Our European Adventure

Well, I’m finally home. Sleeping in the airport was pretty strange. In the middle of the night, a guy sleeping across the bench from us apparently took the orange juice we had brought with us and started drinking it. Madeline woke up though and saw that he had it, so he put the cap back down, set it down on his chair, and left. It was really strange. Why didn’t he just take it with him?

Eventually we checked in for our flight and finally boarded. It was a rather uneventful trip back to Philly. I slept the whole way, apparently with my eyes creepily open.

In Philly, we left one by one after we spent the school money on lunch and got through the long wait in customs. My plane was delayed about an hour leaving Philly though because they switched our gate and then our plane and then the gate again because our original plane needed maintenance. It was annoying, but thankfully I was able to still get home within twenty minutes of when I was originally supposed to land. Just the same, I don’t ever want to fly US Airways again.

Our European Adventure, Day 15

I felt like we woke up at the crack of dawn this morning because I had trouble sleeping last night. It was really already 6:30, but still, that’s incredibly early. We packed up our things, checked out of the hostel, and headed over to the train station to purchase some snacks for lunch before finding the platform for our first train of the day.

Immediately upon stepping on the train, we realized the difference it the older trains we’ve been taking for the rest of the trip and sleek, faster express trains that we took today. Instead of private cabins of six, today’s trains featured airplane-like seating only roomier with a table every few seats. The dining car was also more luxe.

The inside of the first express train - they looked the same

We toiled away the train rides by playing cards, reading, and sleeping. The switch between trains was a pretty high stress event though because our first train ended up getting stuck working its way around construction and we were running about twenty minutes behind. Originally, we had only had about twenty minutes to make our connection in Frankfurt’s Main station. However, our train pulled in two minutes before the second left and we would have needed to run across the station. People sitting in our train car persuaded us to wait until the next stop because they said our second train would be there also, but on the same platform. Luckily, they were right and we stepped off one train and directly on to the next. I did have to kick someone out of our seats though because he thought we weren’t coming we didn’t get on at the right stop.

After we settled in and a round of cards was played, we ordered our lunch from the dining car. I ended up getting a hot ham and cheese sandwich with chocolate cake and an ice cream bar for desert. It was actually really good. I’m surprised at the quality of the food that they sell on those trains. It was really easy to find something on the menu that I would like too.

We pulled into the Amsterdam station about half past four and put our luggage in storage lockers before adventuring into the city. We didn’t have anything specific to do, so after exchanging currency (for a really crappy rate, it would have been cheaper to do at the airport), we wandered throughout the souvenir shops looking for things to spend our money on. I ended up buying quite the collection of things, including a change purse, scarf, t-shirt, calendar and mug. I’m happy with the purchases that I couldn’t make as freely before because I didn’t have a credit card after it was stolen.

We found a Argentinean steak restaurant for dinner. The service was so slow and, while the meat was gigantic, it wasn’t that great tasting. It might not have been the best meal but Madeline and I definitely agreed the bread with garlic and butter sauce was really good. We made sure to order a second round.

Since the restaurant didn’t have a very big drink selection, we decided to get chips at a Mexican restaurant after dinner and try out their cocktail menu. We ended up making friends with the bartender, Victor and he gave us a few free sample drinks. I didn’t really like his mixing as much as everyone else, but maybe I just ordered the wrong things. They just all tasted rather strong to me and I wasn’t in the mood for that. Then Matt, Ben, and Madeline went back to the train station to wait for the next train while I sat outside a McDonald’s and stole their WiFi.

The four of us cheering to Victor's specialty on our last night in Amsterdam - notice Matt looks better today

We took the 12:45 train to the airport and we’ve been waiting there ever since in the downstairs area. Not getting a hotel was a good choice, but at the same time, I’m kind of tired.

Our European Adventure, Day 14

I slept in this morning because we didn’t really have anything to do today. Once I woke up, I went downstairs to use the internet and wait for everyone else to wake up.


I got bored after awhile and tried to go souvenir shopping, but I found out that it was a bank holiday today and pretty much every place around town was closed except for the places in the train station, restaurants, and hotels. I ended up just going back to the room and, since the rest of them were up by then, we went out on a mission to find a pharmacy that sold a thermometer for Matt. We weren’t successful though because apparently pharmacies close on bank holidays in Europe too.

We did manage to find a nice steak restaurant on our jaunt around town. We ended up eating at the Marriott’s restaurant. Ben and I had steak, fries, and wine, while Madeline had fish. On the way back to the hotel, we picked up orange juice and water for Matt. We spent some time in the hostel room after and I sorted through the receipts for the trip and put them in date order.

