Britt and I are currently in our midterm week! We sure have come a long way. I have gotten so excited about writing up summaries from our amazing weekend trips that I haven't made time to share our plethora of patient stories! So, that is what I will attempt to do today.
Right now, Britt and I are at a coffee shop/bar in the neighboring town of Campo Tizzoro. They have Internet here so we have been able to work on some of our assignments for school. (See, I told you we were working and not just having fun!) We drove our Smart car down here to take advantage of the free Wifi for a few hours while enjoying a few cappuccinos :) We rented the car on Sunday from the Pisa airport when I got back from Paris (post about that exciting weekend next!). While we have really been enjoying navigating the bus and train schedules *cough*, we wanted to take advantage of visiting some of the smaller Tuscan towns that are close by and going by car is the best option.
Anyway, yay for exciting patient stories! Ah, where to begin. I guess I can start with today! Britt has been working with a particularly difficult man who seems to have an unending supply of comments, good and bad. If you will recall a previous post, this is the same man who said "Mi Questa bamba", which means "This is my baby" after Britt had worked hard with him. In the days to follow, he has called me the black devil ???, said the exercises were stupid, and tried to kiss me on the head. Today he said a phrase in Italian to Britt, and when we asked another therapist what he was saying, he said it meant "I kill you". This guy!! He will be hitting on Britt and me one minute and then saying stuff like that the next. Several times he will say a lot to us and when we ask someone to interpret they say "No sense, no sense and no sense"! So we don't really pay attention to what he says unless when know it has to do specifically with PT. Also today, we were in the assisted living facility taking patients for quick strolls around the halls to get them up and moving. One woman we were walking with kept going on and on about something in Italian and looking to us for a response. (If they don't look at us, most of the time we just let them talk). Since she was looking at me so eagerly, I had to respond, "Non capisco Italiano. Americano, solo Inglese. Mi dispiace." Well, for whatever reason she did not like my response and got really upset and started talking furiously at us. We asked a therapist to translate and he said she was telling us that if we are in Italy we should speak Italian and if we only speak English, we need to go back to America. Woah! That's the first time we have gotten a response like that from anyone! In my defense, I was speaking Italian to her, I just didn't understand what she was saying to me.
We had to say goodbye to two of our favorite patients today. Our little English lady who has helped us get through the difficult days, and we have helped her get through her rough days, and the man who bought us coffee and told us he would be our Dad while he was here. We searched for them both today after worked and said goodbye :( There may have been tears in all of our eyes. But we are very happy for them to be able to return home with their families.
Since we are living one floor above the therapy room, we are constantly seeing our patients and others with whom we haven't worked with, but have come to know just through proximity. One night we went downstairs to the main room and had ice cream with two of our patients, another night we watched a soccer game with two other patients and then one of them, who is younger and speaks some English, bought a pizza and we shared it a 10pm that night when all of the older patients had
gone to bed.
Never a dull moment! By the way, this area is definitely living up to the name of my blog. The sunsets have been gorgeous almost every night. I've been taking lots of pictures! One day I promise you will see them, too.
We have made several friends from our meal crew, whom we see around the facility as we are walking around. One day we were walking outside past a corridor that connects two buildings where a lot of the residents hang out and have coffee. One man, who is probably our favorite from the dining hall, opened a window and shouted out "Buongiorno!" at us as we walked by. He had the biggest toothless smile on his face. Haha, we had a hearty laugh about that encounter.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Ah Venice....
This weekend Britt and I made it to Venice!! We have been so excited for this trip. Friday after work, we grabbed our bags and high-tailed it up the road to Gavinana's center and the bus station. We caught our bus and made it to Pistoia, where we then got on a train for Florence. In Florence, we changed trains for one to Venezia! While in the Firenze train station waiting for our train, we pulled out some cookies to munch on. A girl came by and pointed to our cookies and then her mouth all the while speaking another language. It took me a minute to realize what she wanted, and then I realized she wanted a cookie. So I gave her the one in my hand and she took it and walked away. Very random.. The train ride to Venezia was about 2 1/2 hours and was on a faster train that felt like an airplane on tracks. Now our hotel was not in Venice, but in Mestre which is right outside of Venice and therefore cheaper. We got off at the train station and realized we had no idea where our hotel was. Thankfully, my iPad came through! I was able to map our way to the hotel from the station, which was about a 20-30 minute walk. When we got to our hotel, The Venezia, we were very surprised. It was a nice-ish place, but very gaudily decorated. The front desk people were very helpful. While we were standing up there, a man came up and asked for another room because he said it was the smallest room he'd ever seen in his life. Uh oh...not a good sign. We head up to our room and when I open the door...I see the smallest room I've ever seen in my life. The bathroom was almost just as big as the bedroom part! Fortunately, we were only sleeping here and only for one night. We had a good laugh about it.
After we got settled into our closet, we go out to catch the bus the front desk told us about and experience Venice at night! All these buses and trams and trains are crazy, but we are learning a lot everyday! The bus takes us across the water to the island to Piazza Roma, which is where all of the buses pick-up and drop off. From here we go to an information desk and buy our "Rolling Venice" cards, which are for people 15-29 and we get discounts on admission to various places of interest as well as a discount on a 72 hour pass for the vaporetti, the water bus that takes you around the major canals of Venice. We hopped on the vaporetti that went down the Grand Canal all the way to San Marco. The way down was about 20 minutes and it was so cool. Then we got back on and went to he Accademia stop which is known for having cheaper prices and a younger nightlife. We walked around for a bit, had dinner and then traversed our way on foot back to the Piazza Roma to catch our bus back to the hotel. All of our guide books encouraged us to "get lost" in the back streets of Venice. It's the best way to experience the city and since we are on an island, it's impossible to get really lost. We got back to our hotel and passed out. It was a long day!
