Feb 27: Writing and Trip Planning

Hello again. Today was a somewhat productive day - I did laundry and wrote a little bit of an essay, hopefully I will be able to finish it up by tomorrow. I won't be able to work on it Friday because Katie and I are going to the Harry Potter Studio Tour! I'm thrilled. I've only heard good things and I can't wait to go!

The rest of the night was spent trying to make travel plans for future trips, which is proving more difficult than our Italian journey earlier this month. Hopefully everything will work out for the best.

That's all for today - sorry to keep it short, but I'm pretty tired. Tomorrow is a full day of class and I will need my rest for it.

Til then - Cheers!

Feb 26: Another Working Tuesday and Bourre (Boo-Ray)

BEEF!

Today wasn't super exciting, but was still a good day. I woke up and went to class, then spent all afternoon reading/taking notes on readings I hope to incorporate in an essay I will start writing tomorrow for my Banking & Finance in Economic Development course. I don't feel as confident with this topic as I have with others here, but hopefully after tomorrow I will feel differently.

I spent the rest of the night making dinner with Katie (Beef Szechuan Chilli stir-fry!) and watching 24. We are on Season 2 now, and I have to say its a pretty fun show. We have also started planning our next trips tentatively - it looks like the first one may include Istanbul, Vienna, and Budapest and a second one will include Prague, Munich (at the same time as Springfest!), and Amsterdam. Nothing has been purchased yet though so stay tuned.

In other news, here is a review of an awesome card game I've been playing (on my iPhone...yes I'm in video-game withdrawal) recently called Bourre (pronounced Boo-Ray). If you don't want to read it, skip to the end:
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I got dealt the hand at the bottom. Trump suit is Spades

BOURRE (BOO-RAY) ALL DAY

Looking for a new card game to play? Looking no further than the Bourre App from Bernard Pollard (yes, that Bernard Pollard....look at this!).

Low Diamonds and Hearts do me no good, swap'em.

Why would a professional athlete make a seemingly obscure card game app, you ask? Well, because Bourre, a hyper-gambling version of spades, is quite popular amongst many professional athletes, and is a game that has caused not one, but two, recent notable teammate altercations in the NBA. I can't wait to play it with my friends this summer.

I'm about to play the Ace of Spades and win this trick!

The full rules of the game can be found here, but I'll sum up the basics. Like Spades, Bourre is a trick-taking card game in which the goal is to take the most tricks each round. Each round consists of each player anteing, receiving 5 cards, choosing to keep, swap, or fold, anteing again (if playing) and then placing their best card available clockwise into the middle, forming a trick. Whoever has the best card in the trick - determined first by the trump suit (which is the suit of 5th card of the dealer), and then (if no trump suit present) by the suit of the lead card. If you take the most tricks, you win the pot. A few more rules: You have to follow the lead suit if you are able, even if you have a trump card. If you can't follow the lead suit, then you must play a trump card. These are the only two suits of value each round - all other cards are worthless.

The biggest catch - and this where I can begin to understand why it is a draw for many athletes and can definitely start fights - is that if you fail to win at least 1 trick you are "booed" and have to match the pot for the next hand. Pots get big. Fast. If you want to play this with friends, think about setting a limit. My advice - fold unless you really have something good. In real life, it might be more interesting to goad your friends into playing with weak hands though. Your money, your call. However, this doesn't matter on an iPhone app (where the money isn't real), so definitely get it. It's mega addictive and the app teaches you how to play (and makes sure you're always following the rules, which is helpful). I hope you enjoyed my review!
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Tomorrow I have a lot of work to do, so I will be getting to bed shortly. Hopefully it will be a productive day!

Til then - Cheers!

Feb 25: Happy Birthday Mom!

Today was a typical Monday - class, grocery shopping, homework, and some relaxation. It was also my Mom's birthday! So I just wanted to say....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! I LOVE YOU!

I don't have too much else to report, as I was mostly preparing readings for yet another essay to write this week (coming up on number 4 out of 8 total...but none are final drafts yet). I'm finding it quite difficult to be constantly motivated for school here in London as I was at BC. I've found that spreading out my essay work (4 due on March 22 and another 4 due on April 19) to the point where I'm doing just a little bit each day has been useful and I've been on schedule for the most part, but motivation is sometimes hard to come by. Hopefully everything will work out for the best.

Tomorrow, I have more class and then need to read and take notes on the readings I've gathered today, in order to prep for a bulk of writing on Wednesday (my day off). Hopefully I can stay on task!

Til then - Cheers!