The inside of the restaurant - it was pretty swanky

The cute bowls they delivered our dipping sauces in

My huge, delicious steak

At 2 o’clock, we walked over to the main train station to go on our Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Tour. It was actually really lame though because the bus never really stopped long enough to take pictures and we weren’t exactly interested in any of the sights or the places it stopped. It was also really crowded. I wanted to get off in the shopping district, but everything was closed because of the bank holiday. We did get off on the fifth stop though and visited the Hard Rock Café of Munich. We had some appetizers and drinks that came in souvenir mugs we got to keep and since we spent over 30 Euros we were able to get Matt a free luggage tag as his souvenir.

Our fruity drinks at the Hard Rock

Stuffed after our appetizers, we went back to the hotel and napped. When we woke up, we decided to go out to dinner at a steak restaurant we found a few blocks away. Unfortunately, the steak restaurant didn't serve much else so Madeline ended up needing to compromise on her choice in food. I'm just glad that I managed to persuade them away from ethnic food on this trip. I would prefer to eat either familiar foods or native foods when travelling. It seems safer, especially when one of us is already suffering from a strange food poisoning/stomach flu mixture.

Our dinner steak, notice the size difference

Our European Adventure, Day 13

Today I woke up before everyone else because I was able to go to bed early – at eleven – for once. It was really nice to actually get a full night’s sleep, so I got up at nine to take a shower and walk around town. I forgot it was Sunday though, so nothing was really open. I did find a breakfast place though that Ben and I ended up going to after I walked back to the hostel and noticed that he had come downstairs as well. I had a croissant and he had a chocolate croissant with a sandwich. I got some orange juice to so that I could combat this sickness everyone seems to be getting. Matt threw up last night a couple of times. I think he has the flu, so I have flu germs to combat on top of the ones Madeline and Ben were passing around for the cold.

I sat downstairs and listened to Daniel subbing on EMU’s radio station while I waited for the rest of them to get up and ready. Ben came down with cards and we watched a bunk of drunk guys in morph suit tuxedos recant their nights and generally act crazy. They were visiting for a bachelor party and woke up just in time for 11 o’clock check out so they ended up spraying themselves with an axe-like body spray (mouth included) and using hair conditioner on their armpits and crotches while congregating in the hostel lobby. It was an entertaining, yet disgusting scene.

After I was done listening to the radio show, we walked over to the train station and bought pretzels and water before checking in for our tour of Dachau Concentration Camp. This camp was different than the others we have visited because it was completely rebuilt and actually looked nice. Our guide explained that everything had been replanted because the camp was considered a cemetery and it was done in respect. However, I think it took away from the memorial part of the camp because while there were three churches on the site it looked much too pretty to be a place where so many people were killed. The atmosphere was just very different throughout the whole camp, or maybe we’re just getting used to visiting them.

A monument remembering all of the different types of people who were persecuted

The camp walkway - notice the nice greenery

Inside one of the churches at the memorial

A gravestone for the ashes found after the camp's liberation

We had ice creams at the café and found Matt where he was resting before hopping back on the bus to the city. We were able to find orange juice and some crackers to calm Matt’s stomach before resting in the room.

I put on a dress and at sixthirty we headed out in search of a fancy dinner to spend the rest of the school’s money now that we are getting near the end of our trip. We settled on the Park Café within a botanical garden. Matt stayed in the hostel while we went out because he still wasn’t feeling good. Ben and I were able to get steaks and Madeline fish while we all sampled drinks from the lengthy cocktail menu.

Our drink choices - mine's a strawberry colada

After dinner, we got ice cream down the street from our hostel and then I decided to go downstairs and try to get internet again. It didn’t work so I ended up talking to a group of Germans who were visiting from Cologne. We were talking all about the language barrier.

Our European Adventure, Day 12

After getting ready this morning and taking some bread from breakfast for sandwiches on the train, we headed over to the main train station and found our platform. The train was there before us so we were able to board right away. It was strange though because when we found our seats, other people were already in them. Some elders had just sat down in our seat. They moved, but it was still weird.

We sat down in our cabin with two Canadians who have been travelling around Europe for about the same amount of time as us. We talked about where we had been and things like that for awhile before napping. I got woken up though because Matt and Ben decided to play cards practically on top of me as I didn’t want to give up my window seat so they could use the tray tables.

