cortina cortina cortina

2-27-2009

It’s my last day in Cortina. Tomorrow morning I travel back to Rome alone. I am so glad to get away from everyone. I just want to be away from the kids and Camilla. I should have a full 72 hours all to myself. Tonight and tomorrow during my travel time I will plan my days off in Rome. I don’t want to waste this time. I hope these next few days are fantastic. If I can get some good rest, I will be fresh and happy next week.

Last night we celebrated Anna’s birthday. These kids are not spoiled by material possessions at all. It was a really low key party and Camilla and Federico only bought her a couple small presents. I went to La Cooperativa and bought her a jewelry making kit and some Barbie clothes. You would have thought I gave her a diamond ring. She was so happy. I am really glad. Maybe I can just bribe her. Hehehehe. We all went to a pizzeria for her festa. The pizza was delicious and the birthday cake was sooo good.

I am really tired. I am well rested, but my body is just beat. I don’t even care anymore. I don’t care if Peter goes outside to play or if the girls beds are made or if they have their gloves or if they eat merenda (snack). I only care to get out of Cortina. Today I took Peter to the center of town to play in the square. It’s sunny, but the wind is awful and very cold. We didn’t stay long. We left for home and I made him lunch after he played a while. I have figured out that if he eats a lot before nap time he sleeps very well. So I feed him a huge lunch today. Also, if he eats slowly he won’t finish the meal, so I make him eat very very quickly. I gave him a plate of pasta, four meat balls, two slices of bread with cream cheese, a banana and a container of yogurt. He ate everything. I put him to bed at 1 p.m. and I don’t plan to wake him up until 4 p.m. when Anna and Ludo arrive.

Anna was selected to climb the mountain and ski down on the fresh snow today. Only 10 kids were asked to go. She is an athletic child and she skis better than Ludovica. Ludovica is jealous of her sometimes and I feel bad for her. Anna is definitely the favorite child. Last night before Anna’s party, Ludovica began to cry and say that she was fat and Anna was beautiful. I felt terrible for her. I fixed her hair and put some make up on her. Ludovica is my favorite by far. Camilla was really proud that Anna was chosen to climb the mountain today. She wouldn’t shut up about it this morning.

Now it’s about 2:30 p.m. I took a nice hot bath and shaved my legs. I will miss the bathroom in Cortina. My shower in Rome is so small and the hot water only lasts for about 15 minutes. I am relaxing until 4 p.m. I have an awful headache. I wonder why. I am really homesick. I miss Nick like mad. The only thing keeping me from giving up is that I made plans. I have plans to go to Morocco and I am taking Italian. I hope I can make it!

some cortina pics

2-25-2009

It’s Wednesday in Cortina. I only have two more days here, thank god. I can’t wait to return to Rome. I am overworked and underpayed. I have never worked so hard for such little money in my entire life. I guess I have to take into account a lot of other things that account for pay besides the cash Camilla gives me. She finally paid me today. She never pays me on time and I hate asking her to pay me. This is really annoying. I’m going to suggest she pay me once a month instead of once a week.

Today was a typical day here. I start working early in the morning. I help get the babies ready for ski school and dress Peter. I spend the morning with him. Today we played at his cousin’s house again. He ate lunch there. He’s my little buddy. It’s funny how sometimes I love him so much and other times I don’t ever want to look at him ever again. Usually he’s easy, but by 5 p.m. I am tired of him. I am trying to find things to be grateful for. I am grateful that I was able to travel to Cortina, no matter the circumstance. I am grateful that I am with good people. I am grateful that I learn more Italian everyday.

This afternoon Anna and Ludovica had guests. Their friends Lapo and Lorenzo came to play. Camilla returned home very late today and she didn’t tell me they had a play date. I was annoyed by this. My workload doubled unexpectedly. I have to have faith that things will return to normal in Rome. I always worry for nothing, but I am worried she will expect me to do more in Rome after this ungodly workload in Cortina. Lapo and Lorenzo speak English very well. Their mother is Australian. They were telling me all about their time in Australia and how they see Koala bears and Kangaroos there. Lorenzo is very cute. He has a little fat baby face. He is only four. He switches from speaking English to speaking Italian mid-sentence. I wish I had a video recorder to play back his speech patterns. So cute!