The next morning, we had breakfast at the hotel and then checked out to head to our second hotel for Saturday night. Why didn't we just stay at this hotel both nights you ask? Well, that was the plan, but when we booked it, we didn't realize we had messed up the check-in and check-out dates and when we went back minutes later to book Saturday night, it was sold out! So, an hour later we finally found a second hotel, which was in another town, Marghera, on the opposite side of the train station. So per the hotel's suggestion, we took the tram to the train station and walked from there to our hotel. I busted out my iPad and mapped our way out. This side of the tracks was much calmer and was such a nice area than the other side, Mestre. We joked that Mestre, the town of our first hotel, was the New Jersey to Venice's New York City. Once we found our second hotel, Albergo Serena Villa, it was such a breath of fresh air. Cute, quaint, B&B style. The room was twice as big as the previous, which albeit, wasn't saying much. But we had 2 twin beds instead of one double which was nice.
After settling in here, we figured out this second bus schedule and got on for what we thought was heading to Venice, well we realized too late that, yes, it was going to Venice, but only after it went the complete opposite direction and then came all the way back again. Oy oy...but we finally made it back to Venice! It was a beautiful clear day with the temperature in the mid 70s. We couldn't have asked for better weather. We get on the vaporetti for Piazza San Marco and realize that this, too, is going the opposite direction from where we want to go...so we hop off on the next stop and wait for a vaporetti going back the other way. We did find, though, that this way we can get prime seating at the front before the crowds load up! We used this to our advantage on our last day when we took a final trip down the entire Grand Canal while listening to a podcast from Rick Steves describing the sights along the way.
The Piazza San Marco was the busiest part of Venice, but also the most beautiful. I might have done a little twirl in the middle of the piazza because it felt so surreal :) We're in Venice! We saw the Museo Correr and National Archaeology Museum, both of which house ancient artifacts. We stopped for gelato, then went into St. Mark's Basilica, another gorgeous church in Italy. The line to get in was very long, but, thanks to a tip from Britt's family, we took a backpack and checked it (because they don't allow extra bags) and with the ticket they gave us we were able to skip the entire line! We were able to go to the top of the church and go out on a balcony for a view of the entire piazza. There were two orchestras which had about 4 musicians each that played in the piazza; gorgeous music that was the epitome of my idea of Italy. And one orchestra played one of my favorite songs, "Time To Say Goodbye"!
For dinner, we found a recommendation in my book, "Let's Go Italy!" which is made for students. It took forever to find the restaurant, "Ristorante Anima Bella" which my book describes as having the best ravioli in Venice. Once we finally found the place on a back street behind the piazza, we saw that it was no bigger than our room at the first hotel! There were five tables and they were all squeezed in together. There was only one table available left, for two! So we sat and the waitress came by, who I presume was the owner, and told us our three options. We heard ravioli and said that's it! And boy were they right. It was the absolute best dish I've had since being in Italy! It was a great way to end the day.
The following day, our last in Venice, we go back to San Marco for one last look and gelato and then get a vaporetti for the island of Murano, the "glass island" that produces the famous Venetian glass We did not have as much time to explore there as we would have liked, but we visited a museum that had on display pieces that trace the development of Murano's glass industry from its earliest stages (1st century!) to the present day. Then it was time to head to the train station for our long trip back "home". We sure were sad to leave Venice.
On the bus ride back up the mountain to Gavinana, we met a lady who discovered we were Americano when she tried to strike up a conversation with Britt. We told her we were students at Turati and she immediately recognized the place. She made sure we knew when to change buses and when to get off for our final stop after she told the bus driver where to take us. (We didn't have the heart to tell her we'd done this before.) But we were very grateful that she cared enough to look out
for us! We continue to meet such nice people here in Italy!
After we got settled into our closet, we go out to catch the bus the front desk told us about and experience Venice at night! All these buses and trams and trains are crazy, but we are learning a lot everyday! The bus takes us across the water to the island to Piazza Roma, which is where all of the buses pick-up and drop off. From here we go to an information desk and buy our "Rolling Venice" cards, which are for people 15-29 and we get discounts on admission to various places of interest as well as a discount on a 72 hour pass for the vaporetti, the water bus that takes you around the major canals of Venice. We hopped on the vaporetti that went down the Grand Canal all the way to San Marco. The way down was about 20 minutes and it was so cool. Then we got back on and went to he Accademia stop which is known for having cheaper prices and a younger nightlife. We walked around for a bit, had dinner and then traversed our way on foot back to the Piazza Roma to catch our bus back to the hotel. All of our guide books encouraged us to "get lost" in the back streets of Venice. It's the best way to experience the city and since we are on an island, it's impossible to get really lost. We got back to our hotel and passed out. It was a long day!
The next morning, we had breakfast at the hotel and then checked out to head to our second hotel for Saturday night. Why didn't we just stay at this hotel both nights you ask? Well, that was the plan, but when we booked it, we didn't realize we had messed up the check-in and check-out dates and when we went back minutes later to book Saturday night, it was sold out! So, an hour later we finally found a second hotel, which was in another town, Marghera, on the opposite side of the train station. So per the hotel's suggestion, we took the tram to the train station and walked from there to our hotel. I busted out my iPad and mapped our way out. This side of the tracks was much calmer and was such a nice area than the other side, Mestre. We joked that Mestre, the town of our first hotel, was the New Jersey to Venice's New York City. Once we found our second hotel, Albergo Serena Villa, it was such a breath of fresh air. Cute, quaint, B&B style. The room was twice as big as the previous, which albeit, wasn't saying much. But we had 2 twin beds instead of one double which was nice.
After settling in here, we figured out this second bus schedule and got on for what we thought was heading to Venice, well we realized too late that, yes, it was going to Venice, but only after it went the complete opposite direction and then came all the way back again. Oy oy...but we finally made it back to Venice! It was a beautiful clear day with the temperature in the mid 70s. We couldn't have asked for better weather. We get on the vaporetti for Piazza San Marco and realize that this, too, is going the opposite direction from where we want to go...so we hop off on the next stop and wait for a vaporetti going back the other way. We did find, though, that this way we can get prime seating at the front before the crowds load up! We used this to our advantage on our last day when we took a final trip down the entire Grand Canal while listening to a podcast from Rick Steves describing the sights along the way.
