Una Ragazza Siciliana in Sicilia

A Sicilian Girl in Sicily. From what I'm told, my family is from Sicily. Though I have no idea from which part of the island we are (it's a big island!), I like to think I might have rubbed elbows with a distant cousin this weekend. That's right. I traveled with my friend and flatmate Natalie to Trapani, Sicily this weekend. And it was beautiful.

Getting There
The trip started off on the wrong foot. Our initial departure was via a RyanAir flight from Pisa to Trapani on Friday afternoon. Early last week, the airline emailed me and said that the flight had been changed to 6:30am on Friday. Ay Dio! To make matters worse, I received another email on Thursday night saying that we would be flying to Palermo, about an hour and a half bus ride from Trapani. Pisa is about an hour's drive from Florence so we had to catch a 3:30am bus on Friday to make our flight.

Then, we were standing in line to board our plane when everyone begins to sit back down. With our knowledge of Italian, we managed to learn that our flight had been delayed until 9:45am. No announcement was made. We had to discover what was happening on our own. I love this country but this kind of thing is SO Italy.  And I now understand why RyanAir is so cheap.

We made it eventually but were totally spent.

Novecento Bed and Breakfast
There aren't many hostels in Sicily but this B&B was comparable in price and completely adorable. My program puts us in 4 star hotels but this place was my favorite place that I have stayed so far during my experience.

A 30-something Italian man, Ignazio, ran the B&B, cooked us breakfast, and always made sure we had what we needed. His elderly father owns the place but Ignazio is in charge. And he's the man.

The B&B was decorated and furnished solely with antiques, and the charm of it was something you can't find in a 4-star hotel. What's more, breakfast was served each morning on the terrace.

Breakfast on the terrace. 

The People
One of the best parts of the people in Trapani was the fact that about 90% of them were locals! You don't get that in Florence! I feel like I experienced real Italians this weekend! And most of them were much more friendly than Florentines.

However, if you can imagine it, the men were even more forward in Trapani than in mainland Italy. When Natalie and I were sitting on the port the first night, a guy drove up to us and asked us to get in the car with him. After a strong refusal from both of us, he asked why! I won't go into details but he continued to proposition us until, eventually, he figured he wasn't getting anywhere and drove off. At that point, we decided that sitting on the port probably wasn't the best place to be. We were accosted the entire weekend.

Weather
High 60s and sunny all weekend. We could not have chosen a better time to visit. Despite the fact that all of Italy is getting warmer, Italians still insist on wearing heavy winter coats and scarves. It's an anomaly that none of us can figure out.

There are tons of animals in Sicily!

Food
All food in Italy is regional. There is no such thing as "Italian" cuisine. Dishes that you find everywhere in Rome are nowhere to be seen in Florence and vice versa. Italians have a thing for fresh, locally grown ingredients (something I will sorely miss about Italy when I leave!).

There are A LOT of food specialties in Sicily that you can't find anywhere else. Obviously, fish is a huge part of the Sicilian diet. So, our first night on the island, we asked Ignazio for a good place to go for authentic Sicilian gastronomy. He suggested a small, "family-run" (we all know what "family-run" is code for in sicily!) osteria called "La Dolce Vita". The place was hopping with locals! The owner and his son served us 2 seafood dishes that Natalie and I split. We ordered Couscous al Pesce (couscous with fish) and Spaghetti with Octopus.

The fish arrived on the bone and with eyeballs still in socket which kind of freaked me out. What's worse, I had never had octopus but Natalie said it was good. I made the ignorant mistake of cutting into the head. When I saw the brain, I nearly vommed! I don't know what I was expecting to find in there. Chicken, I guess... I tried some tentacles but was a bit turned off by the brain and eyeballs on the table. It was a really good meal, though!

At the end of the meal, our waiter brought us some complimentary shots of a mysterious Sicilian liquor. Since I don't drink, Natalie downed both of them.

As we were walking back to the B&B, we passed a nearby pizzeria. We could smell the fragrant aromas a block away and, when we passed, we saw that it was PACKED with italians. From that moment, we decided we knew what we wanted for dinner on Saturday. It was literally a hole in the wall. You order, wait for your pizza, and take it to go. No hanging around. We ordered a medium veggie pizza with zucchini, mushrooms, spinach, and tomato. We waited in the pizzeria for an hour and a half but it was SO WORTH IT! You can't really find good pizza in Florence. It's a southern Italy thing. We enjoyed some pizza, diet coke, and a viewing of the Johnny Depp film Chocolat. That's a lovely Saturday night if I've ever experienced one.

