gorgeous Italian girls. After hearing them giggle, I asked what she was talking about. Apparently the older lady wanted to set me up with these girls. It was a great trip!
Pompei is the site where a volcano erupted and buried a full city. Its impossible to see in one day, but well worth the visit. Unfortunately, its about a 7 hour roundtrip. Unless you really wanted to see it, (like me) its much easier to do if you spend the night in Naples (which I didnt).
The city was destroyed before Jesus, so there are at least 5 or 6 temples to various Roman and Greek Gods. The city is still being excavated, so each time you go, different things are open and closed. I saw an actual Roman bath which was pretty sweet. Many of the houses had original paintings of figures in sexual poses. Ah, to be a Roman.
That night, I got dinner with my friends from Munich, and after had too much wine and had to spend the night there. I am moving there today, and my last two nights in Rome will be spent there.
Thats it for now.
Ill see all of you very soon!
Zac
First off, Thank you Jeffrey for reminding me to use that phrase as often as I possibly can. It may be the most overused phrase ever uttered in Rome.
I arrived in Rome on the 28th of July. In my mind, I had one night to meet as many people as I could, in order to do a proper birthday dinner the following night. Unfortunately, the bar was practically empty, though at around midnight, the bartender gave me a free shot of limoncello.
The first major thing I did the night of the 28th was a free tour. Most major cities offer some type of free tour. The idea is that at the end you tip your guide. While waiting to start the tour, I ran into one of the four med students from Jersey.
Throughout my trip, I have seen these 4 med students in 4 different cities, as well as in 4 different countries.... The probability of that happening is pretty slim.
The tour took us to all the major sights in the heart of Rome. It started at the Spanish Steps, and went through a bunch of churches, the Italian equivalent of the White House, the Pantheon, and finally ended at the Trevi Fountain.
At the Trevi fountain, I ran into a friend of mine from Syracuse. Small World.
After the fountain, I ended up getting dinner with the four students. That was there last night in Rome, so we discussed everything that they did, and I tried to formulate some type of plan in order to best see Rome.
The next day it was my birthday!
WOOO!
As mentioned above, I tried to meet as many people as I could, and that failed.
I decided that I was going to enjoy the day as best I could by myself.
My friend Lainie from home told me that she had the best chicken parm in the world in Rome. Her and I come from the same hometown, and she knows damn well how good the chicken parm is at the Deli. She also knows I am basically addicted to it, so for her to claim that this was life changing was more of a challenge then anything.
I decided to go for lunch. After walking about 40 minutes, I got to the location, but couldnt find it. Then and there, I realized that the restaurant was only open for dinner. FUCK!!!
Zac: 0 World: 1
In Rome, people vow all the time. I VOWED to go back and have my birthday dinner there.
I had hours to kill. I decided to go to Saint Angelos Castle. This is a castle that overlooks the main river that runs through Rome. The castle had unbelivable views of the city, and more mosiacs then one can imagine.
On a side note
I have had to pay full price for all of my tickets into museums. There is a student rate, but one needs to be a European Union student. Even though I graduated, I still have my student ID simply because there isnt an expiration date on it. Thanks Syracuse!
If I ever open a museum, I will charge double for anyone from the EU, specifically students. I will laugh as they cry the tears of shame.
The castle is a quick two minute walk from the Vatican. I wanted to see the Vatican museum, and thought that I was on the appropriate line. Apparently, I was on line to see the Popes tombs. This was somewhat interesting, but not every tomb was there, and the history of each Pope was boiled down to a couple of sentences.
After this experience, I went to the Vatican Museum. I had been given directions, but the tourist information offices I went to decided to not tell me it was a fifteen minute walk, and that the museum closed at 4pm. I arrived at 4:05 PM.
Zac:0 World: 2
DAMN!
I needed to change this day for the better quickly. The World was beating me 2 zip on my own birthday!
I knew of a park that overlooked the city. I imagined it would be beautiful at dusk. I figured that the restaurant wouldnt open until 6:30, so I had some time to kill.
I found a bench where these two girls were sitting. We started talking. They were British, and in their early 20s.
Zac:1 World:2
After spending a couple of hours with them, we parted ways. The chicken parm was scratching at my soul, and I needed to quell the urge.
I got really lost, but eventually found my way to the restaurant. The parm was calling my name.
I sat down after a long day, and decided to celebrate my getting a first and second course. I am CrAzY!!!
First course was just bruschette, but it was good.
The chicken parm came out second.
Da Da Dummmmm
It was really good. Really really good. It wasnt as good as the Delis, but after a full day of waiting, it was worth it.
