The Top 2

I'm going to do this backwards because i want you to scroll down and read the entire entry instead of reading number one and skipping number 2 because number 2 is awesome.

NUMBER 2. - PARCO DELLA CASCINE

Heaven

The only place in the city of Florence with deciduous trees. I miss the shit out of deciduous trees. Olive trees are just fine for producing olive oil and other olive products, but the happiness they provide is a very temporary one. Deciduidity (ask Carranza if that's a word) is more about a state of mind. The colors it provides are so satisfying that its almost as if fall can't happen without them. They also provide fresh air, which in this city is perhaps the most rare commodity of all. The difference is so drastic upon entering the park, your body will begin to feel as though you just regained use of your lungs. It is also much quieter within the limits of the park. Italians are also much less to elbow you and asian tourists are about as common as sunny days in the month of December. All i'm saying is that if you need a break from the horrors of city life, you dont have to go to the medici villas to find an escape. In the park you have all the freedom in the world to walk, breathe, and run if you find it necessary. 

THE NUMBER ONE BEST PLACE IN FLORENCE 1. - VIA DEL MORO 2A

Me, Christina, Davide, Mike, Alice. ( not featured Jaime )

A very cheesy choice. Perhaps the cheesiest. 4 cheeses sometimes. Quattro formaggi. Really though, i grew very close to a group of people here and enjoyed some of the most delicious meals of all time with them. Im not going to elaborate on who did what or even attempt to pinpoint the craziest one of us. All i know is that i am thrilled to have been able to share the experiences of this semester with such a good group of kids. I am going to miss the ability to walk down a set of stairs into such a happy and entertaining environment. I will see you all soon and look forward to the next time we cook far too much food and drink more than our fair share of wine. 

A Little Catching Up To Do..

NUMBER. - 7 THRU 3

3. Sant Agostino 23 ( Favorite Restaurant )

4. Italian ( Favorite Class )

5. The Joshua Tree ( Favorite Bar )

6. La Carraia ( Favorite Gelateria )

7. "The Big Red Bridge" ( Favorite Bridge )

So in order to keep the countdown in a readable fashion...

NUMBER 3. - SANT' AGOSTINO 23

I highly recommend eating at this establishment. Its location in the Santo Spirito neighborhood of Florence makes it a bit difficult to stumble upon but it is well worth the trip. Upon arrival you might be a bit hesitant, as i was, to enter what seems like a small and unimpressive kitchen. You will be glad you did. The menu is stacked. The adventure begins with the antipasti which can be anything from a plate of meats and cheeses to a sumptuous salad. The prima piatti has much to offer as well. My own experience included a plate of pasta carbonara and... a garlic breaded pasta. After this Alice and i started on the second piatti of spicy pork and a Fiorentina bistecca... the menu is BOMB. All i will say is that you should be prepared to speak italian and spend around three hours eating.

NUMBER 4. - ITALIAN CLASS

ELENA! Far and away the best part of the Palazzo Rucellai Program. I can not say enough good things about this class. By far the best language course i ve ever taken ( spanish blows! ). AND it was actually useful. After a week or two of only saying SCUSI in my obnoxious fake italian accent, i finally found myself being able to ask for things... or at least being able to say that i wanted them. Elena didnt just teach us the language though. This class taught us many cultural things such as Italian greetings ( a very funny class ) and introduced us to the concept of Aperitivo ( drinks and appetizers from 7-9 before dinner). It was really more about just helping us survive in this country and i think it did just that. 

NUMBER 5. - THE JOSHUA TREE

THE best bar in all of Florence. The place where you will find Palazzo Rucellai students after any significant assignment has been completed. The place where your friends DJ and free drinks are always on the menu. The place where you know half the people in the place and everyone whos working there. Max is the man. He pours the best Heinekens, Erdingers, Murphy's, etc... In general, this is just the place to be when you want to enjoy a drink with your friends and listen to music that you actually enjoy.. and theres almost always a good soccer match or highlight on the tv. 

NUMBER 6. - LA CARRAIA

This is the best gelateria in Florence. Given gelato is one of the best things in all of Italy, it becomes difficult to understand how i rated this place at number 6... too late now... Anyways. The flavours get me going but in this case the QUANTITY blows my mind. Imagine twice as much ciccio'arancia ( chocolate with orange) or biscotti ( cookies) as you would get anywhere else in the city. What im saying is that La Carraia hooks you up right. A two euro cup of anything is more than enough where most other places would give you a bit more than a spoonful for that price... dare i say that i ll be hitting up Friendly's when i get back?

NUMBER 7. - PONTE ALL' INDIANO

Despite being in a historical city full of beautiful bridges, my personal favourite bridge is the one above. I have grown quite attached to this bridge as it has been a destination of my runs for the past three months. It is located on the far end of Le Cascine Park and plays a major part in vehicular transit in the more modern part of Florence. The simplicity of this bridge has always pleased me as well. I am pleased by the two towering vertical supports which take the load of the entire bridge. I am also pleased by the cables which bond the two together. The details of this bridge are particularly enjoyable as well. You can take a closer look at the ends of the cables and observe the massive bolted connections or observe the welds which create these massive steel piers. OR you can venture across the footbridge which hangs below the decks in between the road ways. In general, there is a lot to enjoy about this bridge. It's only downfall is that its so damn far away. 