Feb. 23-24: Brighton and Lewes

This weekend, I went to the city of Brighton and town of Lewes with other BC students studying in London (including Katie and friends Dave and Danielle). It was a lot of fun. Here it is in pictures and captions:

We stayed at the Jury's Inn overnight in Brighton. It was a pretty comfortable and nice place, all on BC! (but really on all the students cause, ya know, tuition)

The pier at Brighton is definitely my favorite part. I wish it was a little warmer when I was there though. Perhaps I will return later this spring?

Brighton has some of the best fish and chips, since they are next to the Ocean.

We took a tour of the Royal Pavillion, which unfortunately didn't allow pictures. It was a preposterously garish place. I liked it, but definitely came away thinking King George IV was insane and monarchies are definitely weird.

The next day, we went to the town of Lewes on our way back from a fun day (and probably even more fun night - Brighton has a fun nightlife for college students) in Brighton. This is a steep road I enjoyed.

Thomas Paine lived here. I think he had enough "Common Sense" to move out of the small, somewhat boring, town of Lewes.

Thomas Paine used to hold court at The White Hart Inn, debating and discussing national and international social and political topics of the day. I found it somewhat strange that England is so proud of someone who directly helped incite and advocate for American independence. Nobody is politer than the Brits.

Also, nobody is crazier than the Brits under monarchy. Just read this stone's description of protestant Martyrs that died at the hands of the Catholic Queen, (Bloody) Mary Tudor. One guy she even stuffed in a barrel, lit it on fire, and threw down the street! (Death by Donkey Kong?)

We enjoyed a nice lunch here at Bill's, a place of breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I got lemonade with ice-cream in it, and yes its as good as it sounds.

The entrance to Lewes Castle. This place was pretty cool.

You're thinking it too, right?

The remains of Lewes Castle. It was pretty fun to climb around on.

Walking around the walls of Lewes Castle was fun, even if it was cold and windy.

The view from the top of castle keep. The ruins below are the gate and barbican entrance.

A view like this is useful in Medieval times, as you can see enemies approaching from far, far away.

 I had a great time in Lewes and Brighton with my fellow BC students. I'm glad BC has trips like this for us to take advantage of. Our coordinator Helen, who is a London resident, has been phenomenal to work with and all of our activities have been so great.  

Tonight, I hope to watch the Oscars (if I can stay up), catch up on work, and get to bed right after they are over, as I am already pretty tired from a fun filled weekend. Tomorrow is just one class, but it will be back to the grind of school once again.


Til then - Cheers!

Feb. 22: Preparing for Brighton!

Today was slow, but exciting, as I will be headed to the city of Brighton (located on the south coast of Britain) with some BC students. Katie will be coming along too (of course) and I will be rooming with my friend Dave during our overnight stay there. I'm pretty excited, here is the itinerary:

Saturday 23rd February

9:30am - coach pick up at bus stop on Bishopsgate, outside Liverpool Street station

12:00pm - arrive at Jury's Inn Hotel, Brighton. Free time for lunch

1:30pm - Group treasure hunt of Brighton led by local guides - prize to be won!

4:00pm - Entrance into Brighton pavilion royal palace

5:00pm - free evening. option to join guide on ghost walk of Brighton @ 7:00pm

Sunday 24th February

breakfast at hotel

10:30am - depart hotel for historical town of Lewes

11:00am - walking tour of Lewes with guide

12:30pm - free time for lunch

2:30pm - entrance to Lewes castle

3:30pm - depart Lewes on journey back to London

5:30pm - drop off at Liverpool Street

Looks to be a fun weekend. I will be sure to take a lot of pictures to share when I get back.

Til then - Cheers!

Feb 21: Thursday and An Un-Informed Movie-Goer's Oscar Predictions

Today was Thursday. Many of my classes seemed to drag on today for unexplained reasons. Maybe its because I knew I had an extra assigned hour of class (which happened to be an extra dose of my most boring tutorial session) coming at the end of the day, giving me a total of 7 hours, one which I showed up to and was cancelled, but hung out for an hour since I had class right after. As you can imagine, I'm glad to be past that part of the day.

The rest of the night I did some more work, made some chicken with Katie, watched some more 24 (nearly done Season 1 and loving it) and just hung out.

