Where were we? Oh yes, Italia, the land of delicious food, beautiful canals, and (in my experience anyway) American movies. I arrived on Wednesday afternoon without any travel disasters, and Francesca, kind friend that she is, met me at the airport and drove me back to her family’s home in Padua. I was more than content to stare out window at some very impressive mountains in the distance and the colorful houses that lined the highway. These pastel home exteriors (orange, yellow pink, it screamed “vacation” to me) were not unique to the drive home and popped up everywhere, which is a trend I think America should jump on right away.
Her family’s home was really nice and spacious, and after living in a tiny (dirty, moldy, icky…but I promised we wouldn’t get into that again) dorm room, it seemed like a mansion. I met her parents, her brothers and her sister, Elisabetta. I can’t say enough wonderful things about them; they made me feel like part of the family over the next few days, which is an experience few tourists have.
That afternoon, we were treated to tea and biscuits. (I mean cookies. British English has started overwhelming my vocabulary, and I’m currently very linguistically confused.) A little while later, we had a delicious dinner prepared by Fra’s mother. I tried a ham and cheese quiche-like dish (except without the eggs) and a spinach and cheese pastry, with fruit salad and whipped cream for dessert. At the beginning, it was a little difficult to converse with her family at dinner because although everyone knew at least a little English, it seemed as though no one was very confident trying it out on me. However, 45 minutes later, they were more comfortable, and I’m pleased to report that everyone’s English was far better than they led me to believe. Even Fra’s 13-year-old brother’s grasp of the language was better than my own knowledge of Spanish (and let’s not count how many years I’ve spent studying that!).
After dinner, Fra, Elisabetta and I watched Twilight (American movie #1) and then ventured out into town, because Wednesday night is student night in Padua. The streets in the center of the city were thronged with students. Blocks upon blocks of them were standing, socializing and drinking in the streets (bars have to close at midnight so the people living around there can sleep), and we couldn’t walk more than three feet without running into someone that one of the sisters knew. I very quickly became an expert at the double- kiss-and-greet style of introductions. We floated from one group to another, and I chatted with a good number of Fra’s friends and their friends. Like her family, many of them were hesitant at first to speak English, but when they did, they were always good. And when they spoke in Italian, well, it’s a good thing Fra and Elisabetta are good translators. Not only did I get a great introduction to Padua, but I experienced Italian student social life as well, which is something Rick Steves definitely can’t tell you about.
In the course of the evening, I was surprised to discover just how common it is for Italian young people to live at home until they’re in their late twenties or married, and Elisabetta was equally shocked when she learned that I spend most of the year in St. Louis, away from Chicago and my family. It’s a very different kind of life, and no wonder medieval streets are the preferred meeting places!
On our way back to the car park (parking lot… British words…), I almost did get hit by a car, as I’ve long predicted I would, but it was not my fault! An obviously drunk driver came out of nowhere, shouted something and swerved to hit us, and then at the very last moment turned away. The car stopped half a block from us, so we turned around and called her boyfriend and his friend. Our knights in shining armor (okay, a silver car, close enough) arrived five minutes later, drove us approximately half a block to our car and made sure we got on our way safely. Talk about the perks of having a boyfriend…We made it through the rest of the night with no more near-death experiences.
The next day was bound to be a good one, considering we started off the morning by eating fette biscottate (a cross between bread and crackers) and cookies (NOT biscuits, take that British vocabulary) for breakfast. My mother will not be happy to hear this, but it’s a fine way to start off a morning. We took a thirty minute train ride into Venice and walked around the entire day.
Venice is a charming, beautiful city, and I can’t compare it to any place I’ve ever been before. I wouldn’t want to live there (especially not in fifty years, when it’s supposed to be underwater), but with its picturesque canals, its bright buildings and its twisting streets, it’s a perfect spot to explore for a few days. It’s not actually all that large, but you wouldn’t know it given the sense of history the place exudes. Almost all the buildings we passed were at least a few hundred years old, and they’re not fenced off and put under glass, the way they would be back home. People actually live and work in these places, which is mind boggling. Also, boats literally replace cars in Venice. You’re not allowed to drive anywhere near the city center (and how could you, the streets are so narrow), but you have bus-boats, taxi-boats, private car-boats, and even airport shuttle-boats, not to mention the gondolas. Like I said, there’s nowhere else like it on Earth. And have I mentioned those canals? They were quite possibly my favorite part of the city.
- Il Ponte di Rialto, the largest and most important bridge in the city, which crosses the largest canal. But given the volume of stores that sits on top of it, it’s actually a posh shopping center disguised as a bridge; it’s the Superman of all bridges.
-Piazza San Marco (Saint Mark’s Square). It looked just like it does in all the pictures, but it didn't disappoint in person.
-The Bell Tower, which was originally built in the 16th century but fell down and managed not to kill anyone in 1902. It was rebuilt shortly after that, and it’s got to be one of the newest buildings in the city center.
-The Palazzo Ducale di Venezia (the Doge’s Palace). We didn’t go inside, so I can’t really say too much else about it, but it looked cool.
