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Christine Teichert-SARUP Paris/Rome

November 21, 2006

Arriving in Paris was such a great feeling.  We had been traveling out of our suitcases for almost four weeks now and we were now about to live in Paris for the next six weeks.  Who wouldn’t be ecstatic?  The first night in Paris we went to the Eiffel Tower and it is spectacular.  It was larger and more stunning than you could have imagined.  We went at night time, and as we walked from the bridge, we finally saw our first glance, pure beauty.  Then as we were leaving we saw it sparkle.  Every hour for 10 minutes it sparkles.  We were lucky to stay there long enough to catch the incredible sight. 

              Our apartments in Paris are in a great location.  We are located near the Bastille Opera House.  It is not close to any of the major sites, but it is nestled away in the quaintest area.  Almost all the students are located in this apartment complex in bunk bed dorm style rooms.  We all have a small kitchen and bathroom, which is perfect for the time we are here.  It is a quick walk to school and just a couple blocks from the nearest metro stop.

              The metro is the easiest way to get around the city.  Paris is so large, but you don’t really understand or feel it because the metro takes you anywhere you want to go within a 30 minute ride.  The metro is such a great mode of transportation.  This is one trend I wish the states would follow.  The streets aren’t so congested with cars and pollution, it is a nice change.

              Our class has been so fortunate to see so much of the city thus far.  We have done all the great tourist activities, such as the Louvre, Notre Dame, Sainte-Chapelle, Orsay Museum, Versailles, and much more.  One of my favorite activities was going to the Orsay Museum.  It holds a remarkable collection of Impressionist work.  It was nice to see more modern art work since most of the museums we have been to are mainly mythological and religious pieces.  My favorites were the Monet and Degas paintings.  The choice of color, light and scenery are amazing.  Another reason I enjoyed the Orsay so much is that the building was an old train station built for the Paris Exposition in 1900 that they converted into a modern museum in 1977.  The architectural expression of what was old and what is new was so unique and enlightening.  So far I haven’t done one thing that I have not enjoyed.  Everything and every day is a new experience.    

November 1, 2006

After living in Rome for nearly four weeks, I was excited to arrive in Florence, Italy.  We were fortunate enough to stay in a great hotel in Florence.  We had fresh sheets, fresh towels, and free breakfast every morning which was a nice change from living in our apartments in Rome.  Florence was so gorgeous.  During the day my favorite activity was going to the main markets by San Lorenzo.  You can get some of the best leather in Italy, beautiful scarves, and tons of jewelry.  This is where I did most of my shopping.  Prices were so reasonable that it was hard not to.  The other great thing about Florence was the night life.  Roaming the streets at nights was so entertaining because there was so much to look at.  The street performers take over an entire block doing magic and comedy for everyone walking by.  The artists would line the streets with their artwork.  One artist did all his painting in spray paint which was unique.  Some nights we would hang out by Palazzo Vecchio relaxing and listening to wonderful musicians play their flute and violin.  The city was so lively and fun to explore.

After a week in Florence we moved on to Venice, Italy.  Venice is the most unique city I have every seen.  The entire city is completely controlled by water.  Everywhere you look you see canals, bridges, and boats.  No vehicles are allowed in the city mostly because the streets are so narrow and there are so many bridges.  We have been so used to using public transportation in all of Italy, so in Venice it was so fun to use their transportation because it is all by boat.  To the locals it is just their morning commute, but I always got excited to use the vaparetto, their city bus.  Another great activity by water is the gondola rides.  I was extremely lucky to take a night ride when I was there.  It is the most romantic thing you can do.  The city is so quiet at night and the canals are so narrow and dim.  It was so fun to just sit back, stare at the stars and let the gondolier guide you down the canal.  Another fun part of Venice was the Murano glass.  Murano, a small island off of Venice, is the place where all the famous Murano glass is made.  The jewelry was amazing.  It was a little pricy, but it was fun to look around. 

Venice was such a great place to visit for a week.  I got a little frustrated with the city only because it is so hard to find your way around.  The streets have no such order to them, so you really have to put the map away and just walk in the general direction that you want to go.  Other than that, I really loved the city for its beauty and uniqueness.

After Venice, we begin our travel break for ten days.  This is where we part from the group and are able to travel at our leisure.  I have chosen to travel to Zurich and Geneva, Switzerland, and also to Barcelona, Spain.  I decided on these destinations because of Switzerland’s stunning scenery of mountains and lakes, and for Barcelona’s vibrant art and architecture.  After the 10 day break we start class again in Paris, France.  

