Thanksgiving Day Parade+Halloween=February Carnival in Viareggio

oh hey there Mario

For as long as I can remember mom has always loved watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Rose Parade on tv and we’d usually be roped into watching with her.  The closest I’ve ever been to a grand parade was marching with the 5^th grade band squawking my clarinet in the Cinco di Mayo Parade.  I had heard about the carnival celebrations in Italy and knew I’d have to check it out somehow. Carnival is usually a month long celebration that occurs before Lent. It has been celebrated in Italy since the 1200s and since the late 1800s in Viareggio.  It is meant as a celebration for the towns people to come together and celebrate before Lent. The tradition first started among Catholics. Most people go to Venice to see old vintage costumes and masks, but it was super expensive to get there so this past Sunday I went an hour and a half by train to the town Viareggio on the West Coast. This was another solo voyage because everyone else decided they should study for midterms. My philosophy-I’ll take midterms at least 3 more times in my life, but I will never be 20 years old living in Italy in February near a city celebrating carnival.  I followed the pack of people and noise after departing the train until I came upon a massive crowd. Now let me paint a picture of what the crowd looked like-kids in strollers, parents in costumes, grandparents dancing, dogs jumping, security guards waving. Great mix! These costumes are similar to what we see in the states during Halloween. Some personal favorites included the couple in penguin suits, Mickey+Minnie+little Mickey, Spongebob, Mario, and Snow White with her Prince.  The great thing was people of all ages were dressed up.  There was confetti EVERYWHERE. When you looked down toward the street all you saw was colorful ripped up pieces of paper.  The parade lasted over 2 hours with huge floats themed everywhere from futuristic Internet to Scottish Heritage with plenty of political sabotage in between. Every float was so elaborate with detailed costumes and choreographed dances. There were no ropes to keep people out of the parade route, but instead people would join in with their beers singing and dancing.  There were plenty of carnival games and popcorn being tossed around as well.

float

casually flipping off the crowd

the Mickey and Minnie family

welcome to Carnival!

            The setting was perfect being a city on the beach but nestled at the base of a mountain chain. Great combination! Overall it was one of the coolest cultural experiences I’ve had. 

video of the parade

 

“You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.”

Budapest

Ever wonder what it’s like to wear sandals in 40 degree weather, travel by yourself and take a bath with hundreds of people? Well you’re in luck because that’s what my weekend consisted of.

   It all began when I booked a round trip ticket to Budapest, Hungary last Wednesday. That meant a late train from Florence to Milan (2 hours) then the connecting train to the airport (1 hour) culminating with a sleepover at the airport with dozens of new friends (I actually didn’t talk to anyone).  The train rides were by far the most frightening period of this experience.  There were 2 men at 2 different times who sat next to me and stared. While I kept my headphones in and glared out the window the men tried to ensue conversation. When I finally reacted and stood up each of the men left. Moral of the story- sit in train cars with other people (which I did), stand your ground, be calm.

            After arriving in Budapest at 10am on Friday I took a bus and a couple of Metros before walking 2 minutes to my hostel, Zen Hostel. Just like the name suggests the owner had incense burning but it was a great place and the price was even better, $5USD/night!! Upon arrival I met an Australian girl and 2 French guys and we went to the Central market to have lunch. I had a meat and vegetable dish with rice and then later had a pancake with cocoa (similar to a crepe)  The French guys left us and us girls went to the House of Terror (museum dedicated to the communist regime in Hungary), the baths and then ice skating! We went to City Park by Heroes Square to the Szechenyl Bath.  Now Hungary is famous for its baths much like most of Eastern Europe. The warmest one is only 38 degrees Celsius so don’t be expecting a hot tub, but the saunas were nice. You see people of all shapes and sizes, colors and swim attire and I mean ALL (picture a 300 pound Hungarian man in a speedo J   It was a nice cultural experience.  We went to the huge ice rink after! I was by far the happiest person there. It happened to be Valentines day so there were plenty of couples holding hands all in love, but I was in love with being on the ice. See mom I told you that if I brought my skates I’d use them somewhere J  Some Egyptian guys thought I was famous and asked me to skate with them and then take pictures with them. 