Zac: 2 World: 2
Afterwords, I decided to go and walk to the Colosseum to see it at night. It was absoluetly gorgeous. Throughout the night I called some friends and family to hear their voices, very pleasant.
Zac: 3 World: 2
I win!
The next day I did the full Vatican museum. It just shows how the Vatican took over the world stealing and pillaging, and then put all of the stuff they stole on display. In other words, I am not a fan of the ideas of the Vatican, but the museum was pretty.
The amount of money that could be made if the Vatican sold half of its assets it could arguably stop world hunger. Hmmm....
Either way, I saw the Sistine Chapel. The iconic image of God with Adam is quite breathtaking. I was blown away by the detail that was in the chapel. The Sistine chapel is also where all of the cardinals vote for the next pope.
The whole museum took about 3 hours, its huge.
The next day I went to Pompei.
On the way down, an older lady started talking to me in Italian. I understood that she wanted me to get her bags. After I did this, she offered me her seat, which was next to four gorgeous Italian girls. After hearing them giggle, I asked what she was talking about. Apparently the older lady wanted to set me up with these girls. It was a great trip!
Pompei is the site where a volcano erupted and buried a full city. Its impossible to see in one day, but well worth the visit. Unfortunately, its about a 7 hour roundtrip. Unless you really wanted to see it, (like me) its much easier to do if you spend the night in Naples (which I didnt).
The city was destroyed before Jesus, so there are at least 5 or 6 temples to various Roman and Greek Gods. The city is still being excavated, so each time you go, different things are open and closed. I saw an actual Roman bath which was pretty sweet. Many of the houses had original paintings of figures in sexual poses. Ah, to be a Roman.
That night, I got dinner with my friends from Munich, and after had too much wine and had to spend the night there. I am moving there today, and my last two nights in Rome will be spent there.
Thats it for now.
Ill see all of you very soon!
Zac
Friday, July 30, 2010
Florence
Hey Everybody,
Thanks so much for all of the birthday wishes.
Going into Florence I knew very little. I knew that the Renaissance had started there, and that it was in Tuscany.
First things first. My hostel was sick. I dont like to advertise hostels, simply because they typically overcharge you for the services that are available. This was not true about this hostel.
Plus Florence had a pool, a sauna, and a turkish bath. I hadnt ever been in a turkish bath, but it was somewhat like a steam room. You can only see about a foot ahead at any given point. Three of the four nights I was there, I used and abused the pool area. There were also two bars and a disco. One of the bars was a terrace bar that had an unbelivable view of the city.
For the first 3 nights of my stay I was with a group of Indian cousins ranging from 12 to 30. Great people from all over the world.
A few hours after I got there, I ran into Parker from California. Parker and I had originally met in Barcelona, then ran into each other in Munich, and I immediately saw him when we got to Florence. There is almost a hostel tour that some people are on, so you always run into similar people.
We decided that there had to be a bigger reason for the third meeting, so opted to spend our time in Florence seeing the sights.
The first night we walked around a bunch. We briefly saw all of the major sights. This included Accademia, the dome, the tower, the church, the doors of paradise, and the Uffizi.
That night, we decided that we had to celebrate the coincidence of running into each other three times in three different countries. Long story short, the next morning I wasnt a happy camper.
Sober Zac had signed up for a bike tour at 10 AM. Drunk Zac forgot this fact, and barely made it to the bike tour. I constantly checked the time, praying that it was over. I remember thinking that at least an hour had past, and it was 15 minutes. On the plus side, Parker did find an unbelivable way to get drunk quickly. If you want to know, just ask and I will gladly tell.
At one point during the bike tour, I needed water. I NEEDED water. I was dieing a slow and painful death. I also had no money on me. As we were biking, we passed an ATM, and I figured I would catch up with the group once I got the money. Big mistake. I ended up losing everybody, but remembered where the wine tasting was going to be. After a good half hour of waiting, they came back, and we started the tasting.
Though the wine tasted great, I was still too hungover to really appreciate it. From what I remember, Tuscan wine was unbelivable. There are 20 states in Italy, and each makes their own type of wine.
That night Parker and I went to a park to watch the locals. We ended up meeting another guy from California who was studying abroad in Florence. He told us some crazy stories about his experiences in Florence, and about his somewhat weird roomate. His flight left from Florence about 5 hours after he left us... Hopefully he made it.
