Amsterdam- the culture clash

The weekend of March 11th I met Haley and Cammie in Amsterdam for what I would call the culture clash weekend. When we first arrived, I met Haley at our hostel which we knew before that it was a Christian hostel. They were lenient with no curfew but no alcohol so no bar in our hostel, but that was totally fine. Our room was dorm style, bunks beds and a sink but a communal bathroom down the hall. After a night there, Haley and I decided it was Camp Mattakeesett which was our Catholic Camp we went to when were younger. Bible studies around every corner, hymns sung in the cafe, and spiritual walks offered every hour. A lot different than I thought Amsterdam would be, which I found out I was right. If you took a direct right out of our hostel, there was a Thai Massage sign...not Thai massage. The Red Light District was literally 10 ft away from our Christian hostel which I found to be pretty ironic.

Anyways! We decided to go to the Heineken Experience on Friday but we were up so early we got there at 11:30. We decided it was not acceptable to drink before noon (even though there was many exceptions) so we wandered a really cute market behind it. One man was selling chocolates in the shape of boobs and penises which were comical and delicious (obviously we had to buy one)! Then we went to the Heineken Experience on Friday and it was literally like a Disney ride.
We walked through the history and brewing process and there was one part we stood on a platform and "became a beer." They splashed water on us and the platform dropped a little and rumbled when we were the barley being ground and the bottles being capped. Also, I got to crush the barley so I hope they use it in a beer! We spent a lot of time browsing there and by the end we were ready for dinner. We went out for sushi because we were right next to the essential China Town, but it was really all types of Asian food. That night we went to a club/bar called The Grasshopper with three floors. The bottom floor was a a smoking room, the middle a bar and the top a club. The thing about Amsterdam is the smoking rooms are not for tobacco. Ironically, you are not allowed to smoke tobacco or any mixed tobacco product in those rooms because "you are endangering your neighbor" so only weed is smoked there, an tobacco can only be smoked outside. Definitely a different policy than America.

The next day we went to an outdoor market and sniped a ton of free samples, which we decided the cheese was the best. Our plan was to go to the Anne Frank House next, but the line was long so pancakes came first. Amsterdam and the Netherlands are known for their pancakes which were like a slightly thicker crepe. I had a bacon and apple one and it was to die for. We added the traditional Stroop syrup, but only slightly because it is so sweet it resembles a condensed maple syrup or molasses. The Anne Frank house was very humbling and an amazing experience. Her quarters were a lot larger than I expected but I could never live in darkness as she did, nor in hiding. Her eloquence for 13 was astounding and I am definitely going to reread the book. Then we walked through the Red Light district because we figured we had to see it. It was definitely a shock, because I thought the girls would be ugly but they were really pretty but I was still disgusted. It was not somewhere I would want to be regularly. That night oriental was on the list again and we had Thai food, which I found out later the Netherlands is known for its Asian cuisine so I didn't feel that guilty.

Sunday the I AMSTERDAM sign was on the list, but the permanent one was really far from our hostel, so we settled for the moving one right next to us. After an extensive photoshoot, I really wanted to see a windmill so we walked to a brewery within a windmill. The tours were closed but we stopped for a beer which none of us liked but it was still an experience.
We also went to eh Sex Museum, which was disappointing in our eyes because it was just a bunch of porn through the ages, but still interesting I guess. We had a jam packed day every day and finally going home was amazing. I really liked Amsterdam but found the clash of weed/prostitution and windmills and pancakes to be interesting.

AS Roma V AC Milan! and little shopping

Last Saturday, after BC left Rome (sad), we thought we would use our time wisely and go to a soccer, calcio, game. AS Roma is our team, colors conveniently maroon and a goldish-yellow, and they were ranked 3rd in the league and AC Milan (which Beckham plays for) was ranked 2nd and whoever won this game would be in 2nd. We luckily found tickets for only 12.50 euro, which was a steal compared to my other friends who paid 45. As we walked into the stadium, it was just like an American one, but there were glass barricade separating sections, especially the the rounded part on the ends from the sides. The purpose of these were made very clear later in the game. As we walked in we headed up the stairs and asked where our seats were, assuming nosebleeds for the price. Surprisingly, we were directed down to the third row directly behind the net!! To me, these were great seats because I was close, but apparently to real soccer fans, they are crappy seats because you can't really see the action. Glad I was naiive because I was pumped!! Around us were all the Italians, who I learned in my class later were the Ultra. The Ultra are the most fanatic fans, usually violent and very vulgar. They are the ones who bring in flags and banners to try to intimidate the other team and they are very rambunctious. Luckily they weren't violent where we were, only we heard lots of Italian profanities the entire time.