The Piazza San Marco was the busiest part of Venice, but also the most beautiful. I might have done a little twirl in the middle of the piazza because it felt so surreal :) We're in Venice! We saw the Museo Correr and National Archaeology Museum, both of which house ancient artifacts. We stopped for gelato, then went into St. Mark's Basilica, another gorgeous church in Italy. The line to get in was very long, but, thanks to a tip from Britt's family, we took a backpack and checked it (because they don't allow extra bags) and with the ticket they gave us we were able to skip the entire line! We were able to go to the top of the church and go out on a balcony for a view of the entire piazza. There were two orchestras which had about 4 musicians each that played in the piazza; gorgeous music that was the epitome of my idea of Italy. And one orchestra played one of my favorite songs, "Time To Say Goodbye"!
For dinner, we found a recommendation in my book, "Let's Go Italy!" which is made for students. It took forever to find the restaurant, "Ristorante Anima Bella" which my book describes as having the best ravioli in Venice. Once we finally found the place on a back street behind the piazza, we saw that it was no bigger than our room at the first hotel! There were five tables and they were all squeezed in together. There was only one table available left, for two! So we sat and the waitress came by, who I presume was the owner, and told us our three options. We heard ravioli and said that's it! And boy were they right. It was the absolute best dish I've had since being in Italy! It was a great way to end the day.
The following day, our last in Venice, we go back to San Marco for one last look and gelato and then get a vaporetti for the island of Murano, the "glass island" that produces the famous Venetian glass We did not have as much time to explore there as we would have liked, but we visited a museum that had on display pieces that trace the development of Murano's glass industry from its earliest stages (1st century!) to the present day. Then it was time to head to the train station for our long trip back "home". We sure were sad to leave Venice.
On the bus ride back up the mountain to Gavinana, we met a lady who discovered we were Americano when she tried to strike up a conversation with Britt. We told her we were students at Turati and she immediately recognized the place. She made sure we knew when to change buses and when to get off for our final stop after she told the bus driver where to take us. (We didn't have the heart to tell her we'd done this before.) But we were very grateful that she cared enough to look out
for us! We continue to meet such nice people here in Italy!
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
It tastes like trash...
As I have mentioned before, Britt and I have meals included in the cost of us renting our rooms on the top of the rehab facility (I go to sleep and wake up hearing patients groaning and yelling). We eat in a lower part of the facility with the long-term residents. The food is questionable at best...we are pleasantly surprised when we get something we actually like! Our breakfast every morning consists of a cappuccino, a croissant, and mini toast-like crackers. We usually don't eat those unless the croissants aren't finished baking. We start work at 8 am and we get to breakfast at 7:30. Several residents are always waiting outside the doors. Every morning we say our usual greetings, "Buongiorno! Ciao!" The menu for lunch and dinner is always posted at the entrance of the dinning room, but we can't understand 3/4 of the words! The staff will attempt to ask us what we want, and if we can't give them a straight answer they just take our plates and surprise us. One day we had soup that was basically scrambled eggs in broth. Not too bad actually. Dinner one night was cooked spinach, ricotta cheese, and tomato slices. It was the most random plate of food. Last night we were served zucchini that was drenched in oil, salad with tomatoes, olives and tuna, and some kind of quiche. I have no idea what was in the quiche, but I took one bite and that was it. All Britt had to do was look at my face to decide she wasn't eating it. Today, we had a bread and tomato soup...topped with some parmesan cheese it wasn't that bad! We rely on the bread basket and our fruit they always serve for dessert. And what's interesting about the Italian lunch and dinner is that they always have 2 or 3 courses. So we always are given a soup or pasta before the main meal. This is usually the best part of the meal. It is the second part that we never know about. Last night we had pizza! Not as good as our Siena pizzeria pizza, but it was welcomed after the mystery meat we were served the night before!
We walk into lunch and dinner when they've already started. We wave and say our "Ciao" to our friends :) and the staff. We know where to get the water and napkins and extra silverware to help out the staff, and when we are finished, we take our plates into the back. We've gotten a nice routine going! When we were gone this past weekend and came back for our meals Monday, one man came over and asked where we were and then proceeded to ask us how long we are staying and do we have boyfriends? Haha, when I said no, he grabbed my hand and started saying, "Bella, Bella!" and asked why couldn't we stay 4 or 5 or 6 months instead of just 2? (This whole conversation, by the way, was completed with assistance from one of the few staff who can speak a little English and our growing ability to recognize the few key words we know.) The funny thing about this whole interaction is that this man always had a scowl on his face when he looked at us, but we always smiled back at him and I guess we finally broke him! And now he's in love with us. I really feel like a celebrity around here. As we walk around the facility, the patients and residents call out to us and we wave and speak to some here and there. One man knows exactly 5 words in English and uses a different one every time he sees us.
Britt and I are developing great relationships with our patients. One man who Britt has specifically been working with told us he would be our "dad" at the facility. Awwww!!! Today after Britt finished working her manual magic on him, he told us he wanted to buy us a caffe downstairs! He showed us where his room was so he could get his money and then we had a little coffee break and chatted with him for a bit. Such a sweet man, he always has a smile on his face. Another man we worked with today, well Britt did all the work (a lot of work, let's just say she was "glistening" after finishing his treatment). I assisted. When we got him up to walk, he immediately grabbed my hand in a death grip and as we all walked across the hall to the other gym, he and I walked in first and then he started to close the door behind us! I said, "Oh, no, no, no!" (This statement is universal.) and he laughed and I led him back out of the room and he said "Questa mi bamba", which means "This is my baby!" Britt did all the work and then he hits on me. Oh these old Italian men...Anyway, our days are never dull at the facility! I am sure there will be many more stories to come.