The next morning, Parker and I decided to go to Pisa. Not only is this the last name of my favorite Middle School teacher ever, there is also a tower that famously leans. It is a really cool sight, but for some reason I always assumed it was pushed back along the Tuscan countryside. It was actually in the city center of Pisa, right next to a church. I later read that it was a German outpost during the war, and that the Allies had almost destroyed it. Crazy!
After spending about an hour at the grounds, we needed to get back. My father has a friend whose brother is an architect in Florence. He invited me to this old jail called the Murato, where he runs an event every monday night where an aspiring young artist speaks to the community. Free wine and aperitifs (appetizers) are served. Unfortunately, I thought it was much closer to my hostel then it actually was. It took me about 40 minutes to get there, and I was hustling. Either way, I made it, and it was a cool experience. Marco (the brother) introduced me to the head of the Syracuse abroad program in Florence. She apparently worked more with architecture students, but I told her that a friend was going to be studying in the fall... Small world.
That night, I decided to take my time and walk around the city. As you get farther from the tourist areas, there are small paths and alleyways that crisscross the city at various points. I ended up at a restaurant and started a conversation with the couple who was next to me. They were Welsh, and we discussed how different cultures are. By the end of the dinner, they refused to let me pay. It was one of the nicest things that has happened on this trip. Apparently, as their sons travelled throughout the US, a couple had paid for dinner one night. Perfect Karma.
As I was walking home, I stumbled upon some type of parade. Everyone was dressed in very traditional clothing, and there were flags of the state of Florence everywhere. There were drummers and horn players throughout, and there was a group of locals who followed in suits. To this day, I have no idea what it was, but it was pretty cool. It was a great night.
The next morning, Parker and I decided to climb to the top of the tower in the town square. There are two choices. One can climb to the top of the dome, or one can climb to the top of the tower. The line for the dome was at least an hour, while the climb to the top of the tower was about 15 seconds. The views on top were spectacular, but it unfortunately started raining.
When this happened, we originally thought that we should go on line to see the statue David at the Accademia, but after waiting on line for half an hour and not moving, we decided that it would be smarter to go the next morning before the train to Rome. Instead, we found a video game arcade, and spent the afternoon there. That night, we hung out at the terrace bar, and met a bunch of Americans from all over. As the sun slowly sank, we realized our time in Florence was limited.
The next morning we got up early to go see David and the rest of the museum. Unfortunately, the rest of the museum is kind of boring. There is a hall of statues that is interesting, but the rest of the museum are mosiacs that are very similar in color and size.
We hopped on the train, and both of us made it to Rome. Woo!
That being said, I have noticed a few things. All of a sudden I am much more tired then usual. I am waking up later then I have been at the beginning of the trip. I believe I have hit some type of wall, and do miss some small comforts. That being said, Rome is a beautiful city, but one needs to walk a bunch. Therer really isnt any public transportation, because every time they try to build an underground they find a new ruin. I guess thats what happens when the city is thousands of years old.
See you all soon.
Zac
Thanks so much for all of the birthday wishes.
Going into Florence I knew very little. I knew that the Renaissance had started there, and that it was in Tuscany.
First things first. My hostel was sick. I dont like to advertise hostels, simply because they typically overcharge you for the services that are available. This was not true about this hostel.
Plus Florence had a pool, a sauna, and a turkish bath. I hadnt ever been in a turkish bath, but it was somewhat like a steam room. You can only see about a foot ahead at any given point. Three of the four nights I was there, I used and abused the pool area. There were also two bars and a disco. One of the bars was a terrace bar that had an unbelivable view of the city.
For the first 3 nights of my stay I was with a group of Indian cousins ranging from 12 to 30. Great people from all over the world.
A few hours after I got there, I ran into Parker from California. Parker and I had originally met in Barcelona, then ran into each other in Munich, and I immediately saw him when we got to Florence. There is almost a hostel tour that some people are on, so you always run into similar people.
We decided that there had to be a bigger reason for the third meeting, so opted to spend our time in Florence seeing the sights.
The first night we walked around a bunch. We briefly saw all of the major sights. This included Accademia, the dome, the tower, the church, the doors of paradise, and the Uffizi.
That night, we decided that we had to celebrate the coincidence of running into each other three times in three different countries. Long story short, the next morning I wasnt a happy camper.
Sober Zac had signed up for a bike tour at 10 AM. Drunk Zac forgot this fact, and barely made it to the bike tour. I constantly checked the time, praying that it was over. I remember thinking that at least an hour had past, and it was 15 minutes. On the plus side, Parker did find an unbelivable way to get drunk quickly. If you want to know, just ask and I will gladly tell.