The train ride was about six hours. During that time, I wandered all over the train investigating the dining cart and finding the only remaining bathroom with toilet paper. Madeline played her ukulele and Ben and Matt played numerous card games with the other people in our cabin.

Czech "fairy cakes" - my train feast

Disko - a shortbread cookie with cookie frosting inside, similar to a backwards Oreo

When we finally got to Munich, I had us turn the wrong way out of the train station and we walked a little bit out of our way before finding our hostel – Jaeger’s Hostel. The place is fairly nice. You get a shot of Jaeger after checking in, but none of us took ours. The internet connection is really spotty all over the hostel though and I couldn’t get my computer to connect at all. My phone worked though for some reason.

They showered and napped when we got in while I worked on the budget and then we went out to dinner at a nicer place down the street for burgers, pasta, chicken, and drinks. I had this fantastic chocolate ice cream desert that was actually really cheap, just under 4 euros.

The fantastic dinner at 35mm

Followed by a perfectly chocolatey desert

After dinner, Matt and Ben wanted to nap some more, so I went back over to the main train station and wandered around by myself. I found some souvenirs and bought a cone of fries that looked good. I even found a UK version of Cosmo, which is great because I’ve been looking for one during this whole trip. I didn’t get to go to any of the souvenir shops outside of the train station because they had all closed by the time I was done.

When I came back, Madeline was at the bar in our hostel ordering a drink, so we decided to hang out downstairs for awhile and watch the people staying here make drunken fools of themselves. This hostel is pretty rowdy on the main floor, but thankfully it’s nice and quiet near our room.

Our European Adventure, Day 11

We woke up to a sunny morning in Prague today. After eating breakfast and getting ready, Madeline, Matt, and I headed over to Wenceslas Square to take pictures of the architecture and visit the neighboring Old Town Square that we didn't get a chance to visit yesterday. Ben decided to stay at the hostel because he felt rather sick from the cold he caught earlier this week from Madeline.

A house near our hostel

After wandering throughout the squares, we managed to get yelled at for standing on the grass to take pictures of the opera house, so we decided it was time to cross the river and attempt to find the Prague Castle.

The opera house

In order to cross the river, we used the bridge across from St. Charles so we could photograph the old landmark. We then wandered through the souvenir shops near the main tourist street and were able to find some nice items. Madeline wanted to panhandle on the busy street, so we left her singing and playing her ukulele while we tried to find the castle. It turned out to be at the top of the hill and we bought tickets for the short tour, meaning we were able to tour the castle, the basilica, and the cathedral.

St. Charles bridge

The outside of the cathedral on Prague Castle grounds

After dinner, Matt said he wanted to take a thirty minute nap so after purchasing some snacks for the train ride tomorrow, we went back to the hostel. However, instead of napping, he decided to play cards. I told everyone we should leave at seven so that I had time to take pictures with my non-flash camera before it got dark. When seven rolled around, no one was ready to leave, so I decided to strike out on my own.

I found my way to Petrin Hill and was sad to see all of the attractions closed after I got off the funicular. I was able to walk around and take pictures of the mini eiffel tower, but it wasn't the same. I wish I could have gone during the day. The same goes for my visit to the Fred Astaire Dancing House immediately after, but at least I got to see it. I stopped at a grocery store afterward and bought some fruit before making my way back to the hostel.

The mini Eiffel tower

A terrible picture of the dancing house

Our European Adventure, Day 7

Today we spent the majority of our day on a five hour train ride across Poland to Warsaw. This morning we woke up in time to check out of the hotel and go on a Jewish Life Walking tour.

Our guide, Heather, took us around the Jewish Quarter and showed us remnants and monuments that have been built in an attempt to explain German life in East Berlin. First, we were shown the remaining foundation of the first synagogue built in Berlin. After being saved during Hitler's reign because the Jews had built a new synagogue across town and sold their old temple to the government for use as a post office, the building was decimated during a bombing. Also near the site was a monument commemorating the site of the Jewish community center and representing the women's protest.

The foundation of the first synagogue in Berlin

Monument for the women's protest

We walked across town and went to the museum of Otto Weidt's workshop for the blind. Weidt was a prominent figure in Berlin during World War II because he did his best to employ Jewish individuals who were either deaf or blind in his workshop. He also aided them when they needed to go into hiding and even managed to help some of his Jewish contacts escape from concentration camps after his workshop was raided. Outside the museum was a small courtyard that is famous for its graffiti and we were able to take a few pictures of the artwork.

