It is almost 2PM here Sunday afternoon, and as I sit down to write one of my 3 eight page papers left to do before I leave, I figured I would procrastinate a little bit and update everyone on the past week (actually, not a whole lot happened but I really don't want to start this paper). This weekend, I stayed in Florence for the first time since early March (the Czech Republic, Spain, Germany (twice), UK, Slovakia, Austria, Hungary have all been crossed off my list since then). It was weird waking up Friday and not having to see a brand-new city, but it was also nice and relaxing at the same time. After sleeping in, a few of my roommates and I went to a breakfast place that we had heard good things about and enjoyed an omelet and orange juice while sitting outside (not a bad start to the day). After a long breakfast, it was off to the library to get some work done since I am leaving for Paris on Friday and my grandparents will be in Firenze next week, which I am really looking forward to. After wasting the afternoon in the library, I went home for a phenomenal spaghetti with sausage and peppers dinner prepared by my roommate Jon. We all do a good amount of cooking and make pretty good food, but I think this is the best dish that any of us make. Before I came to Florence, I had heard from a few of my friends who had studied here before that this place is a ghost town on weekends, and going out on Friday we saw that this was definitely the case. Even the bars that during the week are almost entirely American have quite an Italian flavor during the weekend. The reason that we stayed in Florence for the weekend (besides the fact that it was nice to get a break from traveling and relax a little) was for the Fiorentina vs. Roma soccer game that our program took us to last night. Everyone hears about how crazy soccer games are across the pond, and last nights game was no exception. Even though Fiorentina is not a very good team in Europe, they put on quite a show last night scoring their first of 4 goals only 8 minutes into the game. After 90 minutes of cheering and singing, Fiorentina was victorious 4-1, and we headed home pretty content. So that was my relaxing weekend in Florence, I know I said it last time, but I can't get over the fact that my time here is running out, a few of my friends in other cities are already done and it just boggles me that I will be home in a month. Alright, time to go write this paper.
A Presto,
JK
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
It's Hard to Believe that in 1 Month...
I will be in Israel on birthright. I feel like I have been away from the United States and it's culture forever, but also feel as if I arrived to Florence yesterday. I booked my flight back to Chicago (from NYC where I am going to spend a few days after Israel with two of my roommates as well as catch up with Andy Stafman who will be working there this summer) for May 29, and I can't believe that it is less then 2 months away. Being here has truly been an incredible experience and one that I recommend to anyone who has the chance. I am sorry that I have been bad with my posting recently, but now I am completely caught up, and actually really only have one trip left for the semester. Crazy. Well I hope you enjoy your reading and that everyone is doing well...Keep in tougch until June.
JK
JK
Fruhlingsfest
Finally caught up...It has been a while and I've been working hard but the past 10 days (which was spent in 5 countries) have really drained me, so I hope I don't pass out before I get this post done.
This past weekend Marc, Jeremy, Aaron Miller (one of Marc's best friends from home) and myself went to Munich. Since we took a bus, we left Florence around 6 PM and arrived in Munich around 2:30 in the morning and passed out. We woke up around 10 friday morning (I had to register for classes for the fall, all went well) and were greeted by the first rain drops that we had seen in weeks. With the rain, the free bike tour offered was out of the question so we decided to head to Dachau for quite a moving day. The trip there was just 45 minutes by train, but once there it was like being in a whole different world. The camp has kept its form since its opening in the early 1930's and walking through it was very disturbing. Everything was still there from the roll-call sqaure to one of the barracks, and even the gas chamber (completely built but never actually used at Dachau) and finally the crematorium. After spending three cold, rainy hours there it was time to head over to the fairgrounds for fruhlingsfest. Fruhlingsfest is held on the same grounds as Oktoberfest, but is about 1/10th of the size, but it was still quite an experience. The tents hold over 5,000 people all drinking huge beers, singing and dancing on the tables while listening to live music. The next morning, we took a long bike tour of the city of Munich, a really great way to see a city. After the tour was over we went back to the tents to enjoy the lively festivities one last time before heading to a sushi dinner for Marc's 21st birthday. After hanging out somemore in our hostel it was time for bed and the end to another incredible weekend abroad.