Egyptian friends

           

the baths-no you don't wash your hair in them

Saturday I went on a free walking tour, they have these in many cities around the world and they’re generally awesome.  The tour started at St. Stephen’s Basilica and wandered the streets across the chain bridge to the Buda side of Budapest. Side note- the city of “Budapest” is divided with Pest on one side and Buda on the other side of the river. And Budapest derives from the word “water” so nothing related to “Buddha”.  We saw the Royal Palace where museums are located, the national gallery and wandered over to Matthias Church.  I met 2 girls, Jennifer from the US and Julia from Germany, and we spent the next 4 hours together.  We found the hospital in the rock which was used during WWII, had a lunch of chicken dumpling soup and had a strudel.  We then watched sunset from the hill. A perfect pink+blue cotton candy sunset.  It was sad leaving those girls as we had become friends and had met other people along the way, including Ester (Hungarian girl) who said “this is the start of a great friendship.”  I ventured over to liberty Statue and the Cittadella just after dark. I climbed the hill which provides a spectacular view of Buda+Pest.  After about 10 minutes of sitting on a bench by myself 2 guys asked if they could join me. Now here’s where your gut, first impressions and confidence come into play.  Here’s me, a young American girl by herself, and 2 guys in their twenties.  We proceeded to have a 45 minute conversation about just about everything from politics to religion to travels around the world, family, friends, and sports.  Mario and Shabab are incredible people and I wish all of you could meet them. They made me laugh and had insightful opinions, many of which I agreed with like what the power of human relationships can mean to people and why fear is the worst thing plaguing society. I walked down the hill with them, took a selfie on the bridge and went to a coffee shop to celebrate Shabab’s birthday. Mario and I sang Happy Birthday and I enjoyed hot chocolate.

  What great people!  I left them and went to a Hungarian market to get my last fix of Hungarian food. I had langos (fried dough typically with sour cream and shredded cheese) and bought some chocolates after the man told me I was beautiful (what a compliment considering I hadn’t showered in a couple days, I had 3 layers on and my hair was on top of my head). I still needed some Hungarian Goulash soup so I stopped at a restaurant and ordered some. The waitress, Viola, and I had a long conversation about our lives and how she loves surfing and wants to move to Australian at some point.

view from Buda at Parliment

cotton candy sky

Mario and Shabab

            Sunday morning was a 6am flight back to Milan and then thankfully uneventful train rides back to Florence.  Now here’s where the sandals come in…..I had awful blisters on my toes so wearing shoes was really painful so I wore sandals all weekend.  It really was never that cold and there was no snow so I thought it was fine, but apparently not to the Hungarians and other tourists.  The comments, stares, and pointing of fingers was astonishing throughout the weekend. It was a humbling experience because I was only wearing sandals, it’s not like I have a fake leg or some other disability.  So please don’t comment or point or stare at people who might not look or dress or act the same way you do because you don’t know what they are going through.

langos with sour cream and cheese

            Here’s what I wrote in my journal about my experience…. “I know I know. The world is a scary place and traveling alone isn’t safe. What if I get raped, or abducted or robbed? But what if I make a new friend or crack a smile or embrace a hug or fall in love? For me it’s those things that motivate me to be vulnerable. Because the idea of a scary situation tests all that you are as a person and the rewards you may gain out way the possibility of something really bad happening. Of course you need to be aware and smart and cautious, but you should be aware all the time no matter where you are.  I guess this goes with my belief and the belief my parents have instilled in me that the world really is a great place full of people who are here to enjoy life with you. There just happen to be several handfuls of  people who ruin that whole reputation.” 