At one point during the bike tour, I needed water. I NEEDED water. I was dieing a slow and painful death. I also had no money on me. As we were biking, we passed an ATM, and I figured I would catch up with the group once I got the money. Big mistake. I ended up losing everybody, but remembered where the wine tasting was going to be. After a good half hour of waiting, they came back, and we started the tasting.
Though the wine tasted great, I was still too hungover to really appreciate it. From what I remember, Tuscan wine was unbelivable. There are 20 states in Italy, and each makes their own type of wine.
That night Parker and I went to a park to watch the locals. We ended up meeting another guy from California who was studying abroad in Florence. He told us some crazy stories about his experiences in Florence, and about his somewhat weird roomate. His flight left from Florence about 5 hours after he left us... Hopefully he made it.
The next morning, Parker and I decided to go to Pisa. Not only is this the last name of my favorite Middle School teacher ever, there is also a tower that famously leans. It is a really cool sight, but for some reason I always assumed it was pushed back along the Tuscan countryside. It was actually in the city center of Pisa, right next to a church. I later read that it was a German outpost during the war, and that the Allies had almost destroyed it. Crazy!
After spending about an hour at the grounds, we needed to get back. My father has a friend whose brother is an architect in Florence. He invited me to this old jail called the Murato, where he runs an event every monday night where an aspiring young artist speaks to the community. Free wine and aperitifs (appetizers) are served. Unfortunately, I thought it was much closer to my hostel then it actually was. It took me about 40 minutes to get there, and I was hustling. Either way, I made it, and it was a cool experience. Marco (the brother) introduced me to the head of the Syracuse abroad program in Florence. She apparently worked more with architecture students, but I told her that a friend was going to be studying in the fall... Small world.
That night, I decided to take my time and walk around the city. As you get farther from the tourist areas, there are small paths and alleyways that crisscross the city at various points. I ended up at a restaurant and started a conversation with the couple who was next to me. They were Welsh, and we discussed how different cultures are. By the end of the dinner, they refused to let me pay. It was one of the nicest things that has happened on this trip. Apparently, as their sons travelled throughout the US, a couple had paid for dinner one night. Perfect Karma.
As I was walking home, I stumbled upon some type of parade. Everyone was dressed in very traditional clothing, and there were flags of the state of Florence everywhere. There were drummers and horn players throughout, and there was a group of locals who followed in suits. To this day, I have no idea what it was, but it was pretty cool. It was a great night.
The next morning, Parker and I decided to climb to the top of the tower in the town square. There are two choices. One can climb to the top of the dome, or one can climb to the top of the tower. The line for the dome was at least an hour, while the climb to the top of the tower was about 15 seconds. The views on top were spectacular, but it unfortunately started raining.
When this happened, we originally thought that we should go on line to see the statue David at the Accademia, but after waiting on line for half an hour and not moving, we decided that it would be smarter to go the next morning before the train to Rome. Instead, we found a video game arcade, and spent the afternoon there. That night, we hung out at the terrace bar, and met a bunch of Americans from all over. As the sun slowly sank, we realized our time in Florence was limited.
The next morning we got up early to go see David and the rest of the museum. Unfortunately, the rest of the museum is kind of boring. There is a hall of statues that is interesting, but the rest of the museum are mosiacs that are very similar in color and size.
We hopped on the train, and both of us made it to Rome. Woo!
That being said, I have noticed a few things. All of a sudden I am much more tired then usual. I am waking up later then I have been at the beginning of the trip. I believe I have hit some type of wall, and do miss some small comforts. That being said, Rome is a beautiful city, but one needs to walk a bunch. Therer really isnt any public transportation, because every time they try to build an underground they find a new ruin. I guess thats what happens when the city is thousands of years old.
See you all soon.
Zac
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Venice
Hey Everybody,
Due to the great time I had in Florence, I wasnt able to type up my experiences in Venice.
I am currently in my final destination of Rome! Woo!
Here you go:
Venice is how one would imagine it to be. I read various reports that stated that it was made up of anywhere from 150-200 mini islands. Apparently, the city was started by refugees of various parts of Italy who decided to build pillars on the islands in order to make a city on the water.
The city has countless bridges and paths, and my main goal was to get lost. The further away you get from the tourist areas, the prettier the city becomes. The ends of residential blocks end at waterways, where if you time it right, you can watch a young couple in the bounds of love slowly drifting down the canals in a gondola while someone is singing italian love songs... life changing.
So what a single guy do in the (arguably) most romantic city in the world? He cant really go to bars, because they are nearly impossible to find, and the city is a major labyrinth. He cant take a gondola, because A. that would be the saddest thing a single guy could do, and (more importantly) the cheapest package was around 80 euro. Instead, he sits in his hostel and plays cards with two girls from the Netherlands (true story).