This past weekend Marc, Jeremy, Aaron Miller (one of Marc's best friends from home) and myself went to Munich. Since we took a bus, we left Florence around 6 PM and arrived in Munich around 2:30 in the morning and passed out. We woke up around 10 friday morning (I had to register for classes for the fall, all went well) and were greeted by the first rain drops that we had seen in weeks. With the rain, the free bike tour offered was out of the question so we decided to head to Dachau for quite a moving day. The trip there was just 45 minutes by train, but once there it was like being in a whole different world. The camp has kept its form since its opening in the early 1930's and walking through it was very disturbing. Everything was still there from the roll-call sqaure to one of the barracks, and even the gas chamber (completely built but never actually used at Dachau) and finally the crematorium. After spending three cold, rainy hours there it was time to head over to the fairgrounds for fruhlingsfest. Fruhlingsfest is held on the same grounds as Oktoberfest, but is about 1/10th of the size, but it was still quite an experience. The tents hold over 5,000 people all drinking huge beers, singing and dancing on the tables while listening to live music. The next morning, we took a long bike tour of the city of Munich, a really great way to see a city. After the tour was over we went back to the tents to enjoy the lively festivities one last time before heading to a sushi dinner for Marc's 21st birthday. After hanging out somemore in our hostel it was time for bed and the end to another incredible weekend abroad.
Parents and Eurotrip
After arriving back in Firenze Sunday afternoon, I met up with my parents who had arrived in Florence the previous day. After having a drink outside their hotel (which was right across teh street from Piazza Republica, a block from the Duomo) and relaxing for a little bit it was time for dinner at La Giostra. After a phenomenal meal of Ravioli, appatizers, Veal and Red Wine, it was time for bed after the end to an extremely long weekend.
I took off class Monday morning to walk around Firenze with my parents. Despite waking up earlier than usual on Mondays, there was no complaining to be done as the breakfast at the Hotel was my first in a long time. Since my parents had been to Florence before and had toured all of Saturday and Sunday, we took it easy on Museums and Churches and just walked around the city. The first stop was the San Lorenzo leather market where my Mom had a field day (new jacket and gloves, Jon got a wallet) before heading to Piazza Michelangelo for my favorite view of the city. Before I went off to class we went for lunch to a pizza place right down the street from me and had a nice quite meal outside. Dinner was another phenomenal meal at a restautrant that someone had reccomended to my parents where we had ribolita soup(a tuscan vegetable soup, very good) fried artichoke, and great chicken for dinner.
Tuesday morning after I had a presentation in my 9 am class we left Florence on noon with a tour guide (great reccomendation by the Marder family) for an afternoon driving through the hills of the Chianti region and other Tuscan towns. It was the first time that I had been out into that region, and I am really dissapointed I forgot my camera as this was some of the more beautiful land I have ever seen. After a great lunch at a famous vineyard, stops at 2 other small Tuscan towns, and a beautiful drive it was back to Florence where we went out to dinner with my roommates. We went to a restuarant called Il Latini, where you have to come starving or you will not get your moneys worth. After plates of ham, salami, mozzarella, tomatoes, pasta, and soup, they brought out the largest platter of meat we had ever seen. The plate was filled with Veal, Lamb, and steak and was accomponied by some brisket-esque meat on the side. After a great meal, it was time to say Ciao to my parents after a wonderful three days.
After getting a little rest on Wednesday, Marc and I left Florence at 6am Thursday to meet up with a bunch of our school friends who were on their spring break. The trip, which was organized phenomenally by Josh Feiger and Matt Kogan, started in Prague or Rome, then they all went to Munich and Salsburg before we met them Thursday in Vienna. After a long travel day, it was great to get to Vienna and walk around before finding a park to relax in for a while. After a great Austrian dinner and night on the town, we left Friday around noon for Bratislava (Slovakia). Now most of yu onloy know Bratislava from Eurotrip, and I was kind of hoping that a dollar would buy me the city, but that wasn't the case. Fortunately, neither was their depiction of the city, as it was one of the more beautiful cities I have visited. The city's square has streets of beautiful, trendy cafes and no cars can drive through the streets. After touring around and having a nice dinner at the cafe, we were happy to see that all these nice cafes turned into nice bars at nice. After a making it to quite a few of them, it was off to bed as we were leaving for Budapest early the next morning. After my first true European train experience with the 6 person cramped cars, we finally arrived to Budapest, where we would spend the final two days of our trip. Saturday, we explored the city and loved what we found. For lunch we found a little wine tasting and local food and music festival that kept us entertained for a few hours before we continued walking the city. After walking for a while we arrived to the Terror Museum, which dealt with the Nazi and Soviet impact on Budapest. After the interesting tour we returned to the hostel to clean up for a great authentic Hungarian dinner complete with matzah ball soup. Sunday, after taking a walking tour of the city, we hit up a great Budapest Bath house where we relaxed in their 12 different pools at different temperatures. After another good dinner and hanging out with my Illinois friends for the last time in Europe, it was off to bed and back home the next morning...What a crazy week!