-And of course, Saint Mark’s Basilica. Since Fra had never been inside it either, we stood in an admittedly fast-moving line, and it was well worth the wait. Inside, almost every surface I saw was a mosaic, and there was a hall full of building fragments dating from 800, 900, 1000, something like that, A.D. We were able to step out onto the balcony, which had a great view of Venice. The Basilica is magnificent, but I’ve come to expect that in European churches. I think there are a limited number of adjectives I can use to describe them, and I’ve used them all up by now (on St. Paul’s, Westminster, etc.) so you’ll just have to trust that it was super impressive, and next time you’re in Venice, definitely check it out.
-Fra’s university
-Gelato. I tried a flavor called stracciatella (which may or may not be vanilla and chocolate chip) with something that tasted like froyo on top (frozen yogurt, for those of you who did not go to Bear Mart with me at Wash. U. every night freshman and sophomore year).
-The newest bridge in Venice, whose name I can’t recall, but it lights up at night, so it’s pretty cool.
It was a great (and tiring) day, but it only got better when we returned home and snacked on more biscuits (you know what I mean) and a special Easter cake, translated “Dove cake,” probably because it’s shaped like a dove. For dinner, Fra and I went to a restaurant and met up with some of her university friends, who arrived on Italian time (i.e. a bit late). We chatted in English for a little while, and they were curious to know if I had a boyfriend. Seriously, that is one of the first questions that almost all of Fra’s friends asked me. Peculiar. The conversation gradually drifted into Italian, and for a while Fra continued to practice her translation skills. I ordered a great salad with a special type of thinly cut ham that apparently you can only find in Italy, so even though I don’t remember what it’s called, I’m glad I had it!
When we got back, we watched Aladdin (don’t laugh, it’s a quality movie, and for the record, American movie #2). And that was enough for one day!
The next day, we slept in late (and by “we,” I mean “I”) and began the day with our usual and oh-so-nutritious breakfast. We took the train back to Venice that afternoon, but this time, we walked to a harbor and hopped on a boat for a tour of three tiny islands around Venice. Our first stop was Murano, which is known for its exquisite glass. We watched a very cool demonstration of two men creating a glass dolphin, which was beautiful, at least until one of them dropped it. Still, considering it takes eight to twelve years to learn the craft, I’m impressed.
The next day was Padua day. We took a modern tram into the city center and started off at the Basilica of Saint Anthony, which is, as is to be expected, an old, huge, remarkable church. It dates back to the 15th century or so, just like every other significant building here, and it took a good 25 minutes to walk through the entire building, which contains no less than three courtyards. You know what else is in it? A souvenir store and a market. Hm, maybe I’m getting my Bible stories mixed up, but didn’t Jesus cast out the vendors in the temple? Just throwing that out there…We walked by the tomb of Saint Anthony, where for a limited time only, you can queue (wait in line…whatever, I give up…) to see his skeleton. It was tempting, but we decided to skip the dead guy and make our way to a market with living people instead.
The market in the center of the city was filled with all sorts of cheap clothing and accessories, but I resisted the temptation to buy a new wardrobe. We met up with another one of Fra’s friends, who was lovely, and walked around some more. In both Venice and Padua, I saw a lot of African immigrants standing on street corners and bridges, hiding from the police and at the same time trying to sell designer bags (or at least imitation designer bags) to anyone who walks by. In Padua, right outside of the Gucci store, we passed one of these men hawking Gucci bags. Really??? In other news, I completed an entire transaction in Italian all by myself. Granted, my side of the conversation consisted entirely of “ciao” and “grazie,” but I left with postcards, and it still counts.
After lunch, we walked through a beautiful park with your run of the mill historic church, as well as stone remnants of an ancient Roman arena, just standing around begging to be sat on, which we did. We walked to the bus stop after that, and right next to it was a monument dedicated to 9/11 and a piece of the World Trade Center. Very random.
That afternoon, we watched the Sex and the City movie (American movie #3) and ate cookies. For dinner later in the evening, we went to Fra’s boyfriend’s house, where he cooked a yummy pasta dinner for us, Elisabetta and some friends. A huge group of friends arrived after dinner, and we stood around talking in a combination of English and Italian for quite a while.
The next day was Easter Sunday, and it was nothing like I expected it would be. First, I put on a dress in the morning, and those of you who know me well will recognize that this is the most dressed up I’ve been in months. Fortunately, my fashion adviser was on hand to tell me to wear jeans instead. In some ways, it feels like Easter is not as important here as it is in the States, despite its proximity to Vatican City. I went to church with Fra and her siblings, but her parents had gone to an earlier Mass by themselves, and no one other than those over 60 dressed up. Not that I’m complaining, mind you! I'll take jeans over dresses any day of the week.
My Spanish proved remotely useful (finally!) when the similar vocabulary (and some significant translations courtesy of Elisabetta) allowed me to follow along with the readings, which were printed on cards in the pews. Surprise, surprise, the rest of the Mass was pretty similar to what I’m used to, although people kneel and stand at different times, and when it comes to communion, it’s every man for himself in a mad rush to the front.