As I've said before, on slow days, I will be trying to liven up the blog a little bit. Below are my Oscar Predictions, which turned into quite the enjoyable riff to write. Enjoy it if you wish. If not, skip to the end and continue reading about the minutiae of my day.
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Your Un-Informed Movie-Goer's Guide to the Oscars

This Sunday the Oscars are coming up. People care about the Oscars. Some care deeply. I am not one of those people. I do enjoy awards shows, however, and the Oscars is the SuperBowl "The Big Game" of awards shows. I tend to watch most award shows for the sole purpose of being entertained by other people who live for this sort of stuff - whether they are the performers/presenters, participants, audience, twitter users, or the people I am watching with. I don't really get riled up if something that "deserved to win" doesn't win. I do, however, enjoy watching people who care deeply about how exactly Hollywood decides annually to pat itself on the back freakout over this stuff. I understand why people get worked up - they want their favorite movies to win and have some sort of arbitrary social gold-star for their very important opinion on what's "good" and, when that doesn't happen, it can be somewhat (or I guess, really) upsetting. For me, I just want to feel like I got my money's worth with a movie and maybe like it enough to watch it again sometime. With that ringing endorsement of the Academy Awards, here are my predictions for the major Oscar categories. Enjoy my arbitrary criteria based on limited information! :

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Nominees: Brave, Frankenweenie, ParaNorman, The Pirates! Band of Misfits, Wreck-It-Ralph

Frankenweenie? ParaNorman? Take your lame portmanteaus somewhere else. This is a two-horse race between Brave and Wreck-It-Ralph, and it isn't even that close. I saw both, like the child I am, and definitely enjoyed both. Brave was a cute, fun, Disney tomboy Princess adventure (seriously, how manly am I right now?) that had a good message and humorous, easy to follow storyline with a few suprising twists. But, it didn't wreck it. I'm proud to say that I saw Wreck-it-Ralph with both of my younger siblings, Jimmy (8) and Bridget (17) and found myself tearing up a few times because of how enjoyably engaging it was. Simply a great movie. I can't wait to watch it with Jimmy (who loved it maybe more than I did) all summer. Seriously, see it as soon as you can, preferably with someone young who you care about. You won't be disappointed.

Winner: WRECK-IT-RALPH

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Nominees: Alan Arkin (Argo), Robert De Niro (Silver Linings Playbook), Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Master), Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln), Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained)

That's quite a list of talent and Hollywood history. A few of those guys can (and have) win as lead actors. I have no idea what The Master is about, but I'll bet Philip Seymour Hoffman was good in it because he's Philip Seymour Hoffman. I'm still waiting on a Tommy Lee Jones Oscar for Men in Black. I really enjoyed Robert De Niro in Silver Linings Playbook - he nailed any Eagles fan over 50, and was just generally enjoyable. Alan Arkin in Argo was an interesting combination hysterical, yet admirable as a cranky producer pulled into a just-crazy-enough-to-work scheme to save some fellow Americans. I'm sure everyone here did a really nice job with their roles. But, Christoph Waltz exists.

Winner: CHRISTOPH WALTZ (DJANGO UNCHAINED)

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Nominees: Amy Adams (The Master), Sally Field (Lincoln), Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables), Helen Hunt (The Sessions), Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook)

This is probably where my opinion counts least. I only saw Jacki Weaver in Silver Linings Playbook, and she did a good job, but wasn't anything special. Anne Hathaway annoys me - partially because anytime I watch an Anne Hathaway movie, usually at the request of my lovely girlfriend Katie, I am left with a chunk of my youth missing which unfortunately is  time that I will never, ever get back. However, people either irrationally love Anne Hathaway or rationally irrationally hate her, making her a lock to win this one no matter how good anyone else is, if only to make Twitter can explode about the Oscars even further.

Winner: ANNE HATHAWAY (LES MISERABLES)

DIRECTING

Nominees: Michael Haneke (Amour), Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild), Ang Lee (Life of Pi), Steven Spielberg (Lincoln), David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook)

Big names here (Ang Lee and Steven Spielberg) both fell victim to making movies that everyone was supposed to like end up somewhat underwhelming (Life of Pi, Lincoln). I can make a claim like that because I didn't see either film and just am talking based on gut and friends' opinions I definitely saw both of those films. Even if Lee's or Spielberg's films were as-good-as-advertised, David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook was probably the most unexpectedly interesting film I have seen in quite sometime. What on the surface looks like a typical romantic-comedy soon delves into the human psyche and explores various mental illnesses or personality quirks or crazed passions in a warm, funny, humanistic way that is unfortunately rarely associated with those who exhibit them. That's a good for an Oscar in my book.