NUMBER 8. - WALK BACK FROM STUDIO

It never fails. No walk in life can be so pleasureful as the one which follows countless hours spent slamming your brain into your computer screen. Its as if all of a sudden you wake back up again and have an incredible amount of freedom in front of you. This is truly the case too. You have all kinds of options like picking up tasty treats for dinner, stopping for gelato, and, AND if you are lucky enough you are leaving to get sleep. This doesnt mean that i dont enjoy walking around the rest of the city ( although it can be a major pain in the ass). It really just means that i can watch the lights bounce off the arno as its muddy brown waters race through the city carrying the debris de jour. I also have the pleasure of observing the massive front facade of the Uffizi and the Vasari corridor which connects it to Ponte Vecchio. Or i can go along the other side of the river and stop by the Duomo and Santa Croce. Its a win win situation and i promise you, it never gets old.

Number 9

Oltr'Arno on the right.

NUMBER 9.- OLTR'ARNO

The better side of the Arno, is located on "the other side of the Arno River" from the city center and my place of residence. Why is this side better? It's simple. There is less asian tourists clogging the streets, less traffic, and in general is a more pleasant part of town. You will encounter a much higher concentration of actual Florentines and the better restaurants which accompany them. You will also encounter the flagship La Carraia Gelateria which i will elaborate on in a few days. In general, this side of the river is just less obnoxious and offers a lot of tasty treats. Sorry city center, you lose this round.

Blogging? In a Time Like This?

YUMMMM

So, blogging right now should not be a priority of mine buuuuuuuuuuuut i started a countdown and it must go on so..

NUMBER 10. - CONAD

This is by far the best chain of grocery stores in the city. The food is always fresh and the bread is always warm. They always have the things you are looking for and the people who work their are not rotten assholes like the people who work in META. Conad has all the essentials from spicy pepperoni to the always tasty swiss roll. It also has sweet deals on iced tea and a wide variety of apples. I just wish they didnt always ask for the smallest change possible. I will be spending my one and two cent euros at meta in the near future on a large purchase. Just to cause trouble.

Number 11

Piazza Della Republica

NUMBER 11. - PIAZZA DELLA REPUBLICA

This is my favorite Piazza. It wins by default however. The rest of the piazzas in this city are just plain miserable. This particular space is not terrible though and at times is even pleasing to be in. It is the heart of the pedestrian old city. This piazza was once a jewish meat market and then became a parking lot before being converted into a "place for the republic". It can be a very lively space depending upon the time of day. One will almost always encounter a number of different types of vendors selling legal and illegal goods. The carousel is a real treat for those who are into that kind of thing and there are a number of cafes to choose from all along the perimeter. The reason i chose this as my favorite is because it is very close to my apartment and i feel safe here at any time of day. For all of these reasons i have awarded this piazza the prestigious 11 spot on my 12 day countdown! WHOO!

Just an Idea..

I was thinking, and... it occurred to me that some day i might want to be able to remember the names of the places where i once spent the greatest time of my life. It then occurred to me that i have the perfect medium for recording my experiences as well as sharing them with others. So. I am officially starting a countdown.

My 12 Favorite Florentine Places

Why 12?.. because i have 13 days left here and 13 is not such a good number. So i have chosen 12 of my favorite places to share with those who might be studying here next semester or those who are merely interested in what this city has to offer.

NUMBER 12. - MESOPOTAMIA KEBAB

This establishment, if it ever washed up on the shores of America, would sweep across the nation like a wildfire. Their Kebab, in my opinion, is the best Kebab in all of Europe and the workers are extremely friendly. I have tested similar concoctions in several countries and none have compared to the quality of this particular sandwich. The combination of greens, spices, sauce, peppers, tomatoes, and shredded chicken available in Piazza Salvemini is so far unrivaled. It can however be a lot to handle which is why Mesopotamia Kebab comes in at number 12 on the list. 

Biker Gang

I don't know this man, hence his mean look.

Yesterday i joined my Architecture in Context class on a bike ride of roughly 25 miles through the suburbs of Florence. It was quite the trek. We spent a good amount of time riding along the Arno but the majority of the ride was on the right side of very busy roads. Occasionally we would come to rotaries which would automatically shut down for the train of 20 something bikers. Hills often slowed us down but most of us were up for the challenge. We even found a good example of modern architecture somewhere in the vicinity of Florence ( i dont really have the slightest idea where it was to be honest). After our resting period in the church, we got back on our bikes ( which quickly became a literal pain in the ass ) and rode like bats out of hell back into the city. This meant flying down busy streets and through jammed intersections, jumping from street to sidewalk, and in general just pedalling like a mad man. It all felt really good though. The amount of stress relieved and turkey burnt off was worth the ride. As Franco said, "you can't work all the time". I believe that he was right and that when i go to studio today, my work will happen much quicker. We will see. 

Breathe In, Breathe Out.

In the last twenty four hours i have realized one thing. If you can manage to conquer your fear, you just might find yourself in a situation more pleasing than you ever imagined. Whether it means delivering a very important presentation, conducting an interview in a foreign language, or resolving conflict, a leap of faith will often be rewarded.

For example, the most pleasant two hours of Villa and Garden was the class which we had all been dreading for weeks. We presented a number of different types of creative projects displaying our knowledge of the principles we have studied this semester. This meant we had complete control over the course of the lecture and the level of enjoyment. Luckily, my colleagues decided to incorporate a number of wisely chosen spots for humor which made it easy to remain attentive. So i guess more important than actually being done, is the fact that something which seemed to be so dreadful ended up being rather fun... whoa. it feels weird to say that i had fun in that class.

Allora, cuesta mattina io conducted un'intervista con due of mio classmates. Siamo stati molto afraid, ma quando noi approached cuesto uomo, lui e stato molto simpatico. Ha parlato molto veloce ma abbiamo capito enough. Si chiama Sergio e abita a Firenze. 

