the distant future...the year 2000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGoi1MSGu64

the title of this entry is from this video that i think is hilarious....

anyway, the future! a lot of exciting things are in the works that i'm really hoping come through. Recently, I went on a splurge of finding the cheapest tickets I could that fit in my academic schedule, and boy do I have quite the packed schedule.

Yesterday, I went on a trip with my study abroad program to Florence, where I've clearly been before (if you're a reader, you know) I've seen most of the jaw dropping churches and heard about the significance of ponte vecchio, but yesterday, we did something really special. We went to the uffizi, one of the more incredible art museums in Europe, but instead of getting lost in the massive collection, we went straight to a private tour of the Prince's escape corridor from Medieval times. It's a hidden/"secret" corridor where the prince would escape to if danger struck in the city or for quick communication between different parts of the city. The corridor starts in the uffizi, goes over the Arno river on ponte vecchio, and ends right next to one of the garden vista points on the other side of the river. The corridor itself is packed with selfportraits/portraits done of royal family members, artistic members of the courts, politicians, artists, everyone who mattered in florentine life for the last 700 years, basically. The paintings start from the 1200s and as u get to the end of the corridor, they're all modern. There was a chagall painting from the 50s or 60s, even. Also, during WWII, Mussolini brought hitler to the corridor to show him the grandeur and beauty of florence and the arno and the uffizi, but at that time the corridor only had a window once ever 20 feet or so. So mussolini decided to knock out one side of the wall, fill it with large bay windows, and bring hitler for a private tour. Hitler was utterly moved by the view, and also seemed to identify with the idea that it used to serve as a private pathway for a prince, for royalty, because he considered himself to be a sort of divine omnipotente leader, as a prince. Because of this, many think Hitler decided to spare Ponte Vecchio during the war when they were bombing Florence and fighting against the allies and Italian resistance soldiers for fascist control of italy. So that was a really sweet opportunity to have, given that its rarely open, and that our group got a private tour of it.

Next friday, I'll meet up with my study abroad program in Napoli (for the 2nd time!) right after i finish 7 hours of conservatory on friday this week for a 4 day trip of the region. We're going to see pompeii and do a tour of vesuvio the volcano and the historic center, la la la. Last time I went was wonderful, but I'm excited to have a guide and hear some more detail. Then straight from Napoli, I'm going to Sicily for a week with 3 american friends. I have been wanting to get down there since a lot of american friends from last semester went in september, but I never knew when I would get a chance. Since we're already gonna be down in napoli, and have a week of spring break, its clearly the perfect time. We're going to palermo, cefalu, taormina, catania, siracusa. I guess i could say guilty as charged for hitting all the toursit beach cities (plus the capital, palermo) but with the sicialin train system (that seems severely limited) I don't really know we'd be able to see much else.

Then, after I get back from sicily, a hilarious good friend/my ex-RA form sophomore year Amelia is coming from london to stay with me for 4 or 5 days! I'm really excited because seeing familiar american faces that aren't on my study abroad program is one of the best things in the world, after being over here for so long, now. In the end of march, I'm going to berlin for a weekend. I've heard only phenomenal things about berlin, so I really cant wait to finally go see it.

Early april just in time for my birthday and easter, Katie and Melissa, two dear friends form Wellesley are swinging down to italy for about 2 weeks. They're going to swing around italy a bit and see the sites and a few small cities in the north, and then melissa and I are gonna go to Vienna and Budapest around the middle of April. I'm DYING over that because budapest has seemed like a wonderland since I met a few hungarians a few years back, and I have a wellesley friend, Tess, in Vienna that I'm really excited to see.

In may, I'm going to Barcelona to see a deear italian friend, my exroommate from last semester, Enza. She lives in an apartment with space for 3 guests so hopefully my two housemates Annalisa and Miriam will come with me! The dream of actually traveling with europeans in europe might come true, if I'm really really lucky. I think I'll be able to roll over and die of happiness if I get to drink sangria, go to the dalì museum, and look at the gaudì works all in barcelona with 3 awesome italian friends. :)

THEN! last but not least, i'm going to Porto and Lisbon Portugal for 6 days in june. I'm most excited about that trip because the weather will be awesome (we can only hope, right?) I'm staying for quite a bit of time, I won't have any school work at that point except conservatory exams, and it's my last trip before leaving europe for a year. I'm going to portugal by myself, but I've found what seems like a good hostel, so I'm ready for it. I don't know what it is about portugal, but i'm entirely too fascinated by it.

In between all of that, the only things I have to do are: write a 2 page essay in italian for every thursday, go to conservatory class on thursday and friday, keep working to make money for these trips, and read books/study.

anyway, I'm really excited. I'm going big, probably against the will of my pocket and my budget, but if it means more rice and fewer lunches in the city center, than so be it. Hope everyone's good. miss you all stateside. ( and whoevers in europe that might read this)