We walk into lunch and dinner when they've already started. We wave and say our "Ciao" to our friends :) and the staff. We know where to get the water and napkins and extra silverware to help out the staff, and when we are finished, we take our plates into the back. We've gotten a nice routine going! When we were gone this past weekend and came back for our meals Monday, one man came over and asked where we were and then proceeded to ask us how long we are staying and do we have boyfriends? Haha, when I said no, he grabbed my hand and started saying, "Bella, Bella!" and asked why couldn't we stay 4 or 5 or 6 months instead of just 2? (This whole conversation, by the way, was completed with assistance from one of the few staff who can speak a little English and our growing ability to recognize the few key words we know.) The funny thing about this whole interaction is that this man always had a scowl on his face when he looked at us, but we always smiled back at him and I guess we finally broke him! And now he's in love with us. I really feel like a celebrity around here. As we walk around the facility, the patients and residents call out to us and we wave and speak to some here and there. One man knows exactly 5 words in English and uses a different one every time he sees us.
Britt and I are developing great relationships with our patients. One man who Britt has specifically been working with told us he would be our "dad" at the facility. Awwww!!! Today after Britt finished working her manual magic on him, he told us he wanted to buy us a caffe downstairs! He showed us where his room was so he could get his money and then we had a little coffee break and chatted with him for a bit. Such a sweet man, he always has a smile on his face. Another man we worked with today, well Britt did all the work (a lot of work, let's just say she was "glistening" after finishing his treatment). I assisted. When we got him up to walk, he immediately grabbed my hand in a death grip and as we all walked across the hall to the other gym, he and I walked in first and then he started to close the door behind us! I said, "Oh, no, no, no!" (This statement is universal.) and he laughed and I led him back out of the room and he said "Questa mi bamba", which means "This is my baby!" Britt did all the work and then he hits on me. Oh these old Italian men...Anyway, our days are never dull at the facility! I am sure there will be many more stories to come.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Siena!
So sorry for not updating on our trip to Siena! We have jumped right into planning our next trip this weekend to....Venice! We are super excited about, but allora...This post is about Siena (allora is the equivalent to "anyway").
So, I explained in th last post about how we ended up in Siena. Not an easy feat. This is why it takes several hours to plan trips! And the stress that goes into it...but the result is worth it! Britt and I loved Siena. We used my iPad to find where our hostel was, " Casa di Antonella". The hostel keeper, Fabrizio, asked me to text him when we would be getting in, something I never thought I'd do! Made it feel very homey, which it basically was! It was a nondescript door with 4 names on it, the top one being Casa di Antonella. We rang the buzzer and the door unlocked! Then we climbed 4 flights of stairs to the very top. We met Fabrizio and he showed us our room, the two common bathrooms, and the kitchen. We set our stuff down and were on our way to explore!
First, we went to a small grocery store "La Fontana Della Frutta" and bought two containers of food, one was a pesto lasagna, the other couscous. She gave us two forks and we walked to the steps of the Baptistery and ate. Then we walked around the other side of the Baptistery to the Duomo. It is one of the most breathtaking buildings I have ever seen. Inside and out. We bought a combined ticket for 12 euro to enter the Duomo, Museo Dell'opera, Baptistery, and Crypt. The Duomo was just magnificent. We brought our cardigans along because inside, we have to keep our shoulders covered inside the cathedral and we are expected to be very quiet out of extreme respect. The Museo Dell'opera houses Sienese masterpieces that were once displayed in the cathedral (Duomo). There was a staircase inside a wall that lead to what would have been the top of the facade of the New Cathedral construction if not for the Black Plague (bubonic) in 1348. These stairs, which were spiral inside a very tight squeeze, lead to a gorgeous view of the entire city and surrounding areas in Tuscany. The Crypt was next and is not really a crypt, but that is what was thought when an excavation in 1999 led to the discovery of an underground cavern lined with 13th century frescoes. They were still very brightly covered since they had been sealed off for many centuries. Then we saw the Baptistery which was made to hold up the end of the Duomo since it was build on a hill. It was a smaller, less extravagant place, but still very beautiful. Next we saw the Fontebranda that was an ancient fountain in medieval Siena. It was constructed in 1081 and rebuilt in 1246. It's a covered fountain that originally was divided into 3 basins. The spillover from each filled the next. The first basin was for drinking, second for animals, the third for mills and other industrial uses. Today it is just one big basin, but is still filled with water. Inside the covered fountain it is very cool and quaint. Our last historical stop was the home of Santa Caterina who was highly respected by the people of Siena. At one point during her meditation, she had a vision of herself marrying Christ. There is a fresco on the wall in her room where Jesus is placing a gold ring on her outstretched hand and ring finger. She was so highly revered that when she died, her body was distributed all our Italy to be put on display.
Then we grabbed some gelato and hung out in the Piazza del Campo, or il Campo. It is known as one of the finest squares in Italy. People just sit on the ground and hang out. There are all kinds of restaurants and hotels surrounding the square. At one point we heard some loud drumming and eventually saw a group of people, boys to old men, with their drums coming in and around the piazza. They were all wearing the flag of their neighborhood around their shoulders and followed by the women and young children in a parade around the streets of town. We saw at least 3 more instances like this from different neighborhoods going around down with their drums. The Palio, a horse race that takes place in il Campo occurs every July and August and is a contest between the 17 neighborhoods that divide Siena. We saw pictures around town from the last one that just took place and it looks pretty crazy.
For dinner, we went to a wonderful pizzeria, La Pizzeria Di Nonno Mede. It was tucked away on a back street and had a gorgeous view of the city. As night fell and the lights came on it turned into a magical evening.
The next day we visited San Domenico, another huge amazing church, albeit nowhere near the grandeur of the Duomo. Within this church, they had on display as I mentioned just earlier, Santa Caterina's thumb and, get this, head! They are each kept in a reliquary on an alter. This woman died in the 14th or 15th century! They both looked like mummy parts.
After this, we went back to our lovely pizzeria for lunch and then caught the bus back into Florence. Once we were on the final bus to Gavinana we thought we were home free, but as the bus went through the town and started to head out I piped up, "Can you stop here"? Apparently, we have to ring a bell so the driver knows when we want him to stop. Anyway, we made it back safe and sound Sunday night ready to start a new week!