Because this game was such a big one, the entire stadium was packed!! We cheered along with the Italians, and figured out some of the songs and chants for our team. One song they italians sing is Roma, Roma, Roma, which is equivalent to Sweet Caroline at the Red Sox games, but it was a lot slower and kind of boring compared to what I was expecting. I couldn't figure out how to add this link or post it as a video because I am computer challeneged, so if you're interested check out the song! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xigDH384K0

So after all our cheering and the excitement that we saw Beckham play, it was a 0-0 game. No goals...so pretty anticlimactic. Regardless it was still a ton of fun and can't wait to go to another one!

That Sunday, all my roommates were away except Anastasia, so she and I woke up early and went to the flea market called Porta Portese. We met up with our guy friend Steve and spent hours shopping a browsing. Its one of the largest markets in Europe and has everything you can imagine. There are a lot of tables with piles of clothes, and anything on that table is only 1 or 2 euros. I thought that was kinda gross but apparently its totally acceptable and kosher. They have shoes, antiques, jewlery and furs. You can get fur for so cheap I am considering buying one, but haven't yet. I bought a ROMA t-shirt because I didn't buy one at the game before. Also, I was looking for a leather jacket and found a pretty cute camel colored one that fit me really nicely. With a little bargaining we brought the coat from 25 down to 15 euro, so obviously I bought it! It was totally a steal and has been awesome for the newly spring weather we are having. The market is something we have in America, but it is a totally different experience in Rome. I think Dad would really like it, it has a lots of antiques and the atmosphere is just buzzing. I am going to try to go more, but it ends around 1 which I am not usually up for on Sundays or I am traveling. Hopefully next time I can find some great deals again!

Tivoli Rejects Us

On Friday we decided to be ambitious and go one a day trip to Tivoli. Tivoli is a rustic town an hour to the east of Rome with beautiful gardens and great Roman culture to see. Seeing we went out the night before, we were a little late at starting, but I'm organized enough that I got us going and on a train by 2. As we arrived into Tivoli we started weaving through the mountains where the town is located. There was a beautiful view of the waterfall, but as luck would have it I miss the picture, but here is my attempt. It was a beautiful ride and then when we arrived, it obviously started raining. We first tried to find a tourist information booth to get a map, and when we finally found it I'm not sure if she was out to lunch or what but no one was there. But there was an enormous castle in the middle of the city so we figured we would try to go there...Tivoli was not feeling that either because it was closed for renovations. So we asked a native where to go next and he said Villa D'Este which is a Renaissance villa located in town and is renowned for the beautiful gardens, especially its water fountains. At this point it had started torrential down pouring so we stopped for a crepe until it stopped..which it never really did. At Villa D'Este we walked in and it was 6.5 euro for entrance. However, the fountains, pictures of which lined the walls of hte entrance, were not currently running due to technical difficulty, so the man at the desk advised against us going. So two strikes on tourist attractions but we still had the main one left. Hadrian's Villa, which was a 15 min ride from the center of the city. It is the villa of one of the greatest emperors of Rome and is just as grandiose that he probably thought he was. Because we thought it was going to close soon, we called a cab, which happened to be a Mercedes van ( I guess cabbies are loaded in Italy) and made it in time to buy tickets and rent an audio guide. Hadrians villa was very hard to visualize without the guide, because it is all ruins but nonetheless amazing ruins.
We had a lot of fun walking around but by the end we were cold, wet and miserable. I definitely recommend going to Tivoli at some point to everyone but I think you might want to check the weather first, and maybe more in the summer or spring when you can really enjoy the gardens!

