Joann and I took a day trip to Pisa. This is very exciting for a couple of reasons. A) this is the first little day trip we have taken, B) my first time seeing anything Italian that I have always seen in books or movies, C) we got to eat some pizza in pisa (which I insisted on) and we actually at it at a place called Pisa Pizza (which my college friends will get a kick out of). So we decided to take a train instead of a bus from Siena and soon discovered that the Train Station is not exactly as convenient to get to as the bus station. You actually have to trek down this "mountain" (read: slightly steep hill) for about half an hour. Actually, having put that on paper it doesn't sound so bad...but believe me it is a long way. We get on the train and are quickly scolded by our conductor for not having ''validated'' our tickets...this seems stupid to me. Why wouldnt they just do that when you get on the train, or better yet, when you by the ticket for the train that leaves in 8 minutes....regardless, the guy was super nice and decided to let us go without the 40 Euro fine...unclear as to whether or not he was exaggerating to make himself seem even nicer.
After the two hour train ride we arrive in Pisa and make a B Line for to tower. The town of Pisa is actually pretty sleepy, not a whole lot going on, but pretty nonetheless. We break out the map and decide on the quickest route to our destination and set off.
(aside)
This brings me to a point about Italian maps. EVERY map of the city makes it out to be about the size of New York, no matter where you are. We literally had to go across the entire Principality of Pisa and it took us close to 17 minutes to walk. Nothing...nothing is really all that far away in Italian towns. I digress...
So we arrive at the piazza where THE. LEANING. TOWER. OF. PISA. resides. And it actually is pretty spectacular. I think the first words out of my mouth were, "wow, it is awfully lean-y". And it is indeed. The funny part that no has really discussed before is that flanking the tower to the left are two remarkable and astonishingly beautifuk buildings that were originally part of this entire complex (either governmental or papal...we are unsure), but no one even glances at the feats of architecture...including us. Joann and I mutually decide that these beauties would become infinitely more interesting and sought after if they too decided to just start leaning...perhaps in new and interesting directions. When I brought this to the attention of the slender African gentlemen to my right, he simply insisted I purchase a knock-off Dolce and Gabbanna belt buckle...I politely decline.
We eave the piazza to find some grub...and we are famished. We learn another valuable lesson about Italy on this day. From 3:30 to 7:30 in the afternoon is siesta time. No exceptions. Not a single restaurant was to be found (open that is). We finally stumble upon "Pisa Pizza", which is ssentially fast food pizza, but we did not mind...it was delicious and perfect for that moment.
We stumble around Pisa for an hour or two more trying to convince ourselves that there is more to do in that city, when God knows there is not. So we come to the agreement that if we pass a Pub on the walk back to the train then we will in fact stop for a few drinks out of respect for our day trip. Needless to say we were on the train within 20 minutes and heading back...or so we thought.
In our haste we had gotten on the wrong train. There are like 3 trains that leave Pisa and we got on the wrong one...fortunately we had not noticed our mistake until we rolled in Florence (the other direction than Siena). Now, in general this may seem like a bad thing, but alas not when you land in Florence. (I should tell everyone that does not already know that Joann studied abroad in Florence 6 years ago...and loves this city unequivocally). I swear to you that Joann's eyes it up like a DEA Agents in Tony Montegna's mansion when we got to Florence. We could not go to enough places fast enough. We happed around having drinks here and there, every other sentence begins with "This is where we used to..." and it is wonderful. We decide to have dinner at the restaurant her and her old roomates used to frequent and it too is delicious (lunch in Pisa, dinner in Florence...this is my life?!?). We have to catch a train home, but vow to return to this amazing city within the week...and return we shall!!! (no really...i know the italics make it seem really dramatic, but in reality we did return...just a few days later, but I will let Joann tell that tale...)
CLICK HERE FOR THE PICS
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Sunday, January 20, 2008
NO PICTURES!
We are having a bit of trouble getting our pictures up. Please be patient. Ades, please advise.
Thanks
JV/JZ
Thanks
JV/JZ
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Days One, Two, Three...The first for Joann and Jay Z
GOOD MORNING SIENA! And bright and early it was. Having gone to bed on our first night here around 9 pm, we were stirring about 7 am. Showers in our hilariously small shower and we were out the door. It is cold (very cold) and rainy today. So we are decked out with rain boots, jackets and umbrella. Not the best weather, but we will manage...we are just so anxious to check out Siena! A short walk and we are there.