October 14, 2006

My favorite part of our first four weeks in Italy was our side trip to Naples. Naples is a port city south of Rome and much smaller in size.  We took off from Rome on a two hour train ride taking us through the rolling hills of the country side.  We arrived in Naples in the afternoon touring the city until sundown.  We stumbled upon a castle on the coast that was having a light exhibit.  It was really fun to explore around the castle and to hang out in a new city for the night.  The next day we went to Pompeii.  This is the city that was covered in lava after Mt Vesuvius erupted almost 2000 years ago.  It was a little difficult to see the bodies they had discovered from the eruption which were on display.  Overall it was a great site to see, especially because we learned about it in school and are now actually seeing it. 

              A few of us decided to spend an extra day in Naples and take the ferry to an island off the coast called Capri.  It was probably my favorite part of the trip so far.  It looks like a paradise island with crystal blue water and cliffs that tower high into the sky.  We got there in the morning and only were able to stay for a couple hours, but it was definitely worth the trip.  When we got there we went out a boat tour of the blue Curacao.  This is a cave only accessible by a small 4 person boat.  When you enter through the small opening the amount of light is just enough to give the water an amazing blue sparkle.  The only thing visible in the cave is the glow of the water.  After checking out the caves we ate lunch at a café right by the beach and then swam in the crystal clear salt water for the afternoon.  We all wish we could have spent the night, but the town is more of a high end resort town which runs a pretty penny for a night in a hotel.  I guess that means that I will have to return someday.  Capri was an amazing side trip in Italy, definitely worth the extra time and money. 

              We had one more week in Rome after the Naples trip.  We fit everything in that we possibly could including the Sistine Chapel and of course visiting the monuments one last time.  Rome was a great city to experience, but for most of us we were ready for our new destination in Florence.  Florence will be a lot smaller than Rome which will hopefully relieve us from the congestion of the big city.  After Florence our next stop is Venice.  These both will be fast one week visits.  Lets just hope we can fit it all in.  One month has gone by already so fast and I feel like I still want to do so much.

October 1, 2006

My first two weeks in Rome

I have now been living in Rome, Italy as a student for two weeks.  Prior to arriving in Rome, Italy, I spent a couple days in Dublin, Ireland.  Ireland was amazing.  The atmosphere, the people, the country were all spectacular.  Everyone spoke English, but with a thick Irish accent.  Sometimes it was hard to even understand them, but you just smile and nod your head.  We took a tour one day that took us out to see Malihide Castle and the countryside of Dublin.  Ireland is so magnificent, the countryside was exactly like you would expect it to look like, green rolling hills, and hazy sky.  After living out of our two large suitcases for a couple days in a hostel we were anxious to get to our new Rome apartments.

              After a long day of traveling we finally made it to the Accent center in downtown Rome where we were to receive the keys to our apartment.  We find out that we are not staying in dorms, but in apartments all over the city.  In each of the apartments are 2-4 UWM students, but most of the apartments are spaced roughly 30 minutes from each other.  Rome is much larger then I could have imagined.  In the center of the city is where most of the monuments are and where the tourists would stay.  Our apartment is about a 25-minute tram ride from there.  On our first day of class we set out on a walking tour of the center city, which walked us around the fountains and monuments that we have been learning about in architecture classes for the last couple years.  The Pantheon and Colosseum were probably the most amazing to see.   Another great pastime for most of us is gelato, an Italian form of ice cream.  It is just too good to pass up.

There is so much to look at here; everything is so beautiful.  Rome is a city where they strive to restore all of the ancient architecture.  You would never see an extremely tall building or skyscraper.  A modern building by Richard Meier was built here in the last year.  It is actually a controversial building for the city of Rome since its architecture does not fit in with the landscape of the city.  It was the first building to be built in Rome since 1943.  The characteristic that I love the most about Rome is the history of the city and the architecture that tells the story.  I am extremely happy that we came to Rome.  In two weeks we depart for Florence, another city I am eager to explore.   

Pre-departure

When I tell people I am going to study abroad in France and Italy, they tell me I am going to have the time of my life.  This opportunity doesn’t come around too often.  To be able to not only travel to other countries, but to study architecture in cities that I have only read about in books, will be an experience I will never forget.  Talking to so many people that have been where I will go, I keep raising my expectations to new heights.  From stories, books, TV, and movies I have this picture in my mind of what I will be experiencing there, but I know once I arrive I will be blown away by it all. 

Of course I am a little nervous to be in another country where I don’t speak the language and nothing is normal anymore, but that is what excites me the most.  It will be something completely new and original to me.  I enjoy living in Milwaukee, but I think it is time for a change of pace.  I will be meeting so many new people and be in so many new surroundings.  I love trying new things, and I try to keep an open mind.  I think this frame of mind will keep me exploring and traveling Western Europe all semester long.  With so many things to do and see, I just hope three months is long enough to get it all done in.