Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes :) (Liverpool/London!)

Disclaimer: I also posted on Wednesday if you haven't seen it yet (just making sure you aren't missing out on all of my amazing posts...)

Well hello there! Long time no see! So like I said- I would post again soon. This time, I will be focusing on my wonderful trip to London and Liverpool (mainly Liverpool). Oh yea UK babyyy!

The Beatles!!!!

So come 6am on Friday, Diana and I started our journey out of the country.  We took ample methods of transportation to get there. We first took a bus to get to the train station, then a train to get to Florence, then a train from there to get to Pisa Centrale, then a train from there to get to Pisa Airport, then a plane to get from Pisa to London, then a train to get from there to another train station, and then another train to get from there to Liverpool.  But all that traveling was worth it once we finally got to Liverpool around 5:30 pm (they are an hour behind Italy).

Train ride to Liverpool

We walked around the city center for a little while until Diana’s family friend Jackie came to pick us up. Ok, I think this is a good time to tell you why exactly we went to Liverpool, of all places. Well, did you know that’s where the Beatles are from? Did you also know that my good friend Diana is one of the biggest, if not the biggest Beatles fan of our generation? Liverpool is like a second home to her, and I figured, well I’ve never been to the UK before- I’ll come! This turned out to be one of the most fun trips of the semester.  But anyways, Jackie is a (excellent) Beatles tour guide, and Diana’s family had used her several times for private tours and such, that they had become friends. So we stayed with Jackie- who basically went above and beyond as our host (explained more later). She took us around the city, and then brought us back to her apartment (which had an amazzzzing location there was an apartment next to hers that was up for sale- Diana is seriously considering how she will purchase it). We had dinner and watched British comedy (very amusing).

 

ello'! why yes we ah in Livapool

Later that night was possibly my favorite part of the whole trip. Diana and I went back to the center of town and went to a pub called The Cavern.  This was the famous place where the Beatles actually STARTED their career- the place where they played gigs every night and were discovered.  Yea we went to that place.  Just as we were getting there, a band was setting up. After that we got some beers (not before a bunch of drunken British guys grabbed me and forced me to be in their picture with them) and headed onto the dance floor. The band was somewhat of a cover band of the Beatles with a few Rolling Stones and Monkees thrown in there. The first half of the night was cool; we stood there and listened to the music. Then the second night was when it got really fun. We met these four Brazilian girls who convinced us to dance with them right in front of the stage. It was awesome.  We stood in a circle (with the occasional drunk middle aged-man joining us) and basically busted out our best dance moves to revolutionary Beatles hits. It was at this moment where I realized how happy I was to go to Liverpool. If you think about it, music is a huge part of humanity. And here we were, right in the epicenter of as Diana would quote “where music started.”

On our way out for the night (i got judged for my flip flops)!!

The Cavern (the Beatles performed right there!!)!

Cool huh?

The next day was extremely busy. We first started with a tour of both John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s childhood homes (where we were the youngest by about 45 years). This was actually the reason why Diana wanted to come to Liverpool- to see John Lennon’s home. When she had come before she wasn’t able to see it- so this was especially important to her.  It was really cool. He lived in it for 18 years. My favorite part was his tiny bedroom, where he said was the place in which he did all of his dreaming, and where he got a lot of inspirations. We then went to Paul’s house, which was also really interesting. One of my favorite Beatles songs is “I’ll follow the sun,” which was inspired by how the sun would come in through the living room (I got to experience said sun).

Us outside of John Lennon's house!!

Paul McCartney's childhood home

Oh hey! Oh that's just me walking into
Paul McCartney's childhood home

After that, we walked around Liverpool for a bit. We walked on the docks (that used to be old warehouses), and I got a collectible spoon with the queen on it (diamond jubilee!).  We then went into the free Museum of Liverpool that had really interesting facts about the city of Liverpool itself, and more facts and memorabilia on the Beatles.  They had the actual stage that John was singing on right before he met Paul (Diana was really excited about this).

Docks!! aw yeaaa

Diana with the stage (the pic with me was terrible....)!!!

Later we met up with Jackie again who very generously took us to all the famous Beatles landmarks around town (Diana had already seen them, so it was basically for my benefit). First we saw Strawberry Fields (the inspiration for the song “Strawberry Fields Forever”). Whenever I had listened to the song before, I never really questioned what it was about- I just always assumed it was about an actual field of strawberries.  But it was actually written about an orphanage near John’s house.  He felt he could somewhat relate to them because he was raised by his aunt and uncle instead of his parents (ok, I have learned so much Beatles trivia over the weekend, I need to contain myself).  We then went to the church where John and Paul met (I have the whole story, I feel like it’s too long to share here though- ask me sometimeJ), and the cemetery there contained John’s uncle’s grave as well as the graves of people by the names of Eleanor Rigby, and John McKenzie. Now you may be thinking- ohh those are the people that they were talking about in the song “Eleanor Rigby,” but apparently this was shear coincidence.  Then Jackie took us to a secret place that not many people know about. I don’t really want to talk about it over the blog (because it’s a secret place), but I can tell you in person.