Winner: DAVID O. RUSSELL (SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK)

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Nominees: Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook), Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln), Hugh Jackman (Les Miserables), Joaquin Phoenix (The Master), Denzel Washington (Flight)

The only one I saw out of these five studs was Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook. Great performance, entertaining, and an absolutely a re-watchable-on-TV-this-summer movie, but it never struck me as an "Oscar Worthy" performance (whatever that means). Denzel is easily my favorite actor out of the bunch and had I seen Flight, maybe I would have given it to him. However, anybody can be a pilot. Or a derranged Eagle's fan (look no further). Or a poor French dude. Or whatever Joaquin Phoenix was. There are few people I would pick to be Abraham Lincoln, but none would be a better choice than the one and only Daniel Day-Lewis.

Winner:  DANIEL DAY-LEWIS (LINCOLN)

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Nominees: Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty), Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook), Emmanuelle Riva (Amour), Quvenzhane Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild), Naomi Watts (The Impossible)

This is between Jessica Chastain and Jennifer Lawrence for me, as I didn't see any of the other movies. Coolest name award easily goes to Quvenzhane Wallis, whose parents deserve kudos for setting their child apart with a killer first name from her other-wise common last name. Well done. If I hadn't seen any of these, that might be enough to win. But I saw Jennifer Lawrence. And she killed it in Silver Linings Playbook. Chastain did a great job, but her movie and role was already fairly interesting to begin with. Lawrence MADE Siliver Linings Playbook. Lawrence in a landslide.

Winner: JENNIFER LAWRENCE (SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK)

BEST PICTURE

Nominees: Amour, Argo, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Django Unchained, Les Miserables, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook, Zero Dark Thirty

There are nine nominees for best picture this year. That seems like a lot, doesn't it? Could it be a marketing ploy, a way to be able to call your somewhat-decent film an "Oscar Nominee"? Nahhh... I digress. For me, this is between Argo, Django Unchained, Silver Linings Playbook and Zero Dark Thirty. Sorry, Les Mis and all other musicals-turned-movies, but you've been done before...I need something creatively new to be my "best picture". I regret not seeing Lincoln, but probably not as much as Spielberg regrets not putting the assassination in the film. I don't know much about movies, but that seems kind of important to me.

Sorry, back to the contenders. Silver Linings Playbook was really good, but it was essentially a beautiful, dark, twisted, super-interesting rom-com. Rom-coms can't win unless they also double as something other than a rom-com. I hate this because I loved this movie. Alas, my hands are tied by this unfortunate rule for best picture. Look it up, its really not a rule. I didn't like Zero Dark Thirty as much as I think I was supposed to. I think it's because I knew what happened. It felt like a poor man's Homeland crossed with the "lets-watch-extremely-recent-history-and-think-about-it-deeply-NOW!" demands of the The Newsroom (both which I enjoy, by the way). Argo, on the other hand, was an awesome film with all the right ingredients - compelling start to finish, serious, action-packed, good use of humor and suspense, bearded Ben Afleck. The only thing it didn't have? DJANGO.

Winner: DJANGO UNCHAINED

Django Unchained was simply the most memorable, enjoyable, humorous, controversial, intriguing, and (often times) uncomfortable movie I have seen this year and maybe ever. It's an experience, to say the least. An instant classic from Quentin Tarantino. If you haven't seen it yet, go see it. I definitely plan on seeing it again in the near future.

P.S. Maybe I care about the Oscars more than I'd like to admit - even though they are silly.

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Tomorrow, I will be doing class work and preparing for a weekend overnight in Brighton with fellow BC students! I'm glad the school week is nearly over.

Til then - Cheers!

Feb. 20: Working Wednesday

Today was a pretty slow day. I got my laundry done, which was nice. I even made excellent progress on my essay, which was good, but it also took up most of my day. Katie and I made a few steaks and vegetables for dinner and watched some of our favorite TV shows. We have recently been going through 24, which I have never seen before and really have been enjoying.

Now I'm just relaxing, getting ready for my bunch of classes tomorrow. I can't believe how quickly this week flew by. I meant to write a commentary on something or a random interesting thought, but I think I've done enough writing today (nearly 3,000 words!) and am quite tired, so I will be going to bed soon. Time to get some rest for tomorrow!

Til then - Cheers!

Feb. 19: Reading Tuesday and Rare Political Commentary

Hey I'll keep this post short mainly because nothing really happened today. I woke up, went to class, and spent the rest of the day reading, eventually taking a break for dinner with Katie and some TV watching.