So, I explained in th last post about how we ended up in Siena. Not an easy feat. This is why it takes several hours to plan trips! And the stress that goes into it...but the result is worth it! Britt and I loved Siena. We used my iPad to find where our hostel was, " Casa di Antonella". The hostel keeper, Fabrizio, asked me to text him when we would be getting in, something I never thought I'd do! Made it feel very homey, which it basically was! It was a nondescript door with 4 names on it, the top one being Casa di Antonella. We rang the buzzer and the door unlocked! Then we climbed 4 flights of stairs to the very top. We met Fabrizio and he showed us our room, the two common bathrooms, and the kitchen. We set our stuff down and were on our way to explore!
First, we went to a small grocery store "La Fontana Della Frutta" and bought two containers of food, one was a pesto lasagna, the other couscous. She gave us two forks and we walked to the steps of the Baptistery and ate. Then we walked around the other side of the Baptistery to the Duomo. It is one of the most breathtaking buildings I have ever seen. Inside and out. We bought a combined ticket for 12 euro to enter the Duomo, Museo Dell'opera, Baptistery, and Crypt. The Duomo was just magnificent. We brought our cardigans along because inside, we have to keep our shoulders covered inside the cathedral and we are expected to be very quiet out of extreme respect. The Museo Dell'opera houses Sienese masterpieces that were once displayed in the cathedral (Duomo). There was a staircase inside a wall that lead to what would have been the top of the facade of the New Cathedral construction if not for the Black Plague (bubonic) in 1348. These stairs, which were spiral inside a very tight squeeze, lead to a gorgeous view of the entire city and surrounding areas in Tuscany. The Crypt was next and is not really a crypt, but that is what was thought when an excavation in 1999 led to the discovery of an underground cavern lined with 13th century frescoes. They were still very brightly covered since they had been sealed off for many centuries. Then we saw the Baptistery which was made to hold up the end of the Duomo since it was build on a hill. It was a smaller, less extravagant place, but still very beautiful. Next we saw the Fontebranda that was an ancient fountain in medieval Siena. It was constructed in 1081 and rebuilt in 1246. It's a covered fountain that originally was divided into 3 basins. The spillover from each filled the next. The first basin was for drinking, second for animals, the third for mills and other industrial uses. Today it is just one big basin, but is still filled with water. Inside the covered fountain it is very cool and quaint. Our last historical stop was the home of Santa Caterina who was highly respected by the people of Siena. At one point during her meditation, she had a vision of herself marrying Christ. There is a fresco on the wall in her room where Jesus is placing a gold ring on her outstretched hand and ring finger. She was so highly revered that when she died, her body was distributed all our Italy to be put on display.
Then we grabbed some gelato and hung out in the Piazza del Campo, or il Campo. It is known as one of the finest squares in Italy. People just sit on the ground and hang out. There are all kinds of restaurants and hotels surrounding the square. At one point we heard some loud drumming and eventually saw a group of people, boys to old men, with their drums coming in and around the piazza. They were all wearing the flag of their neighborhood around their shoulders and followed by the women and young children in a parade around the streets of town. We saw at least 3 more instances like this from different neighborhoods going around down with their drums. The Palio, a horse race that takes place in il Campo occurs every July and August and is a contest between the 17 neighborhoods that divide Siena. We saw pictures around town from the last one that just took place and it looks pretty crazy.
For dinner, we went to a wonderful pizzeria, La Pizzeria Di Nonno Mede. It was tucked away on a back street and had a gorgeous view of the city. As night fell and the lights came on it turned into a magical evening.
The next day we visited San Domenico, another huge amazing church, albeit nowhere near the grandeur of the Duomo. Within this church, they had on display as I mentioned just earlier, Santa Caterina's thumb and, get this, head! They are each kept in a reliquary on an alter. This woman died in the 14th or 15th century! They both looked like mummy parts.
After this, we went back to our lovely pizzeria for lunch and then caught the bus back into Florence. Once we were on the final bus to Gavinana we thought we were home free, but as the bus went through the town and started to head out I piped up, "Can you stop here"? Apparently, we have to ring a bell so the driver knows when we want him to stop. Anyway, we made it back safe and sound Sunday night ready to start a new week!
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Our plans go up in flames...
Well, Britt and I had a fool-proof plan, but even the best plans go awry...
After work at 7, we grabbed our already packed bags and headed to the bus stop in Gavinana to catch the 19:17 to Pistoia to catch a train to Florence for the night. We get to the stop with 20 minutes to kill, so we have a caffe and focaccia pizza from the Bar Francesci right by the stop. As our time gets closer, we head over and stand by the bus stop. At 19:17, we see a bus come up the street. And it goes right by us...we stood there just flabbergasted for about a minute and then jumped into gear with plan 2, the 20:30 bus. This time, however, on the schedule did not have a notation like the last one for Pistoia. So we were confused. A random man walks up to us looking at the schedule, points to the 20:30, shakes his head and says "no Pistoia, domani" which we took to mean that bus did not go to Pistoia and we would have to wait until tomorrow (domani). Well we decided to wait for the bus anyway and ask the driver himself. He arrives at 20:30, and actually stops. He opens the door and we say "Andiamo Pistoia" (We are going to Pistoia), to which he immediately responds "No, no Pistoia". Welp, there goes that. No more buses to Pistoia, no way to get to Florence that night. We call the hotel we were supposed to stay at and explain that we can not get down there tonight. Well, he is still charging us for our room. But oh well, nothing more we can do at this point. We kept telling ourselves (and still are) that GOD is in control! He has a plan and a reason for why we couldn't get out last night. But we are praying that nothing like that happens again! That was too much stress after an already long week!
So we decide to drown our sorrows in dolce (dessert) and caffe at the local restaurant. We end up having a lovely time and met some English people who were on a group tour. One woman stopped at our table and said, "Have we met before"? To which Britt responds, "No, but you speak English"! She laughed and then told us she was 96 years old and was traveling by herself! Talk about an independent woman!
Then we sulk back to our rooms and immediately begin planning the bus and train schedule for leaving on Saturday. The next day (today) we make our bus, make the train, and after asking several people where the "autostazione" is we are on the final leg of our trip to Siena! I am writing this on the bus, and we should arrive in about 20 minutes! We are going to be able to rule the world after these two months! And the funny thing is we are only arriving in Siena 2 hours later than we would have if we left last night. My go to comment with all of this has been "Sto bene" which means "It's OK"!
