What a week....

Hello everybody,

So it's been a few days but this is due to the crazy week we had. The group made it back to Florence at 7 in the morning Monday and had to rush to Italian class. We were supposed to have our final test but they failed to tell us it got pushed back a week. We weren't to happy because we could've skipped class and got some sleep but at least we had another week to "study".

Tuesday we took our last trip as a whole group together to Siena and San Gimignano. After a short bus ride to Siena we were greeted by our tour guides who took us for a short walk through the city. Our tour guide was a native to the city and pointed out the most important sites of the city. The city is divided into 3 different mountains and 17 districts. The district you are born is is your district for life no matter if you move into a different district. The people of Siena take their status very seriously and they hold it with a high prestige.

Another interesting thing that happens twice a year in Siena is the historical horseraces. This horse race happens in the citys center piazza. It looks like a bowl and at least 20,000 people fill in the center and the horses race around the circle. Sometimes horses and even the jockeys die because of the tight corners.

After a quick lunch we went off to San Gimignano. It was a small town and we went to "The World's Greatest Gelato Shop" which wasn't to bad but they mostly all taste the same after a while.

We were all way to tired by the end of this. We came home and rested up for our wine tour the next morning. It was a pretty successful day.

Can I get some damn service?

Being from a place that believes that time is everything and you must not waste a minute on anything, Firenze can be a horrible place to live. Just when you think you will lose your mind at how slow the service can be one day you open your eyes and realize that maybe this is the right way to do things. From the restaurants, to the supermarkets you can bet you will be waiting at least 30 minutes when you ask for the check or a drink or your food. The Italian culture is very laid back. They believe that they should work to pay their bills and necessities and have enough for a small vacation. Many businesses do not put business hours on the door because they open and close whenever they feel like it which can make things difficult when you are looking for something.

The restaurants hire servers and pay them minimum wage, sometimes even more. The result of this means that the Italians do not tip when they go to a restaurant but instead pay a service charge which is around 1 euro per person at the table. This is completely opposite from how we do it in the states because as a server you rely on your tips. The better service you give to a customer the better the tip is. In Italy this means that since the server is not getting tipped they only have to do the minimum to get by because they are getting paid regardless. The average American sees this as being a terrible business model but after living here for over a month we see that the average business owner and it's employees are perfectly content. I noticed that all of the servers help each other out because you do not have 1 server but numerous ones who take your order and bring out the drinks and food.

So when you are out and about at your local restaurant remember, if your server takes a few minutes to bring your drink it could be worse so just deal with it. Oh and if you ain't tipping you ain't sipping as we say in the bar industry.

Paris Part Deux

Hey guys, this will be a short one because I just got internet and it is about 2 in the morning in Paris. We are all having a great time. The group got to see the Louvre which was awesome. For anyone who has ever read the Davinci Code or has any bit of education you will understand why this is an amazing thing for someone to see. When I came to Paris there was two things I wanted to see: The Eiffel Tower and The Louvre. I was able to see both of them so that was two checks off of my bucket list. Hopefully once my camera decides to work I will upload the pictures to this blog and the previous one.

Oh and P.S. the metro wasn't so bad out here which kind of makes up for the 12 hour train ride gone wrong.

The life of public transportation part deux/Paris minus the pictures

Hey guys, it's Friday night and I just wanted to check in and let everyone know how Paris is going. Wednesday night we had our movie night for our management classes. It was pretty fun especially knowing that we were leaving for Paris right after. After the movie was over we rushed home and grabbed our bags and after talking with the kebab guys and waiting 30 minutes for a taxi we were finally off to the La Stazione de Firenze. Our train had a slight 10 minute delay and at around 10:30 we left the station for Paris. The group found our cars and made friends with our new bunk buddies for the next "12" hours.

We finally fell asleep and woke up around 8:00. We were all excited until we realized that the stops were running late but figured it wouldn't be more than an hour of a delay. Yeah well after about 5 hours of a delay we finally arrived in Paris. Our train was supposed to get there at 10:15 but when we checked our watches it was about 3:00. Once again the train failed us, but we were just glad we had finally made it.

