so much!

There's so much to say--I don't even know when the last time I wrote was. Oh yeah...I was still in Milan and telling you all what I'm supposed to do with my life for the next month.
WELL. I went to Rome and Tuscany and it was a blast. I met Ross' parents and ate really well. Rome was great, as usual--I got to see the Renoir exhibit there AAAAAAND went to the Vatican! It was beautiful, but I'm pretty sure if they broke it all down and sold it the Catholic Church would end word hunger for the rest of time. (I even think Jesus would prefer that ::cough::). But I drank Holy Water! Thank you Benedict (did you know he likes cats? Like, a lot).

Tuscany was really cool. We spent a few hours in Florence before driving out to this awesome hotel (it wasn't warm enough to go swimming in the pool, though...). Basically Ross and I were in the middle of nowhere for about 24 hours with his parents and their friends who are all the epitome of the midwest. It was cute. We went back to Milan to pick up his friend Erik, and it was nice to see Melissa before she left, and hang out with Courtney for a while (she has the CUTEST studio apartment because she works for Calvin Klein now). I was glad to be back in the familiar (and kind of can't wait to get back).

I went to London shortly after that on the 22nd with Erik and Ross. So great, and absolutely wonderful to be back in an English speaking country. I met some political figures that my best friend Ariana and her friend Jimmy have both befriended...I don't think it's best to write about it in public, but I had a really great time at an exclusive London club. If you ever want to hear about it, I can tell you have I have come to own a Gucci ring.
I did a lot in London-I visited the National Portrait Gallery, which was having a Vanity Fair exhibit (superb), the Tate (and bought a very expensive umbrella out of necessity) Modern, and the Victoria and Albert (SUCH a cool museum--its all about concept and design). I walked all around (very important, sight seeing is half of your trip), ate lots of ethnic food (helloooo indian and thai and chinese. CHINESE. Good chinese! What a foreign concept!), and went to some cool hangout spots. The last night in London I did the coolest thing. Ross had read on Kanye West's blog about this thing called the telectroscope that views Brooklyn and London. I contacted my parents and had them meet me at 7 pm their time, 12 am my time. There wasn't a line and it was raining when I got to the Telectroscope on my side (which is right by the tower bridge), I was able to see my mom and dad (with a whiteboard, asking me questions such as "how's the queen?" and "have any fish and chips? a pint?), the Brooklyn Bridge in the background. Completely amazing. I talked to my parents just a little bit before the credit on my phone ran out (damn pay as you go, what a crappy idea). Anyway, here's a link: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/21/arts/design/21tele.html?ex=1369108800&en=218d505864d14f2c&ei=5124&partner=facebook&exprod=facebook

The last afternoon in London Ross and I went to go see Sex and the City. That's right! I've seen it already! Go see it. I can't tell what your opinion would be, and I'm not going to say mine. But it was worth the $18 I paid (NINE POUNDS!).


Now we're in Barcelona. It looks a bit like Milan, only with a tropical twist and (undoubtedly) happier people. BUT SPANISH IS SO HARD! And let me tell you. Have you ever heard CATALAN? Barcelona, being in the Region of Cataluna, has its own dialect. And it's WEIRD. It's the craziest mix between spanish and french that you've EVER heard. But on the upside, It's so warm here (a change from chilly London), and the Mojitos are quite good. We went to the beach for several hours, and now we're going to go get something to eat. I can't wait to see Gaudi's works and do some window shopping.

I'm in a very strange place emotionally. I really want to go home, but I'm having such a good time and love visiting new places (next we go to Croatia where my friend Sid is, and she and I worked at Camp Takodah together for 3 years. I haven't seen her since 2006, so I'm really excited...camp songs here I come!). I feel like because I'm just traveling, I feel really displaced, and I'm starting to feel nostalgic about my program in Milan ending. It didn't hit me while I went to Rome and Tuscany, or while I was back in Milan for 36 hours. It hit me a bit while I was in London, but there was so much going on that I didn't really have time to register it. I wonder how I'll feel when I get back home to New York, if I'll feel more grounded (which is an emotion that most of you who know me have come to understand that that's usually how I prefer to be), and whether or not I'll like that.