            I recommend that most people try traveling alone at some point (I know it’s not for everyone).  It doesn’t have to be to a new country, but just try something on your own….and maybe tell your parents only after you’re safe J


Fun Facts~ the rubix cube and forbid acid from Vitamin C both were invented in Hungary.

PS All while alone I kept thinking of my friend Rayna from DU who traveled South America and she talks about using fear as a compass to guide you. Check out her cool story...http://matadornetwork.com/community/healyrayna/from-that-time-that-i-experienced-fear/


"Hungary is like pepper, small but strong."-tour guide Anita 

The real emotions of being abroad

As I sit here planning more trips for the semester and waiting to embark on a weekend adventure to Budapest I'm reminded of all the real emotions that come with being abroad. It's not all nutella and gelato all the time. It's the moments of laughter and crying. The moments of complete elation and heartache.  It's finding a balance with keeping in touch with friends from around the world, but still managing to be present with the people here.
      The smell of car exhaust and smoke fills the air every time I walk outside. It's been tough to adjust to walking outside and not getting "fresh air".  Then you combine that with the constant honking and sirens that just contributes to the clustered scene of living in a city. At least there aren't a zillion stray dogs here that bark all night, every night like in Chile.
    The hard times are those moments when your little brother commits to playing baseball in college and you aren't there to congratulate him or when he gets contacts for the first time. The hard times are seeing all the excitement via social media for my lacrosse team as they go to Santa Barbara this weekend for arguably the best weekend of their lacrosse career. The hard times of watching the figure skating team skate outside at Keystone, get together to watch the Olympics and prepare for next weekend's Pioneer Open Competition. The hard times are knowing that my grandma turns 90 next weekend (way to go Grams!!!!) and not being there in person and not knowing when I'll get to see she or any members of my extended family next.  The hard times are having huge blisters on my feet and not being able to go for a run. The hard times are just being away from the ice for so long. The moments when you feel like you're gaining 187987234 pounds, but the food is just so good. The times of going to the ATM and watching the money somehow magically disappear but remembering that it's being used on great things. The times of watching other people here living with unlimited funds from mommy and daddy when I saved up the money to spend here (other than tuition). The hard times of not being able to watch the olympics and having to follow it via the newspaper.
    But with every hard time comes many many more great times. Like the nutella filled doughnut Julie and I shared at the chocolate festival today. Or the moments of snorting at lunch so the whole room can hear me because Sam has cracked just one of her many jokes.  Or the great moment of teaching English to Eduardo with Austin and laughing at each other because this 16 year old listens to rap music that swears and rolls his eyes at his mom. Or when eating dinner and Eduardo's father says "I love you" to me while meaning to say "I love it" when referring to the cake we were eating. And then there's the great moment when I received a letter from Jasmine in Ukraine and a box of goodies from mom for Valentine's day. And the times of meeting a solo Australian traveler on the train telling you that your conversation made her whole day.
     And there's moments of little victories like speaking with my little Italian and actually getting my point across. Or getting As on my tests. And the victory of finishing another book. The moment when you embrace all the cat calls and shouts or stop a pick pocketer from getting you. Don't forget about the victory of staying awake for the first act of Madame Butterfly the Opera (we won't talk about the 2nd act).
    But these are the real feelings that come with living somewhere unfamiliar with people you've barely known for 1 month.  Emotions are real people!  Don't get me wrong I am so excited that I'm here because this is a dream that has come true, but that doesn't mean that I have to post a bunch of exciting pictures on facebook (except I do) or only post the incredible moments on my blog. Because you're supposed to feel this whole spectrum of emotions. And I know it's easy to look at me and say "tough life, poor girl. you're living in Europe." Trust me, I get it. My life is INCREDIBLE!!! And the toughest moments here do not even come anywhere close to the toughest moments for many people around this world.
     I've learned a great deal about friendship throughout the course of my life, but especially since June 5, 2013 when I left DU. I learned that a simple phone call before you board a plane to head to a foreign country can be the most comforting gift you'll receive in awhile. I've learned that a postcard means more than what you think it does when you buy it from that man off the street. I've learned that a facebook message really can be personable and brighten someones day. I've learned that distance doesn't have to change the bond you have with people. As Aristotle describes Perfect Friendship he says that the friendship is for the betterment of both parties and boy have I seen that. Here are the 3 greatest gifts I think there are-Life, Love and Friendship and how amazing is it that I've been blessed by all 3?! The man upstairs must be watching me.  When you remove yourself from your comfortable bubble you learn a lot about people. I've had many conversations with friends from DU and they've each shared their struggles with me.  It's been hard not to sit and hug each and every one of you. You never know what people sitting right next to you are going through. I've had conversations here with a few friends whom I know will be apart of my life forever and I couldn't be more grateful that they're here with me (Sam, Julie(s), Carly, Alicia, Connor, Yesenia and Val).
     So thank you- thank you for the skype calls from friends at odd hours of the day, the snapchats of the snowy rocky mountains, the facebebook messages of encouragement and well wishes.  Thanks for staying in contact and being a part of my life, because TRUST ME when I say that I really care about your life. I love seeing the snapchats and instagrams of snow because I miss that as well.  I really do love hearing and seeing what's going on. And most importantly thanks to my parents for believing in this dream since I was 9 years old even when it sounded crazy.

