The last of September!!

09/30/08
So today I went to school and met up with my brother at 12:30 to go to the San Lorenzo market with my class. It was really cool because I learned so much about the market and the history behind it. It was cool to be able to shop with him too because they were all excited to get souvenirs. We went to dinner had some awesome Gelato from this place on the second bridge west of the Ponte Vecchio. It truly was a delight to the tongue. We enjoyed our gelato at that bridge and just talked and spent time together getting to know each other even more so so than before.

09/29/08
I wake up and go to my former hotel and have yet another great breakfast and I even bring back my Argentinean friend an apple. I then go and get my stuff and get on my train and head out. I was very thankful to have met these people and be able to bond with complete strangers. It is a crazy feeling of trust that I have never experienced and I really rejoiced it. The trip back was long but the Alps were amazing. They remind me of the Rocky Mountains I really could tell the difference between Northern Italy and Southern Italy. Austria and Germany was really beautiful everything was so green and lush.

I arrived around 5pm and just relaxed until my brother came back from Bologna. We then went out for dinner and then went home. It was really cool to be hanging out with my brother and being able to share with him my experiences personally.

09/28/08
Today we had breakfast and were practically attached by the hip we didn't want to loose each other. So we went into the Hacker beer tent and stayed there the whole day it was sooooo much freakin fun. Even if it wasn't really fun the beer made it fun. We sung with random people and met so many random people I got a few emails that I don't even know if I should email because I don't think they would remember me anyways. There was so much beer flowing especially because I had a monopoly with the German girls and the other guys would buy everyone beer. So basically I paid for the first one when we were all dry then after that I had like five steins and paid for none of them. It was pretty cool...people are really generous when they are drunk and want to talk to girls hahahaha.
I wanted to stay longer but Nick's ass had to get to the train station and I wanted to make sure that he got there. So I left even though there was more fun to be had matter of fact here is a video for you to see...

I get my stuff and put it in another locker for the next day. I then wander around the station because this was going to be my hotel for the night. I end up meeting this Brazilian girl, an Uruguayan, and an Argentinean guy. We all start talking I get a burger from Burger King that I was craving for free and then we fall asleep on the cold hard floor.

09/27/08
We wake up and its Oktoberfest!! YAY we get breakfast and head out and follow the hoards of people. Let me just say that the breakfast was OH MY GOD GOOD!! By far the best breakfast I have ever had in the history of hospitality places that I have stayed at. There was practically everything under the sun you could imagine for breakfast. Eggs, bacon, cheese, salmon, salami, ham, fruits fruits fruits, cereal, yogurt, milk, coffee, juice, and tea. It was awesome needless to say.
So on our way there some German girls do some chant towards us and we join in on it, thankfully they spoke English so we were able to communicate.
We hang out with them and me and Nick get split later in the day. I go off and do my own thing and then he does his thing. We then end up meeting at the hotel later on that night. It was an experience being alone for a while but it was really cool cuz I met some really amazing people along the way. It was really cool to live life as it came...its so cool to just live without a plan only a goal in mind. I knew I was going to be safe and that I was going to be okay, but I didn't know who, what, or where I was going.

09/26/08
Okay so Nick arrives in the morning and we meet up at il duomo and then head out to the station to start yet another adventure just like the old times. We head North and make a stop in Verona for like two hours so we naturally go out and explore. We make it to the Roman (of course) Amphitheater that is still used for concerts and stuff. We then head back with just enough time to see the "Main Strip" which had a lot of cool stores and restaurants.
We end up getting into Munich at around 8pm and go straight to out hotel to sleep.

09/25/08
So my brother arrived in Venice a day or two ago and he finally made it down to Florence today. I went to the station to meet him and it was so weird to see him. Not in a bad way but in a "I am so far from the normal places that I have seen you normally" way. It was almost as if it was a dream.
We go home and I set him up at my place and then we go out to dinner, but before that he unpacks my stuff that I had requested and oh my bottle of Tapatio mmmm that alone made my day. It may be a simple bottle but for me it means a whole lot more.

We go out to dinner and had some really great food. The chicken was so ridiculously good!! It was like no chicken I have ever had before. I was juicy and savory and oh so soft!! I loved it. We then retired because they were tired and I had to get ready to go to Oktoberfest in Munich.

09/24/08
Today I had class and then in the afternoon I met up with a Friend of a friend. She only speaks Italian and I had to push my self to the limit and speak Italian. It wasn't proper or pretty but I was proud to say that I got the message across and we effectively communicated. We walked around Florence and just chilled. We went to a bar and I got to experience my first aperitivo which is basically happy hour. You buy one drink and get to eat all the cheese, salami, breads, and olives you want. It was really good the wine I got was really good. By the end of the night I was mentally tired all the Italian took its toll on me. I was exhausted, but I learned a lot which was really cool.

09/23/08
Today I went to school and then that afternoon I took a Food Class. I got to make hand-made Tortellini it was so much fun. I was with two friends from school so that made it even more fun. Here are some pictures
We made some awesome dessert from chocolate that was so good. You got to remember that I am not a big chocolate fan but this was really good. We had some wine and I ate until I was stuffed. It was really good needless to say.




09/22/08
Today I woke up Nick went to school and I took my time getting ready. I met up with another friend from school and she took me to see the Spanish steps some church and some other lesser known sites of Rome. It was really cool to be able to just hang out and learn more about the actual city. I then go on an adventure trying to figure out how to get to the train station. So she told me to go to this one street and I end up passing it up and end up at the Tiber river. I start walking the other way which was the wrong way and I ask some lady and she ends up walking with me to a place where I can catch the bus. It is in the wrong direction however so I walk up and I walk down and nothing I then just decide to get on it and go for a trip why not, I was in no rush to return to Florence. I then get to the end of the line and catch it for the other way. It was exhausting all the walking looking for the right way to catch the bus. I get to the station and get my reservation this time at the station. I hope on and head home.

