Hey Everybody,
As I type to you, I am sitting at my aunts computer in Oregon. I am in a city named Bend which is the largest city in central Oregon. The population of the largest central Oregonian city is a little over 80,000. As we drove here from Portland, we passed by cities that had populations under 500.
The first day that we arrived, we did a small tour of Portland. The two things that I know about Portland are Voodoo donuts and microbreweries. Voodoo Donuts is featured on the travel channel as a place that has a unique twist on donuts. Unfortunately, when we got there, the line was about an hour long, so we left. My parents were a little tired to go to Microbreweries, so we ended up going out to a nice dinner in Portland and called it a night early.
The next day we left for Bend. Bend is about a 3 hour drive from Portland. On the side, my uncle has a license that lets him marry people. Once we got to Bend, he had to leave to marry his friends sister.
The next day we went to a town called Sisters. This is a stereotypical small western town with a boat load of shopping. The reason the town is named Sisters is that there are three mountains that are close together on the range that are named the "Three Sisters". It is absolutely gorgeous, and even during the end of the summer there is snow at the peaks of the mountain.
Since we have been in Oregon, my Aunt and Uncle kept raving about this restaurant called the Cowboy Dinner tree. It is literally in the middle of nowhere. We had to drive a combined 3 hours to get there and back. The great thing about Oregon is that there are a million two lane highways that are the only connectors between parts of the state. In other words, the Garden State Parkway is a two lane highway out here. To get to the restaurant we had to go through two national forests, a desert and some plains.
The restaurant looks like a shack on the side of the road. While there, there was at least a turnover of about 50 people. This shocked me. The closest city of any big population was around a 3 hour round trip. The food was spectacular, and one needs to make a reservation in order to eat there. They serve unbelievable tri-tip steak and a really great bean chili thing. If you ever find yourself in central Oregon, go to this place!
Yesterday, we went to this naturally formed lake named Crater Lake. A large volcano fell years ago, and a lake formed where it once stood. We were driving on roads that had a sheer cliff drop on one side, pretty cool.
The lake is crystal blue, and I found out later it's because there aren't any rivers that flow sediment into it. It was one of the prettiest natural things I have ever seen.
That night, we went to a top of a butte and watched as the sun set and the moon rose. It was gorgeous.
Side thoughts:
I really have not seen anyone under the age of 25. Though there is a semi big population, it seems to be mostly retired people.
The natural beauty is second to none.
I should have taken this trip years ago.
See you all soon,
Zac
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Out to the Wild Wild West
Latest update on me:
I have been home for a little over two weeks. I have applied to many different jobs, and I am waiting to hear back on most of them.
I still have yet to make a scrap book of any sort, neither have I gone through all of the pictures from Europe. I think the fact remains that I am still reeling from the trip, and want more time before I reflect upon it.
With that being said, I am going to Oregon tomorrow.
The first question most people ask is, (with a face of disbelief) Why Oregon??
Well, the short answer is that I have an uncle who lives out there. My part of the family has never been to Oregon, so it should be quite an adventure.
The second thing most people say is that the only thing they know about Oregon is that there was a trail that led there. AKA, The Oregon Trail video game.
This game was absolutely amazing. For those who don't know you started out East sometime in the 19th century, and were trying to get to Oregon in order to start a new life.
Sounds easy?
Well, You have to hunt your own food, and people were always getting dysentery. I don't even know what dysentery is besides the fact that apparently many people perished with it while on the Oregon trail. God rest their souls.
The first and last night of the trip we will be in Portland. I read that Portland is one of the 15 most underrated cities in the US. There a million micro breweries there, which is totally up my alley.
The meat in the sandwich part of the trip is going to be spent in Bend, Oregon. This is in central Oregon. There are some touristy parts of it, but in general it is supposed to be beautiful.
I hope to be less ignorant by the time the trip ends.
See you all soon,
Zac
I have been home for a little over two weeks. I have applied to many different jobs, and I am waiting to hear back on most of them.
I still have yet to make a scrap book of any sort, neither have I gone through all of the pictures from Europe. I think the fact remains that I am still reeling from the trip, and want more time before I reflect upon it.
With that being said, I am going to Oregon tomorrow.
The first question most people ask is, (with a face of disbelief) Why Oregon??
Well, the short answer is that I have an uncle who lives out there. My part of the family has never been to Oregon, so it should be quite an adventure.
The second thing most people say is that the only thing they know about Oregon is that there was a trail that led there. AKA, The Oregon Trail video game.
This game was absolutely amazing. For those who don't know you started out East sometime in the 19th century, and were trying to get to Oregon in order to start a new life.
Sounds easy?
Well, You have to hunt your own food, and people were always getting dysentery. I don't even know what dysentery is besides the fact that apparently many people perished with it while on the Oregon trail. God rest their souls.
The first and last night of the trip we will be in Portland. I read that Portland is one of the 15 most underrated cities in the US. There a million micro breweries there, which is totally up my alley.
The meat in the sandwich part of the trip is going to be spent in Bend, Oregon. This is in central Oregon. There are some touristy parts of it, but in general it is supposed to be beautiful.
I hope to be less ignorant by the time the trip ends.
See you all soon,
Zac
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Its all over now baby blue
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
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
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
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