Tomorrow is Anna’s birthday. She will be 6. I say that she is 6 already, but in reality she turns 6 tomorrow. I wanted to get Anna something for her birthday, but I don’t know if that will happen. I think that I am bonding with the kids more and more, but every time I think that things are going well with them, something happens that makes me feel like an outsider again. The language barrier is really hard. It makes it a lot harder to play and joke, but tonight little Lorenzo said that I speak a lot of Italian. Also, one Philippino at the cousin’s house said I speak Italian very well for only being in Italy for a month. Sometimes I surprise myself and string 3 or 4 sentences together. However, I don’t speak well at all and usually it is difficult to communicate with the children.

I start Italian school Monday. I am really happy about taking Italian in Italy. How fantastic is that? I am happy to be able to ask questions about the language and to have some written material to study. Also, it is nice to have a schedule, so that I have to be out of the house in the morning. Sometimes I am lazy and sleep too late or spend too much time on the computer. I should cherish this time in Italy and find something to do in Rome everyday. Also, another au pair named Sarah contacted me. She is living in Rome, so now I might have another companion.

More of stupid Cortina

2-22-2009

Camilla is suddenly the nicest person on earth today. She does not apologize, but she smiles very nicely and says good morning. She cleans up and makes breakfast, dresses the girls and makes their beds. I dunno. Last night was pretty bad. I think something happened that set her off and she took it out on me. Maybe she’s mad because her husband is never around.

I am hesitant about her now. I didn’t think she would act like that towards me and she obviously feels bad. Today is Sunday and I’m not supposed to work today. I work all day, of course. If things don’t return to normal in Rome … I will say something. If the situation is still bad … I will leave.

I take Peter to a new playground today. This is a great spot. It is a playground in the snow, but the ground is firm and the toys are great. It’s a sunny day and he doesn’t cry at all. I packed a lunch and he eats everything. He went down the slides and he loved the swing set. I am much happier if he is happy. It’s a lot more difficult if he is crying.

We left the playground around 1 p.m. He slept all the way home and once at home he slept until 4. I cleaned the entire house while he was sleeping. I mopped the floors, cleaned the kitchen and wiped the windows. I cleaned the bathroom that I use and picked up the children’s rooms. Camilla came home with the girls at 4:30. She didn’t even realize I cleaned.

Tonight Camilla went to pick up Federico from the airport. She left at 5:30 and came home at 9:30. The girls had to finish homework. Great. I had to help with homework, watch Peter, make dinner (not supposed to cook while watching children) ??????? give the kids a bath, put them to bed, clean up toys. I have absolutely had enough. I need to be told thank you. This better be over once we return to Rome. I hate to write such awful tales, but I am not happy. I’ll try to make the best of the situation, I guess.

Things couldn't be worse ... 8 weeks till Morocco

2-21-2009

Today is an awful day. Elena left this morning for Rome and I am left all alone. I am working for two now. I woke early and made breakfast. I fed Peter and dressed him. I made Ludovica and Anna’s beds and helped them dress for ski school. Camilla left early to take Elena to the train station, so I was really alone. I cleaned up after the morning rush and barely had time to dress myself. Camilla returned and said Peter would play at his cousin’s this morning. Va bene.

I took Peter to the cousin’s house and we played until 12:30. I brought him home and fed him lunch. I put him in his bed to sleep. Camilla told me I had to change rooms because Federico will be coming and he does not want Peter in their room. Once Peter was in bed I moved all my belongings to the new room. I took off my old bed sheets and straightened the room. Anna came home from ski school at 3 p.m. I gave her a snack and played with her a while. Peter woke soon after and Camilla arrived at 3:30, Ludovica at 4.

Camilla made the girls start their homework. Peter was playing with some toys on the floor in the living room. I felt like I had nothing to do, so I began straightening the kitchen. It was about 5 o’clock in the afternoon. Camilla asked me why I was cleaning and said if I had nothing to so that she could think of plenty of chores for me. I was really surprised. She started giving me a full list of things to do. She said she was taking the girls to the cousin’s and I should stay with Peter.

The list went on and on …. Make dinner. She proceeds to tell me how to cook spinach. COME ON!!! Do laundry. Move all the children’s things to the other bathroom. I just lost it and started to cry. I have worked all day long. Who does she think she is? I couldn’t help it, I just started balling. She left and I completed the chores she gave me.

When she cam home, I thought she would be happy. I finished the laundry. I made dinner. I moved bathrooms all while watching a baby. She proceeded to tell me not to cook while I am watching Peter. SHE TOLD ME TO MAKE DINNER!!!! WTF???? I am a complete wreck. I can’t stop crying. What’s wrong with me. I am really tired. She starts listing all the things she expects from me. I have no idea where this is coming from.