Anyways, this morning i conducted an interview with two of my classmates. We were very afraid, but when we approached this man, he was very nice. He talked very fast, but we understood enough. His name is Sergio and He lives in Florence. 

As far as conflict is concerned, i prefer to have no part in it. That doesnt mean that i can prevent myself from being part of it. In fact, i have proven myself to be quite skilled at inserting myself into situations that are more than potentially disastrous. I am not going to go into detail but it is amazing what can happen when you are lucky enough to be dealing with mature people. You might just find that in the end you had nothing to fear.

whew, what a relief....

That doesn't mean that studio isn't going to crush my soul into a zillion little pieces.. Just kidding, im getting published bitches!

what ees theese?

This is not from Florence. This is the home of an anonymous person in Amsterdam,
 of whom i am embarrassingly jealous.

This city is out of control. Everyone, including myself, has gone off the deep end. My classes are absurd. Italians are the most irritating group of people on the planet. And somehow in the midst of the chaos there is always something to look forward to.

For example, i was looking forward to being done with my studio project december 6th just around the time when my presentation would have to begin. Instead i get to look forward to finishing all my work in roughly a week less time. This is because our studio in Florence is not equipped with the proper technology to provide us with our presentation boards. Instead we have to prepare two finalized boards consisting of final drawings in a composed and professional manner to be submitted december 2nd to be printed at a local copying store. theese ees bullsheet.

Villa Medici was pretty impressive. Or the garden was atleast. we couldnt go inside. They should stop false advertising and rename the class "Gardens and the Villas you can't enter because we didnt make the proper arrangements ahead of time". Thats probably too long of a name.

Im pretty sure i have an Italian test tomorrow. If i could refrain from acing assignments id take time to worry about it.

ITALIANS! WHAT THE HELL?!?! I have a bone to pick. You hate americans. I get this much. We're arrogant. We make dumb noises and in general are just not impressive. This gives you no right to completely fail to acknowledge our presence on the streets and sidewalks. When i walk by i dont need you to smile and ask for my blessing as i am from the greatest country on earth. I would simply ask that if you cant make eye contact, i would atleast prefer for you to divert your path atleast .33 meters towards either side of the path. I have gone to great lengths to avoid head on collisions with your tribe and would really appreciate enough room to not take an elbow to the chest. This relentless game of chicken seems to be fueled by an overwhelming sense of disapproval of our existence in your society but to that point i would like to propose a counterpoint. If we are not here buying your food, visiting your sites, buying your tourist crap, and in general paying to stay alive, then who exactly do you believe will finance your pretty little museum city? Perhaps this is the root of the bitterness which has created the divide. Is the realization of your dependence on us "ugly americans" too much to bear? hahah i hope so because if all you can do about it is walk around town like a bunch of sourpuss guidos then i guess we really are superior. This is the best museum i ve ever been to!

Wow that feels good to get off my chest! ahhhhh deep breathe.. i saw THE DAVID today! The visit was an impromptu one but perhaps the perfect opportunity. The line in front of the academia was nonexistent and for the first time in my visit i was aware of the actual location of David. I guess what im saying is that until today i had no clue where this elusive character was and had no plan of attack for when or how i would actually see him. He was quite impressive though. A 500 year old piece of stone that had to be atleast 20 feet tall sculpted to such perfect proportions and detail. Giorgio Vasari (the first art historian) once said that seeing David meant that the viewer would no longer need to view any other works of sculpture since they would never compare to such a masterpiece. I couldnt agree more with any part of that statement.

I have less than four weeks left here and among many other reasons to go home i am specifically looking forward to one, and a strange one at that. Imagine that one day your entire wardrobe fit you differently. Imagine this difference meant that 80% of your pants would fall off your body. Imagine that the remaining 20% would only stay up with a belt that was running out of tighter notches. Not too mention your shirts are now far too long and your athletic shorts are beginning to give way. This is the result of developing and maintaining the ability to run long distances. I feel and look worlds better and i can run further than i would have ever imagined. but once i am done running i have to change into the clothes of a man who once sported love handles and a beer belly. It is an interesting dilemma but one i am glad to deal with for now.

This might be my longest entry yet so lets keep the ball rolling. Have you ever noticed that the second you try to think of something to say you automatically draw a blank. Its like when someone asks you if something is wrong. Nothing was wrong until you asked if something was wrong and you had plenty to say before you tried to think of something to say. Or that makes no sense. Im done.

How quickly we forget..

Barcelona at Sundown

Its funny to think about the amount of things you forget immediately after they happen. Sometimes life has you moving so quickly from one event to the next that sites as beautiful as the one above seem lost forever (or until you stumble over them in your computers recycle bin). But seriously, i have collected thousands of photos which i probably will not look at again any time soon. This is sad because each picture was taken for a specific reason and has volumes to say about where i've been and what i found. Not too mention the fact that they are simply beautiful. 

Since it just popped into my head im going to make a Florence bucket list.

1. Climb the duomo

2. See the David

3. Visit the Uffizi

4. See a Fiorentina match

5. See Michelangelo's Steps in San Lorenzo

6. Do other typical tourist things that i'm forgetting about.

Buon Lavoro!