Authentic Sicilian brick oven pizza. You know it's legit when
holding it makes your fingers black from the embers on the
bottom. 

Zucchini should be a required topping at every pizzeria.

Because we had no idea how big the pizza would be, it fed us Saturday for dinner and for both lunch AND dinner the next day. Delicious frugality, ftw!

Sicily is also well known for its dessert. Everyone knows cannoli and you can't find a decent cannolo anywhere on the mainland. It's strictly Sicilian. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that traditional cannoli are NOT fried. They're baked. Yum. Natalie wanted Cassata, a cake consisting of layers of cannolo cream and sponge cake covered in pastel green marzipan and a sugar glaze and topped with candied fruit. We got them at a pasticceria (bakery) that Ignazio recommended and enjoyed them with our leftover pizza on Sunday evening. I have never had a cannolo so delicious and, after trying a bite of Natalie's cassata, I'm determined to recreate it when I return home.

"Mini" Cannoli...the one I got. 

I'm pretty sure their "normal" sized cannoli would've fed a
village in Africa. The small one was plenty for me!

My Cannolo

Cassata

Favignana
The Aegadian Islands are 3 islands that lie just off the coast of Trapani. Saturday, Natalie and I took a ferry to Favignana, the largest of the three. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen! There are brilliantly colored flowers and citrus trees EVERYWHERE. Exotic trees and cacti line the dusty roads. It reminded me of Arizona but with a heck ton of vegetation.

Lemons!

When we got to the island, the first things we saw were fishing boats. Since it was late morning, the fishermen were coming in and Italians were already lined up to buy their fish right off the boat. I'm convinced that the only thing Italians will ever be on time for is food. Regardless, this scene was one of the most adorable things I'd ever seen. Naturally, I got creepy and took tons of pictures. Italians must think I'm so weird. I take pictures of everything.

The island was big so we wanted to rent a scooter but decided that, since neither of us had ever driven one, we had better stick to bikes to get around the island. They were cheap and we got exercise. We spent the day biking along the coast of the island, looking for the "beach". After about 2 hours of biking around, we found Cala Rossa (Red Cove).

This cove contained rugged cliffs, jagged rocks, and caves too deep to explore without a flashlight. We decided to set up camp and lay out in the sun for about 3 hours. Our only protection from the sun was some Olay with spf 15 in it for our faces so, needless to say, I'm a little pink. Unfortunately, because of the direction of the sun, I am only badly burnt on my right side. The red slowly fades into the translucent shade of white that I maintain during the winter. To top off the weird burn, I must have neglected my right eye when applying the cream because, on my face, I am only burnt in a perfect circle around it. When I'm not wearing makeup, I look like I have been punched in the face. Unattractive? Yes. Hilarious? Absolutely.

Despite the burns, relaxing for a bit was just what I needed. And to top it off, there is nothing quite as blue as the Mediterranean. Pictures don't do it justice. Also, besides 4 stark naked European women on some rocks below us, we had the cove completely to ourselves.

The Beach
We wanted to go to some mountains around Trapani on Sunday but, to our surprise, buses don't run on Sundays (Despite the secularism of Italy, the shut everything down on the Sabbath). Instead, we walked the entire length of the peninsula  (Trapani is a peninsula, btw) along the beach. We found some really cool ruins by the sea to enjoy our lunch of leftover pizza and it took us the entire day to walk the length of Trapani.

The Mafia
Sicily is basically the "headquarters" for the mafia. I am convinced that I figured out the structure of the mafia in Trapani. Our B&B was owned by a father and son. They recommended La Dolce Vita to us for dinner which was also owned by a father and son. After eating at the restaurant, the son asked us where we were staying. When we told him, he nodded approvingly. My theory is that, in Trapani, the hotel/B&B owners are in cahoots with certain restaurant owners and they help each other out. Just a theory.

Getting Back
We had to take the 4:30am bus from Trapani to Palermo to catch our 8:20 flight. Thankfully, our flight departed on time but, because of cloud coverage, we circled the Pisa airport for about an hour. Natalie and I barely made our 10:30 bus back to Florence. When we got to Florence, it was 11:50. Both of us have class at noon on Monday and mine just happened to have a field trip on the other side of the city today. I was 10 minutes late and a nervous wreck but, now I'm home and I can chill.