The city of Siena is remarkable and should be seen by everyone at some point. It is a medieval city with a huge wall surrounding its entirety. Only select vehicles are allowed in the city, so foot traffic makes up the population the stone streets, which is refreshing. I can only describe this place in terms of other places I have been in my life. So here we go. It is dark and stony like SoHo in new york, but the streets are much smaller. It is hilly like San Francisco, but the streets are much smaller. and breaking up all of these little streets are gigantic Palazzos and the occasional magnanimous church. The Duomo and the Palazzo Del Campo being the largest and most impressive of these. Check out some of the pics for a visual.
We spend the next couple of days exploring the city. It is true that the weather was shitty and it may have been wise to stay in on these days, but we were antsy....so we went straight Lois and Clark on every nook and cranny we could find. Along the way we got a lot of stuff done (school registration, citizenship registration, etc.). Around every corner here we are finding some thing we want to do or some restaurant (osteria) we want to frequent. I, personally, am intially very excited because almost every third door in this place says "BAR" in big bright letters...I quickly learn that a "BAR" here means a cafe and unless the poison ripe for picking is paninis and cappuccino's, I will find no disco lights to brighten my days (or nights). Sidenote: the cappuccino here is fucking amazing. The best coffee I have had since Blue Mountain, Jamaica. As we are making our way through the city on these first few days we stop here and there for a lunch or dinner. The cuisine is thus far extraordinary. Pizza is so phenomenal I am almost ashamed to have grown up on the fast-food brand we are force fed in the states. Pasta is fresh and the sauce is legendary. Going hand in hand with the unbelievably frequent cafes on every corner are little shops where you can buy wine, cheese and meat. Fresh wine, cheese and meat. If i had come to place like this when I was in "culinary" school...I would have been weak in the knees. Case in point. On wednesday night Joann and i decide to cook dinner at home. We settle on my new found ability to make meat sauce. So we stop by our local butcher and ask for some ground beef (well, Joann asks...), the elderly gentlemen behind the counter of the tiny shop just grabs a huge sirloin, cuts it up into a few pieces and grinds it right in front of us. The meat literally browned in the pan in less than 30 seconds. We then stop by our neighborhood grocery store called "The Punto" (yes, I too get a kick out of it every time I say it). The grocery store even has fresh meats, cheese and cheap local wines. Perfectly drinkable table wines...of which we average a bottle a day.
Last night, Jo and I opted to splurge for an anniversary dinner. It was nearly flawless. We started with Tuscan steak wrapped in filo and layed atop a cheese fondue. Second, we stumble upon a homemade Lasagna with Sienese sausage inside topped with a tomato sauce that tasted like tomatoes it was so fresh (this was one of the best dishes I have had in years). Jo had an AMAZING steak with truffle and carboon as I enjoyed some Veal Bone Marrow (yeah, you know, run of the mill stuff...). Paired with a perfect bottle of Chianti Classico offered up by our newest (and only) friend in Siena, Stefano. He is an amazingly nice man whom we happened upon one late night at a place called "Birreria". Just when I thought I had this little Italian town cornered, we go to "Birreria". Essentially this spot is a beer hall, but as you climb deeper into the building you find a maze of underground halls and crannies where they shove tables fit for parties of no more than two or three. We (almost) literally spelunked our way through this place and as just as I thought we were going to come into a catacomb or something, the place just open up into yet another underground, vacant bar. I think the bartender was almost surprised to see us and a bit disappointed to see us go back into the dark halls to return to our new found friends. I am growing more and more excited to see what we stumble upon in future nights out.
CLICK HERE FOR THE PICS
The city of Siena is remarkable and should be seen by everyone at some point. It is a medieval city with a huge wall surrounding its entirety. Only select vehicles are allowed in the city, so foot traffic makes up the population the stone streets, which is refreshing. I can only describe this place in terms of other places I have been in my life. So here we go. It is dark and stony like SoHo in new york, but the streets are much smaller. It is hilly like San Francisco, but the streets are much smaller. and breaking up all of these little streets are gigantic Palazzos and the occasional magnanimous church. The Duomo and the Palazzo Del Campo being the largest and most impressive of these. Check out some of the pics for a visual.