Amsterdam Bibliotheek and Conservatorium

It's getting to be about that time once again. Due dates are nearing and it all seems to be happening much too quickly. Something about this feels surprisingly comforting. Perhaps being trained to churn out work at an unreal rate has its benefits. I will say that i ve found a good amount of satisfaction in sitting down and just making things happen. I ve spent the last couple months doing all of the admiring and none of the designing. It's a funny feeling when you start designing again for the first time in a while. In the middle of a pen stroke or cad command you will realize that you really do know what youre doing and didnt forget everything you once knew.

The picture above was taken without a second thought about who had designed the buildings in it. Turns out the building on the right was designed by a man who i met earlier this week at a guest lecture for the Architecture program. FRITS VAN DONGEN spoke for roughly an hour and a half ( longer than my typical attention span ) about his utter domination of the field of architecture. He described the concepts behind his competition winning projects in Korea, Canada, and Amsterdam. He is behind the construction of three seperate islands and the houses situated above which have recently been built in Amsterdam. I have never met a man with this kind of resume in my entire life and was quite nervous to speak with him afterwards. I eventually composed myself enough to extract some life advice from a man who seems to have things well figured out. The message he relayed was a familiar one ( although his story was not ). "YOU HAVE TO LOVE IT." plain and simple.

The End is Near.

Fact: I have less than five weeks left in Italy.

This fact brings about a number of emotions. These emotions include sadness, happiness, fright, anxiety, rejoice, and pride.

Sadness can be easily explained by the fact that until this semester i had never left the United States and i have one month left to explore as much of Europe as possible.

Happiness comes flooding in when i think about what is waiting for me when i come home (i.e. family, friends, and various other comforts which i had previously taken for granted).

Fright is an immediate reaction to this fact because of it puts a quick measure on how much time i have to complete all of the schoolwork which never seems to be a priority ( even blogging comes first).

Anxiety is what happens when you combine the aforementioned feelings. Im beginning to think anxiety is only a feeling that lets you know you re alive.

Rejoice... is that an emotion.. do i mean joy? Perhaps i'm thinking about the ability to rejoice i will have when i see my family in the airport in December.

Pride is a result of handling these emotions for the past two and a half months. I feel proud to have been part of something i believe many of us will never forget.

When in Rome..

Look Familiar?

This weekend i made a second trip to Rome with my studio group. This time around i saw the sites that have attracted people from around the world for hundreds of years. Friday however was spent investigating a number of more modern works by big names such as Richard Meier, Zaha Hadid, PierLuigi Nervi, and Renzo Piano. The Richard Meier building housed a structure built in the time we consider B.C. The MAXXI ( Modern Art of the 21st century) museum by Zaha Hadid was probably the coolest contemporary building i have ever seen and displayed some very clever artwork. The work by Nervi and Piano was primarily a structural exhibition as Nervi designed a Geodesic dome and Piano had rethought the traditional amphitheater. Later in the night i went seperate ways from the school group with a couple friends to continue exploring the city. We returned to the Spanish steps as the sun went down which provided a particularly pleasant view of the city. After the steps we meandered to the Trevi Fountain which was mobbed with people but was quite the site being illuminated in the early nightime. Having not realized we could bus across town for free, we then made our way to our hostel to set up camp. A short while later we ventured back across town, this time by bus, to Piazza Navona and Campo di Fiori for dinner and drinks.

The Colosseum

Saturday morning at 6:30 i officially began my tourist career in Rome. After breakfast, i made my way over to Piazza San Pietro and the Vatican City. The Piazza was massive and empty with the exception of my friends and myself. The Vatican was proposterous ( i'm getting of tired of saying ridiculous, amazing, and insane even though they re perfectly applicable as well). The luxurious adornments within the endless halls of the Vatican seemed irrelevant in comparison to the works to which they led. The School of Athens, Laocoon, and an unfinished painting by Leonardo Da Vinci were some of the highlights but were dwarfed by the main attraction. The Sistine Chapel was breath taking. To be in the same room as the most famous work of art in the history of mankind... was pretty special. They discourage taking pictures.. well actually they swarm you with security guards and most likely confiscate your camera. It's always nice to have a challenge however and its even nicer when you can sneak a money shot image like the one at the top of this post. From here on i was pretty set with picture taking as i had nothing greater left to achieve. My adventure continued across town in the Roman Colosseum and the Forum. These two sites displayed a preserved version of the greatest ancient civilization ever to grace this planet. The Colosseum has served as a precedent in the design of public gathering spaces since its inception. The Forum has also been a model for democracies and the formation of their own societies. At the end of the day, i was not only physically exhuasted but mentally drained as well. This worked out well allowing me to sleep the entire two and a half hour train ride back to Florence.. which had i not awoken for, would have taken me to Munich for the morning. But i woke up just fine and can now proudly look back upon my time spent in the greatest city in the world.

Muchas Gracias Espana!

Barcelona Waterfront

Spain might be the most impressive country i have visited thus far. Barcelona ( outside of its pickpocketing issues ) has everything you could ever ask for. You have a beautiful coast with a very accessible waterfront and rolling hills covered in buildings of all colors with countless vantage points. You have buildings designed by world renowned architects such as Jean Nouvel, Santiago Calatrava, Mies Van Der Rohe, and of course Gaudi's Sagrada Famiglia. Dishes such as paellas and tapas will please just about any appetite. At night, one can find a comfortable seat on the piers or enjoy the pleasant sounds of musicians with the city far below.

Torre De Calatrava

Our second day in Barcelona, Alice, Matt, Tom and i walked across the entire city twice. Our first stop was Gaudi's Sagrada Famiglia which has been a work in progress since 1892 and continues to be built using the same techniques as were used in the beginning of the construction. It is one of the most unique constructions i have ever seen in that it resembles a sandcastle in form and a skyscraper in scale. Other work from Gaudi can be seen throughout the city and in Parc Guell which sits in the beginning of the hills. Above is the Torre De Calatrava, which is visible throughout the entire city and was a signal of good things to come as our journey continued to Calatrava's hometown, Valencia.