The Mediterranean is one of the most breathtaking things I have ever seen and I can't wait to see it again in 2 weeks when I go to the Amalfi Coast! This weekend, my program is taking us to Siena and Perugia, small towns in the hills of Tuscany. I'm totally stoked!

Ciao amori!
~Britt

Paris, Je T'aime?

Of the four cities that I planned to visit on my Spring Break trip, Paris was the one I was most looking forward to. The most romantic city on earth...home to the Eiffel Tower, buttery pastries, and some of my favorite films. It was going to be fabulous! Surprisingly, it ended up being my least favorite city of all. I hate to be that person and I did enjoy Paris VERY MUCH but, honestly, it is highly overrated. There are far too many tourists to fall in love and it is such a big city that, by the end of my time there, I was more familiar with the metro system than the city itself.

Don't get me wrong. It's a really cool city but it's cool in the same way that London is cool. It's massive and there is a lot to see and do. There's always a concert going on or a show playing. The architecture is similar to London's and there's a lot of history there. It's pretty but not nearly as gorgeous as Prague or Amsterdam.

The Tower

We arrived at about 5pm on Thursday. I was still feeling sick and a little dehydrated so we took it easy and just took a stroll to the Eiffel Tower to see it lit up. It was gorgeous and definitely one of those surreal "look at where I am!" moments.

When we went back during the day, it was even more beautiful. It's a tourist feeding ground but, if you can get past the sketchy guys everywhere harassing you with cheap eiffel tower keychains, it's totally worth it. We didn't walk up the tower because the lines are ridiculously long and it's hella expensive. Seeing the tower was awesome enough for me.

Champs Elysees

This is the famous street that leads up to the arc du triomphe. It's definitely one of the most mispronounced street names in the history of the planet so say it with me: SHAWZ EH-LEE-ZAYZ (one thing I really love about the Italians is that they pronounce words EXACTLY how they're spelled, lol).

So, we walked all the way up the road (which is far longer than it appears!), past shops like H&M and Louis Vitton, to the Arc. The Arc is surrounded my a roundabout approximately 5 cars deep with no street lines. It's estimated that an accident happens here every 20 minutes.

The Louvre

First of all, like most attractions in Paris, the line for the Louvre is CRAZY LONG. It takes at least an hour to get through it. Fortunately, our tour guide told us of a lesser known entrance through a metro station and we got right in. Score!

Secondly, the Louvre is HUGE! There are over 35,000 works of art and we were told that, to see everything, you would need at least a week. We picked 4 art pieces we wanted to see and it took us about an hour and a half to see them. It's an impossible place to navigate.

Kate and I at the Louvre

Eyebrowless and creepy in all her glory.

Mary Magdalene

You know you've found the Mona Lisa when you see the clump of about 50 Asian tourists looking at the same thing. Let me tell you something, the Mona Lisa is so tiny! I honestly didn't see what the big deal was. There are so many more impressive pieces in that museum and I have no idea why people choose to focus on that one. Maybe I'm being too snarky.

We also found Napoleon's coronation piece. In case you don't know, when the pope was crowning him, Napoleon took the crown from his hands and placed it on his own head. He didn't want anyone to say they helped him rise to power. He wanted all the glory for himself.

Notre Dame

We saw the church in the morning during our walking tour but we didn't get to go inside.

Kate and I went back to it in the evening to check it out. We didn't climb to the tower so no hunchbacks were spotted but we did get a different surprise. While we were inside Notre Dame walking around, mass started! I'm obviously not Catholic but I still think it's pretty cool that I inadvertently attended a mass in Notre Dame.

In 9 years of being Catholic, I never remember seeing a giant
bowl of smoke. The French know how to do mass. 

Sacre Coeur 

We were told that if we wanted to see the "real Paris" (aka, the Paris that everyone thinks is Paris), we needed to go up to Sacre Coeur, a church on a hill overlooking the city. It was still extremely touristy but it was much more beautiful than anything we saw in the city's center.  And, apparently, 90% of the film Amelie was filmed there (that's one of my favorite movies. If you haven't seen it, you should!).

The view was amazing and the church was really gorgeous.

If you've seen Amelie, you should recognize this. 