I have come to realize that Tuesdays and Wednesdays on my blog may be a little slow, so to supplement, I've decided to periodically break down topics revolving around current events.You can choose to read them or not, of course. If you'd rather skip ahead, jump to the next dotted line.
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Here is an issue that has been weighing on me since I read it earlier today:

The link above is a link to the story about Oscar Pistorius, double-amputee Olympian, who recently shot his girlfriend to death. He claims it was an accident, but it is being prosecuted as a murder. Regardless of the outcome of trials and events, this has been yet another reminder to me during this collegiate school year alone that mere gun possession is an issue that can lead to horrific consequences. While Pistorius is South African, where this killing occured, it certainly resonates with me as an American who watched him compete as an inspiration in the Olympics this past summer. The point I'd like to make is this: Whether Pistorius is telling the truth or not, if he did not "sleep with a gun under his pillow", or posses one at all, he would not have been able to shoot at a door, taking the life of another human being. Like the Kansas City Chiefs player who killed his girlfriend and then himself and the evil man who is responsible for the tragic events of Sandy Hook (as well as the death of his mother), easy access to guns allowed for a moment of fear/anger/weakness/craziness to explode into something tragic.

I come from a family that is fairly conservative and stricter gun laws are publicly regarded as a liberal issue. However, I am proud to say that my family and the one I hope to begin someday never have and never will own firearms for reasons like this. I would encourage anyone in the United States who is thinking about exercising their 2nd Amendment Rights and own a firearm to consider that even the most rational/sane people can have moments of anguish/weakness/anger/fear/insanity that, when paired with a loaded gun, can have a horrific outcome.

I don't usually drop political opinions, but this story was something that I felt the need to comment on. Thanks for reading this part of my blog today and feel free to comment or message me if you would like to discuss this topic further.

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Tomorrow is my day off and it will most likely be spent writing another rough draft. This next month will be mostly work with only some play, as I am trying to finish up as much as I can before my family gets here in about a month. Hopefully I make good progress tomorrow.

Til then - Cheers!

Feb 18: Katie's 21st Birthday

NOTE : Forgot to post yesterday, Feb. 17, but in my recovery from all my traveling, this meal was the main highlight - Sweet Chilli Chicken Stir Fry!

Feb. 18 - HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY KATIE!

Today was pretty awesome, which was great because it was my first day back to the grind of school after such a fun and relaxing time in Italy. I only had one class at 1pm, which went well.

It was Katie's 21st birthday today, so after I got out of class and we both worked a little bit in the afternoon, I took her out for easily the best meal I've had here in London: MASH Steakhouse. I got her and myself a glass of rose champagne to celebrate her big 2-1, and we had chilli and lime calimari to start, two delicious steaks for our entrees, and creme brulee and sorbet for dessert. It really doesn't get much better than that. We both thoroughly enjoyed the meal.

Nothing like a good steak dinner!

The much "cooler" part of the night, however, was our trip to ICEBAR London and the final leg of Katie's Birthday/Valentine's Day Extravaganza (which, admittedly has been just as much fun for me as it has been for her). ICEBAR is pretty simple - a bar made out of ice, in which 12 pounds gets you a drink and 40 minutes (which believe me, is enough because its FREEZING) in the ice-chamber. Here are some pictures and captions:

If you're thinking I look like an eskimo, you're right. They give you these to warm hooded ponchos with gloves upon entry to protect you and the fragile ice from one another.

ICE CLIMBERS ICE CLIMBERS ICE CLIMBERS ICE CLIMBERS

I got this Pineapple, Lemon, and Rum drink. Don't make fun of me - it was delicious!

WHATS COOLER THAN BEING COOL??!

This place is so...cool!

We all look like we are part of a cult.

I had to cop this sweet ice-glass replica souvenir. ICEBAR was awesome!

Now all the nonstop fun is (somewhat) over and I need to write a bunch of papers before my family gets here in a month. I can't wait to see them! The rest of the night, I will be just be hanging out, trying not to distract myself too much from working. Tomorrow will definitely be a working day (as will Wed). Hopefully I can make good progress.

Til then - Cheers!

Feb. 8 - Feb. 16: Firenze e Venezia

Buongiorno! I have finally returned from my 8 day trip to Florence and Venice with Katie, and I have a lot to share. Here are the chronological highlights in pictures in captions - Enjoy! :

 

Feb 8. - Travel to Florence - Day 1

We took Ryan Air from London Stansted Airport to Pisa Airport bright and early at 8:20am. In order to get to Stansted, we got on a bus from London Liverpool Street at 5:30am. Hey at least its all cheap!