?

I can't begin to explain this image. The city of Valencia is tremendously lucky. In 1960, Turia Park was created by diverting the Turia River from its original course through the center of Valencia. This park is now home to several different playgrounds as well as 6 or so seperate Calatrava masterpieces. This includes museums, bridges, collonades, and other structures which are both literally and figuratively way over my head. These buildings and bridges are so foreign to my understanding yet so enthralling that i can hardly contain myself.. as a result i spent several hours lost in this insane architectural playground. I cant say enough good things about Valencia. I will however say that i almost got to spend an extra day there as we almost missed the trains and planes that would have taken us home. We did however make home safe and sound and are all the better for having spent every last minute soaking up the Spanish sun.

Rome today, Barcelona tomorrow..

Roman Pantheon

Rome is pretty serious. Standing in a space such as the one above, you will begin to realize this. This volume is massive. The light in the top comes in through an open ring in the top of the dome. The top is atleast a hundred feet in the air above a circular space with a diameter pushing a hundred feet as well. On top of the structural feats, this building is also ornate to a level which just doesnt seem realistic. It also houses the tomb of the famous renaissance artist and architect, Rafael. It is just a very humbling experience to be inside of this building which is as spectacular as it was when it was born a half millenium ago.

Spain tomorrow afternoon.. i probably should have made more of an effort in spanish class in high school seeing as im the only one in my travelling group with any kind of background. I wont be responsible for our mishaps for such an erroneous fact. I am excited to see the work of Gaudi, Mies Van Der Rohe, and of course Santiago Calatrava. After all, its not everyday you go to spain.. just tomorrow!

Wednesday?

Royal Gardens, Copenhagen, Denmark

So this week is passing at the speed of light. I have work to do and theres no time to do it. I just had midterms and somehow im already stressed out again. I should probably just go get gelato.. Seeing as how i pulled in a couple A's and and B so far i think i should be sitting right where i want to be. The only issue is that theres no way i ll be doing any work this weekend in Spain. I will however be doing plenty of relaxing. Im not sure if it will be as beautiful as Denmark, but im pretty sure there is plenty to see. This entire paragraph just made no sense but i think that speaks to my current state of.. disorientation.

Might as well..

So im back now and class has started again but my mind is still in... Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Berlin.. not literally. But yeah i have roughly 1000 photos to sort through and edit so i ll be loading some up here periodically. This is Unite d' Habitation, one of Le Corbusier's more popular designs.

Anyways, this week is not panning out to be too special. Im looking forward to seeing how i did on my exams and packing my bag so i can explore Barcelona and Valencia.. Santiago Calatrava awaits!

And it continues..

Nyhavn, Copenhagen

Making it from Amsterdam to Copenhagen was quite the relief. This meant a new map, new monuments, and a new culture were all at our fingertips.. That is if we could afford to be there. Copenhagen apparently is one of the most expensive european cities and rather than using the Euro, they decided to continue using the Danish Krone. The krone is equivalent to above 20 US cents which means that a meal could cost you 60 or 70 kroner.. if you really find a good deal.

Spray Art

Our second day in Copenhagen, Alice and i were joined by a roommate from our hostel in a trek across the entire city. The image above was painted on the side of a small building in an area called Christiania. This area is recognized as a commune just outside of the city where police have very little influence and art in all its forms is free to take place. Aside from Christiania, we also spent time at the Opera, The Playhouse, and just wandering through housing projects taking photos of whatever caught our eye.

                                       

Our last day in Copenhagen was spent being very cold. Breakfast on the water was very nice and i learned perhaps the only danish phrase i will ever learn.. Roraeg med bacon. It means scrambled eggs with bacon. It is pronounced "war-egg" and implies a heaping pile of steaming hot eggs. After breakfast we explored the Botanical Gardens and made our way back to the airport. Having almost missed previous flights, we decided to give ourselves extra time which proved futile in that our flight to Berlin was delayed for a good hour. Berlin was very promising right from the beginning. Leaving the terminal we met a bus driver who, along with a worker at the airport, explained the finer points of the Berlin Metro. Arriving at our hostel a little before midnight, our only real option was to enjoy an ice cold Erdinger and call it a night.

Olympia Stadion

I would gladly trade an arm and a leg for another day Berlin. In a single day i visited Unite d' Habitation which is by a pretty famous architect, Le Corbusier. I guess you could say hes pretty influential, being the father of the modern architecture movement and all. After exploring the premises like a kid in a candy shop, i dragged alice across the street to the olympia stadion which we could not enter because they were preparing for a soccer match later that day. Feeling a bit discouraged we made our way back into the city to visit The Berlin Jewish Museum, a Daniel Libeskind design. As Alice wept her way from exhibit to exhibit i ran around taking countless pictures of the angles and gashes which give this building its distinct character and undeniable power. Leaving the museum, we spoke with a security guard who informed us that the Soccer match later in the day was unlikely to be sold out and we made it our mission to attend. So there i am, in Berlin, Germany eating bratwursts, drinking my pitcher of Carlsberg, and taking in all of the sights and sounds ( angry men yelling in german ) when i realize that this was the first professional soccer match i had ever attended. 