Now we are ready for an adventure in lovely Siena, and some lunch and gelato!
Ciao!
After work at 7, we grabbed our already packed bags and headed to the bus stop in Gavinana to catch the 19:17 to Pistoia to catch a train to Florence for the night. We get to the stop with 20 minutes to kill, so we have a caffe and focaccia pizza from the Bar Francesci right by the stop. As our time gets closer, we head over and stand by the bus stop. At 19:17, we see a bus come up the street. And it goes right by us...we stood there just flabbergasted for about a minute and then jumped into gear with plan 2, the 20:30 bus. This time, however, on the schedule did not have a notation like the last one for Pistoia. So we were confused. A random man walks up to us looking at the schedule, points to the 20:30, shakes his head and says "no Pistoia, domani" which we took to mean that bus did not go to Pistoia and we would have to wait until tomorrow (domani). Well we decided to wait for the bus anyway and ask the driver himself. He arrives at 20:30, and actually stops. He opens the door and we say "Andiamo Pistoia" (We are going to Pistoia), to which he immediately responds "No, no Pistoia". Welp, there goes that. No more buses to Pistoia, no way to get to Florence that night. We call the hotel we were supposed to stay at and explain that we can not get down there tonight. Well, he is still charging us for our room. But oh well, nothing more we can do at this point. We kept telling ourselves (and still are) that GOD is in control! He has a plan and a reason for why we couldn't get out last night. But we are praying that nothing like that happens again! That was too much stress after an already long week!
So we decide to drown our sorrows in dolce (dessert) and caffe at the local restaurant. We end up having a lovely time and met some English people who were on a group tour. One woman stopped at our table and said, "Have we met before"? To which Britt responds, "No, but you speak English"! She laughed and then told us she was 96 years old and was traveling by herself! Talk about an independent woman!
Then we sulk back to our rooms and immediately begin planning the bus and train schedule for leaving on Saturday. The next day (today) we make our bus, make the train, and after asking several people where the "autostazione" is we are on the final leg of our trip to Siena! I am writing this on the bus, and we should arrive in about 20 minutes! We are going to be able to rule the world after these two months! And the funny thing is we are only arriving in Siena 2 hours later than we would have if we left last night. My go to comment with all of this has been "Sto bene" which means "It's OK"!
Now we are ready for an adventure in lovely Siena, and some lunch and gelato!
Ciao!
Thursday, September 6, 2012
We planned our first weekend trip!
One thing that Britt and I are very excited to do is take advantage of being so close to some many wonderful cities for two whole months. Our plan is to visit somewhere new every weekend, starting this weekend with Siena! It has taken us close to 10 hours in the last 4 days to plan it, book last minute hostels and figure out bus and train schedules. Our big limiting factor is that we live in a mountain town and it will take about an hour by bus to get to a larger city where we can then get on a train to an even larger city. A lot of logistics planning has to go on to our trips. The bus up to Gavinana doesn't run constantly, so we have to very carefully take note of our work hours, bus schedules, and train schedules. It is stressful and time consuming, but we figure the more we do it the better we will get. Interpreting the bus and train schedules is like learning a new language! Haha...
Tomorrow we head to Florence ("Firenze") to stay the night since we won't get out of work in time to make it all the way to Siena by Friday night. We'll get to Florence about 10pm and then take a bus to Siena Saturday morning. I will give more details of our trip as we go along.
Today at work, Britt and I were able to work with our own patients, by ourselves. So far, we had been working with one patient at a time together. (I realize my grammar is not very good, and it does not help being around Italians who know enough English to communicate with us, but they still do not understand correct word forms or proper sentence organization. Which I am finding very difficult as well!)
One interesting thing that has occurred is one therapist's interested in our political views. I told him I was a Republican (Repooblican is how he pronounces it) and he was just beside himself. He has never met a Republican before he says. So he laughs and asks how I feel about the war and Obama. Oh man, talk about deep stuff. So now he and one of his patients joke with me about Obama. And the therapist, Claudio, said that he himself is communist. Who knew we would be getting into all of this political talk in Italy! It is true what they say, other countries know more about our politics and economy than Americans as a whole do.
After work, Britt and I ran up to the main town square or piazza of Gavinana, straight uphill. We were sucking wind by the time we got to the top and felt like our lungs were going to collapse. But we bought our bus tickets for tomorrow (domani) at the Tobacci (where people can buy cigarettes) and then bought some things at the small local store. It was about as big as a living room, but they sold food and cleaning products and personal care products. Then we ran back down, which was much easier, just in time for supper (cena).
Tomorrow ends our first week here at Fondazione F. Turati! Cannot believe how fast time seems to be going by already.
Ciao!
Tomorrow we head to Florence ("Firenze") to stay the night since we won't get out of work in time to make it all the way to Siena by Friday night. We'll get to Florence about 10pm and then take a bus to Siena Saturday morning. I will give more details of our trip as we go along.
Today at work, Britt and I were able to work with our own patients, by ourselves. So far, we had been working with one patient at a time together. (I realize my grammar is not very good, and it does not help being around Italians who know enough English to communicate with us, but they still do not understand correct word forms or proper sentence organization. Which I am finding very difficult as well!)
One interesting thing that has occurred is one therapist's interested in our political views. I told him I was a Republican (Repooblican is how he pronounces it) and he was just beside himself. He has never met a Republican before he says. So he laughs and asks how I feel about the war and Obama. Oh man, talk about deep stuff. So now he and one of his patients joke with me about Obama. And the therapist, Claudio, said that he himself is communist. Who knew we would be getting into all of this political talk in Italy! It is true what they say, other countries know more about our politics and economy than Americans as a whole do.