I'm embarrassed to say it, but I put Katie through hell right up until we got on the flight. First, I overslept (something I never do, ever), unconsciously turning off my alarm, and waking to Katie pounding on my window to wake me up at 4:30am and miss our 4:36am bus to Liverpool Street. We were forced to get a cab (which I apologetically paid for) to make it to Liverpool Street on time for our 5:30am Terravision bus to Stansted. Later, at the airport, just as we are about to get on the plane, I realize that I somehow lost my boarding pass (again, something I never do, ever) between security and the gate. Luckily, since I checked in with it in hand, Ryan Air was able to provide me a make shift one from a printer that had to be at least 50 years old for free. Even though we made it to our plane on time and with everything we needed, I certainly made it much more stressful than necessary, prompting this lovely look from Katie (almost certain she wanted to kill me). Fortunately, the rest of the trip went smoothly.

Terravision transported Katie and I from Liverpool Street to Stansted, Pisa to Florence, and Stansted back to Liverpool Street. An awesome company that was quite inexpensive.

This was what was supposed to be our hostel, Locanda Rocco, but they overbooked. Luckily, they sent us across the street to another hostel, Hotel Toscana for no extra fee. Hotel Toscana ended up being an awesome experience, primarily due to the friendly and welcoming owners Leonardo and his wife, Monica.

Gelato!

In front of the Duomo

Katie and I spent the rest of the evening walking around, taking pictures, eating gelato and getting our bearings in the city. We met one of my good friends, Chris DiNardo, who is studying in Florence this semester with NYU for dinner at nice place across the river. Despite the rocky start, the day ended quite nicely - it's always good to be in Italy!

Feb 9. - Florence - Day 2

The next day, Katie and I woke up and got breakfast at Cafe Megara, a nice spot nearby. We frequently stopped in Cafes everywhere in Florence and Venice, since its nearly impossible to have a bad coffee or panini in Italy:

Caffe Latte!

Panini!

We met up with Chris again for some sightseeing: First the Duomo (which we actually climbed to the top of), and then Santa Croce:

Entrance to the Duomo!

Inside the Duomo!

View of Florence from the top of the Duomo!

It took forever to climb all 463 steps, but it was worth it!

What a view!

 Climbing to the top of the Duomo was one of the most memorable experiences of this trip, as Chris, Katie, and I had to scale all 463 steps through narrow passageways. When we finally got there, thought, it was truly breathtaking. After spending much time on top the Duomo, we made our way down and over to Santa Croce:

Santa Croce!

The tomb of Michelangelo

The tomb of Dante Aligheri

The tomb of Niccolo Machiavelli

Beautiful artwork inside Santa Croce

 Santa Croce is a sort of hall-of-fame of dead Italians, and is also a beautiful church in its own right. We spent a lot of time walking around in there and admiring the architecture and artwork inside the church. After parting ways with Chris, Katie and I went out to eat later at L'Osteria di Giovanni for an excellent meal - I had one of the best veal chops I've ever had accompanied by numerous "free" (since there is a cover charge) sides. I could definitely get used to this...

Feb 10. - Florence - Day 3

Katie and I started our day of in the Oltrarno (literally - "the other side of the Arno") markets, which are like big artsy garage sales. It was a lot of fun to see some of stuff that people had on sale.

We ate at Gusta Pizza for lunch, which is supposedly the best in Florence. I thought it was excellent!

We walked around Palazzo Pitti, which is an old Renaissance palace. However, the highlight of our day (but not our night, as I will later explain) was definitely the amazing views from Piazza di Michelangelo, a hike up a hill near the city. I think the view speaks for itself:

Ponte Vecchio!

The Duomo!

Santa Croce!

Florence! (from the even higher up, Piazza San Mignata)

As I was saying though, this was not the most memorable thing that occured today - that title belongs to the amazing cultural and culinary experience that was our homemade meal with our hostel owners, Leonardo and Monica. We began eating around 9pm and finished at 12am, hanging out, talking in Italian (I know a little) and English (luckily for Katie and our hostel roommate Hugh). The guest list was Leonard, Monica, another hostel worker, a couple from Naples staying next door, our Korean roommate Hugh, Katie and myself. We ate excellent spaghetti, penne with broccoli, bread, wine, coffee, fruit, and cake. We had excellent discussions regarding European and American culture in both English and Italian, which was a lot of fun for me, since I know enough Italian to have a conversation. It was a great meal and something that I will never forget.