Nutella doughnut 

        I am not homesick and there is no other place in the world I would rather be because wherever you are now is where you're supposed to be. Whether you realize that now, in 2 months or in 10 years, you're where you need to be. All it takes is one look back at the elementary school dreamer to remember why I am here today. And life's an adventure so here I am embracing one GIANT one!



   "A person should set his goals as early as he can and devote all his energy and talent to getting there. With enough effort, he may achieve it. Or he may find something that is even more rewarding. But in the end, no matter what the outcome, he will know he has been alive."-Walt Disney

Julie and Sam. My best friends here

My friend Francessco. He said to make sure I told my mom
I had found an Italian boyfriend

Sunny in Sicily

 Sicily-the land of pizza, the Mediterranean and.....the Mofia.  This past weekend 7 of us flew from Pisa to Palermo, Sicily. We enjoyed the excitement of economic airfare via Ryan Air and it's luxurious blue and yellow airplanes with plastic seats and no drink service. If you want to fly a no frills airline this is it. I hope all of you who have flown with them before are laughing because of all your past experiences.
    We landed in Palermo and took a 5euro shuttle to town and got to our rooftop apartment. Apparently there was no running water in the whole city according to our landlord, but we still don't really believe that. We ended up not having water for 24 hours. We explored the markets and some more churches. As bad is it may sound, these churches are starting to blur together. As much as I like churches, they're all just blurring together.  We found a bakery and had canolis since they're an original in Sicily.  I'm more of a fan of the canolis in the states with whip cream versus the cheese filling here. Naps ensued laying out on our porch with the sun's rays as our blankets.  After napping and reading we decided to go to a restaurant recommended to us. At the restaurant, Ferro di Cavollo, we were welcomed by the owner's son, Giuseppe.  Picture the Italian version of Zach Galifianakis with lots of chest hair and glasses. He was a character who enjoyed our company and asked us girls to sign his button down with a permanent marker. He later asked Sophie if she "wanted to make love" in Italian and that was our que to head out the door. Thank you Giuseppe for your entertainment and enjoy your diet of carrots since you need to shed a few pounds. A late night snack of Sicilian pizza ensued at Frida Pizzeria (highly recommended).  Bed time around 2am after a 15 minute walk back through some alleyways with prostitutes, drag queens, and drunk couples.
     Saturday morning I enjoyed a run along the beach around the harbor and touched the Mediterranean.  The weather was about 65 degrees and sunny all weekend. We made an egg scramble, potatoes, and fruit salad all with our purchases from the previous day market visit.  Nice change from our usual breakfasts of yogurt and corn flakes.  We headed by train to Argentino on the Southern coast of the island. After a 2 hour conversation with a lovely 45 year old Australian woman we made it and hopped on a bus to the Valley of the temples.  There's something exciting about jumping around rocks from 3000 years ago.  A well spent 5 euro seeing the Temple of Zeus and Hercules on a perfect day.
      Saturday evening we wandered around and finally settled on a pizza place, but only after searching for a recommended one online, which has apparently since closed.  I don't think this pizza was anything extraordinary.  Bed time came quickly after.