I want to quit right now. I want to go home. I’ve had enough. She asks me why I did not clean my room. I DID clean my room. I ask her what she wanted me to do, mom the floor ?? (In a very respectful tone). She said it wouldn’t be a bad idea. She says that if I live in her house these are the things I have to do. I reply, “Camilla, I do everything you ask.” I went straight to the closet, grabbed a bucket and mop and went to clean the floor. She doesn’t like this either and says she doesn’t want me to mop the floor now.

This is when I realize that it is not my problem. Something must be going on with her. I did nothing wrong. A little while later she says she is going to get Ludo and Anna from her cousin’s house. I feed Peter dinner and set the table for her and the girls. When she comes home I go to my room and close the door. I cry and cry. When dinner is over, I go out and do the dishes. I feel like a slave. The girls are being really sweet. Ludo hugs me and Anna says, “Tess?? Pappa?? Mamma?” It helps a bit.

I woke up at 3 a.m. and was still crying.

Disaster strikes

2-20-2009

Today is Friday. We did not have a good morning at all. I woke up, Elena prepared breakfast and I helped dress the girls for the ski lesson. They left the house and I started to help Elena clean up after the morning rush. I don’t know why, but I feel like I have to help her. It’s not really my responsibility to clean or to make breakfast, but I feel bad not helping her. I am in the kitchen putting the dishes in the dishwasher and Elena is wiping the table with pledge. She is constantly cleaning. It’s annoying.

Suddenly, I hear a very loud boom boom boom, and then screaming. I run out to the dining room and see Peter lying on the ground. He is bleeding from the mouth. This is the worst thing that can happen. If someone gets hurt, I am to blame. I feel awful, but he was with Elena! She has cared for this child his entire life. I trust her. It was no one’s fault. If there were six people in the room it could have happened.

Camilla rushes in the room. Pietro is screaming bloody murder. She takes him from me and is obviously pissed. She asks me, “Why do you not have a look at him.” What can I say? She is right. I am shaking. After some time everything settles down and everything is okay. Camilla says that these things happen, but I know she is pissed.

I won’t trust Elena again. I’m angry with her. Last night I was blow-drying Ludovica’s hair. We were playing together. Ludovica was cold, and so I was blowing the blow dryer all over her body and in her bed sheets. Elena was getting really angry by this. I was ignoring her because she was acting ridiculous. All of the sudden she yelled, “BASTA” and yanked the blow dryer out of the socket. What’s wrong with her? I felt like saying something, but I just let it go. Ludovica proceeded to cry, of course. Wonderful.

The dreaded playground in the snow

2-18-2009

Back to the dreaded playground in the snow .... AAAAAHHH. I hate this place and so does Peter. We arrive here at 10:30. I am to play until lunch time, feed Peter and give him a nap. Today we brought the passagino (stroller) so Peter can sleep after lunch. I am happy about this. I need a break.

Peter is miserable again. He does not want to play and today he refuses to eat, He only cries. All the other people are staring at us. I do everything possible to try to make him stop crying. Nothing works. Poor kid. What can I do? I’m embarrassed. At 12:20 p.m. I put him in the stroller and walk up and down the side of the mountain until he sleeps. Then I put park him in the sun and he sleeps for 2 hours. A little boy walks by screaming and he wakes up. Immediately he cries. I am going to die.

Camilla returns at 3:30 p.m. I feel like a failure. She knows that Peter is miserable. I mean I understand that he needs to be exposed to the cold and to the snow, but this is torture for him. Sometimes I think Camilla is just wrong. What does she expect? Peter screams and cries all the way to the house. Camilla knows it is not my fault. She feels bad for leaving us for so long. Well …

Once at the house, Elena takes over. We didn’t get home until 4 p.m. Almost 7 hours in the freakin’ snow. I head straight to the bathroom for a bath. I need to defrost. I got some sun on my face today. That is the only good thing about the day so far. The rest of the evening is very relaxed. Elena made dinner and I read my book and chatted with Camilla.

Cortina contd.

2-17-2009

It’s Tuesday. I have managed to survive the first two days. Now I have a sinus infection. I told Camilla I needed to go to the pharmacy. She tells me that it is better to let the mucus drain than to take medicine to stop the cold. Well, I disagree. Have the Italians heard of pseudoephed? Camilla also told me once that when you are sick, it is better to be cold than warm. Umm … What? When I am sick I want it to be warm and humid please. I don’t have the flu. I’m over that. I have watery eyes, runny nose and congestion. I am constantly sneezing. I swear I am allergic to the cold weather.

