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All the moving around and constant state of "busy-ness" has really made it difficult for me to just sit down and slowly cross off the things on my list that started five years ago. Screenprinting? More sketching? Learning to build a proper website? Timelapse videos? Research and documentation? Jewellery? Knitting? Sewing? Now that undergrad has finished, wouldn't it be prudent of me to do them? Duh. Helllll yes.

Ironically, I made that mental progress today while stuck in traffic on the 401, accompanied by crappy radio tunes and a Coke (excellent combination). After all, highways are the roads to freedom, right? Uh, yeah. It's time to crack down and get to the real stuff. Whatever it is. Hopefully it involves less time with the computer. I have a love/hate relationship with it. Mostly love, I'll admit.

But friends, there are many reasons to leave your computer. Vacation, for one, is an excellent reason! Mark and I travelled to Firenze, Cinque Terre and Venezia this past winter for our holiday. Little did I know I was being robbed clean while I was having so much fun. But, I still have these amazing experiences, so it's a bittersweet ending to my semester in Italy. Read on for a more detailed account of my trip!

For those of you who haven't been to Cinque Terre, it's a must! We got lucky with the warmer weather during the day, and we were able to do much of the hiking between towns without much worry. Manarola has the largest Nativity scene in Europe (or the world) and our apartment was located directly across the valley from it. The terraces were actual vineyards, backing on to a cemetery. We dined at this super cute place in the heart of town, where the waitress told us she was from "Dracula land"...we got it ;) At this point my Italian had gotten good enough to be able to order meals and drink with no problem, inquire about different kinds of dishes, and be served without haughty looks (thankfully). I was very happy that the locals didn't try to speak English to me instead. It made learning Italian that much harder, but I learned much faster than I would have just taking Italian class! Mark and I spent Christmas here, but not without the power going off in our apartment early in the night, so we spent most of our time trying to keep ourselves warm (hahahaha)...joking...

But in all seriousness, Cinque Terre is something out of the ordinary. All the towns are built surrounding the port, both culture and architecture wholly integrated with each other. The entire chain of towns are connected through a lower trail hugging the coast, and an upper trail that gives great vistas of the towns below. In some of the photos you will be able to see the amount of white wash from the deflection of the waves against the rocks. The swell that had hit the coast while we were there was absolutely sublime! We probably stood at the lookout for at least 1/2 hour watching the waves hit the break wall time after time after time. You could really feel the power of nature at full force. I wish we could have spent more time there, but one day I know we'll be back...

We had taken the train from Cinque Terre to La Spezia to Venezia. The Christmas weather turned the almost always reliable Italian train system into a completely helter-skelter mess to navigate through. But we made it into Venezia in good timing! I had only taken the vaporetto once prior to this visit, so it was super exciting to try it again. We snaked down the Rialto to our Hotel, which was located on the southern part of the city. The hotel turned out to be the place with the interior courtyard that I had eyed the last time I was there. Who knew! Liassidi Palace. Definitely lived up to its name. Our room had amazingly tall ceilings with beautiful windows to suit. Did I mention they brought us champagne too? No, no...we're not on our honeymoon...but grazie! The unit was what you would call...contemporary...modern? Klimt + lightbox + chandelier + mirror wall + massive bed + jacuzzi = ??

Venice. I find that the most amazing details exist in this one place alone. There are not enough words to describe what this place is.

I actually posted these photos out of order...we started with Firenze, then to Cinque Terre, then to Venezia, and then back a Roma. I suppose I ordered these unconsciously from my favourite place down. Florence, known to all for its Renaissance art and architecture, is definitely a gem full of surprises. Surprise No. 1: There were bicycles! Lots of them! The city is considerably smaller (and much cleaner) than Rome, and far less chaotic, which, to my surprise (No. 2), I had actually missed. I had spent a whole semester dodging mopeds and cars while travelling by bicycle that I forgot that it was possible for all three to co-exist normally. Parma too, stood out very clearly to me because of it's evident consideration for bicycles.





Jojo had lived in Firenze for a year or so not too long ago, and suggested us to go to "Acqua al'Due" for dinner. Amazing place! Excellent wine and food. The Saturday leather market, unfortunately, did not live up to its review. I found bags either too generic, poorly stamped, or too expensive. That was not a good morning (No.3). We later stumbled upon an excellent soup bar, and washed away the morning's disappointment with hearty, local stew complete with a breadbowl. Surprise No.4: We paid a visit to David, and I found that he was considerably larger in person than I had envisioned in my mind. A very good thing, of course. The gallery also featured a Robert Mapplethorpe exhibition, which I thought was extremely fortuitous!! (No.5) I had been dying to see more of his work in real life since my time at the Whitney, and once again, he blew me away. The perfect shot, is the perfect shot. Excellent day.

Firenze, I will probably see you again too.

The end of our trip lead us back to Rome, where we had to deal with the break-in, Carabinieri, a new lock, and the prospect of parting for another four more months. Thankfully our passports were left behind, so we didn't have to deal with our respective embassies before departing Rome. The final few days were hectic, stressful, but still, perfect. We cycled through the city one last time, but not without going along the Tiber. Thanks to Dan, Val, Ryszard and the Sliwka Family for a warm final week. I learned a lot of lessons during this time, and one thing is for sure: I should always trust my instincts, because they've never failed to reveal the truth.

A tiny perspective into my life abroad. Italy, December 2010.