Instead, with tears in my eyes I watched all the honeymooners laughing and holding hands.
The city was beautiful. The first full day I was there I went to the Accademia. The Accademia holds most of the famous paintings from Venetian artists pre 19th century. It consisted of 24 rooms that each had some type of theme (most portraying some aspect of Christianity). I believe that this is the best known museum in Venice. Some of my favorite paintings were "Portrait of a Young Man with a Book" by Lotto, and "The Feast in the House of Levy" by Veronese.
"The Feast in the House of Levy" had a really interesting story. Its huge. Its big enough that the artist was charged with heresy from the church because of the size of the painting (219 inches by 500 inches) crazy. It depicts a great feast.
I did do the San Marco square, but to be honest, I lasted about 5 minutes. It was the Times Square of Venice. Way to overpacked and not THAT much to see.
The next full day I got lost, and the one thing I kept noticing was that many of the steps that led from the canals to the streets were under water. This means that the city is sinking. Venice is trying to battle it, but unless they make drastic changes, I wouldnt be surprised if the city sank in the next 200 years or so.
Thats all for now,
I will post Florence soon.
Unfortunately, I will be home in 6 days... BOOO
Love you all,
Zac
Due to the great time I had in Florence, I wasnt able to type up my experiences in Venice.
I am currently in my final destination of Rome! Woo!
Here you go:
Venice is how one would imagine it to be. I read various reports that stated that it was made up of anywhere from 150-200 mini islands. Apparently, the city was started by refugees of various parts of Italy who decided to build pillars on the islands in order to make a city on the water.
The city has countless bridges and paths, and my main goal was to get lost. The further away you get from the tourist areas, the prettier the city becomes. The ends of residential blocks end at waterways, where if you time it right, you can watch a young couple in the bounds of love slowly drifting down the canals in a gondola while someone is singing italian love songs... life changing.
So what a single guy do in the (arguably) most romantic city in the world? He cant really go to bars, because they are nearly impossible to find, and the city is a major labyrinth. He cant take a gondola, because A. that would be the saddest thing a single guy could do, and (more importantly) the cheapest package was around 80 euro. Instead, he sits in his hostel and plays cards with two girls from the Netherlands (true story).
Instead, with tears in my eyes I watched all the honeymooners laughing and holding hands.
The city was beautiful. The first full day I was there I went to the Accademia. The Accademia holds most of the famous paintings from Venetian artists pre 19th century. It consisted of 24 rooms that each had some type of theme (most portraying some aspect of Christianity). I believe that this is the best known museum in Venice. Some of my favorite paintings were "Portrait of a Young Man with a Book" by Lotto, and "The Feast in the House of Levy" by Veronese.
"The Feast in the House of Levy" had a really interesting story. Its huge. Its big enough that the artist was charged with heresy from the church because of the size of the painting (219 inches by 500 inches) crazy. It depicts a great feast.
I did do the San Marco square, but to be honest, I lasted about 5 minutes. It was the Times Square of Venice. Way to overpacked and not THAT much to see.
The next full day I got lost, and the one thing I kept noticing was that many of the steps that led from the canals to the streets were under water. This means that the city is sinking. Venice is trying to battle it, but unless they make drastic changes, I wouldnt be surprised if the city sank in the next 200 years or so.
Thats all for now,
I will post Florence soon.
Unfortunately, I will be home in 6 days... BOOO
Love you all,
Zac
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Vienna
Hey Everybody,
Sorry that I have not been able to post during the last few days. I was in Venice, and it cost about 5 euro for half an hour of internet. Though i do love blogging and checking the internet, there was no way I was paying that much for it.
Vienna.
Vienna is not only a gorgeous city on the eastern coast of Austria, but its also the capital. As I walked through the streets I wondered if there were any Arnold Schwarzenegger statues, specifically for the time that he saved mankind. Maybe, I thought, there would be a big statue of him in full Conan attire. Alas, throughout my three days I was thouroughly disappointed for I did not find any such statues.
My cousin was in town for the International AIDS convention. One of the main reasons I was going to Austria was to see her. The first night that I was there,I met up with her and her coworkers. After walking the streets for an hour or so, we ended up eating at Illiys (the coffee chain).
After parting ways, I headed to the bar at the hostel, where I met an Australian and a British guy. The British guy told me that one of his close friends had married into Indian royalty and that he had attended the wedding.
