27th
Free Travel
We returned from our first week of free travel late Thursday night. To clarify, our program has 3 built-in “vacations” during the semester. We get one week in October (last week), one in November, then an optional third break anywhere from 2-18 days in December. During this time our villa locks up and shuts down, so we must at the very least find a hostel to stay in. We aren’t allowed to travel alone, but we are allowed to go anywhere we please, so long as we are back to the villa by curfew on the specified last day. I think its important to note that these excursions are not included in the semester package deal, so we pay for them separate - making things all the more interesting.
Josh, Blake, Logan, and I loaded our backpacks and set out around 2 in the afternoon last Friday night (the 19th). We planned to leave by train from the station in Florence at 3. We arrived however, to find that our train not only required reservations, which we didn’t have, but that it was booked full. We had to wait until 6:30 for a train that didn’t require reservations. Since we had a lot of time on our hands, and the train station is less than entertaining, we set out into town. After a brief visit to a street vendor, we settled down at the McDonalds to wait. After 3 hours, we once again loaded up and headed for the train station. With no more delay, we were on a train and finally heading off to start our first free travel.
The train to Milan was only a few hours, and the four of us were able to secure our own private car. We sat up talking and laughing; a perfect start to the trip. We arrived in Milan around 10:45 and promptly found the metro station. With the help of a nice, English-speaking Italian man, we found our stop on the map, and began our search for our hostel. Off the metro, we consulted the directions I had printed off of google maps before we left. Unfortunately, the directions were not correct, and we ventured up and down several of the wrong streets for a couple of hours before conceding to find a pay phone. When that didn’t pan out (Italian pay phones are more confusing than you’d think) we spotted a taxi stop. After being refused by 3 taxis, the 4th finally told us we were within a 2 minute walk of our destination. Sadly, his English wasn’t good enough to elaborate, and he refused such a short fare. Encouraged, we examined a map posted at a nearby bus stop. We must have been rather conspicuous, four young white adults with large backpacks staring with furrowed brows at the giant map. A woman in a car stopped at the corner, rolled down her window and asked, “are you looking for the hostel?” She proceeded to give us directions, even following in her car and pointing out our turns, making sure we arrived safely. I could have hugged her. We finally found our hostel at 1 am. The most remarkable thing about the whole evening was our group dynamic. Though at times I’m sure we were all frustrated and even a little worried, nobody turned that angst toward the rest. We all worked together, stayed calm, and remained friends.
Our first hostel experience was pretty standard. Logan and I shared a 6 - bed female dorm room, with lockers in the hallway and a community bathroom down the hall. Two girls were asleep when we arrived, and 2 arrived shortly after us. We were exhausted and got in bed quickly after checking in, around 1:45 am. The pair of roommates that arrived after us were definitely American, and remarkably obnoxious. They complained (loudly) about the conditions of the hostel. Most incredibly, they sat up and talked and cussed about the noise coming from some of the other rooms and eventually went to bang on doors and request silence. They were adamant about how inconsiderate some people could be… never realizing that they themselves were causing quite a commotion. Logan and I silently vowed to avoid that sort of obnoxious behavior.
Our day in Milan really began our journey well. The morning was cool and crisp, and we set off early to see the Duomo of Milan. Though we’ve seen many cathedrals in this program, the church in Milan was still an incredible sight. Its amazingly gothic structure sports tall pointed marble spires and arches, all covered in a brilliant marble facade. The doors of the church are even more amazing than the doors of paradise that Florence’s cathedral boasts. Elaborate bronze relief panels depict vivid scenes from the Bible, and a few from tradition (such as Mary and Joseph being married by a catholic priest at that very cathedral). In the Piazza del Duomo, we were approached by a man from Senegal, West Africa, who gave us colorful bracelets to raise awareness for his home country. Later, trying to figure out a way to get a picture of our entire group without handing off cameras to total strangers, Josh had an idea. We took a picture of our wrists, still donning the colorful bracelets, with the cathedral as a backdrop (then again at different sights in all the cities we visited). From that point on, we called ourselves the “bracelet brigade.” From the cathedral square we walked through the Galleria Vittoria, an immense cross-shaped mall filled with only the ritziest stores. We continued to the Castle Sforzala, an enormous structure that once housed some of the most influencial Milanese families. Behind the castle we enjoyed a large park, where we sat and relaxed next to a duck pond, gazing at a copy of the Arc D’Triomphe in the distance. Finally, we found a quaint little cafe and ate lunch before heading back to the train station.
After boarding our train to Nice, we were informed once again that we needed a reservation, and again we didn’t have it. Off the train, running to the ticket booth, we quickly realized that the train, leaving in less than 5 minutes, was the only one going to Nice that day. Rather than wait in line and surely miss it, we ran back to the terminal, boarded the train, and hoped for the best. When the conductor came around for our reservations, he fined us the exact amount of a reservation, amounting to about 7 Euro - well worth it.