I felt so free and that is what I am most thankful for. The freedom to roam and move around and have people to be able to connect with in different places.

09/21/08
So we wake up to this guy yelling outside....
like at 11am and we eat cold pasta/spaghetti that Nick had made a day ago or so and get on our way. We make it to the Coliseum and get an all day tour. It was very informative and it fulfilled all my expectations. I learned so much and it was amazing to be able to see feel and touch all of this history. We were walking through the forum and ran into this guy who was giving a free tour. Naturally at the end he made his plug which was for a tour of the sistine chapel. This guy was amazing though he was so incredibly knowledgeable about the history of the Roman Empire. We then went to eat after 6 hours of learning about Rome. We went to the Trevi Fountain on our way back and then I crashed out.

I was thankful for being able to see all of these great sight that I have studied for so long.

09/20/08
So today we went on the bike tour and the weather was absolutely amazing!! It was clear and sunny and you could see for miles upon miles. The scenery was very Tuscan what you would imagine Toscany to be like. Rolling hills with big houses on the top of the hills with olive trees and vineyards.

So we started our trek at 9am and we drove to our destination got our bikes and then started to ride up the mountain for about 3 miles. It was kind of exhausting at times but the views made up for it. We got to see the town were Michealangelo was from and the whole Arno Valley. Our first stop was in the town of Fiesole which was a small getaway town from the hustle and bustle of Florentine life. It was an ancient Etruscan town that is on top of a big hill that over looks Florence. From here we went to a peak and just looked at the city and took photos. Like this one...

We then climbed up to our next stop which was a place where Leonardo da Vinci made an observation. He noticed that the ravens were using the heat to glide up into the sky. So he invented his famous flying machines and convinced someone else to jump off a cliff to see if it worked...it didn't but he fixed it and then convinced the same guy who by now had healed to do it again...this time he didn't make it out alive. From here we moved up the mountain and saw more awesome views. Then we reached our next destination a restaurant called Casa del Prosciutto. But before that on our way I stopped to eat some figs with one of the people from the group who had never had a fig in their lives. It made sense though they don't have figs in the midwest.

So at the restaurant we had a full on course and it was awesome. I wrote about the food in my food blog so read about it there. But about the restaurant, I sat at the head of the table and I felt so important and like the Godfather. It was pretty cool actually I kept the conversations flowing and we didn't have a dull moment as long as the wine kept flowing. If that wasn't enough I remember having a shot of expresso to end the meal so I was wired for the ride down. Yes we had to ride down the mountain and it was a lot of fun!!

But before that we went to a winery to see how they made wine and olive oil. It was really cool to see the little garden and all the fruit trees. I felt like this was one of the most peaceful lives a person could live in. But after all I don't think that it could be a life for me. I really enjoyed thinking about how these people live and how similar it was to the life in Mexico that I have seen. I took some cool pictures
I was disappointed with the wine and olive oil tasting. He basically gave us the cheapest table wine directly from a plastic barrel and then said, "Look, here are the wines this place makes they cost blahblahblah if you want some buy it"
I didn't get anything I didn't know how it was going to taste. We then rode down the mountain and on our way we passed by a castle and I stopped to take some pictures and then everyone else started to copy me.
We rode down some super sharp hair pin turns and then at one of these castles we stopped to take some pictures and I found this girl whose birthday was the same as mine year and all!! It was funny because the way we found out was by looking at an address that was 9-11 and I said out loud hmm that's my birthday and then she was like Me too!! So we became friends of course. We then raced down the mountain and it was so exhilarating. Oh man that was the best part I loved the adrenaline rush, it was so liberating.

So after that I went home around 5pm packed my stuff and left for Rome. Just like that easy as 1-2-3 it was crazy that I could do that for some reason. I mean I was in Florence all day and I end up sleeping in Rome. I arrive at the station and find the train and get on. I am early so I am getting comfortable when I reach into my pocket to pull out my ticket and realized I left it in my other jacket that I had just switched. I jump off and go back home to get the ticket. I then get some more stuff that I thought would have been useful and then I go back to the station. I get there and get some food, so I walk out and then jump on it again and try again. Then I get asked for my ticket to realize that I needed a reservation ticket...and it costs me 8 euros more if I get it on the train. So I pay the guy (even though the thing was almost empty go figure). It was a direct and speedy journey. Upon arrival I met up with Nick and he took me to his house. I felt relieved because I didn't have to worry about how to move around as long as I was with Nick.

That night we went walking around and I was cold. Wanted to get my first reaction of the forum on video and he did and I remember it was pure emotion that was uncensored. This was a moment in my life that I won't forget because for the first time I was standing in front of the birthplace of the civilization I most admire. It was awesome and it gave me goosebumps to see and imagine what this place must have looked like 2000 years ago. Oh man I was just in complete awe.


From my vantage point I could see the Coliseum, the Palantine Hill, and THE Forum along with Trajan's Forum on the far left. We then walked around the Coliseum and we went to the Circus Maximus which is basically a really big horse track where chariots would race.
We went home and the door was locked...and Nick didn't have a key and his roommates were not inside the apartment. So yes I slept outside Nick's apartment for about an hour until his roommate with the key showed up. I went straight to my bed!