Apparently, the festivities lasted about 2 weeks, one week there were parades and parties all the time, and the other week they traveled into the Himalayes, where he would sleep at villages that had no more then 100 or 200 people. Custom dictates that the chief (or elder) must let travellers stay at his place for free, and the way he makes the money back is that he sells beer to the travellers at a low price.
Of every beer in the world, guess what he sold...
Youll never get it.
Seriously, you wont get it
Corona! He was selling Corona! Apparently if one wants to drink the fine cerveza of Mexico, one needs to go to the Himalayan mountains.
The next day, I walked around "the ring" that surronded the old city. I would not recommend to do this. Besides a few mueseums that are pretty, the area isnt that nice. The point of the ring is to enter the middle. The old city is in the middle of the ring. There is a huge church that is hundreds of years old, but across the street is the McDonalds.
On a totally unrelated note, Mcdonalds is everywhere. EVERYWHERE.
After walking around town for a little longer, I decided to leave to go see Schonbrunn Palace.
I decided that I was sick of paying to see castles and palaces, so I tried to sneak in.
I was successful. I figured that if I walked in with a large enough group that werent wearing the same t shirt I could get in for free. Boo YA!
The best way to describe Scdhonbrunn Palace is that it is the Austrian Versailles. Its a nice palace, but the gardens are the main selling point. After climbing to the top of the castle, I had an unbelivable view of Vienna.
Golden Rule in Europe: If its climbable, climb it!
The next day, I went to the AIDS Conference. Unfortunately, it was expensive to go into the actual meetings, but there was a free part called the global village. This was an area for organizations from around the world to promote their local cause.
There were people walking around giving away free hugs. I cashed in on that one pretty quickly.
I learned that the AIDS epidemic is starting to decrease internationally. It seems that the area that is still greatly affected is Sub Saharan Africa. This is due to lack of infastructure as well as lack of available drugs to help ail people with the disease.
On a totally different note, Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, and Desmond Tutu spoke at the conference. Also, President Obama made a video that was shown on the big screen at the conference.
For my last day, I had to do maintenece stuff. This meant laundry, hygiene checks, buying soap and all that fun stuff. I ended up meeting a bunch of people from all over in the common room of the hostel, and we all went to dinner together.
I had seen a sign for an International Film Festival that was being held in Vienna. We had heard that there was international food stalls around the festival. I ended up eating interesting chicken teryaki... it was pretty good!
The next day I left and went to Venice..
I dont think I have enough time to write about Venice now, but I will tomorrow!
See you all soon,
Zac
Sorry that I have not been able to post during the last few days. I was in Venice, and it cost about 5 euro for half an hour of internet. Though i do love blogging and checking the internet, there was no way I was paying that much for it.
Vienna.
Vienna is not only a gorgeous city on the eastern coast of Austria, but its also the capital. As I walked through the streets I wondered if there were any Arnold Schwarzenegger statues, specifically for the time that he saved mankind. Maybe, I thought, there would be a big statue of him in full Conan attire. Alas, throughout my three days I was thouroughly disappointed for I did not find any such statues.
My cousin was in town for the International AIDS convention. One of the main reasons I was going to Austria was to see her. The first night that I was there,I met up with her and her coworkers. After walking the streets for an hour or so, we ended up eating at Illiys (the coffee chain).
After parting ways, I headed to the bar at the hostel, where I met an Australian and a British guy. The British guy told me that one of his close friends had married into Indian royalty and that he had attended the wedding.
Apparently, the festivities lasted about 2 weeks, one week there were parades and parties all the time, and the other week they traveled into the Himalayes, where he would sleep at villages that had no more then 100 or 200 people. Custom dictates that the chief (or elder) must let travellers stay at his place for free, and the way he makes the money back is that he sells beer to the travellers at a low price.
Of every beer in the world, guess what he sold...
Youll never get it.
Seriously, you wont get it
Corona! He was selling Corona! Apparently if one wants to drink the fine cerveza of Mexico, one needs to go to the Himalayan mountains.
The next day, I walked around "the ring" that surronded the old city. I would not recommend to do this. Besides a few mueseums that are pretty, the area isnt that nice. The point of the ring is to enter the middle. The old city is in the middle of the ring. There is a huge church that is hundreds of years old, but across the street is the McDonalds.
On a totally unrelated note, Mcdonalds is everywhere. EVERYWHERE.
After walking around town for a little longer, I decided to leave to go see Schonbrunn Palace.
I decided that I was sick of paying to see castles and palaces, so I tried to sneak in.
I was successful. I figured that if I walked in with a large enough group that werent wearing the same t shirt I could get in for free. Boo YA!