After work, Britt and I ran up to the main town square or piazza of Gavinana, straight uphill. We were sucking wind by the time we got to the top and felt like our lungs were going to collapse. But we bought our bus tickets for tomorrow (domani) at the Tobacci (where people can buy cigarettes) and then bought some things at the small local store. It was about as big as a living room, but they sold food and cleaning products and personal care products. Then we ran back down, which was much easier, just in time for supper (cena).
Tomorrow ends our first week here at Fondazione F. Turati! Cannot believe how fast time seems to be going by already.
Ciao!
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Making new friends
After completing Day 3, Britt and I feel like we are really settling in well here at Fondazione and in Gavinana. We went to the village center, which was about a 10 minute walk straight uphill, and bought more minutes for our international phones and then hung out at the local bar. We bought some cappuccinos and pastries and people-watched.
During our third day of work, we got to work more closely with patients, learning more Italian words specific to PT. It has been very challenging trying to communicate with patients and explain exercises to them, but we are learning so much every day! Our patients are great; they have all been so sweet. They stroke our faces and kiss us on the cheek. And as we walk through their common room at night they all wave at us.
At dinner tonight, we made some new friends. We found another woman who speaks English and I believe she is American, but I'm not sure of her history. She lives at the facility now. Aurora was her name. So now we have made three friends in our dining group. The woman from the first night, Marcela who speaks English, the man who caught our attention for her (he waved at us from across the room tonight) and now Aurora. Our goal is to befriend all of the elderly with whom we eat with every day in these next two months. We are also doing we to make friends with the staff. We are trying to learn names, (Come si chiama? "what is your name?"). Mi chiamo Kate! Kate seems to be easier than Katy or Katerina.
I plan on writing about my adventure getting to Italy and Cinque Terre, but that will have to be another post, hopefully tomorrow!
Oh and the explanation for my post title from yesterday, Batti Cinque: Cinque (pronounced cheen-qwe) is 5 and batti means "high" so this is the Italian equivalent to "high five"! Britt and I learned this while in Vernazza in the Cinque Terre. We said "high cinque!" and a guy heard us who was from South America. He spoke English and helped us out with the word "high" in Italian. Batti cinque!
During our third day of work, we got to work more closely with patients, learning more Italian words specific to PT. It has been very challenging trying to communicate with patients and explain exercises to them, but we are learning so much every day! Our patients are great; they have all been so sweet. They stroke our faces and kiss us on the cheek. And as we walk through their common room at night they all wave at us.
At dinner tonight, we made some new friends. We found another woman who speaks English and I believe she is American, but I'm not sure of her history. She lives at the facility now. Aurora was her name. So now we have made three friends in our dining group. The woman from the first night, Marcela who speaks English, the man who caught our attention for her (he waved at us from across the room tonight) and now Aurora. Our goal is to befriend all of the elderly with whom we eat with every day in these next two months. We are also doing we to make friends with the staff. We are trying to learn names, (Come si chiama? "what is your name?"). Mi chiamo Kate! Kate seems to be easier than Katy or Katerina.
I plan on writing about my adventure getting to Italy and Cinque Terre, but that will have to be another post, hopefully tomorrow!
Oh and the explanation for my post title from yesterday, Batti Cinque: Cinque (pronounced cheen-qwe) is 5 and batti means "high" so this is the Italian equivalent to "high five"! Britt and I learned this while in Vernazza in the Cinque Terre. We said "high cinque!" and a guy heard us who was from South America. He spoke English and helped us out with the word "high" in Italian. Batti cinque!
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Batti cinque!
Well, this is the first time I've had Internet since Saturday! I bought a "Tim" card so I can get Internet from the Italian providers which is similar to the 3G in the US. It is slow but gets the job done! And we are in a small hill town. Gavinana is the name of our village, which is associated with San Marcelo Pistoese, within Pistoia, which is in the state or region of Tuscany within Italy. That is the general hierarchy of the towns and areas.
As of today, Britt and I have completed two days of our clinical, and we have learned so much in these two days whether it was language, Italian differences in physical therapy or the culture. We have mastered "buongiorno" and "non capisco" which means "I don't understand". We have used that phrase quite a bit. Part of the experience here is for us to get a sense of what it's like when people who don't speak English come to the US. We now know exactly how they feel! Our clinical instructors or CIs, Linda and Elisa, at the clinic speak English as well as some other therapists, but it's not near perfect. Total immersion at its best.
We live in the facility on the top floor, literally in the same building as our patients and where we work. Last night as we were trying to find a computer and some supper, we walked through the main common room where everyone hangs out and one of our patients from the morning saw us and yelled "Americano, Americano!" He wanted us to push him closer to the television. We are living with our patients, assisting them whenever they need us! Another guy invited us to go watch tv with him that same night.
On the first day, we were officially introduced as Brittany and Katerina but since then our names have been shorted to Britt and Kate because it is easier for everyone to say. When Brittany was introduced they went "Oh, like Britney Spears!"
Today we walked down to the neighboring town of San Marcelo where I got the sim card and is where we can go to the Coop for our groceries. Gavinana has a few grocery stores, but San Marcelo has many more options. It is about a 40 minute walk down the mountain along a footpath to get to the centre, or city center.
We have learned how to us body language and a lot of gestures to get our point across, it has been very difficult and I know very frustrating for the people we talk to but everyone has been very patient with us. We do not know what they say about us behind our backs, however. We did meet one resident of Fondazione F. Turati who spoke English very well, she didn't even have an accent. We had dinner in the cafeteria on site with all of the residents in the assisted living section of the complex. We got a lot of stares as we walked in. The kitchen staff knows who we are, and we have our own table for every meal. Meals are included in the cost of rent, which is $300 euros a month. As we were leaving dinner tonight, a man signaled Britt saying "Inglese, Inglese!" He was signaling for one of his table mates, Marcela, who was the one that spoke English very well. She was very happy to meet us Americanos! She even invited us to her village for a celebration they are having this weekend, but unfortunately we are traveling to Siena this weekend. We are very excited about that!