Strawberry fields forever

Diana with Jackie!!!

Church where John and Paul met

Grave for an Eleanor Rigby

After that she took us to the famous “Penny Lane.” We saw all the main spots that were mentioned in the song- the firehouse, the banker, the shelter, the roundabout, the fish and chips shop, and finally the barbershop.  Diana was really excited about this place because she really wanted to get her hair cut there (her dad had gotten his hair cut there like 5 years before). But the girl who does women’s hair wasn’t in- but we got to talk to the main barber there- Adelle (she cut Diana’s Dad’s hair). I think Diana almost passed out when she gave us pieces of the original wall paper that was there when the members of the Beatles got their hair cut. She’s giving some of it to her Dad for his birthday (who according to her, will tear up).  But if you happen to know her Dad, don’t tell him- it’s supposed to be a surprise.  But it was really cool to get a piece of musical history.

I'm on Penny lane!!!

More Penny Lane!

The Barber Shop!!!

Inside the Barbershop!!!

After getting fish and chips we took a double decker bus back to the center of town. There we met up with Diana’s friend and went shopping for a little bit- I had to go back and get a t-shirt from the Cavern, and while quickly going down to buy it, I got stopped by FOUR groups of people asking me to take their picture. I guess I must look like a professional photographer or something…

Oh hey, it's just me on top of a Double Decker

Later, Jackie came and picked us up, and we just chilled until our midnight bus ride to London.  When the time came round, we said goodbye to Jackie and boarded to bus for our 6 hour ride. Unfortunately I didn’t get any sleep, but I was suddenly energized once we reached London. Sadly it was daylight savings (Europe style), so we lost an hour. But we were able to see all of the main sites: Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the London Eye, and Wesminster Abbey. We also got to take the diamond jubilee walk, and take a picture in a telephone booth. The best part about it all was that we were there sooo early, NO ONE was there.  I basically had Buckingham Palace to myself (you know, I probably could have had tea with the Queen if I felt like it). But anyways, I really liked the little bit of London I did see, and now I really want to go back (the guys in England weren't half bad either...)

Me alone with Buckingham Palace

Me with Big Ben just chillin in the background

London Eye (didnt go on it though- it was 20 euro!)

Westminster Abbey
(sorry i look horrific- keep in mind there was little sleep involved)

The Jubilee thing!

Just hangin in a telephone booth

After that we prepared ourselves for another day chock-full of traveling. After the bus, we took another bus to the airport where we took a plane to Pisa, where we took a train to Pisa Centrale, where we took a train to Florence, and then a train directly to Perugia (and then a taxi back home)! Overall, it was an extremely successful trip.

So currently it’s Wednesday. On Monday we had Mexican night (since they don’t have Mexican food here) run by the business of foods class. We had burritos. It was great- (almost) like Chipotle. Then on Tuesday we went on a tour of the Perugina chocolate factory with our Italian class. I couldn’t eat all the free chocolate- since it’s lent. But I did grab a handful for later (yeaaa im a baller). P.S mom and dad- you should take a tour if you get a chance.

Big Baci Chocolate (I love Italian class...)!!!!

But I am getting exicted for my trip to Naples, Capri, Pompeii and Sorrento this weekend!!! I’ll let you know how it goes.

Until then, Ciao :)

Emilia

Uffizi, The Last Supper, and Ragedrian

Hey guys! 

Il Duomo di Milano

Ok so with papers and tests creeping up on me, I feel like my blog posts are probably going to become shorter and less frequent (like this one) but I promise I will do my best!!! UK trip will be posted soon!!

Anyway so the weekend before last twas the Ragedrian weekend. I had to wake up at 6:30 to go on my trip to Milan and Florence with my Leonardo DaVinci class. We headed to Florence first. After the two and a half hour bus ride we finally made it. We walked straight to the Uffizi. I remember coming to Florence the first time I’ve been to Italy and deeply regretting not going to the Uffizi, so it was really cool for me to finally make it back here. Adrian rushed us in, and we saw famous works by Leo that we learned about in class. We also got to see the famous “Birth of Venus” by Boticelli. We moseyed around for a little bit, and after accidentally setting off a few alarms, we left the premises.  