A full view of the courtyard entrance

Next we visited a Jewish cemetery that had been destroyed during World War II and the headstones were used to build walls and other buildings during the war. In the cemetery, there is a gravestone (even though he isn't buried there) for MM who is considered the Socrates of Germany. He managed the reform the German practice of Judaism by aiding Jews to acclimate in Jewish society and be both Germans and Jews. He also encouraged synagogues to convert the torah to the local language so both versions would be available to those studying it. In front of the cemetery there used to be a Jewish retirement home that was also destroyed and now a plaque is the only thing left in its place.

The only gravestones remaining in the cemetery

To finish out the tour, we saw a part of the stepping stone project that is taking place across Europe. Each set of five stones cost 95 euros to sponsor for research, construction, and travel. The purpose of the stones is to provide a remnant of the Holocaust that can come about during daily life. Each piece of the project includes information on five individuals who were murdered during the Holocaust, typically their name, where they lived, and the birth and death dates are listed. We also saw the outside of a Catholic hospital where a doctor who helped the Jews by forging death certificates for them before they went into hiding worked. Unfortunately, we had to leave the tour at that point because it started to pour and we had to get to the train station.

The stepping stone project

We ate our packed lunches quickly when we got back to the hotel and took our bags to the train station where we were able to get our Poland passes validated. We did much better on time today and had time to both purchase a meal for the train ride and do a little shopping.

During the train ride we slept, ate, and played cards. At the beginning of the ride, we were also fortunate enough to have the opportunity to talk with a 24-year-old German who attempted to explain their education system to us. It was an interesting experience and sad to wave goodbye to him when his mother and him left the train shortly after we arrived in Poland.

Our cabin on the "wagon" (German for coach)

Once we arrived in Warsaw, we struggled to find anyone who spoke English and could direct us to the Holiday Inn that we’re staying in, but thankfully, after not too long we were able to find a map and realized the hotel was right outside the train station if we only went the opposite way that we had already tried. I checked us in and was able to pick up the package containing our now sole credit card. It’s a good thing too because otherwise they were going to charge us a 200zl deposit for any possible damages to the room and we definitely didn’t have that.

Our rooms and hotel is really nice, but it’s weird the further we get away from large groups of English speaking people. From what I’ve heard though, we should be able to find people who speak some English if we ask those we see who look to be in their twenties. Hopefully it’ll work out for us.

Our European Adventure, Day 4

Once we checked out of the hostel and stored our luggage, we walked around the city. We went back to the church we visited on our first day in Amsterdam and walked through the red light district during the daylight so that Matt could take pictures.

After our walk around the city, we picked up our bags from the hostel and headed to the train station to catch our train to Berlin. We bought dinner at a small grocery store, Hema, that was inside the station. Everything was actually pretty reasonably priced, so it worked out well.

I screwed up through and got the train for the train wrong. I thought we were supposed to leave at 5:19, but that’s actually when we’re supposed to arrive. I got so confused with military time.

It’s a good thing that we got the station early though because we had to ask to find out where our train would be leaving from. We also had to get our passes validated at the ticket agent since this is the first time we’re travelling by train. We had a minor heart attack though when Ben couldn’t find his rail pass. We had to run across the train station to try and buy another before our train came. It turns out he had just dropped it on the floor when I asked where to get on the train though. Relieved, we had his pass validated and raced over to the platform only to realize that I had the time wrong and we still had twenty-five minutes before our train arrived.

The train is rather cute. It’s cramped quarters, but we have four beds in a six-bed room. I have one of the top bunks, which is nice because I get to look out the window and watch the scenery go by.

Our train cabin
Ours was the first stop of the train on its journey through Europe, but we met our two roommates when we picked them up in Cologne. Zack is from Nebraska and travelling on weekends while working in Europe. Jean is from the northern part of France and going to Berlin to learn German. They’re pretty cool, both were very considerate when they got here since we completely rearranged the cabin, taking out the bunk ladder and putting up the table.

Our European Adventure, Day 3

Today was definitely not the best travelling experience. After getting up, we all trooped down to the dining hall in our hostel for continental breakfast. They offered multiple kinds of bread, meat, and cheese so we feasted on sandwiches. When I went up for seconds though, I made the mistake of thinking it was safe to leave my purse in my chair as the rest of the group was at our table. When I came back, my purse was gone. Not only did that purse include our travel vouchers for the day and my souveneir cash, it also included all of my credit cards and 370€ that belong to my school. Also included were my digital camera and passport. Gone. In the blink of an eye.