I took off class Monday morning to walk around Firenze with my parents. Despite waking up earlier than usual on Mondays, there was no complaining to be done as the breakfast at the Hotel was my first in a long time. Since my parents had been to Florence before and had toured all of Saturday and Sunday, we took it easy on Museums and Churches and just walked around the city. The first stop was the San Lorenzo leather market where my Mom had a field day (new jacket and gloves, Jon got a wallet) before heading to Piazza Michelangelo for my favorite view of the city. Before I went off to class we went for lunch to a pizza place right down the street from me and had a nice quite meal outside. Dinner was another phenomenal meal at a restautrant that someone had reccomended to my parents where we had ribolita soup(a tuscan vegetable soup, very good) fried artichoke, and great chicken for dinner.
Tuesday morning after I had a presentation in my 9 am class we left Florence on noon with a tour guide (great reccomendation by the Marder family) for an afternoon driving through the hills of the Chianti region and other Tuscan towns. It was the first time that I had been out into that region, and I am really dissapointed I forgot my camera as this was some of the more beautiful land I have ever seen. After a great lunch at a famous vineyard, stops at 2 other small Tuscan towns, and a beautiful drive it was back to Florence where we went out to dinner with my roommates. We went to a restuarant called Il Latini, where you have to come starving or you will not get your moneys worth. After plates of ham, salami, mozzarella, tomatoes, pasta, and soup, they brought out the largest platter of meat we had ever seen. The plate was filled with Veal, Lamb, and steak and was accomponied by some brisket-esque meat on the side. After a great meal, it was time to say Ciao to my parents after a wonderful three days.
After getting a little rest on Wednesday, Marc and I left Florence at 6am Thursday to meet up with a bunch of our school friends who were on their spring break. The trip, which was organized phenomenally by Josh Feiger and Matt Kogan, started in Prague or Rome, then they all went to Munich and Salsburg before we met them Thursday in Vienna. After a long travel day, it was great to get to Vienna and walk around before finding a park to relax in for a while. After a great Austrian dinner and night on the town, we left Friday around noon for Bratislava (Slovakia). Now most of yu onloy know Bratislava from Eurotrip, and I was kind of hoping that a dollar would buy me the city, but that wasn't the case. Fortunately, neither was their depiction of the city, as it was one of the more beautiful cities I have visited. The city's square has streets of beautiful, trendy cafes and no cars can drive through the streets. After touring around and having a nice dinner at the cafe, we were happy to see that all these nice cafes turned into nice bars at nice. After a making it to quite a few of them, it was off to bed as we were leaving for Budapest early the next morning. After my first true European train experience with the 6 person cramped cars, we finally arrived to Budapest, where we would spend the final two days of our trip. Saturday, we explored the city and loved what we found. For lunch we found a little wine tasting and local food and music festival that kept us entertained for a few hours before we continued walking the city. After walking for a while we arrived to the Terror Museum, which dealt with the Nazi and Soviet impact on Budapest. After the interesting tour we returned to the hostel to clean up for a great authentic Hungarian dinner complete with matzah ball soup. Sunday, after taking a walking tour of the city, we hit up a great Budapest Bath house where we relaxed in their 12 different pools at different temperatures. After another good dinner and hanging out with my Illinois friends for the last time in Europe, it was off to bed and back home the next morning...What a crazy week!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Spring Awakening
After a just a few days back in Florence, it was time to take another trip. On Thursday (April 2nd) Marc, Jon, and I were off to London to visit Jordan and Lauren Shapiro. After a short delay before take-off, and a 30-minute line at customs in London (it was kind of nice to get a passport stamp, but not really worth the long wait) we finally arrived at our hostel close to 2am Friday morning. After a short night sleep, we met up with Jordan Friday morning to begin exploring London. London was actually the only European city that I had been to before coming abroad (went with my Family in 10th grade) so I was really just there to see my friends, and see things for the second time. After grabbing lunch, we took a tour of the Tower of London, which was a big castle back in the day and is also home to the Crown Jewel collection, which is pretty flashy. After the Tower, we met up with Becky Wolf, who was also visiting for the weekend and staying in the hostel with us, and walked around and saw Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Parliament and just enjoyed the weather while Jordan had an interview and Lauren was on a field trip. After enjoying the weather, we went to a quick dinner before heading off to see a musical (you gotta love the half-price tickets the day of). After discussing for a while on what to see, we settled on Spring Awakening, which was not my favorite musical, but it was definitely fun and pretty good. After the musical, we hit up our first