The last day of this amazing trip was spent monkey-ing around with these Orangutan's at the Berlin Zoo. I can't say enough about how impressed i was with these creatures. It was next to impossible to take a quality picture of these guys because of how agile and quick they are. I couldnt help but feel overwhelmingly jealous of their physical capabilites but then again being a Human has its advantages. For example, it is unlikely that these fellas ever venture past the confines of their enclosed jungle gym where as i had the chance to explore three seperate countries in a week and had the comfort of returning to a fourth country which i currently call home. Thinking about home makes me sad because i know i wont be going back for another month and a half but i ll be back never the less. In the meantime i ll be continue to explore my new home as well as make trips to some of the other wonderful places Europe has to offer.

While i have some time..

Friday morning was pretty hectic. Alice and i barely caught the train from Santa Maria Novella to Rome.  We did however meet a very friendly as well as proud Italian businessman. Once in Rome we took another train to make our way to the airport.. which got us there 20 minutes before our gate was to close. So we sprinted.. no really we hauled ass through the entire airport only for alice to find out that her luggage needed to be put below deck before she could make her way through the secuity gate.. naturally i made my way through hoping that she would be able to join me but getting ready to enjoy the rest of the trip on my own. She FINALLY made it through and we continued our run to our gate only to find a line awaiting us and a plane ready to be boarded.

Arriving in Amsterdam, we were greeted by rain. We were also greeted by our friends from school Davide, Christina, Jamie and Mike. This day was spent mostly getting lost (which isn't always so bad) and gawking at the windows in the Red Light District (which can yield some odd surprises). Night was spent taking in the sites and finding a warm place to have a nice beer.

Saturday was spent exploring the city in the sunlight for the first time.. sort of. We began our day by making our way through the Heineken Brewery learning all we could about Amsterdams infamous beer. We then made our way over to the I AMsterdam sign located in the southern end of the city. The picture above shows my participation in the act of climbing all over these enormous letters which were mobbed by tourists. As everyone else posed with the letters of their name (i.e alice on the A and dave on the D) i made my way to the S and T for my brother Scott and dad Tom, because theres no B in amsterdam.

Sunday blew my mind. This little guy right here was in some small park we found on the way to the Aquarium with Dan and Phil. We did not however enter the aquarium because we decided we could spend less money and more time seeing windmills and Java Eiland. The windmill was satisfying in the fact that i would expect to see atleast one vintage windmill here but was not especially remarkable. From there we made our way towards Java Eiland, THE place where modern architecture is happening.

Today was spent in the way Amsterdam is meant to be experienced.. by bike. On bikes, Alice and i made our way to Silodam, by MVRDV, which was awesome. From here we trekked to the Amsterdam Bibliotheek.. which is by far the coolest library i have ever set foot in. From there we sped through the neighborhoods on Java Eiland once more and found other buildings which Alice referred to as the "whale" and "the cobra?". This day was by far the easiest day travelling around the city which caters to bikers by providing their own lanes, traffic lights, and street signage. It is truly remarkable how well a city can work if you provide the people with a functional environment.

I'm bummed that tonight is my last night here but i ve made a decision.. im coming back. Maybe not anytime soon, but i will be back. For now that is all. I have to return my bike and enjoy my last hours in this wonderful city. 

Almost there..

24** hours from now i'll be doing a dance on a plane for HOLLAND.

io lavoro tutti settimana..

This photo is from the architecture biennale in Venice this past weekend. I think im probably going to continue posting material from that trip because im still not over the fact that i actually went there or saw half of what i did. I am intrigued by the choice of material and the sculptural qualities they have instilled within it. In this case light plays a crucial role in the exhibit not only in the reflections off the gold surface but also in the creation of shadows. I wonder just what the Egyptian creator was trying to suggest,

This week however i have to focus entirely on midterm exams and projects. I just presented my 6:40 duration project for Architecture in Context and i feel as though it went well but who really knows. Wednesday i have an exam for Villa and the Garden which im not too stoked about but such is life. Thursday morning i will be subconsciously participating in my Italian midterm exam and then sleepwalking over to present my yet-to-be-designed studio project. This is what has come to be known among scholars as "hell week".

This hell however will eventually yield to what i am starting to envision as the single best week of my entire life. Spending eight days traveling through Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Berlin makes Christmas sound like a joke. This can also be said about the financial comparison but then again Christmas comes once a year rather than once a lifetime... 4 daysssss

Venezia, Va Bene!

Venice

We lost in soccer. That's that.

I went to Boboli Gardens in Florence with my Villa and the Garden class. That was thrilling.

Let's talk about Venice. I'm pretty sure this city is not part of the same planet that ive been living on for the past 21 years of my life. The "streets" and "alleys", strangely, might be the most beautiful part of this city.. Well that, the panoramic views, and the experience of traveling down the Grand Canal. I'm getting so excited even trying to put this into words that im not sure if im even forming sentences. The "taxi cabs" were all boats and yes, gondolas were everywhere. The city itself was one of the most confusing labyrinths i have ever experienced and luckily i was not alone. Dinner with Carlo, Stefano, and the group included endless bread, a diverse plate of italian meats, a main course of four cheese pasta, and of course an ice cold birra!

Now for the best part, the Venice Architecture Biennale. i would try to explain it but you should probably just take a quick look for yourself..

Add caption

Yeah, that's what i said.

This is what i have been waiting for my entire time abroad, CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE. That's probably why i took approximately 460 pictures. One week until all hell breaks loose!

Wednesday

Palazzo Pitti

This is a panoramic image of the palace fronting the Boboli Gardens.. not a bad place to spend a Wednesday afternoon. I will upload the rest of the photos from my visit when i have less work on my plate.  For now, drag this image to your desktop and zoom in to see some of the detailed stonework of this massive facade.