The best way to describe Scdhonbrunn Palace is that it is the Austrian Versailles. Its a nice palace, but the gardens are the main selling point. After climbing to the top of the castle, I had an unbelivable view of Vienna.
Golden Rule in Europe: If its climbable, climb it!
The next day, I went to the AIDS Conference. Unfortunately, it was expensive to go into the actual meetings, but there was a free part called the global village. This was an area for organizations from around the world to promote their local cause.
There were people walking around giving away free hugs. I cashed in on that one pretty quickly.
I learned that the AIDS epidemic is starting to decrease internationally. It seems that the area that is still greatly affected is Sub Saharan Africa. This is due to lack of infastructure as well as lack of available drugs to help ail people with the disease.
On a totally different note, Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, and Desmond Tutu spoke at the conference. Also, President Obama made a video that was shown on the big screen at the conference.
For my last day, I had to do maintenece stuff. This meant laundry, hygiene checks, buying soap and all that fun stuff. I ended up meeting a bunch of people from all over in the common room of the hostel, and we all went to dinner together.
I had seen a sign for an International Film Festival that was being held in Vienna. We had heard that there was international food stalls around the festival. I ended up eating interesting chicken teryaki... it was pretty good!
The next day I left and went to Venice..
I dont think I have enough time to write about Venice now, but I will tomorrow!
See you all soon,
Zac
Monday, July 19, 2010
Munich Part 2
Hey Everybody,
I just arrived in Vienna about half an hour ago. My cousin is in town for a conference, so we will be hanging out later tonight!
Munich.
Munich was awesome.
The day after the BMW Museum and Olympic park, I met up with a pair of Australian brothers who I had met in Nice. One is a professional poker player, and the other one is just finishing university.
These were two of the funniest people I have ever met.
Originally, I had woken up somewhat early in order to go on a Third Reich tour. After they emailed me, I decided to meet them at their hostel, which was down the street from me.
After waiting an unbearable hour in anticipation, I saw their friendly Australian faces walk through the door.
Unbeknownst to us, it was Gay Pride weekend in Munich.
I havent heard so much Gloria Gaynor in my life. We managed to find the parade, where there were men dressed as every 70s pop icon one can think of, as well as more Lady Gagas then I could have imagined in the same place.
The atmosphere was fun, (granted a tad uncomfortable), but we soon left the parade to do bigger and better things.
We ended up exploring the city a bunch, went to H&M, and generally had a good time together.
That night I joined them again. The older brother had met a local while she was working as an aupair in Australia. We joined her, and she took us far away from the touristy section, and we ended up at a small cafe with university students.
We all enjoyed a few drinks as well as a few laughs, and a good time was had by all.
The next day, I had made tentative plans with my friend Marisa from school.
We had met in an anthro class last semester at Syracuse.
Her boyfriend is German, and lives in Munich. She invited me over to meet his family.
What an amazing experience.
The family is originally from Poland, but moved to Munich in the mid to late 70s. Both parents are doctors and they live in one of the prettiest parts of Munich that I had been to.
I was treated like a king!
I could never say no to anything.
Zac, do you want some coffee?
No... Its fine! I am not that thirsty
Are you sure?
Yes, yes, its totally fine.
Are you sure?
FINE, I will have a cappucino....
This happened with everything.
We ended up spending the day with Maxs (Marisas bf) family. We went to a modern art museum called Pinakothek that had a special exhibit with the artist Neo Rauch.
http://www.pinakothek.de/pinakothek-der-moderne/html/kalender/kalender_index_en.php?haupt=ausstellungen&sub=moderne&action=
If you havent seen a painting by him, do it. Your mind will be blown.
I cant describe what I saw, but I enjoyed his work thouroughly.
After the museum we stopped for lunch and ice cream, the whole while discussing topics ranging from cars to lifestyles to American influence to music to cultural differences, etc etc.
The family also has an apartment in Rome, and I will be in Rome while Marisa and Max will be there. They offered me a place to stay for my final nights in Europe, and I appreciate it to the fullest extent.
I offered if they ever came to the New York, they would have a place to stay in Millburn.
That night, I met up with Marisa and Max, and we ended up hanging out at a hookah bar until about 1. Max had gone to Syracuse, and had graduated a year before Marisa and I, so we generally knew some of the same people and places at the university.
Afterwords, I ended up running into some friends of mine from the hostel, we talked and laughed about how much fun we had had the other night in the clubbing district of Munich.
Overall, I loved Munich, and really want to head back there.