Meandering in Florence

We then left for lunch and walked around Florence for a little bit. Although Florence was just as beautiful as I had remembered, I didn’t realize just how many Americans there were in the city- specifically college-aged girls. It made me realize just how grateful I am to be studying in a small town like Perugia. A place where the only Americans I know, are the ones studying with me in school. I have been forced to practice my Italian everyday and have learned so much about the Italian culture, an experience I most likely wouldn’t have gotten if I studied in Florence.

But anyways after lunch we went to the Pallazo Vecchio, where National Geographic is doing a special on a possible lost and found painting of Leo’s called “The Battle of Anghiari.” They may have possibly found it underneath frescos done by another artist. So they are doing careful tests to see if the famous painting is really hiding underneath the frescoes. It was really interesting, and it’ll be exciting to find out if it’s really there. Guess I’ll have to tune into National Geographic.

There on the right is where
 "The Battle of Anghiari" may be located

After that we headed back on the bus (not before I accidentally trailed off and absent-mindedly followed a group of Asian tourists…), and passed out for the four-hour bus ride to Milan. I was especially excited about Milan because I’d never been there before.  When we finally reached Milan I was shocked. It was so modern compared to all the other Italian cities I’ve seen.  We were pretty sure we were actually driving into Philly instead of Milan (the drive seemed long enough…). After we arrived at our four-star hotel we went out and tried to explore the town- not before we remembered the supermarket closed in a few minutes- so we quickly ran over and bought some cheap vino. After dinner we trekked back to the hotel and enjoyed some of the wine in one of the rooms (we wanted to get Adrian to join us, but the chances of that happening were about the same as getting Leonardo Da Vinci himself to accompany us).

The next day in Milan was my favorite day- especially since we got to see “The Last Supper.” We rose pretty early and had free breakfast (I was pretty excited when I saw the buffet table- until a waiter pointed me to the cheap breakfast room, and I embarrassingly had to back out- not before grabbing an apple first). But after that we headed to Santa Maria Della Grazia, which is where The Last Supper is kept. They take it extremely seriously- we had to go through a sanitation room or something before we entered. But it was amazing- I heard about this painting all my life, and here I was standing right in front of it. It was a lot bigger than I thought. To any of you who have read he DaVinci Code, I may have initially thought that the person to Jesus’ right was Mary Magdalene.  But Adrian was very adamant that we all knew the person was actually John the Babtist. Im not 100% convinced though…

Ok, thats not the actual Last Supper, but it's as good as i
 could get seeing as I couldn't take pictures, and it was right
next to the real thing!

But anyways, it was an amazing experience, and I would have deeply regretted coming to Italy and not seeing it. But incase you were wondering, you actually have to make an appointment to see it, and they are booked until October!!

After that, we saw the Sforza Castle- the home of the important people who commissioned “The Last Supper.” There was like some sort of carnival going on right next to it, so during our lunch break we actually went on a crazy ride- with the view of the Sforza castle in the background. Typical day in Italy. After touring the Duomo (the third largest church in the world),  and looking at an awesome collection of Leonardo's drawings focusing on human flying machines (it was also really cool to see his backwards handwriting) we headed back on the bus and made our 6 hour bus ride back to dear Perugia. This happened to be on Saint Patrick’s Day. Let me just say, I have never seen any place, let alone Perugia more packed than it was on Saint Patrick’s Day. Though exhausted from the traveling, I had a very fun night!

Pretty excited outside the Sforza Castle!

Carnival ride with the view of the Sforza Castle!!

The group of us with Adrian (dont ask why I was doing that face...)!!!

The rest of the week was pretty cool.  Among the highlights of the week, on Tuesday we had a wine tasting in my foods class. They were extremely generous with the wine. You should have seen the differences between the beginning of class and the end of class, it was very entertaining to say the least.  We also watched the movie “La Vita E Bella” in my Italian class. It was really good and really sad, I weeped a little bit in class. On Wednesday we had an olive oil tasting workshop. I feel slightly pretentious now after all these tastings…

Alright, well I’m gonna go to class- but stay tuned I am going to try and update tomorrow about my weekend in Liverpool!

Ciao! I love you all :)

Emilia

Tomorrow I promise!!

Ok I had less time today than I thought- but it will be up tomorrow I promise. And thanks Aunt Mary!!!

Will post on monday!!

Hey guys- sorry I didnt give myself much time to blog about this past week. I have been busy scheduling for next semester, and figuring out what my life will be like once I get back home. The library closes with the internet in a few minutes, and i leave for LONDON tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!

But I will have an extra long blog post about my adventures when i return.

CIAO!!

Under the Tuscan Sun (but for real this time...)

Ciao i miei amici!!!