British pub, only to be dissapointed when they actually kicked us out at midnight (how do they do that?!?!?!). After a great night sleep, we woke up Saturday morning and wandered over to the Borough Market for lunch. This market was incredible, free samples of everything from cheese to olive oil to sausage to smoothies, it was a great way to start the day. After sample-hopping, we went to Abbey Road (one place that I actually didn't make it to with the fam) for the obvious picture and sightseeing (you should see how mad some of these drivers get, but come on...if you are driving on Abbey Road you have to know whats coming). After Abbey Road we walked through Hyde Park before making our last tourist stop at Kensington Palace. After another fun dinner at an asian noodle restaurant, we got to the Pub a little earlier, and watched the Michigan State-UConn game, which was the first live sporting event that I caught since the Super Bowl...man I miss sports. After the game, it was time for bed and a wrap on another great weekend....
Monday, April 13, 2009
So much to do so much to see, So whats wrong with taking 6 airplanes
Wait for it, wait for it....I'M BACK. It's nothing like #23 rockin #45, but I am happy to say that I am sitting on my terrace (yep, it's completely finished) posting this blog from my computer (that means I am back on the MacBook Pro, and there is solid internet in our apartment). So, where was I...
After finishing up midterms (grades are in, and classes in Florence have lived up to the bill of having easy teachers, not to say I am not learning anything, because I really am) it was time for spring break. Unfortunately our early bus forced us to skip our Thursday chinese, but Jeremy, Jon, Marc and I were ready to get to Barcelona, which was our first destination. After arriving Thursday afternoon, we checked into our hostel and began to explore the city. Our hostel had a great location just a block off La Rambla, a fun street with many street performers. After having our first off many paella, we met up with my friend from school Jason Yale for the night and had a great time experiencing the Barcelona nightlife. Friday, after taking a walking tour of the gothic district, we met up with more of my friends from school; Ben Blumenthal and Josh Feiger and had another excellent dinner highlighted with the largest dish of paella that any of us had ever seen. Saturday we did some more walking around the city (actually a lot of metro-riding, as Barcelona is a GIGANTIC city) and ended up spending the afternoon at Tibidabo, which is a nice area that looks over the the entire city of Barcelona. After that we met Lisa and her boyfriend/ my good friend from school Jon Levy (who was in for his spring break) for dinner before heading to one of Barcelona's biggest clubs to see Girl Talk in concert. The concert was unbelievable and it was definitely one of my many favorite nights abroad. After checking out Park Guel and getting one more dish of paella, it was off to the airport with Jon and Lisa to head to spring break stop #2: Granada. Despite not even knowing where Granada was until Lisa applied there, this was one of my favorite stops in Europe so far. After putting our stuff down in our hostel, we went with Lisa to her favorite Tapas bar for dinner. It really is a phenomenal concept. One minute after ordering a beer (only 2 euro!) the waiter brought out a plate of sandwiches and french fries, and the tapas experience began. Monday, Lisa had us up bright and early to spend the morning at Ahlambra. This former palace/fortress that sits on the top of Granada was truly beautiful, and the views (sorry, forgot to charge my camera before this day) were breathtaking. After Ahlambra, we went to lunch where Lisa handed us over to our friend Lee for the afternoon as she had class to go to. After lunch and exploring the streets of Granada, Lee took us to the other great view of Granada, at the Mirador San Nicolas. After another night of Tapas and fun, it was off to Berlin to visit some of our friends from school who were on an Alternate Spring Break trip through Chabad. Since it is not easy to get out of Granada, we had to connect in Barcelona, and as Marc and I were sitting waiting for the plane, we got a text from one of our friends in Berlin saying that it was snowing. After spending the previous 4 days in the Spanish sun, the sound of snow really tempted Marc and I to switch our flight and fly directly to Marbella (where we spent the final leg of spring break), but despite the snow, Berlin was phenomenal. It was really good to see my friends Alex Dobkin, Seth Birkan and Steve Klein (all kids a year younger than me in my house) as well as Marc's sister Jori. After a fun night in Berlin Tuesday, Marc and I took a great walking tour Wednesday afternoon. I have never been so intrigued by the history of a city as I was by Berlin. This was a city that was the heart of Nazi Germany and the home to Hitler for the almost two decades, and then became the center of the Cold War for a few decades after that. Imagine finally being free of Hitler, and then being under the rule of Stalin. Not exactly a dream situation. Wednesday night, which was the last night for the Chabad trip, we were fortunate enough to be invited to have dinner with them at the beautiful, new Chabad in Berlin. After another night in Berlin and saying bye to our friends, it was time to return to the Spanish Sun. After a long weeek of traveling and sightseeing, relaxing by the Pool in Marbella for a few days was a great end to a phenomenal Spring Break.