Today after the girls are off to ski school, Camilla gives me the morning off. Elena will take Pietro to his cousin’s house. She says I should take some time for myself this week because next week Elena will be gone and she will need me all day everyday. Wonderful. I just want to get back to Rome where I only work ½ a day. This is way too much. I don’t have anything to do, so I ask Camilla if I can make dinner tonight. She says OK.

When Elena leaves with Pietro, I head to La Cooperativa to buy groceries for dinner. Camilla gave me a shopping list and money for groceries. I like this chore. I get to pick out everything I want at the store. What fun? La Cooperativa is a strange place. It is a department store, a grocery store, a newsstand … all in one. There is nothing you won’t find at La Cooperativa and it is huge. I buy the groceries and some postcards and begin the trek home. I have to carry the groceries all the way to the house. I should have thought of this before. How stupid am I? I didn’t buy much, so it’s not too bad.

I get home unpack and prepare the dinner. I put it in the fridge to cook later tonight. Elena comes back with Pietro and I make him pasta for lunch. I am now completely addicted to Parmaseano Regeano. We did not have any when we arrived to Cortina and I thought I wasn’t going to be able to eat. I am also in love with a kind of lentil and vegetable soup that Camilla and Elena cook. Mmmmmm. Who knew lentils could taste so good. After Pietro eats he goes to bed. I tell Elena I will be back in 20 minutes and head to the pharmacy in pursuit of a decongestant.

The pharmasist only speaks Italian, of course. I don’t know how to say sinuses in Italian. So I tell her, “Male gola. Hachu hachu. No influenza.” She gets it and gives me exactly what I was looking for. The medicines are all the same brand at the pharmacy. There is no Dayquil or anything. The box reads, “ Per la cura dei sintomi del raffredore.” I don’t know what raffredore means and I don’t have my dictionary. I trust the pharmacist and take one immediately. Ahhh, an hour later … relief at last. Motlo buono.

Pancakes

2-16-2009

Another day in Cortina … Today we did not go to the dreaded playground in the snow, thank god! Camilla said I would stay with Pietro at her cousin’s house while they go skiing together. Her cousin has four children. All the children were skiing except Pietro’s second cousin, Madeline, who is two years old. We start the day by getting Ludovica and Anna off to their ski school. Their teacher arrives at the house at 8:45 a.m. to take them skiing. Then, I dress Pietro for the snow and we leave the house.

We drive a short way to Camilla’s cousin’s house. The house is amazing. It looks like it’s out of a magazine. The entire inside of the house is solid wood with beautiful moldings and hardware. The front door was glassed in, I am guessing so it does not freeze shut, and there were golden angel statues guarding the door. I mean … gorgeous. Camilla was sure to tell me that the house belongs to her cousin’s mother-in-law and that lots of other children use this home.

So … Camilla says Pietro and Madeline should play outside for an hour and inside for an hour. Camilla told me to take Pietro home in the passagino (stroller) at 1:30, feed him lunch and put him to bed. I should wake him up at 4 p.m. and give him a snack. Mamma mia! I have to walk all the way home in the snow. AAAAAHHHH!

Madeline and Pietro do not play well together. Pietro is one and a half and so does not yet know how to play with other children. Madeline is two and is quite terrible. She hits Pietro constantly. Every time he goes for a toy she cries and screams, “mio” (mine). What a wonderful morning ... I am so sick of this already. I cannot wait to get back to Rome. It’s only been two days! Not even …

I follow Camilla’s instructions and leave for home around 1:10 p.m. I arrive at the house, and Pietro is sleeping. I have to wake him up to feed him lunch. This is not a pretty sight. He screams and cries. I hate when he cries. I feel like it’s my fault. He eats pasta and I put him to bed at 2 p.m. Elena helps me and afterwards we try to sit and chat a while.

The entire conversation is painfully difficult. Both of us are searching for words and desperately trying to communicate. Somehow we manage to tell each other about our homelands and family. She has an Italian boyfriend who lives in Sardinia. We share photos and it’s nice to talk to someone my own age. Elena says she lived in Prague for seven years. How fantastic? I love Prague. It is so beautifully gothic, full of art noveau architecture.