A Real Fixer-Upper

Going Somewhere?

This image is typical of the mindset of the part of Firenze we are re-designing for Design Studio. If you don't keep a close eye on your possessions, they will slowly begin to evaporate. This describes not only what once was a bike, but also a space where the city has pushed aside for other priorities. That is where we come in. Our job is to intervene at a point where this particular neighborhood has little remaining potential. Or atleast it can seem that way to the less optimistic eye. I like to believe that the area, just like this bike, is only a few parts shy of having some real direction.

Last night our soccer team finished off the pre-tournament play with a landslide victory and a 4-2 loss. This brings our cumulative record to 3-2-1 which proved strong enough to put us in the playoffs (im not sure if any teams didnt qualify). Anyway, our quarter final match is tonight at 7:30 versus Syracuse who i believe we tied in our season opener. If we make it to the semis, we will play tomorrow night against the victor of Palazzo Rucellai B's game tonight.. VAI VAI RUCELLAI!

On a final note, we received our first Italian tests back today and my professor want to speak with me after class. She was concerned that i had not spent the time to study and was disappointed with my 89% performance. I agreed that i should have gotten an A and promised to do better next time. Mi dispiace!

This did not happen by accident..

Pienza

This town, which we visited Friday, displayed a characteristic which is quite common throughout europe. That little charm where things seem as though they just happened in a really nice way and left us with views like this, did not happen by pure chance. Sometimes people look around them and decide to take advantage of the beauty which nature has already provided. The large stone mass on the left side of the photo is the base of a church oriented towards a mountain some twenty miles in the distance. For half millenium since its creation, it has been slowly falling down the hillside.

Later in the day, our class spent approximately two hours wining and dining with our professor in a ristorante in Montalcino. The meal consisted of endless dishes of pasta, boar, mushroom pasta, and more wine than you should ever drink during lunch.

I bought a jacket. You will see it in pictures. Its awesome.

I have two soccer games later. You will read about those once they happen.

I have a lot of work to do and i am the most stressed i have been in a while.

Stanco Molto

Tonight we played two more games of soccer and had slightly less exciting results. Our first game we faced a really competitive team from California who ended up beating us 7-3, a game in which i scored two meaningless goals. Our second game went a bit better against a team representing FSU. I contributed two assists in a 4-2 Palazzo Rucellai A victory. Tonights games brings our overall record to 2-1-1 which i believe is respectable and should be enough to put us near the front of the pack for the upcoming tournament. Thankfully we have the weekend to rest for our last season game next... tuesday? Either way soccer has been a lot of fun and i feel proud to once again be a student-athlete.. okay that might be a slight stretch.

Dinner tonight was fantastic. Alice made a pizza from scratch. It included pasta sauce, tomato slices, diced onions, olives, yellow peppers, mushrooms, prosciutto, and mozzarella. It was a lot to handle but it was a challenge i gladly accepted. Having completely dominated half the creation, i am now as full as i can handle. I was thinking about lying down to digest but its currently 10:12 and my eyes and stomach are feeling heavy. I think this is where i say bouna notte.. Goodnight.

Gioco A Calcio

Soccer went pretty well tonight. We played two hard fought matches and came out with a 1-1 tie and a 6-5 victory. 1-0-1 on the night warrants a quick trip to Joshua Tree. Thats all for tonight.

Fine Del Settembre

Suede

Its starting to get a bit chilly here but im not sure if that means fall has begun. To determine this i would usually look to the foliage as this is what distinguishes the fall season in New England. Unfortunately, there are no trees in this city.. not one. This weekend in Modena, Tom remarked that it was nice to walk atop leaves rather than bare stone paving. I hadn't realized this phenomenon but at once felt much more comfortable because of it. Its true that you never know what you have til its gone.. even leaves.

but yeah its getting cold here and i dont have a jacket. On my treks throughout town i have had my eyes on a number of jackets including the one featured above. Ideally i would like to find a nice suede jacket. This jacket would ideally be a quiet solid tone, or even a modest plaid, but i would not hesistate to purchase the most obnoxiously bright jacket if the price was right. It worries me to try to buy such an item in a city where everything costs twice as much as it should but im confident i will find the right one. Until that day i will continue to be cold.

12k! Count it!

At 9:38 this morning i joined 20,000 people in running to raise money for Cancer research. This event offered a 5k and a 12k course, which went seperate ways throughout the city of Firenze. I decided i would like to challenge myself by training for the 12k course and id say that i was quite prepared because not only did i finish but i spent 51 minutes passing people. Once making our way around the Duomo we made our way through town towards the river then along the river to the San Frediano neighborhood. Once entering Boboli Gardens i decided to continue passing people climbing the slopes using my calves to propel myself forward. Once at the top, the race bordered Fort Belvedere then descended back down into the center of the San Niccolo neighborhood. From there we made our way up towards San Miniata and Piazzale Michelangelo which overlook the entire city. By this time i had passed pretty much everyone whose pace was less than mine and pretty much cruise controlled down the hill. I knew i was well on my way towards completing the race when i was crossing the river back into the old city. From there i made my way past Santa Croce and inched closer to the finish line in Piazza Della Signoria.. the finish really snuck up on me after a 90 degree left turn but i was thrilled to be so close and decided to finish in high gear.

At 10:29 i arrived ,12 kilometers and 51 minutes later, at a surprising and quite satisfying conclusion. Crossing the finish line i found it difficult to tell my body to stop running. I gladly took the opportunity however and joined some friends in enjoying prepared fruit and bottled water.