BC Invades Rome Part 2

The second half of the BC crew arrived on Monday. It was about time they got here after a three day delay! I picked them up from the train station on Monday morning and 17 Gerald was finally reunited!! In Rome! There were five of them total and only three were supposed to stay with me and the other half with our other roommate Jen who is also studying in Rome. However, Jen's roommates were mad at her from some friends there the night before and refused to allow her to have anyone stay, so they all checked in to the Lindsay Hotel. I felt badly because once they arrived I had to give them a quick itinerary so they could see most of the sites like Colosseum and Forum because three of them , Sinead, Laura and Lauren were all leaving for Paris on Wednesday. I brought them to a favorite pizza place where we met quickly with Haley and Cammie before they had to leave for their flight that morning. We all had some fabulous Roman pizza, and they liked it so much they went they went back in for a second piece before they left. I sent them to see all the sights and gave them perfect directions so no one got lost. That night I couldn't even hang out with them because I had a midterm the next morning, so they went out to dinner with our other roommate Jen while I studied. The next day I sent them all to the Vatican and was excited because I would finally get to go out with all of them. That night we went to dinner at Fraschetta, a very local restaurant that was very authentic and has great food! I got spaghetti alle vongole which is spaghetti and clams and we drank the wine tat is especially made for the restaurant. After dinner we we wanted to do something different than the normal bar scene or club scene so we all went to Ice Bar Roma. This bar is made completely of ice, the bar, the seats and the cups. When you walk in they give you a cloak that makes you look like a moon man and gloves so you won't completely freeze. We bought a special deal where it was all you can drink for as long as you are inside. They really know what they are doing because they know you won't drink that much since you get too cold too quickly. We only survived about 2 hours before we couldn't feel our toes. Some people ditched out earlier and went next door to a coffee shop and warmed up with cappuccinos. After that we went to Campo De Fiori which is a square of bars and clubs and we just let them all lose. There were so many of us there was no way we could all have been in one place.
The next day I had class all day and Sho, Laura and Lauren left. Candice and Caroline went back to the Vatican to the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel and took some illegal pictures of the frescoes. That night we were so exhausted and jet lag finally caught up with them so we fell asleep by 11:30. Thursday I sent them vintage shopping by Piazza Navona and they found some great things like new leather boots and a coat resembling Kate Hudson's from Almost Famous. Thursday we went to am amazing restaurant near the Pantheon which Caroline's parents paid for as a thank you for me putting them up. We ordered a nice bottle of Chardonnay and a prosciutto and salame plate and artichoke a gratin. The artichoke was unbelievable and I would go back there just for that. For dinner I got a filet marinated for 5 hours with herbs over roasted vegetables. It was so nice to have steak for the first time over here not to mention it melted in my mouth! For dessert we had a English torte and chocolate souffle, both were decadent. That dinner was one of the best I have had so far in Rome. That night we went dancing which is always fun with these girls!! The next day we planned a day trip to Tivoli which I will write about later!

BC Invades Rome Part 1

This past weekend/week BC had their spring break so everyone who didn't study abroad planned a trip to come visit everyone in Europe,and they all chose Rome as a meeting place! Not only did all these kids come but so did every other BC student who was actually studying in Europe because they wanted to see them too. A total of over 65 Boston College kids were in Rome this past week. A little ridiculous but absolutely amazing. The first weekend my roommates from 17 Gerald we supposed to arrive and the 5 of them were to be split between me and another 17 Gerald roommate jen who is studying in Rome too just at another school. However, there was a blizzard in NY where they were flying out of and their flight got cancelled and they couldn't get here until Monday morning. The big bummer about this was that all my friends who were studying abroad were coming for the first weekend so Haley, her roomates and Jimmy and Dave etc were all coming. But, I guess it worked out because hotel Lindsay was a little less crowded. I only had to host Haley for the weekend but that was awesome! I waited for her on friday night and it was great to see her! We haven't been separated that long ever so it was really nice. We went out to a bar in Testacchio (a neighborhood of Rome) and had a great night meeting up with all our guy and girl friends. My other best friend from high school and college Cammie was there too so it was amazing to be all together again. The next day we had a lot of sightseeing to do so I led her around the main sights in the center of rome like Colosseum, forum, trevi fountain and the pantheon. Because she is coming back when our parents come (yay!!!) we didn't pay to go inside these places since we will definitely with them. . That night we went to Le Fatte with a fixed dinner and had bruschetta with smoked tuna on top, tortellini in a broth and tiramisu for dessert. For 10 euros you can't go wrong and it was very good. That night we went out again and saw even more BC students. I cannon tell you how many people were here,they literally were coming out of the air I had no idea some of them were even coming!! The next day we explored the Vatican and climbed the cupola again. I dont recommend it if you're claustrophobic or fat because you definitley would not fit up the spiral staircase. We had a great time exploring and then we went to a restaurant call Fraschetta for dinner in Trastevere. It was very authentic and I had Fettucini con gorgonzola e speck (like a ham product). It was delicious and we went back again that week when my roommates arrived we liked it so much! That Sunday was the Olympic USA v Canada hockey game so we went to our favorite Irish pub to watch that game. Naturally it was packed and so full with people jumping and screaming USA when we scored to go into overtime. It was definitely sad when we lost but still a great time being with everyone. The weekend was a ton of fun and I can't wait for Haley to come back and play in Rome even more. The rest of the week is to come!