The girls come home from skiing in the afternoon. Anna arrives at 3 p.m. and Ludovica at 4 p.m. I make them Miranda (a late snack). Today one of the other cousins, Marie-Guilia comes to play. These cousins are spoiled rotten. Marie-Guilia treats me like a servant. She has Philippino helpers at her home and I think there is a general prejudice against Philippinos in Italy. She treats me as she would them. How wonderful?


Camilla has asked me to make pancakes tonight. I am really nervous. I just want my pancakes to be good. I will be a complete failure if I can’t make the pancakes. It is the first time I have cooked dinner for the family. I start to make the pancakes around 5:30 p.m. My recipe amounts are in cups and teaspoons. I don’t know the conversions. I have to guess. I make a big batch of pancake mix and do a test run. The pancake is more like a crepe, so I add more four and more baking powder and voila, a pancake. It tastes good and I am very happy. Thank god!

I spend 2 hours in the kitchen making pancakes and bacon. The bacon is so fresh. It looks like it has just come from the butcher. It is the best bacon I have ever tasted. I wonder why the Americans can’t have food like they do in Italy. Our bacon is ugly, full of fat and loaded with preservatives. Why???

After dinner I cleaned the kitchen and Marie-Guilia’s mother came to take her home. I poured myself a glass of wine and sat at the table with the family for a little while. This is when Camilla made fun of my American accent. Anna asks me a question. I only understand a few words. I reply, “No capito.” Camilla snaps, “No capito, no capito” in the most ugly Italian accent I have ever heard. I don’t think she meant to hurt my feelings. I think she meant to laugh with me, but it made me really upset. She could tell. She apologized soon afterwards.

First day in Cortina

2-15-2009

It’s my first day working in Cortina for Camilla. Not exactly my cup of tea. We woke early to get ready to ski. I helped everyone eat and dress. It is Sunday. The girls will ski with Camilla today and start ski school tomorrow. We left the house around 10 a.m. and headed to the mountains. Mamma mia!

Did I ever write that I HATE SNOW??? It is the worst thing on earth. We arrived at the mountain and Camila showed me to a child’s area outside a restaurant very near a ski lift. There are lots of toys for children. I am to stay here and play with Pietro while everyone skis. OK. Well … Pietro hates the snow too. He cried all morning and all afternoon. The only time he stops crying is when I feed him lunch. My head aches and I am tired of trying to make him happy. Camilla and the girls return around 3 p.m. and I am ready to call it a day. It’s obvious to Camilla how miserable Pietro is, but she wants him to learn to like the snow. OK. It’s a lot for him. He can barely walk as it is and with all the snow gear he falls every few steps. He is so frustrated and I feel so bad for him. He is normally so happy, so he must really be miserable.

We return home and Camilla gives me some time to myself. I take a long bath and make myself a nice hot cup of tea. Elena stays home all day. I am envious of her. This trip might just kill me. It is almost unbearable already, and I hope the time will go by fast. I am also starting to see Camilla in a new light. The wealthy Italians have all these status symbols. They all have to have a house in the country and they must go skiing in the winter. The babies have to be excellent little skiers and everyone had hired help. I think the Americans are more relaxed than the Italians when it comes to social class.

It is difficult for me to be treated like Camilla’s maid. I have my own home and afford all the same luxuries as her. I remind myself she is a means to an end. I am here to travel and to learn Italian. I am always kind and respectful of her. She sees me as a little girl who has nothing. It’s not as easy as one might think. It reminds me to be careful of how you treat even the smallest member of society. For the most part, Camilla is very nice to me. I hate to complain about her, but I have to vent sometimes.

It’s also Valentine’s Day and I am away from Nick. I miss him very much today. I don’t have the Internet here so communication is much more difficult. He calls me everyday, but we can’t talk for long. This is the hardest part about being in Cortina. In Rome we have Internet and so I am always in contact with him. Now I feel totally disconnected and alone. I miss wearing my wedding rings. I feel naked and lonely.

On the way to Cortina

2-14-2009

This morning we woke early to drive to Cortina. It is an eight hour journey from Rome. Elena has decided she will join us for a week in the mountains. She will return to Rome the second week and I will stay for the full trip. It was difficult getting everyone up and out of the house this morning. Federico will stay behind for work and will come to Cortina for the second week only.

The car ride was not bad. The time seemed to fly by. We stopped half way to eat at a rest area. The food was not good. We all ate pasta and salad and were on the road again in no time. It was wonderful to travel with Camilla. She tells me a little about each city that we pass. When we passed Florence, her home town, she pointed out a famous monastery. She told me about a wonderful upcoming art exhibit in Rome. It will feature the artist Jetto. Apparently he is the first artist from Italy to exhibit fine technique in painting and he is from Tuscany. She says he is one of Italy’s most important artists. Art restoration is so important in Florence because there was a massive flood that destroyed a large quantity of art. Restorers came from all over the world to help save some of Italy’s most prized possessions.