Feb 11. - Florence - Day 4

This day was probably my favorite day, as it was one without a ton of sightseeing, but more fun with friends. Not that I don't like sightseeing, but its nice to have a break. We met another one of my good friends, Brendan Riley (also studying abroad in Florence with Penn State), here in Palazzo della Republica for lunch at an incredible panini place, followed by gelati dessert nearby. He had to get to class, but we caught up later that night.

Katie and I walked around San Lorenzo church and the surrounds markets for a little bit, periodically ducking into coffee shops to avoid the rain.

I was able to get together with my cousin Jess Jahnle (also studying in Florence with Maryland Institute College of Art) for some coffee, gelato, and hang out time. It was great to see her!

Chris, Brendan, Katie (in the mirror) and me getting drinks and some light food later that night in Florence. It is awesome to have such good friends studying abroad!

Feb 12. - Florence to Venice- Day 5

Katie and I checked out of our hostel (I will definitely miss Leonardo, our friendly and humorous host), and made our way to meet up with Brendan and Chris one last time. We grabbed some paninis and hung out around Santa Croce. It was awesome seeing those guys!

Before our train to Venice, Katie, Brendan and I investigated the chocolate fair at Piazza di Santa Maria Novella, near the train station. This right here is the best cannoli I've ever had.

We sat by a McDonald's a the station waiting for our train - Did you know that they call a Quarter-Pounder with Cheese a Royale with Cheese?!

Santa Maria Novella Train Station - waiting for our Italia Rail train to Venice!

We got to Venice at night, on the last night of Carnivale, so it was extra dark. Still, the Grand Canal looks nice!

Katie and I were starving, so we went to Trattoria A Le Colonete for an incredible meal. Check out these Venetian Mussels!

I had veal with proscuitto and cheese. This might have been the best thing I ate on the trip.

Like I said before, we arrived during the last night of Carnivale. There is a huge concert going on, but I couldn't get close because San Marco was flooded with high tide! I don't know how the concert was still happening, but it was certainly a sight - the streets flooded with people in Carnivale masks.

Feb 13. - Venice- Day 6

After waking at our hostel, Hotel Astoria, Katie and I went on a free walking tour of Venice, which was incredible and quite amazing. Katie found out about it on Trip Advisor and our tour guide, Catherine, an Australian woman living in Venice temporarily was simply incredible. Better yet - the only members of the tour were Katie and I, making for a great personal experience. Here is San Marco Square in the day time, where we met for our tour..

The big clock in San Marco Square - the bells ring at all times, waking people (like me) up who are sleeping nearby.

This is an old Venetian shipyard, the naval headquarters.

View from the famous Rialto bridge, which became a favorite area for Katie and me to visit.

A lot of alleys in Venice look like this. Main alleys. Like, alleys you would use to travel on foot reguarly. It is definitely jarring at first, but then becomes quite fun and adventurous.

Nothing like some pizza after wandering around Venice!

Me in front of San Marco church. Almost everything you see behind me was stolen and used collectively to build the church. Interesting choice for a monument to God, wouldn't you say?

The ceilings and walls inside San Marco are all gold.

The bell tower in San Marco Square - we actually got to climb up it during our stay!

After a long day of exploring (and getting lost) in Venice, Katie and I had dinner at La Caravella, a lovely Venetian restaurant. Venice really has some awesome places to dine!

Feb 14. - Venice- Day 7

Happy Valentine's Day! (and 17th birthday to my sister, Bridget!). Today was easily the most memorable Valentine's Day of my life (and hopefully Katie's too) and probably will be for quite sometime:

We began our day by visiting Palazzo Ducale, the old government building of ancient Venice. Unfortunately, you aren't allowed to take pictures inside the palace, but it's pretty awesome.

The palace is connected to the prison via the Bridge of Sighs (named that way because prisoners would sigh as they saw Venice for the final time after leaving the courts in the palace). It kind of looks like our hostels!

View from inside the Bridge of Sighs....**sigh**

This actually is the Bridge of Sighs, and the building it is connecting to is the prison (I am right next to the palace taking the picture).

Awesome steps in Palazzo Ducale.

The next part of our Valentine's Day was a trip around Venice in - what else - a gondola! I think Katie really loved it! (Who couldn't?)

Venice looks amazing from these angles.

Happy Valentine's Day!

After our Valentine's voyage by Gondola, Katie and I went to the top of the bell tower. I think this little logo on the elevator explains a lot of the tourism in Venice....

The bell tower wasn't as cool as the Duomo, but still an amazing view!

Beautiful!

Later, Katie and I walked around Venice some more, enjoying the spots by the Rialto Bridge (pictured above). It's truly an amazing city!