Dave Matthews In Rome!

So if you know me well enough, you know that I am a pretty decent Dave Matthews Band fan. I have seen him multiple times in concert twice of which were at Fenway Park. So when I learned Dave Matthews was coming to Rome, I definitely wanted to go. What were the odds that I was going to be in Rome and Dave Matthews had scheduled a tour date then; this was never going to happen in my life again! The only problem was when I was in America still, it kept redirecting me to an Italian website which I clearly could not maneuver very well and almost bought tickets for his Milan tour date! So the date finally rolled around and I still didn't have a ticket because be then the cheap seats were sold out and only the 110 euro ones were left, no thanks. By some strike of luck however my roommate called me and said she just bought a ticket and that I should come. Granted I had a paper due the next day so I said no, but I was definitely bummed. I had two classes one ending at 5 and the ticket office closed then so even if I could have made it, I couldn't have bought the ticket. Finally luck was on my side again and I showed up to my 3:30 class and it was cancelled. It could no have been more perfect! I finished my paper in that extra time and called a friend who happened to be in the ticket line and bought me one for only 40 euros!! I ran home got changed and headed to the venue. I was impressed Chrissy and I maneuvered the bus system alone and beat the boys who tried the metro (small victory but victory nonetheless). We headed into the concert and found our seats, 5th from the last row. We hung out there for a while taking in the amazing atmosphere and fabulous music. Then we decided to try to move to the floor. I thought it would be like America with people checking tickets, but no. There was a set of stairs with a fence in front but no one was guarding it so we walked down and just walked through the doors to the floor. We were so close and it was just unbelievable. He played my favorite song Grey Street and Chrissy's favorite song Crush (top 5 in my book too) so it could not have been more perfect...oh wait I guess it does! The concert ended at 11:30 so we were able to catch the bus home for free and when we got back Old Moon Bar, the cafe/gelateria by our house was still open and we got gelato! It was a perfect night and I doubt any Dave concert can top this one.