After finishing up midterms (grades are in, and classes in Florence have lived up to the bill of having easy teachers, not to say I am not learning anything, because I really am) it was time for spring break. Unfortunately our early bus forced us to skip our Thursday chinese, but Jeremy, Jon, Marc and I were ready to get to Barcelona, which was our first destination. After arriving Thursday afternoon, we checked into our hostel and began to explore the city. Our hostel had a great location just a block off La Rambla, a fun street with many street performers. After having our first off many paella, we met up with my friend from school Jason Yale for the night and had a great time experiencing the Barcelona nightlife. Friday, after taking a walking tour of the gothic district, we met up with more of my friends from school; Ben Blumenthal and Josh Feiger and had another excellent dinner highlighted with the largest dish of paella that any of us had ever seen. Saturday we did some more walking around the city (actually a lot of metro-riding, as Barcelona is a GIGANTIC city) and ended up spending the afternoon at Tibidabo, which is a nice area that looks over the the entire city of Barcelona. After that we met Lisa and her boyfriend/ my good friend from school Jon Levy (who was in for his spring break) for dinner before heading to one of Barcelona's biggest clubs to see Girl Talk in concert. The concert was unbelievable and it was definitely one of my many favorite nights abroad. After checking out Park Guel and getting one more dish of paella, it was off to the airport with Jon and Lisa to head to spring break stop #2: Granada. Despite not even knowing where Granada was until Lisa applied there, this was one of my favorite stops in Europe so far. After putting our stuff down in our hostel, we went with Lisa to her favorite Tapas bar for dinner. It really is a phenomenal concept. One minute after ordering a beer (only 2 euro!) the waiter brought out a plate of sandwiches and french fries, and the tapas experience began. Monday, Lisa had us up bright and early to spend the morning at Ahlambra. This former palace/fortress that sits on the top of Granada was truly beautiful, and the views (sorry, forgot to charge my camera before this day) were breathtaking. After Ahlambra, we went to lunch where Lisa handed us over to our friend Lee for the afternoon as she had class to go to. After lunch and exploring the streets of Granada, Lee took us to the other great view of Granada, at the Mirador San Nicolas. After another night of Tapas and fun, it was off to Berlin to visit some of our friends from school who were on an Alternate Spring Break trip through Chabad. Since it is not easy to get out of Granada, we had to connect in Barcelona, and as Marc and I were sitting waiting for the plane, we got a text from one of our friends in Berlin saying that it was snowing. After spending the previous 4 days in the Spanish sun, the sound of snow really tempted Marc and I to switch our flight and fly directly to Marbella (where we spent the final leg of spring break), but despite the snow, Berlin was phenomenal. It was really good to see my friends Alex Dobkin, Seth Birkan and Steve Klein (all kids a year younger than me in my house) as well as Marc's sister Jori. After a fun night in Berlin Tuesday, Marc and I took a great walking tour Wednesday afternoon. I have never been so intrigued by the history of a city as I was by Berlin. This was a city that was the heart of Nazi Germany and the home to Hitler for the almost two decades, and then became the center of the Cold War for a few decades after that. Imagine finally being free of Hitler, and then being under the rule of Stalin. Not exactly a dream situation. Wednesday night, which was the last night for the Chabad trip, we were fortunate enough to be invited to have dinner with them at the beautiful, new Chabad in Berlin. After another night in Berlin and saying bye to our friends, it was time to return to the Spanish Sun. After a long weeek of traveling and sightseeing, relaxing by the Pool in Marbella for a few days was a great end to a phenomenal Spring Break.
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