Fondazione F. Turati is a private institution that houses many different services. Physical therapy is obviously one of them. People from all over Italy and Europe come to stay here for inpatient rehab services. There is also skilled nursing and assisted living areas, an alzheimer's unit, end-stage coma care, "pediatrics" but this is really more adults with mental disabilities whose parents never came back to get them or they died. Elisa called them "nobody's kids". They live at the facility permanently. They are such happy people and when we went to visit on our first day we got hugs and crafts they made! So fun.
We have been spoiled with caffe since we have been here. A cappuccino with breakfast, a caffe (espresso) mid morning, macchiato (espresso with milk) after lunch, and another caffe or two in the evening. And it is good too! The offer Americano which is basically the espresso with more water to make it bigger like the American cup of coffee.
Well, it is the evening here and we are unwinding after a long, but exciting day. There is never a dull moment here! The posts should be more frequent now that I have continuous Internet and hopefully I can get some pictures up because I know everyone is dying to see some and I can't wait to show them!
Buonasera!
As of today, Britt and I have completed two days of our clinical, and we have learned so much in these two days whether it was language, Italian differences in physical therapy or the culture. We have mastered "buongiorno" and "non capisco" which means "I don't understand". We have used that phrase quite a bit. Part of the experience here is for us to get a sense of what it's like when people who don't speak English come to the US. We now know exactly how they feel! Our clinical instructors or CIs, Linda and Elisa, at the clinic speak English as well as some other therapists, but it's not near perfect. Total immersion at its best.
We live in the facility on the top floor, literally in the same building as our patients and where we work. Last night as we were trying to find a computer and some supper, we walked through the main common room where everyone hangs out and one of our patients from the morning saw us and yelled "Americano, Americano!" He wanted us to push him closer to the television. We are living with our patients, assisting them whenever they need us! Another guy invited us to go watch tv with him that same night.
On the first day, we were officially introduced as Brittany and Katerina but since then our names have been shorted to Britt and Kate because it is easier for everyone to say. When Brittany was introduced they went "Oh, like Britney Spears!"
Today we walked down to the neighboring town of San Marcelo where I got the sim card and is where we can go to the Coop for our groceries. Gavinana has a few grocery stores, but San Marcelo has many more options. It is about a 40 minute walk down the mountain along a footpath to get to the centre, or city center.
We have learned how to us body language and a lot of gestures to get our point across, it has been very difficult and I know very frustrating for the people we talk to but everyone has been very patient with us. We do not know what they say about us behind our backs, however. We did meet one resident of Fondazione F. Turati who spoke English very well, she didn't even have an accent. We had dinner in the cafeteria on site with all of the residents in the assisted living section of the complex. We got a lot of stares as we walked in. The kitchen staff knows who we are, and we have our own table for every meal. Meals are included in the cost of rent, which is $300 euros a month. As we were leaving dinner tonight, a man signaled Britt saying "Inglese, Inglese!" He was signaling for one of his table mates, Marcela, who was the one that spoke English very well. She was very happy to meet us Americanos! She even invited us to her village for a celebration they are having this weekend, but unfortunately we are traveling to Siena this weekend. We are very excited about that!
Fondazione F. Turati is a private institution that houses many different services. Physical therapy is obviously one of them. People from all over Italy and Europe come to stay here for inpatient rehab services. There is also skilled nursing and assisted living areas, an alzheimer's unit, end-stage coma care, "pediatrics" but this is really more adults with mental disabilities whose parents never came back to get them or they died. Elisa called them "nobody's kids". They live at the facility permanently. They are such happy people and when we went to visit on our first day we got hugs and crafts they made! So fun.
We have been spoiled with caffe since we have been here. A cappuccino with breakfast, a caffe (espresso) mid morning, macchiato (espresso with milk) after lunch, and another caffe or two in the evening. And it is good too! The offer Americano which is basically the espresso with more water to make it bigger like the American cup of coffee.
Well, it is the evening here and we are unwinding after a long, but exciting day. There is never a dull moment here! The posts should be more frequent now that I have continuous Internet and hopefully I can get some pictures up because I know everyone is dying to see some and I can't wait to show them!
Buonasera!
Saturday, September 1, 2012
The Cinque Terre!
Here we go! Post número due! This is a little more challenging when everything on the website is in italiano....guess there's no better way to learn!
So I apologize for not having pictures yet, I am still learning this whole blogging thing!
This morning we went down to the hotel dining room for breakfast. Yummy! Cappuccino, croissants, prosciutto, Brie, fruit. Soo good. We explored Manarola yesterday and today we will check out more towns on the Cinque Terre. This area is made up of five tiny villages (Cinque Terre literally means "Five Lands") clinging to the cliffs. These towns are, in order from north to south, Monteresso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. Yesterday after exploring Manarola, we walked along the "Via dell'Amore" or "Pathway of Love" that connects Manarola to Riomaggiore. All along this path there are locks that couples have attached to fences and graffiti. After WWII, this pathway served as a place for young lovers to meet between the two towns. We then took a train back to Monteresso where we had dinner at a pizzeria. We had some gelato after dinner as we explored the town at night. I got ciocollate and caffe. Yum!
Ok we are headed now to Riomaggiore and then Corniglia! More info on my adventure getting from the aeroporto to this beautiful area to come!
So I apologize for not having pictures yet, I am still learning this whole blogging thing!
This morning we went down to the hotel dining room for breakfast. Yummy! Cappuccino, croissants, prosciutto, Brie, fruit. Soo good. We explored Manarola yesterday and today we will check out more towns on the Cinque Terre. This area is made up of five tiny villages (Cinque Terre literally means "Five Lands") clinging to the cliffs. These towns are, in order from north to south, Monteresso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. Yesterday after exploring Manarola, we walked along the "Via dell'Amore" or "Pathway of Love" that connects Manarola to Riomaggiore. All along this path there are locks that couples have attached to fences and graffiti. After WWII, this pathway served as a place for young lovers to meet between the two towns. We then took a train back to Monteresso where we had dinner at a pizzeria. We had some gelato after dinner as we explored the town at night. I got ciocollate and caffe. Yum!
Ok we are headed now to Riomaggiore and then Corniglia! More info on my adventure getting from the aeroporto to this beautiful area to come!
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