We spend the next couple of days exploring the city. It is true that the weather was shitty and it may have been wise to stay in on these days, but we were antsy....so we went straight Lois and Clark on every nook and cranny we could find. Along the way we got a lot of stuff done (school registration, citizenship registration, etc.). Around every corner here we are finding some thing we want to do or some restaurant (osteria) we want to frequent. I, personally, am intially very excited because almost every third door in this place says "BAR" in big bright letters...I quickly learn that a "BAR" here means a cafe and unless the poison ripe for picking is paninis and cappuccino's, I will find no disco lights to brighten my days (or nights). Sidenote: the cappuccino here is fucking amazing. The best coffee I have had since Blue Mountain, Jamaica. As we are making our way through the city on these first few days we stop here and there for a lunch or dinner. The cuisine is thus far extraordinary. Pizza is so phenomenal I am almost ashamed to have grown up on the fast-food brand we are force fed in the states. Pasta is fresh and the sauce is legendary. Going hand in hand with the unbelievably frequent cafes on every corner are little shops where you can buy wine, cheese and meat. Fresh wine, cheese and meat. If i had come to place like this when I was in "culinary" school...I would have been weak in the knees. Case in point. On wednesday night Joann and i decide to cook dinner at home. We settle on my new found ability to make meat sauce. So we stop by our local butcher and ask for some ground beef (well, Joann asks...), the elderly gentlemen behind the counter of the tiny shop just grabs a huge sirloin, cuts it up into a few pieces and grinds it right in front of us. The meat literally browned in the pan in less than 30 seconds. We then stop by our neighborhood grocery store called "The Punto" (yes, I too get a kick out of it every time I say it). The grocery store even has fresh meats, cheese and cheap local wines. Perfectly drinkable table wines...of which we average a bottle a day.
Last night, Jo and I opted to splurge for an anniversary dinner. It was nearly flawless. We started with Tuscan steak wrapped in filo and layed atop a cheese fondue. Second, we stumble upon a homemade Lasagna with Sienese sausage inside topped with a tomato sauce that tasted like tomatoes it was so fresh (this was one of the best dishes I have had in years). Jo had an AMAZING steak with truffle and carboon as I enjoyed some Veal Bone Marrow (yeah, you know, run of the mill stuff...). Paired with a perfect bottle of Chianti Classico offered up by our newest (and only) friend in Siena, Stefano. He is an amazingly nice man whom we happened upon one late night at a place called "Birreria". Just when I thought I had this little Italian town cornered, we go to "Birreria". Essentially this spot is a beer hall, but as you climb deeper into the building you find a maze of underground halls and crannies where they shove tables fit for parties of no more than two or three. We (almost) literally spelunked our way through this place and as just as I thought we were going to come into a catacomb or something, the place just open up into yet another underground, vacant bar. I think the bartender was almost surprised to see us and a bit disappointed to see us go back into the dark halls to return to our new found friends. I am growing more and more excited to see what we stumble upon in future nights out.
CLICK HERE FOR THE PICS
Siamo Arrivati!
(quickly...we could start this whole blog thing with stories of how we got to where we are. But that process was months long and culminated in one amazing farewell party in New York that has procured only hazy memories from both of us. So to save us all some aggravation, lets start with when Joann and I landed in Italy...just a few brief days ago...here goes)
...7 hours, 1 US weekly, 2 Unisom pills, 2 mediocre meals and 1 horrific romantic comedy later our flight landed in Rome from its origin in New York City. We are ecstatic. Finally after literally months of planning this trip we are here. Neither of us knew exactly what to expect, but the excitement inside both of us was impossible to ignore. Our first hurdle; the passport check in. After an easy check-in in New York, we were hoping for no problems and were pleased to both slide through the customs gates with relative ease. Pick up our bags (close to 300 lbs in all) and we were on our way. This is where Joann takes over. I will become a spectator, rendered helpless by my linguistic handicap for the next few days. As I push around our airport issued luggage cart layered with humongous bags, it occurs to me that perhaps I should have kept going to the gym a few months back. We scrambled to find the train to the outskirts of Rome that would take us to a bus station. Found the train and hopped on a minute before it left the station. I am like a deer in headlights at this point, I am finding the most blah things in Rome beautiful...take a deep breath; we have a long way to go. Anyways the ride to the station is a long one and as Joann is asking other passengers just when we will arrive, I am marveling at the Graffiti in Rome. It is some of the best I have ever seen. Gigantic, clean, legible pieces and some with hilarious names (my favorite being Lohan1). I am loving it. We arrive at our stop and once again are scrambling to find our bus to Siena which is slated to leave in 9 minutes. We luck out again and find it and are sitting down as the autobus pulls away. Perfect timing and a good chance to catch a 3 hour nap on the way to Siena.
When we arrive, a bit haggard but happy, our landlord meets us at the bus stop and walks us to our new home for the next 7 months. It is almost remarkably foggy in Siena today. And though he promises they are there, the views are blocked by the low slung clouds. It's fitting because we are so exhausted it seems like the perfect day to just stay in and rest up. The walk home through the heavy mist did give glimpses of beauty to be reckoned with however...my excitement level is trumping my tiredness and I am giddy.