**Disclaimer, I am terribly sorry for my grammatical/spelling errors. I go through it once, but usually don’t catch a lot of them. For example, in my last entry, I meant to say “Hitler’s bunker” instead of “Hitler’s butler,” if any of you caught that (it’s been corrected now…).

Cortona

Alright so this entry might be a little less eventful (and shorter…) than my last entry but a good amount of stuff has happened!!!!

Alright so on Friday of this past week I went on a fieldtrip to Sienna with my Saints and Sinners class (the one with the hilarious teacher Adrian Hoch).  Although I’ve already been to Sienna (remember the head??) it was cool to see it again. We met Prof. Hoch at Duomo di Siena. While we were waiting to enter the church we got to talking about young pop artists (like one direction- shoutout Jackie Layer!), and we asked Adrian if she liked Justin Beiber. She responded with “Are you talking about the animal?” This was an awesome way to start off the day.

Mah girl Adrian

Interior of the Duomo

We also visited the Crypt and the Cathedral museum. It was really cool to see all the stuff we learned about in class. After that we breaked for lunch on our own.  We walked around the main square where there happened to be A CHOCOLATE MARKET-like thing happening. This would have been amazing if I hadn’t given it up for lent. It was a little rough.

The group of us in the sqaure

Chocolate market........

But after lunch we went to the Palazzo Pubblico- which is the town hall, and learned a little about the history. We then headed to The House of Saint Catherine (owner of the head) and then eventually back to San Domenico (where the head is kept).  It was really cool this time because I actually knew about Saint Catherine and her life. After that we headed back to Perugia.

Statue of St. Catherine at her house

For some reason i felt like taking an artistic shot of San Dominico

Figured I'd throw her head in there one more time

The next day was relatively low-key. My friends Amanda, Dani, Diana and I went to the Saturday market in Perugia. I bought a lot of tomatoes and kiwi, a flower in a pot, sunglasses, and lemon honey all for under ten euro!! I really hope I can go back at least another time. That night my friends and I made a huge dinner (my contribution was insalata caprese- cant get enough of that stuff). We also had veggie soup, a pasta bake, and pears wrapped in prosciutto!

The market!!! With the Perugia hills in the background :)

The next day Diana and I decided to go on a daytrip. We had first intended to go to a place called Todi, but when we got to the train station we learned that apparently there were no trains to Todi from that station. So we saw a train was leaving to a town called Cortona in 5 minutes, so we decided, “what the heck” let’s go there instead! So 45 minutes later we arrive at this somewhat desolate town. We walked around for a few minutes until we realized that we were not yet in Cortona. To get to Cortona we needed to ascend a HUGE hill mountain-like thing. Now Diana and I are no strangers to walking up hills (see first entry), but this trumped anything we ever walked up before (See pics below).  It was also one of the hottest days yet. It was only after our climb that we realized we could have taken a bus. But that was ok, because we got to stop and take a ton of pictures on the way there. So brace yourself for all the pictures....

Starting the journey....

Making our way up the hill

Getting there....

It was getting hot...

Slowly ascending the hill- cool church

Even further up the hill

   

WE MADE IT!!!!

We even found an escalator!!!

Around an hour later, we finally summated the mountain that is Cortona. It was amazing. It was just the Tuscany you imagined Tuscany to be. You know why? Because this happened to be where the movie “Under the Tuscan Sun” was filmed!!!!!! ……..We didn’t find this out until after we got back to Perugia. But it was still awesome, and really peaceful with not a lot of tourists. We walked all around the town (got a lot of exercise- that place was even hillier than Perugia), had amazing hot chocolate, and people-watched.  It was great. After that we decided to take a taxi back down (it was dark by this time), and then headed back to Perugia. Overall, it was an awesome day.

Outside a church in Cortona

Still happy we made it

Cortona in the evening
 (would have done more pictures but i feel like I might have already overwhelmed you)

I wish we would have known...

So now it’s Thursday, and this week has been pretty relaxing. I ‘ve been trying my hand more at cooking recently, so on Monday I tried making a pasta experiment.  Let’s just say things were a little too al dente and a little too cold. But like a true scientist, I will perform another experiment again soon! (Im collecting a lot of recipes, Mom!).

Tomorrow I leave at 6:30 am (I KNOW) for my overnight fieldtrip to Florence and Milan for my Leonardo Da Vinci class. I am extremely excited for this because a.) We get to go to the Uffizi b.) we get to see The Last Supper c.) we get to experience the Milan nightlife and most importantly d.) this class is also with Adrian. We have endearingly nicknamed the trip “Ragedrian.” So very excited.

Alright amici J Devo andare adesso.

Emilia