Versailles

This was my favorite part of my time in Paris...and it isn't even in the city. The Palace of Versailles was built by King Louis XIV in the 1600s and housed Marie Antoinette, Napoleon, and other famous rulers in the French monarchy. And it was the biggest, most beautiful building I have ever seen.

The gate, entryway, and molding of the palace is gold. I have no idea if it is real but it's shiny. The rooms are massive and the frescoes on the ceilings and art on the walls rival the Sistine Chapel. Countless crystal chandeliers fill each room and every apartment is extravagantly decorated. King Louis was not messing around.

The famous Hall of Mirrors

Marie Antoinette's Bedroom

The gardens are even more impressive. We didn't have time to walk through them all because they appear to go on forever. There are flowers, shaped shrubs, trees, courtyards, statues, lakes, streams, cottages, and some of the weirdest fountains I have ever seen. I really wish we could have spent more time there.

Cathy

Cathy, one of my best friends from back home, is a French major and in love with French culture. Naturally, I was wishing she was with me the whole time. I would have loved to experience Paris with her.

If you can't read it, the sign says. "Wish
you were here, Cathy!"

One thing Cathy told me was to eat a croissant at a sidewalk cafe in Paris for her. Unfortunately, sidewalk cafes don't actually sell croissants (sorry, Cathy!). I did find a patisserie (bakery) and enjoyed my croissant on a park bench. I was still feeling ill so it was the first thing I had eaten in about 2.5 days that didn't make me sick (good suggestion, girl!) The old french woman I bought it from was so typically french. She didn't speak English and she was extremely rude. I also ordered one macaroon and she scoffed at me. Excuse me, if you don't want my business, I can go elsewhere. Both the croissant and the macaroon were yummy and well worth the fight!

Also, when we were enjoying our croissants, a parade of men leading goats and children came marching in front of us. It was the most random thing EVER!

People

I tried to have no expectations regarding French people before arriving so that I would not be inclined to find them rude. But there seemed to be a consensus among us: French people are rude. In Amsterdam, everyone was so helpful and laid back. In Paris, people just didn't seem to care (much like NYC). Also, most Parisians speak English but won't use it. If you try to speak French with them, they get even more mad at you because you butcher their language. It's really best just to keep your mouth shut in Paris.

I did meet one nice Frenchman at a cute hand painted porcelain shop near Sacre Coeur. He was adorable and took €2 off my purchase because it was raining and I forgot my umbrella.

Is it French or Italian? 


Many things that we consider to be French culture actual came directly from Italy through the marriage of Caterina de' Medici to King Henry. 


Food: She brought over her pastry chefs who introduced the French to puff pastry (so, thank the Italians for croissants and pain au chocolat) and other types of cakes (like macaroons). She brought the frittata, which led to the omelette. 

Yum!

Refinement: The fork was unheard of in France (any anywhere else, for that matter) until she brought it from Florence. Thanks to her, the world uses silverware!
Fashion: Caterina influenced fashion and  introduced the concept of the 16 inch waist via the corset and was the first to wear high heels (maybe we shouldn't thank her for those two!)


Random Stuff

-We visited the Moulin Rouge! We didn't go inside but it was cool to see. I love that movie! Haha.

-We were entertained by a clarinet and saxophone player on the metro. I thought that they were there for my enjoyment but, when I tried to take a picture of them, they wanted money. An important concept I learned over spring break: It's all about the benjamins. Lesson learned.

-I had recovered enough by the last night of our trip to somewhat enjoy some of a crepe at a creperie near Sacre Coeur. I ordered Crepes Gourmande: Crepes filled with nutella and pineapple and topped with chantilly and toasted coconut. It was still a bit much for my stomach but I think I did okay with it!

And now, I'm home sweet home in Florence, Italy! As much as I loved the trip, Firenze feels so good and I was ready to get back. We drove 15 hours in the bus from Paris! (I made sure I was heavily medicated)

I spent a total of about 50 hours on this thing!

If you think planes don't have legroom, try riding on this bus!

Over the course of 10 days, I travelled 4500 kilometers by bus with 100+ college students through 7 European countries, stopping in 4 major cities: Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam, and Paris. My favorite city was Prague, followed by Amsterdam, Berlin, and Paris. I'm going to have a tough time topping this spring break!

Talk to you all soon!
~Britt