Even though it was only three in the morning back home, I immediately called my mom and we began cancelling my credit cards. After all the cards were cancelled, I was able to look up the US consulate and begin the process of obtaining an emergency replacement passport. Unfortunately, since all my credit cards and money were stolen, I was forced to borrow money to pay the $135 fee as well as the 6€ photo charge. My passport was done within hours.

With my new passport, I was able to file a police, politie, report on the stolen items, although I highly doubt it will do any good. My copy of the report is in Dutch too.

By the time everything was taken care of, it was 530pm and our day was nearing a close. We had missed lunch between me needing to run around town and everyone else napping, so we headed to Sara's Pancakes house to sample the local pancakes and waffles - a favorite among locals. While the pancakes were bigger than our heads, they were quite expensive, starting at 5.50€ each. Their thinness made them more similar to crepes too.

Dutch pancakes - maybe not the most appetizing picture

After dinner, we tried to track down a place that I could have money wired to in order to pay for our stay until we are able to get to Poland. We finally succeeded in finding a GWK Travelex at the Central Station that partners with Western Union. In order to find this, I had to sneak onto the tram by pretending to scan a card before walking on. Thankfully that worked since my travel card was stolen along with everything else.

It takes awhile for the money transfer to go through though, so we hopped on a sightseeing canal cruise that we had already paid for to kill time. The sights were quite pretty. The gables along the canals are beautiful. It's also interesting to see how small the buildings along the canals really are in the front because they used to be taxed on how much of the building faced the water. The water is actually quite dirty though, with lots of stuff floating in it.

Our European Adventure, Day 1 & 2

Yesterday, the four of us departed from our individual hometowns and met at the Philadelphia International Airport. Upon boarding our plane to Amsterdam, we were forced to wait two hours before we were able to take off. First, the pilot announced there was something wrong with the pressure system that activates the engine. After airline staff installed the airline's plan b, we taxied out of the gate only to return twenty minutes later so an "uncooperative" passenger could be escorted off the plane. No one is quite sure what happened with him, but after he left, we waited another thirty minutes before it was our turn to take-off. Shortly after the in-flight dinner, the pilot came on the intercom to ask if any doctors or nurses onboard could press their call buttons. I'm not sure what happened, but I think it was a first class passenger having difficulties. The rest of the flight was fairly calm. We pulled our money and bought two bottles of liquor on the plane so that we would have something to start off our travels. The duty free shop was fairly cheap -- only $18 for a liter of Absolut. While our journey started off quite delayed, our pilot managed to make up time in the air and we arrived only an hour and a half late.

We rushed through customs, waited forever to claim our baggage and then stood in line to purchase train tickets into Amsterdam and separate tickets for all the city's public transport. Since we were short on time, we paid a small fortune of 23 euros to store our luggage in three lockers at the Amsterdam Centraln Station before venturing to Anne Frank's house.

Without a map, we struggled to find the house and ended up asking one Dutch family and two groups of tourists for directions. We eventually arrived an hour after our scheduled entrance time, but the woman waved us through check-in and we wandered through the museum. The experience was rather somber. While there was no furniture in the house, reconstructions and videos showed how cramped the space really was. The lighting was awful and I struggled to read the notes on the wall; I can only imagine how depressing it was for those in hiding, especially since their efforts mounted to little for many Jews.

On our way out of the museum, we stopped in the bookstore and were able to purchase some postcards. We passed an interesting looking church on our hike back to the train station and were drawn inside by the pretty sounds from the small, yet impressive, organ. The building was rather nice. After looking around for a few moments, we headed out to the train station.

We picked our luggage back up and were able to locate the correct tram - tram 2 - for our hotel. A nice man on the train told us when we got to the Van Gogh stop (our landmark). Matt got off first, and then me followed by Ben. Madeline was last, but the doors shut before she could get off and there was nothing we could do but watch her roll away. She was able to get off at the next stop and she ran back down the street to meet up with us. We were briefly turned around before we found the Inner Hotel, located on a cute, quiet side street. I checked us in and we went in twos in the tiny Dutch elevator up to the third floor.

Our room is fairly nice. It has six bunks, but we have it all to ourselves. We have an ensuite bathroom too. We don't have the best view from our window - just some rooftops - but I'm glad the place is clean.

After a short nap, we hopped back on the tram and got some dinner at a dimly lit restaurant called La Pampa. It was a cute place and the food wasn't too overpriced. We had to eat quickly though so we could rush across town to meet up with our group for the Red Light District Walking tour.