The group immediately rushed to the hotel and dropped our bags off and went walk around the city to get our bearings. After grabbing dinner we decided it would be a perfect night to go see the Eiffel Tower. I must say that the amount of money I have spent on this trip was well worth being able to see the sights I have seen so far including the Eiffel Tower.

We found us a place on the grass and planned on staying until the sun went down and it lit up. Some gypsies were running around selling bottles of wine and champagne so we all hustled them and each bought our own bottle of wine. Little did we know the sun does not set until 11:00 P.M. in Italy. The four hours of sitting down drinking wine was well worth it once the tower lit up. After watching it for a few minutes the wine finally wore off and we were all freezing which meant it was time to head home back to the hotel.

I will edit the blog with pictures so check back later tomorrow.

2 weeks to go...

Hey guys this will be a short one because no much has happened this week. We got back at about 12 Sunday from the Amalfi Coast. Monday morning we had Italian class and our management class. I realized in class that I have learned more about Ethics and Economics in this one semester than I have learned my last three years at UL. It is weird that when you come to a new country it is easier to learn things taught in a classroom. The reason for this is because the course is designed to be taught with examples in everyday Italian life.

Monday night we went to a Mexican restaurant. Who would have thought it would be some of the best Mexican food we had. Last night we had Sushi at Mr. Sushi which was not bad.

You would think we would be eating all Italian but it gets a little old having it every day and night. Plus the best pizza I have eaten in my life is probably back home in Louisiana haha.

I'll be in Paris for the next 4 days so I will probably not be able to talk to anyone so see you guys Monday morning at 7.

"Wait, your out of internet?" Welcome to Sorrento

Sorry I am so late Mrs. Pat but we literally just got back into Florence a few minutes ago.

Continuing from the other post, we met Florence4Fun at the train station and after traveling all day we boarded another bus for a 7 hour trip to the Amalfi Coast. On the way there we came to the realization that we were probably the most mature people on the trip. Most of the "kids" were aggravating but I won't go into detail because we are trying to forget them. This bus trip was the most grueling 7 hours of our lives but we kept a smile on our faces and we finally made it to the hotel at 3:00 in the morning. The best part about this was we had to wake up in 4 hours to eat breakfast then board the bus for the Island of Capri. It was pretty amazing especially the Blue Grotto

The Blue Grotto is a cave on the shore of the island that only has two sources of light which lights the water up, the entrance and from the a whole in the bottom. We had to board a different smaller boat that we were on and lay down in it so we could get pulled through this small hole. It was definitely an unforgettable experience.

The next day arrived and we were well rested and off to the beach town of Positano. The group had a free day of shopping and beach time and by the end of it we were all ready to get back to the hotel so we could get ready to go out in Sorrento. They took us to the heart of Sorrento which looked like an upscale Bourbon Street. We all hung out at a bar called the English Inn which was awesome except for the Italians creeping on the American girls. A few drinks and shots later it was time to head home.

Today was our last day and we were headed to Pompeli. The story behind the city is very interesting. In the year 79 AD it was a thriving Roman city. One day out of nowhere the famous Mt. Vesuvius volcano exploded. The smoke, ash, and gas flooded the city within hours and the city was buried under 9 ft. volcanic ash. The city was found by archiologists and was excavated and they found that almost the whole city was preserved including humans and pets. This is a must see for anyone traveling to Europe.

The weekend finally came to an end and we were on our way HOME once again.

(Sorry for any misspelling. Been up for way to long.)

Pisa and Lucca... Minus Lucca

Hey guys, so Thursday we woke up early and headed to the train station so we could bored the bus with our class and go see the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. After a rocky bus ride there we finally arrived. The outside of the city did not look to pleasing, but when we got inside of the walls we all took a breath of relief. The tour guide grabbed us and instantly we were off. She explained to us that the tower is not the only thing in the square of importance although most people think it is.

The square also has a baptistry, church, and mausoleum. This was interesting because she explained that it symbolized a circle of life where Pisians are baptized, live life, and die all in one central place. The way of life here is very interesting because the Tuscan region often views the people of Pisa as though they are mean and arrogant. Our tour guide was definitely a very sweet lady and she has lived in Pisa her whole life. By the time the tour was over it was time for the "four best friends that anyone can have" <hangover> to leave the group and head back to Florence so we could get ready to leave again and head for the Amalfi Coast.