Murphy's Madrid

Have you ever heard of Murphy's Law? What can go wrong will go wrong? Well that is exactly what happened on my trip to Madrid. My friend Julie and I left early on Thursday for our class, caught a train to the airport and were there with about an hour and half to spare. This should have been a good thing, but when we looked at the Departure board, and next to the departing flight for Madrid was a giant red CANCELED! Of course that would happen to us, but we tried to remain calm because we saw another flight that left 5 minutes after. We got in line to talk to the company about getting on another flight. When we finally reached the front, the lady told us nicely that all flights were booked through her company and all flights going out tonight were too. Unlike America, where they would automatically book you a flight or help you find a flight with another airline, EasyJet makes you find your own flight. She told us to go upstairs and go on the internet (which you had to pay for) and book our own flight which we would be reimbursed for at a later time. This seems awesome because we could have booked a $2,000 first class flight and get our money back, but none of use had that kind of money to front or to even charge. So we gave up trying to find a flight out that night and took EasyJet's offer of a hotel for the night (which was actually very nice) and free dinner. We got to the hotel and ran to the computers to try to find a flight out in the morning. I paid the 5 euro on my debit card to use the internet for a half hour and then found a flight. However, when I tried to book it my card was denied. What can go wrong, will go wrong. Luckily a friend has enough money to put me on his card too but i was getting very frustrated!!We had dinner which was pretty gross but we were so hungry and it was free so it didn't matter. At this point we began to read the fine print on the sheet EasyJet gave us about our rights as passengers and one clause says that if your flight is cancelled then you get compensation of 250 euro!! yay!! one thing went right! this made my trip essentially free so I was very excited about that. We kept looking at the positive since we got free dinner, free breakfast, a great night sleep and free money!
The next morning we got on the plane and finally made it to Madrid. I went to go visit my roommate Allison and friend Lena, and it was so amazing to see them! We walked around for a while and got food at a place that serves American hamburgers ( I guess some people crave them, I will never be one of them). I was surprised at how much Madrid reminded me of New York, with Starbucks every 100 yards and lighted billboards and very american stores. The architecture was definitely prettier and older but much more of a city than Rome is. We then saw Plaza Mayor which was beautifully painted with murals and reminded me of San Marco's Square in Venice with the columns that surrounded it. We saw Plaza de Sol which was pretty as well with a statue of a bear and tree which is the sign of Madrid. At this point I realized I forgot my camera in the room, so no pictures from day 1. We went back and got changed for dinner which we decided to try the Mexican place by their dorm/hostel thing they live in. I guess i sort of thought Spanish food would be Mexican food but apparently very wrong. I brought my camera to dinner and turned it on...or more like didn't turn it on because the battery was completely dead. Murphy's Law strikes again. I knew that I had charged it but it must not have been plugged in the whole time so when the light was out I thought it meant it was done, but really it just wasn't plugged in, oh well. At dinner we had a Fresalada drink which was a strawberry pina coloda in essence and nachos, quesadilla and some other crepe dish. The crepe dish was good in theory but awful in taste. That night we met up with the boys at a few bars/clubs and enjoyed the Spanish nightlife.
Day two we slept very late because we had traveled all the day before and went to bed late. Lena told us we had to shop that day because everything closes on Sundays. So we went shopping and surprisingly I didn't buy anything. After a full day of shopping we went back, napped and then had dinner at their house/hostel. Because it is technically a dorm but also a house, there is a women who cooks dinner every night so they can go get any meal they want for free. So we saved money and had a spanish twist on breaded chicken cutlet, rice and green beans. We then went out for the night and were hoping to go to this 7 story club which has a karaoke floor and a mohito floor! When we arrived, they asked us for IDs...which in a all of Europe has yet to happen to me so far. Even though you only had to be 18 to get in, they still needed proof so we were out of luck (murphy's law). We found a fun Irish bar and then another club but I still wish we could have gone to the 7 story one!!
On to day three, we woke up late again and went to go on the telefornico which is like a gondola ride that goes over the city Madrid. On the way, I gave into my American habits and got a skim iced white mocha from Starbucks and I have to admit it was everything I wanted. The gondola was amazing and the views were great, I just wish I had my camera!! Because it was Sunday and we were leaving early the next day (7:30 so we had to get up at 4:30 to be there early and make sure it wasn't cancelled again), we decided to go to El Tigre for Tapas and giant mohitos. The bar has no tables, just stools and some shelves to put your tapas on. We walked in and it was totally packed so we pushed our way to the front to start the fun. We order mohitos which were literally the size of my head for 6 euro, I couldn't hold it with one hand! This 6 euros also got us all the tapas we could eat so dinner was served. There were roasted potatoes with a special spicy sauce, ham and cheese on bread (apparently ham the only thing they eat in Madrid, they are famous for it), tortilla patate which was a potato like cake thing on bread, churiso on bread, prosciutto, deep fried creamy potato like croquettes with bacon..the list goes on and on. We stuffed our faces and really couldn't stop but finally realized we needed to get some sleep before our flight and went to bed. Overall, Madrid was an amazing time and I was so glad that I experienced Spain and its differences from Italy. I must say I still like Rome the best but that may change! Gracias (with a lisp) for reading!