I feel pretty proud to have completed this race considering i ve never even excelled in a 5k race before. This time however i put in some serious hours and miles training and it paid off. Crossing the finish line i was very tired but had need be, i believe i could have easily kept going. I think i want more.. more 12Ks, more miles,... maybe a half marathon? Maybe that's a bit naive but then again 12k once seemed out of the picture.. im pretty sure if i train, i can do whatever i want to. We ll see.

Vorrei Biglieta a...

Galleria Ferrari

Today began at 830 missing the train at Santa Maria Novella Train Station. Luckily we caught a High-Speed Train to Bologne a half hour later. Arriving in Bologne, Tom and i realized we needed to catch another train to Modena which ended up leaving 45 minutes later and took a half hour to arrive at the Stazione in Modena. From here we caught a free bus to another bus station which had buses to the Galleria Ferrari. Keep in mind we did this speaking Italian in almost every exchange and everytime we needed directions. And we had no maps. We did however finally make it to Maranello after what seemed like the craziest sequence of events. Tom, who had dreamt of this day for his entire life, took the opportunity to test drive the sleek Ferrari F430. We then wandered the museum marvelling at the engineering genius which has made the Ferrari into the rocketship we know today. 

Once leaving the museum our adventure reversed direction. This trip was delayed by a number of short layovers at train stations but was much easier the second time around. We did meet a number of interesting people along the way including a Brazilian man who spoke as little Italiano as i do, a group of Spanish or Italian girls who laughed when i said "non capito", and Tonya who i believe is an actual Florentine. In general this trip was a huge success. Not only in the sense that we made it to where we wanted but also in the sense that we got to practice speaking Italian and travelling in a quick and efficient manner. I am now very tired though. 

Vai, Vai Rucellai!

Today was our first( and last) calcio(soccer) training session. It was a pretty good feeling to play again for the first time since Nike FC's heartbreaking playoff elimination. We had an inter school scrimmage with my team, Palazzo Rucellai 1, up against our schools other representatives, Palazzo Rucellai 2. Our league is co-ed and our Coach ,Daniele, splits time between the two squads. PR 1 put on quite a show today winning by a 5 or 6 goal margin but this confidence was shaken almost immediately after when Daniele described our citywide competition. We will have to face teams from California, Florida, and Gonzaga. In order to do as well as the team last semester we will have to prove our dominace over all these teams and win the Cup. Daniele described their victory last semester as a glorious champagne filled celebration where speeches were made and awards came pouring in. Thats what we re up against.

Dolce Vita

My City

I am done adjusting. I know the city streets pretty well. I know the neighborhoods and landmarks by heart. I can even understand a decent amount of Italian as spoken by the locals. I can say these things confidently because i have been asked for directions to a location in Firenze by an Italian speaking person more than once. I got to practice speaking with Italians this morning in class and felt as though i was translator for a majority of the group. Maybe im just getting a big ego. 

I recently discovered the location of "the secret bakery" which was quite satisfying. This bakery has been rumored to only be open around 2 am and does not give any indication of its location to the general public. There is a very specific sequence to reach the promised land which i believe is how it earned its title as THE secret bakery. The sequence is interesting in that you will walk right by the street and completely dismiss it as a dead end. Once you have walked halfway down the dead end you will see the second key element to verifying your success.. im not telling what it is because thats not how you keep secrets haha.. This bakery sells quality pastries and pizzas at prices much below the daylight price.. The most exciting part of this find was finding out from a local that this was just one of many "secret bakeries" throughout town that makes the goods that are sold the next day. Let the wild goose chase begin!

Corri La Vita is this Sunday and im worried. The distance (12k) is not what worries me. I have ran that distance a few times already in the past couple weeks but the problem is that my training has taken place on a largely flat area and the race makes its way along the hills on the other side of the Arno River. The picture above is taken from the high point of the run (Piazzale Michelangelo) which as you can tell is quite elevated. I guess theres consolation in not finishing if you can quit at a place as beautiful as this but thats will not be the case.

Euro Tripping

Sitting On Steps of Mercato Nuovo

That blue place up there is where i will be spending a good amount of time this October. I recently booked the flight portion of my week-long October break and it feels really good. The three major destinations are Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Berlin in that order. Flights were expensive but i believe the sites and experiences available in these places are well worth it. I plan to spend four days exploring Amsterdam's cutting edge architecture on a bicycle. I'm also interested in going to watch them make new land which seems like a pretty crazy concept. I guess Copenhagen will have tasty danish?.. Maybe not but it looks like a wonderful example of contemporary architecture working in harmony with the ways of the past. And Berlin.. maybe ill snag a piece of the historic wall if im not too busy enjoying the worlds tastiest beers. I think that has a good chance of being the best week of my life.

As if this week weren't enough, thats only the beginning of my October travels. The second weekend in October i have an overnight excursion to Venice with my design studio. The icing on this cake is the fact that the Venice Biennale Architecture Exhibition runs during this time period. This exhibition is host to designs from pioneering architects which represent countries all across the globe. It does seem pretty convenient. What doesnt seem that convenient is the Villa and Garden field trip which occupies the first day of our only 4 day weekend. I guess i should be relieved that this trip is to Rome.. okay im pretty relieved. The next day i ll be leaving for Barcelona and Valencia which i believe i mentioned a few blogs ago. Either way this trip will conclude my month of euro trips.

I have one more free weekend the first week of October... Stockholm, Helsinki, or Brussels?