After church, we came back to the house and discovered that there had been a minor time warp, and it was now Thanksgiving. In America. Or at least that’s what I thought when I saw all the food that her parents had prepared for lunch. Course #1 was a homemade pasta dish, which it took every shred of self-restraint not to finish since there was so much more food to come. Course #2 consisted of three (yes, you read that right, THREE) meat dishes: chicken, lamb and guinea fowl, which to be honest, I hadn’t even heard of before, which explains why her dad had such difficulty translating the name...All three were good, and I was moderately impressed with my self-control that I had not devoured everything in sight and still had room for dessert.
And dessert…well, I was a goner when they brought that out. I feel like I should break this down into sub-courses because there was so much. #3a: Layered Easter cake. There was a chocolate layer, a fruit layer, a hazelnut layer...a layer for just about every flavor known to man. #3b: Strawberry tiramisu. I’m not really sure what was in this, other than pure awesomeness. Strawberries, some sort of spongy cake, liquid cheesecake...Check out the pictures below. #3c: Giant chocolate eggs. It’s apparently tradition in Italy to give people huge, hollow chocolate eggs with surprises inside, and I guess the Easter Bunny must have found me in Italy (with perhaps some help from Fra’s mother) because I received one too! After dessert courses #3a-b, we opened our eggs and munched on some chocolate (the leftovers of which lasted me until today. That's how big it was.)
After lunch, we watched Prime (American movie #4) with the grandparents, which would have been awkward, but we put the subtitles in English, so it was all good. When I felt like I could stand up without falling back down, we drove to a resort area near Padua and walked around for a little while, and it was great to see one last part of the city.
Her father’s relatives visited when we came back, and I smiled and nodded and pretended I understood Italian for a few hours, before we had a “light” dinner, by Italian standards. Since when is pizza, hard-boiled eggs, fruit salad and all the other food that I didn’t eat on the table considered light? And that, in a nutshell, is my trip to Italy! (I’m looking at the word count right now and aware of the irony in that statement, trust me.) It was a fantastic trip, and thanks to Fra and her family, there’s nowhere (other than perhaps Chicago) that I would rather have spent Easter!
***TAKE A BREAK NOW. IT’S TAKEN ME TWO DAYS TO WRITE THIS, I CAN ONLY IMAGINE HOW LONG IT’S TAKEN YOU TO READ IT.***
I flew back to England on Monday afternoon, returned to my dorm room, dumped out my suitcase, threw in new clothing, went back to the Brighton train station, and caught a train into London to stay with Riki and her family for a few days. For the next few days, I worked at Hat Trick Productions, a television production company, for a mini-internship, called a “work experience.” It would take more patience than both you and I have to detail exactly what I did every day, so let’s just look at the highlights:
-A five minute commute to work. Riki’s flat is extremely close to work, a fact of which all of the other employees were jealous.
-Speaking of colleagues, everyone I met was extremely friendly, helpful and happy to talk to me, no matter if their job was high up or low down on the office food chain. And I think they might have liked me a little bit too, since at the end of the week, one person told me he wished I was his niece because I was so sweet. Aw!
-Gold stars in particular to Tom, a theater student at the University of Leeds who was starting his work experience at the same time. He was really cool, and it makes it so much easier to go into a new situation if there’s someone in the same boat.
-Learning British slang. Tom and some of the younger employees had great fun trying to teach me unofficial British vocabulary. So, what did I learn? Only that “buff,” “bear,” “heads” and “jokes” don’t mean what you think they do. But that said, I’m apparently “jokes,” so that better be a good thing.
-Wearing jeans and t-shirts to work. I admit, I felt some cognitive dissonance (my psychology degree hard at work) when I lugged a suitcase full of nice pants and blouses to London specifically for the office, but who am I to say no to jeans?
-I worked on a handful of different shows, doing everything from burning DVDs, to organizing papers, to archiving tapes, to finding men in Manchester to be contestants on a dating show, to researching the Pony Express and the Mediterranean for upcoming documentaries.
-Watching tv shows was part of my work day. That was cool.
-Sitting in the studio audience for “Have I Got News For You,” a Daily Show-like program. I even understood about 75% of the British humour!
-Mr. Potato, the best jacket potato place in Camden. (Translation: the best place to get backed potatoes in that London neighborhood.) Tom and I went out for lunch every day, and all of our coworkers raved about these jacket potatoes, so we checked it out on Friday. This tiny little stand in the middle of Camden Market serves the largest potatoes I’ve ever seen with a huge variety of toppings. I ordered one with “just” cheese, but it was enough for my lunch and dinner.
-Free drinks on Friday afternoon. Hat Trick has this nice tradition of providing its employees with free beer, wine, cheese, crackers, chocolate and leftover birthday cake one Friday a month, and I happened to pick the right week to intern. It was the strangest feeling, walking around an office with a glass of wine in my hand and socializing with the other employees in that situation. But it was good to see just how friendly and informal a work environment can be.
-It goes without saying that I enjoyed spending time with Riki and Nick, despite some early wake-up calls courtesy of Iris, who gets more adorable every time I see her!
And so ends stages two and three of my spring break! Kudos to any of you who reach this point in the blog, and stay tuned for the fourth and final phase of the holiday, coming soon (just as soon as I experience it)!
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