Some other notes:
I only have a little over 2 weeks left. Dammit.
I love German food. It can get you sick if you eat it every day though.
I hope to see some Arnold Schwarznegger statues all over Vienna. If anything, at least a terminator plaque.
Vienna is spelt Wien in German. Wiener schnitzel is basically schnitzel from Wien (or Vienna).
My parents half-jokingly asked if I was planning on staying in Europe after the trip was over. I half-jokingly said yes. Maybe a little more then half jokingly.... I am joking. :)
Creedence Clearwater Revival, Springsteen, Phish, Radiohead, The Beatles, and Dylan have been my saviours during long train rides when there isnt anyone who speaks English around me.
Again, I want to thank Maxs family for all the hospitality they gave me.
See you soon!
Zac
I just arrived in Vienna about half an hour ago. My cousin is in town for a conference, so we will be hanging out later tonight!
Munich.
Munich was awesome.
The day after the BMW Museum and Olympic park, I met up with a pair of Australian brothers who I had met in Nice. One is a professional poker player, and the other one is just finishing university.
These were two of the funniest people I have ever met.
Originally, I had woken up somewhat early in order to go on a Third Reich tour. After they emailed me, I decided to meet them at their hostel, which was down the street from me.
After waiting an unbearable hour in anticipation, I saw their friendly Australian faces walk through the door.
Unbeknownst to us, it was Gay Pride weekend in Munich.
I havent heard so much Gloria Gaynor in my life. We managed to find the parade, where there were men dressed as every 70s pop icon one can think of, as well as more Lady Gagas then I could have imagined in the same place.
The atmosphere was fun, (granted a tad uncomfortable), but we soon left the parade to do bigger and better things.
We ended up exploring the city a bunch, went to H&M, and generally had a good time together.
That night I joined them again. The older brother had met a local while she was working as an aupair in Australia. We joined her, and she took us far away from the touristy section, and we ended up at a small cafe with university students.
We all enjoyed a few drinks as well as a few laughs, and a good time was had by all.
The next day, I had made tentative plans with my friend Marisa from school.
We had met in an anthro class last semester at Syracuse.
Her boyfriend is German, and lives in Munich. She invited me over to meet his family.
What an amazing experience.
The family is originally from Poland, but moved to Munich in the mid to late 70s. Both parents are doctors and they live in one of the prettiest parts of Munich that I had been to.
I was treated like a king!
I could never say no to anything.
Zac, do you want some coffee?
No... Its fine! I am not that thirsty
Are you sure?
Yes, yes, its totally fine.
Are you sure?
FINE, I will have a cappucino....
This happened with everything.
We ended up spending the day with Maxs (Marisas bf) family. We went to a modern art museum called Pinakothek that had a special exhibit with the artist Neo Rauch.
http://www.pinakothek.de/pinakothek-der-moderne/html/kalender/kalender_index_en.php?haupt=ausstellungen&sub=moderne&action=
If you havent seen a painting by him, do it. Your mind will be blown.
I cant describe what I saw, but I enjoyed his work thouroughly.
After the museum we stopped for lunch and ice cream, the whole while discussing topics ranging from cars to lifestyles to American influence to music to cultural differences, etc etc.
The family also has an apartment in Rome, and I will be in Rome while Marisa and Max will be there. They offered me a place to stay for my final nights in Europe, and I appreciate it to the fullest extent.
I offered if they ever came to the New York, they would have a place to stay in Millburn.
That night, I met up with Marisa and Max, and we ended up hanging out at a hookah bar until about 1. Max had gone to Syracuse, and had graduated a year before Marisa and I, so we generally knew some of the same people and places at the university.
Afterwords, I ended up running into some friends of mine from the hostel, we talked and laughed about how much fun we had had the other night in the clubbing district of Munich.
Overall, I loved Munich, and really want to head back there.
Some other notes:
I only have a little over 2 weeks left. Dammit.
I love German food. It can get you sick if you eat it every day though.
I hope to see some Arnold Schwarznegger statues all over Vienna. If anything, at least a terminator plaque.
Vienna is spelt Wien in German. Wiener schnitzel is basically schnitzel from Wien (or Vienna).
My parents half-jokingly asked if I was planning on staying in Europe after the trip was over. I half-jokingly said yes. Maybe a little more then half jokingly.... I am joking. :)
Creedence Clearwater Revival, Springsteen, Phish, Radiohead, The Beatles, and Dylan have been my saviours during long train rides when there isnt anyone who speaks English around me.
Again, I want to thank Maxs family for all the hospitality they gave me.
See you soon!
Zac
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