Our directions to the hostel in Nice were much better than what we had the night before, and we found it without any problem. (we did pass a man peeing on the sidewalk on our way though). Reception had closed at 8 pm, so we used a code (emailed to us with our confirmation) to unlock the door, and then the safe containing our room keys. The next morning, after breakfast at Haagan Das, we walked to the St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral. The church was unlike any other cathedral we’ve seen. The building reminded m instantly of something from Disney’s Aladin. Though obviously a Christian church, it was easy to see the Islamic influence in the architecture. We didn’t realize it was Sunday morning until we arrived. (Individual days get muddled at HUF, since we travel often and have class on Saturdays). We were able to sneak in the back door and see a portion of their service.
Though much of our group travel thus far has been to picturesque beaches, we were still amazed at the brilliantly turquoise water of the French Riviera. The beach in Nice was simply beautiful. The day was too cold for swimming, but we walked and sat until it was time to find lunch. We ate, then took much needed naps at the hostel. We made it back to the beach for a breathtaking sunset after a bit of souvenier shopping. We had dessert for supper, walked the streets of Nice for a bit longer, and watched an artist at work for a while. Nice was probably my favorite little town so far. The town itself was a bit contradictory though. The view was impecable, and the people were friendly, but the streets were filthy the homeless population was higher than anywhere I’d been.
We slept in Monday morning, leaving the Hostel Paradis around 10 am. We arrived at the train station with an hour to spare (ironically this time, we didn’t need reservations for the train). Our train to Marseille was short, and we arrived in daylight for a change. We checked into our hostel (Logan and I had a private room, which was really nice), then took the metro into the downtown area. After procuring a map from the tourist office, we went in search of the Palais Longchamp. I’d been looking forward to seeing it since we started planning our trip. The “Watery Palace” more than lives up to its name. Housing a fine arts museum in the left wing, and a national history museum in the right, the palace itself is enormous. In front, there is a large waterfall with a pond, surrounded by lush green lawns. Since we came after tourist season ended, both museums were closed for rennovation, there was scaffolding on one wing, and empty spots on the lawn in preparation for winter landscaping. Even so, it was a beautiful place. We returned to the hostel for an amazing dinner at the attached restaurant, then went to bed early.
The trip to Barcelona was the longest train ride, amounting to almost 7 hours. We bought food at a market before hand, and made a picnic on the train with a baguette, cheese, prosciutto, and fresh fruit. We passed time with movies on our laptops, music, and naps. We arrived around 9:30, and took the metro to our hostel (by this time we were pros). The hostel in Barcelona was great. Even though we shared 6-bed dorms and community bathrooms, it was the cleanest place we stayed. They had a laundry room, a kitchen, a computer lab, and a living room with satellite television. In the morning, they offered breakfast of coffee, toast and cereal for no extra charge.
Barcelona was the perfect stopping point for the week long journey. We took the metro into town, and were excited to find a Dunkin Donuts at the first stop. Finding variable sizes and to-go cups for coffee in Europe is rare, so we were thrilled to have the priviledge. We went to the Aquarium, and just when we thought they didn’t have them, we found the penguins (Logan’s favorite animal). There was an OmniMax theater across from the aquarium, so we went and saw a show about the Swiss Alps. Ironically, it was narrated in Spanish, about an American rock-climber. Next we found the beach. It was the first sand beach we’ve seen since we’ve been in Europe. After taking off our shoes and walking along the beautiful shore for a while, we found snacks and made our way back to the hostel to observe the Spanish Siesta (we wanted to be sure and soak up as much culture as possible;)). Then, since it was our last night of free travel, we went out for a nice supper. Logan and I split the traditional Spanish dish Paella, which is a rice dish with vegetables, sausage, and shellfish. For dessert I ordered Creme Brulee, which was perfect. We sat and enjoyed a nice, relaxed meal together, spending over 3 hours at the restaurant.
We made our way to the airport a few hours early. As we stood in line waiting to go through security, I saw a “no pocketknives” sign, and remembered the giant utility knife set I have in my purse. Reluctant to throw it away, I decided to wait until they caught it. Logan went through first, and was watching the X-Ray screen as my bag passed through. She said she clearly saw the 2 - part set, but the agent at that post wasn’t watching the screen, and it passed through without consequence. I was simultaneously relieved to have kept my knife and slightly concerned as to what else might have passed through the laz security. Our plane was a surprisingly sturdy Boeing 737. Having paid 1 Euro cent plus taxes for our tickets, we were a bit worried at first. We arrived in Rome, took a bus to the train station, and booked a EuroStar fast train to get back to Florence.
It was amazing to pull into the Santa Maria Novella Station in Florence. We were home. As we walked up the hill to our villa, we laughed and relived all of our amazing experiences from this week. I think we ended up being one of the only groups to still genuinely like eachother when we returned. This week was truly one of the most incredible experiences of my life.