There is a cycle in Italy that I have gotten used to: Eat, walk, get hungry, eat some more. It's the best.

My family and I stayed here two summers ago when we visited Venice.

I love the water.

For dinner, I took Katie to Bacarando ai Corazzieri (a good local place according to our free tour guide Catherine). There was live jazz music being played behind me. We had a lot of fun.

My lovely Valentine.

Great Ravioli

On the way back from the restaurant, Katie and I stopped by the Bridge of Sighs and enjoyed the night air. The Bridge of Sighs looks quite eery at night. What an amazing day!

Feb 15. - Venice (Murano and Burano) - Day 8

Today was one of my favorite days of the entire trip and a great way to spend our last full day in Italy. Katie and I went island hopping from Venice to Murano (home of glass-making) and Burano (home of colorful houses). It was an amazing day:

We woke up extra early (daylight is crucial in Venice, as the city has little night life) to board a Vaporetto (waterbus) to Murano, the glass-making headquarters of Venezia.

Murano is a pretty quiet island. It is made up of multiple glass factories where glass masters work hard until about 12pm and then maybe do a little finishing up in the afternoon, relaxing the rest of the day. Not a bad life!

We went to a glass factory, Gino Mazzuccato, and watched this glass master give a demonstration. He made a vase and horse, both is about 2 minutes.. The horse was my favorite.

The glass gets hot enough to basically become putty for the master to mold and sculpt. This is the horse taking shape.

Here is the finished product. As you can tell from the center, it is still cooling down.

Murano is beautiful. Side note: We ate a brunch in a local panini spot that had a ton of old men playing cards. It was pretty cool (and inexpensive!). I even overheard these old men saying that Katie and I were a lovely couple (it pays to know a native language, at least a little bit).

All glass. Murano is cool.

All glass. Murano is hot. However, I think I liked Burano even better...

This is Burano, an island about an hour away from Venice by vaporetto. All of the houses are alternating vibrant colors, making for an amazing place to walk around and visit.

Even better is eating outside, enjoying the scenery and good weather with some of the finest Venetian seafood there is - Mussels! (I love mussels, by the way, if you couldn't tell yet).

What a cool place.

I love these houses.

Katie found her house, I think.

After getting lost a little bit on the way back from Burano (the vaporetto schedule doesn't always follow what is listed, unfortunately), we still had some time left on our 12 hour vaporetto pass, so we decided to take it on a trip down the Grand Canal at night.

Rialto Bridge is one of my favorite places in Venice. Just look at it!

Santa Maria della Salute looks great at night too!

Feb 16. - Venice to London - Day 9

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. Our last day in Venice (and Italy) has arrived:

Katie and I got up early, checked out of our hostel, and went to the Rialto markets, which have all kinds of local foods - fruits, produce, meats, fish, and more. It's a very interesting place.

A final look at San Marco Square, as Katie enjoys her gelato.

We stumbled upon an Antonio Vivaldi exhibit in a local Venetian church on our way to the train station. This really struck a chord (excuse the pun) with Katie, who is a premier violinist and personally enjoys playing Vivaldi's music a lot.

Katie loved this church's exhibit!

The old wooden Academia bridge. Not as cool as Rialto in my opinion, but still great.

We decided to do it up big for our final meal in Venice: lunch by the Adriatic!

I'm not sure if you knew this, but I love pizza.

The bridge "back to reality" as we joking referred to it as - it brings you back to the bus station and the first sight of cars in a few days.

Venice was incredible!

Final Thoughts

This was one of the best trips of my life. I had been to Italy before (twice actually) but both times were structured and layed out for me - which, don't get me wrong, is a great way to see a place you've never been to before. However, this may have been my favorite visit yet, as anything Katie and I could find out about we decided to do and throughly enjoyed every aspect from planning to execution of those plans. I couldn't think of a better place to spend Valentine's Day than in Venice with my beautiful and incredible girlfriend Katie  - this whole trip is something I'm sure we both will never forget. From seeing friends and family in Florence, making conversation with locals, and eating excellent food every night it was truly an amazing time... I can't wait to go back someday. I've been lucky enough to have been to Italy three times now, and I owe a great thanks to both of my parents for allowing me and helping me out financially to do such great things like this trip. THANKS MOM AND DAD! I LOVE YOU GUYS!

Now I'm back in London and will be continuing with my usual blogging habits. Thanks for reading this super-long log of my Italian travels. I can't wait to figure out where I'm going next!

Til then - Cheers!