Greece for Spring Break

Greece was one of my top 3 places I wanted to visit during my year in Italy... We left for the 5 hour bus ride to Ancona, then took a 14 hour ferry to the port Igoumenitsa in Greece, then a second 1 hour ferry to the island of Corfu, where we stayed at the famous hostel, the Pink Palace. It was more like a camp, with dining hall, jacuzzi, volleyball court, and of course, the BEACH! I got sunburt but I'm happy I got to enjoy the sun again! The first night there was a toga party after the fantastic dinner (Greek salad is my favorite now!) with ouzo and Greek dancers.We also took a day to go ATV riding. I drove for the first time in 8 months! It was exhilarating because it was windy that day, and we were driving up the cliffs and hills of the island. We got to see the small towns and the bigger city area, and drove up into the olive groves.There was a storm the night we were supposed to leave Corfu, which meant that all the ferries were cancelled! But we got the morning ferry from Corfu to Athens the next day. Athens reminded me a lot of Napoli or L.A. - a little grungy, but lots of personality! We had a delicious dinner with Greek salad, fried feta with fried tomatoes, meatballs, calamari, tzatziki, veal souvlaki, and fruit for dessert. Apparently hookah is a very popular Greek pastime, so we went to relax at a bar after our giant dinner. Shopping in Athens was really fun too! There was a flea market area in Athens - Greece is in general cheaper than Italy, Florence especially. We also got to visit the Acropolis - it was so surreal to see the Parthenon, Karyatids, and Erectheon!

It was weird because I've never traveled to a country where I can't at least read the language; I went to Germany, Romania, Japan, etc, but at least I can read the signs. In Greece, I found that I was frustrated because the alphabet looks so similar to English but I couldn't read it! Also, it turns out that in the Greek Orthodox Church, Easter isn't until the 17th and not the 12th like for us!

The trip back to Italy was long - we had to take a 20 hour ferry to Ancona, and then a 5 hour bus ride back to Florence. But I love traveling, and Greece was worth it! Hopefully I will visit again, to see more of the different islands. I want to learn more of the Greek culture and people by seeing what the individual islands are like.

Now I'm back in Florence, and excited to get started on my projects again. There's nothing like a trip to Greece to revitalize your creative drive!

check my photo album!

Passover

Tonight we had a Passover feast! Gaby, Sam, and Marsha were our Elders and the rest of us (Sara, John, Federico and I) were the Children. It was really fun to have the traditional reading and food before the main course! I am really full right now.

Bread Bakers

Empty matzo ball soup bowls
(Gaby cut my hair, do you like it?)

Elijah's plate. Shank included courtesy of Sam.

The Elders!

I also know that a lot of you have heard about the earthquake in central Italy. In Florence it was only a small shake around 3:30AM (I was sleeping) but in the Abruzzo region there have been 227 casualties, and severe damage. Please keep them in your prayers!

Also, I am headed off to Greece in a few hours. I'll have lots of pictures of a sunny beach, I hope!

HAPPY PASSOVER
and
BUONA PASQUA!
(happy Easter)

Milano...Visitors from Vermont...Visitor from Spezia!

A few weeks ago my 20th Century Italian Art class and all the Studio Art students went to Milano to see the 100th Anniversary of Futurism Show. It was an awesome and inspiring show, and Laura, Gaby, Sam and I climbed up to the top of the Milan Duomo - it was super dangerous with lots of wind and Gothic spires waiting to impale us....just kidding! But there WERE a lot of passageways and sculptures of saints or other Catholic figures on the spires. We laid out in the sun and slept until we were woken by the sound of Metro Station playing for MTV Italia TRL. HaHA!Speed. Art. Action.
(photoalbum)

The next day Elisse and Gladys arrived all the way from Vermont! It was so weird to have someone call me "Kei" again! Their first night here, they made some naan for a CSU potluck. I haven't had naan since Amsterdam! We also went to Siena, where we ate panini in the sun-filled Piazza del Campo. The week continued to be nice so we also visited the Boboli Gardens, a place I've been to a lot of times (because I get in for free) but this time (after a picnic of bread, cheese, and wine) I was able to explore more of the gardens, and see the beautiful views of the city. Cortona, the location for the film "Under the Tuscan Sun," was a sweet little town with lots of cute shops and a delicious chocolate shop! They also went on a day-long bike ride through Tuscany to Chianti, and we had some nice dinners at Pizzaiuolo and Osteria Santo Spirito. It was nice to have visitors from home (Gaby's friend Tara also visited from California). It really reminds me that I have to savour these last 3 months. But it also gives me something to look forward to! I want to visit Elisse in Japan and travel in Asia next year, and since Gladys will be in Ferrara I'll also have a friend in Italy to visit!++Shutterfly Album of their trip++

This week I worked a lot - we have three art shows to work for; one with students from CSU and the Accademia, one including students from multiple schools (which is associated with a gallery in Greece), and the third is going to take place outside on a street in Florence. Jackie, Gaby's friend from CSULB, also came to visit from another Italian town. We had a lot of fun and it was nice to have another Long Beach person with us!

I've also been having to think about where I am going to live when I get back...where I'm going to work...what classes to take...slowly my past life in California is seeping into my life in Florence. It's like the opposite of what was happening exactly a year ago. I'm excited to go back but also really nervous. I tell everyone, "I don't want to go back, but I don't want to stay here either." I think I just want to keeping moving around the world. I know, it sounds crazy!