I was actually really surprised with the tour. After being given a small glass of wine (or beer if you wanted), we received information from a working girl and proceeded to walk past some of the windows in the area. I was surprised though, by how small the windows were. Most of them were just a door with a window in it leading to a small room with a twin bed and not much else. It was quite bizarre how open everything was. The windows were surrounded by sex shops and, surprisingly, there were some Christian hostels nearby.

After the tour, we split up and Madeline and I did some shopping. We ended up getting lost and wandering around Amsterdam for awhile, but it was still fun. Once we figured out where we were, we caught a tram back to the hostel and dropped our stuff off before heading to a small, casual bar down the street for a drink. It closed soon after we got there though, at 1230, so we headed back.

Updated Itinerary

Here's an updated itinerary for the Holocaust trip this August:

August 2: Depart United States
August 3-5: Amsterdam, Netherlands
August 6-8: Berlin, Germany
August 8-9: Warsaw, Poland
August 10: Oswiecim, Poland
August 11-12: Prague, Czech Republic
August 13-15: Munich, Germany
August 16: Amsterdam, Netherlands
August 17: Return to United States

Gaggle Splat

The trip to Europe this August is pretty much all set, thank god. I think this is the first trip that I've planned completely on my own and, while I love planning and think I would make a terrific travel agent, I can definitely see why people pay extra so someone else will do all the work. This trip has been like my full-time job the past couple of weeks.

A couple of recommendations for other travellers:

• Don't work with Susan at Breakaway Travel in Ypsilanti, MI. She's annoying, very slow, and adds hidden surcharges to your total for all of her "hard work". On second thought, I guess if you're rich and have all the time in the world, you could work with her, but still...
• Buy stuff through STA travel! They're super nice!
• Allow three hours every time you call Rail Europe (and trust me, to get your seat reservations right, you'll have to call multiple times). You will be on hold for AT LEAST an hour, unless you manage to time your call just right smack in the middle of the day.
• And that reminds me... make sure to allow room in your budget for seat reservations in addition to your EuroRail passes. Someone got smart and decided to charge the tourists for both their discounted passes and an additional price for their actual seat, lucky us.
• Remember to breathe... just because the one perfect hostel is booked doesn't mean there isn't a cheaper, nicer hotel available that happens to be closer to the train station.

EuroRail

The passes are here! The passes are here!

The trip feels so much closer now that I've received the EuroRail passes from STA Travel. Now I just have to make sure all the annoying, expensive seat reservations go through.

Italia: Day Thirteen

We got to sleep in today, so I went for a run around town this morning. I got sort of lost and ended up running in a lot of circles because it seems like every road runs into the town center of Novellara. It’s kind of weird.

When I got back we took a bus to the cheese consortium, which is an official office where they determine whether or not the cheese that is presented to them is of accurate quality and production methods for certification. The presentation was really boring, but it was nice to be in a high quality, air-conditioned building for once. I feel like Europe is kind of behind on the air conditioning, but I guess that’s because so many of their buildings are so old. I made sure to take some of the cheese and chocolate they had out as souveneirs before we left the consortium.

Outside the cheese consortium

We went for pizza at sort of a high class place afterward, but the food wasn’t very good. It was supposed to be a “pizza tasting” so they brought out many different kinds for us, but the ham here is kind of strange in a lot of places and they also put weird bologna-like meat on pizza, so we didn’t eat a lot of it. Then we rushed over to a local education center where they specialize in teaching teachers how to use different methods in their classrooms to approach learning with a new attitude. The woman who gave us a tour around the facilities couldn’t speak English, so I found it really boring. I’ve learned that I need someone to speak English to me without translations for me to be able to pay attention otherwise I lose interest.

Pam, Chelsea, and I entertaining ourselves at the education center

I was relieved when the tour was over, even though it meant that we had to walk around in the city to kill time before dinner. None of the places were open, for some reason, so after we bought gelato, we were forced to walk around in the heat until we found a place to sit. We couldn’t even find a bathroom to use because everything was closed! It was kind of annoying because Pam, Beckie, Chelsea, and I, “the quad”, had decided to wear dresses today in honor of the floral prints three of us bought in Florence. It was a good idea, it was just too hot to be happy in any sort of clothes.

The "Quad"

For dinner, we went out to a newly opened ranch on the top of a mountain where they produce and bottle Lambrusco wine. We received information about how the wine is bottled and chilled for sale before indulging in a short dinner, compared to the others we have experienced in Italy. There was only three courses with an appetizer, main course of lasagna, and desert of rum cake. I didn’t really like the meal or the red wine, but the ranch was beautiful.

On the mountainside before dinner