Who knows what the future brings, because everything that's happened so far I've been unable to predict.

updates

Here's my post-program traveling plans:

May 15-20: Rome and Tuscany
May 20-22: Milan
May 22-29: London
May 29-June 3: Barcelona
June 3-7: Croatia
June 7-11: Slovakia
June 11-15: Milan

There will be photos and links to my facebook albums. Here's a like to the most recent of photos from Berlin:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2039435&l=a21d3&id=10402388


I want to know how people are doing. Everyone. Please email me, send me a myspace message, or email me (paulu20t@mtholyoke.edu, or if you know the gmail one go for it). I feel so out of it these days--after studying for exams that I don't really care about, packing, running errands, and spending my last quality time with a lot of people, AND sitting around being overwhelmed--today I asked my roommate what happend in Myanmar and she was like "who are you?"
Well. An idiot, clearly. :] So if I didn't know about the huge cyclone that hit Myanmar, then I probably don't know how you are doing. I'm going to have a LOT of leisure time these next few weeks (and probably some good wi-fi), so please feel free to drop a line...

steve reich is really nostalgic music!

May is seriously the craziest, worst, best, hardest, and funnest month for college students.

I cannot deal. I gotta be out of my apartment by FRIDAY. More details to ensue once I finish finals (it's like an homage to high school).

All I wanna do is sit in Parco Sempione and eat GELATO all day. I haven't had a glass of wine since I can't remember. Relax? What's that?

HEY random Italians on the street! That jacket looks REALLY fashionable, except last time I checked it was MAY?
But seriously, keep that coat on. You want a pair of gloves? I'd also suggest a hat. 73 degrees? BRR, motherfucker! That's coat weather. Even though you've probably been wearing that jacket since probably like, OCTOBER (I'm sorry, do you not own any other clothes?)

Well, just know that you're wearing Fendi or Gucci and at least you look really really good EVEN if you pass out on the pavement from the suffocation your (gorgeous, do I have to say it, really?) coat.

I kind of don't want to leave Milan, though. I've got two weeks left here before I start traveling around, and I was on the Navigli tonight and it was just buzzing. Totally alive--restaurants and gelato places open...there are so many eateries and aperitivo bars I want to try! Last night Ross, Amy, and I went to this place called Roialto (although not on the Navigli [the canals] and it was AWESOME. Seriously--you pay 7 or 8 euro for a drink and there are food stations EVERYWHERE--cheese, meats, pastas, seafood--I got a little sashimi and AN OYSTER. I almost got another one but the guy ran out RIGHT before me, so Ross gave me his. It was pure bliss. I can't wait to go back.

I may or may not be avoiding writing about Vincenzo Bellini IN Italian...

For your enjoyment:

http://xkcd.com/418/

liguria

Yesterday IES took us to Cinque Terre. Dear God, what an amazing place. Beachside Italian villas along the coast of the mediterranean with really great food and cute little houses. Boats galore. And oh, did I metion the MEDITERRANEAN SEA?

We took a boat from La Spezia (not a part of the cinque terre) to Monterosso, the second most northern town. Sky, Ross, and I had lunch and it was really good (what else do you expect? I'm running out of adjectives to describe Italian cuisine. You should just come and see for yourself), I had spaghetti with seafood (again, if you know me...)

Then we hiked. We probably shouldn't have split the carafe of wine that we did (I think after that I would have preferred to lay on Monterosso's beach), but we worked it off.
The Cinque Terre is a national park, and you can hike from one town to another, although you have to pay. People live and farm on these trails--they're up in the mountains and they farm by having leveled rows of grape vines or olive trees or lemon trees--those are some of their specialties. Some people even were even selling lemons on the hike (which I heard were actually slightly sweet). However, I didn't think it was going to be as many steps as there were...thats what really took me out. Plus, I was wearing jeans (which is dumb because I OWN spandex AND shorts. Or you can wear a really comfortable summer dress...just wear comfy shoes...) They told us that it was going to be a hike, but I didn't think it was going to be so tough (although the hike from Monterosso to Vernazza I hear is the toughest--I wonder what the other trails are like!). The toughest part was getting up all the stairs to do the hike, but once we were up...man...
We arrived about an hour and a half later in Vernazza, where we got a well-deserved gelato and then sat on a rock in the Mediterranean off the small beach there. The water was cold (think Cape Cod temperatures in August), but if I had had my bathing suit and towel I SO would have jumped in (and for those of you who knew me when I was a child probably would have cried about not being able to swim).

It was really beautiful. If you're considering a trip to Italy and really like the outdoors, I would consider spending a few days in Cinque Terre--spending a night in each town, hiking from one to the other and a few hours in each town and on their beach. I think I'd definitely like to do that some day. A week in Cinque Terre....
Anyway, after falling asleep in the sun on a rock on the Med. sea, we had to take a train back to La Spezia to catch our bus and go home. It was seriously a fabulous trip, and I kind of regret not spending the night there with some friends. Oh well, another time:

http://www.cinqueterre.it/



Italy, sometimes I complain. But I love you.