     Sunday was a early morning to our 9am flight back on Ryan Air where the flight attendant spoke over the intercom from at least half the flight.  Yesenia and I explored Pisa on one of the rare sunny days after landing.  We took the expected tourist pictures at the leaning tower and got a kebab and gelato for lunch.  Pisa is a nice quaint town.  Much much more peaceful than Florence. Overall I'd say it was a success in the sun!

Snowy Slovenia

 After a weekend trip to Slovenia I want to move there at some point in my life. There were positions available to work at our hostel (Castle hostel) so I texted my parents saying that if I don't come home I'll be in Bled working at the hostel dating a hockey player. Sounds pretty good right? Bled was a beautiful, quaint town at the edge of a lake nestled in the hills with a grand castle.  We arrived in a snow storm Thursday night which produced almost 3 feet of snow. Friday morning Brian and I got up to ski at Vogel just about 30km outside of Bled. We hopped on a bus and headed through the snow. After the bus driver abandoned ship to dig out another bus, we made it to the resort. After purchasing 18Euro half day lift tickets, renting skis (15Euro/day) and Brian getting some ski clothes we headed to the slopes.  There were probably 30 people there and we were by far the best skiers. After several laps on the T bar and the only lift open (due to avalanches) we enjoyed some pizza and practiced our Slovene. After warming up and drying off we skied a little while longer. Skiing through snow and powder and then dealing with the rain that eventually came.  Hopefully this was the first of a few trips skiing in the Alps.  After making stir-fry with an Australian and Brit it was bed time.

T Bar selfies

hot chocolate aka chocolate pudding

Saturday we were warned that the conditions at Kravec resort were not going to be very enjoyable and there were lots of avalanches. So no skiing today.  They cancelled the FIS slalom world championships that day there too.  We headed to the capital city, Ljubljana to go to the castle and walk around. It rained some but it was a fun city.  It was cool to learn more about Slovenia and the former Yugoslavia because that's where my heritage is from. I enjoyed some hot chocolate/hot pudding by some guys who were impressed to meet Americans.  After going to a typical Slovenia liquor store and learning about honey brandy and the importance of schnapps in the country (and Brian purchasing Absinthe) we headed back on the bus to Bled.  That night was pizza at Pizzeria Rustika nestled in the basement of a cabin in Bled. Top 3 best pizzas of my entire life (and I've had lots of pizza!)  The pizza had dried meat, cheese, rukola, black olives, garlic and basil.  There were some tween girls listening to One Direction and Miley Cyrus signing. Brian said "I guess tween girls being annoying is universal."  While eating pizza the song "You're the Voice" came on.

international stir fry dinner

Ljubljana

Bled

Now if you've kept up with my adventures that's the song the boys sang while heading to Valle Nevado when we skied in Chile. So now the only 2 times I've heard this song in public has been in Chile and Slovenia.  Memories came flooding back.  After enjoying several power outages while sitting at the bar "Devil" it was bed time.

Brian and I at the castle in Ljubljana

Sunday morning came early as we left in hopes of seeing the Postojna cave (best known cave in the world). But because of snow the cave was closed  :(  Super sad. But like I said I want to move to Slovenia so hopefully I'll get to see them and maybe you'll come visit!

Bled