Our apartment is great. A quaint one bedroom in what amounts to a suburb of Siena , certainly walking distance, but by no means amongst the hubbub of the city (think Soho to Times Square; or DuPont Circle to the Mall). We see our landlord off and are so happy to be home and warm. We start to unpack and I try to plug in our iPod speakers when...POOF...no more lights. The electricity in our place just vanished. Our landlord lives in Milan (about 4 hours away) and was well on his way home when we called him. "Play with the circuit breakers and if that doesn't work ask a neighbor. Good Luck." Thanks man. We try everything we can think of and eventually get to know our upstairs neighbors by asking for some help. They are impossibly sweet but not so helpful. We resign ourselves to a night in the dark by purchasing a bunch of red Jesus candles and forget about packing for the rest of the night when our doorbell rings. We open the door and the most adorable little Japanese-Italian toddler you have ever seen (assuming you have ever seen one) rolls in with a enormous smile on his face followed closely by a petite Italian woman and tall Japanese man. OK, well at this point this is seeming normal. They explain that they were the previous tenants here and our landlord called them to swing by and take a look for us (Nice one, Nicolo!!). They, of course, switch one switch and we are back in lighted business. My manhood and everything I thought I knew about fixing things is bruised, but none the worse for wear. At least we can see what we are doing. We head to the market for some fresh meat and cheese for sandwiches, grab some bottles of wine and call it a night. Exhausted and in bed by 9 pm. A decidedly eventful start to what is promising to be an amazing trip. I dont think either of us have ever slept as well as we did that night.
...7 hours, 1 US weekly, 2 Unisom pills, 2 mediocre meals and 1 horrific romantic comedy later our flight landed in Rome from its origin in New York City. We are ecstatic. Finally after literally months of planning this trip we are here. Neither of us knew exactly what to expect, but the excitement inside both of us was impossible to ignore. Our first hurdle; the passport check in. After an easy check-in in New York, we were hoping for no problems and were pleased to both slide through the customs gates with relative ease. Pick up our bags (close to 300 lbs in all) and we were on our way. This is where Joann takes over. I will become a spectator, rendered helpless by my linguistic handicap for the next few days. As I push around our airport issued luggage cart layered with humongous bags, it occurs to me that perhaps I should have kept going to the gym a few months back. We scrambled to find the train to the outskirts of Rome that would take us to a bus station. Found the train and hopped on a minute before it left the station. I am like a deer in headlights at this point, I am finding the most blah things in Rome beautiful...take a deep breath; we have a long way to go. Anyways the ride to the station is a long one and as Joann is asking other passengers just when we will arrive, I am marveling at the Graffiti in Rome. It is some of the best I have ever seen. Gigantic, clean, legible pieces and some with hilarious names (my favorite being Lohan1). I am loving it. We arrive at our stop and once again are scrambling to find our bus to Siena which is slated to leave in 9 minutes. We luck out again and find it and are sitting down as the autobus pulls away. Perfect timing and a good chance to catch a 3 hour nap on the way to Siena.
When we arrive, a bit haggard but happy, our landlord meets us at the bus stop and walks us to our new home for the next 7 months. It is almost remarkably foggy in Siena today. And though he promises they are there, the views are blocked by the low slung clouds. It's fitting because we are so exhausted it seems like the perfect day to just stay in and rest up. The walk home through the heavy mist did give glimpses of beauty to be reckoned with however...my excitement level is trumping my tiredness and I am giddy.
Our apartment is great. A quaint one bedroom in what amounts to a suburb of Siena , certainly walking distance, but by no means amongst the hubbub of the city (think Soho to Times Square; or DuPont Circle to the Mall). We see our landlord off and are so happy to be home and warm. We start to unpack and I try to plug in our iPod speakers when...POOF...no more lights. The electricity in our place just vanished. Our landlord lives in Milan (about 4 hours away) and was well on his way home when we called him. "Play with the circuit breakers and if that doesn't work ask a neighbor. Good Luck." Thanks man. We try everything we can think of and eventually get to know our upstairs neighbors by asking for some help. They are impossibly sweet but not so helpful. We resign ourselves to a night in the dark by purchasing a bunch of red Jesus candles and forget about packing for the rest of the night when our doorbell rings. We open the door and the most adorable little Japanese-Italian toddler you have ever seen (assuming you have ever seen one) rolls in with a enormous smile on his face followed closely by a petite Italian woman and tall Japanese man. OK, well at this point this is seeming normal. They explain that they were the previous tenants here and our landlord called them to swing by and take a look for us (Nice one, Nicolo!!). They, of course, switch one switch and we are back in lighted business. My manhood and everything I thought I knew about fixing things is bruised, but none the worse for wear. At least we can see what we are doing. We head to the market for some fresh meat and cheese for sandwiches, grab some bottles of wine and call it a night. Exhausted and in bed by 9 pm. A decidedly eventful start to what is promising to be an amazing trip. I dont think either of us have ever slept as well as we did that night.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