Elena and I fell asleep in the car during the second half of the trip. We arrived in Cortina at 3:30 in the afternoon. I helped unload the car. Camilla did not waste any time. As soon as the car was unpacked, we walked into the small town of Cortina. The girls had to be fitted for their skis and Ludovica needed new snow boots. The town is beautiful and the shopping is to die for. All of the best designers have shops here and everything is very expensive. Even the food is way over priced. All the women are walking around in beautiful fur coats and everyone is very fashionable, even the children. We stopped at a pastry shop and everyone had a treat. We walked home and ate dinner. Time for bed.

Friday before Cortina

2-13-2009

Tomorrow morning we will leave for Cortina. I am not exactly excited. I really hate the cold and the snow. Ugh. I slept in this morning and started preparing for the trip once I awoke. Camilla asked me to make pancakes for the girls while we are in the mountains. Well ... you won't find  Bisquick in Italy. I am sure pancakes are easy to make from scratch. I found a recipe online. I asked Camilla if she had any vanilla. She told me I could make pancakes without vanilla. I sincerely doubt it. They'll taste like salt. I tried to explain baking powder to her. She showed me the flour. I headed to the supermarket.

I found the vanilla. Trying to locate baking powder in Italy was a trip. Apparently Italians have different kinds of baking powder for each different food. It's called Lievito. There is lievito per pizza, lievito per pane, lievito per dolci. I bought lievito per dolci. I really hope this is right. We'll see. I am going to be so upset if my pancakes are bad. I also bought vanilla and brown sugar for the syrup. Also sprinkles. My pancakes should be colorful after all. 

I will have to work all the time in Cortina. I guess it's OK. I mean ... what else would I do there? I hope we have a good time and everything goes OK. I'm a little worried. 

Thursday before Cortina

2-12-2009

It was an absolutely beautiful day in Rome. I woke up early and went out into the city. I have decided that I have to get out and do something every day. It is stupid for me to stay inside. Yesterday I bought two travel books on Rome. I have started reading the first book, "The Smiles of Rome: A Literary Companion for Readers and Travelers." The book is full of essays on Rome written by famous writers, everyone from Goethe to Henry James to Sigmund Freud. After the essay, the book has a section for the traveler. It tells you how to get to to the places mentioned in the essay. It's gives you kind of a walking tour after reading the writer's take on Rome. It's fantastic. 

The first essay I read was from Goethe's travel diaries. Goethe wrote Faust while he was in Italy. He took drawing lessons in Rome because he thought it was the best way to train himself to pay attention to the outside world. Goethe writes, "Each day brings me some new remarkable object, some new great picture, and a whole city which the imagination will never encompass, however long one things and dreams." I feel the same way he did, except he articulates his feeling much better. He writes about The Roman Forum and climbing to the top of the Palentine. I followed the book' walking tour. I started in Campo di Fiori and walked to the Villa Farnesina in Trastevere. From there I went to the Botanical Gardens and then  to the Vatican. What a marvelous day. 

I was not aloud to take pictures in the Villa Farnesina, so I grabbed some from the net ... The villa was built at the height of the Renaissance and contains beautiful paintings by Raphael. The villa was built in the 1500s by the richest man in Europe, a banker named Agostino Chigi. It was the meeting place of artists, aristocrats ... You enter the villa through the Loggia of Galatea. There is a fantastic painting by Raphael in this room on the wall next to the entrance door. It is of the nymph, Galatea. (I posted the painting above.) Next you enter the Loggia of Psyche (the villas claim to fame). The room was painted by Raphael. Apparently he was dating La Fornarina during this time, which caused him to procrastinate some. The ceiling paintings depict the story of Cupid and Psyche and are full of erotic undertones. Truly magnificent. 

After the Villa Farnesina, I walked to Rome's botanical gardens. This was wonderful because it was such a beautiful sunny day. I would like to go back in the spring. After the gardens, I hopped on a bus to Vatican City. I walked up to San Pietro, but I did not go inside. I'll leave it for another day. I ate some pizza nearby and then it was time to head back to Camilla's. I took a bus to Via del Corso. I found Goethe's residence while he was in Rome at Via del Corso 18. In the Middle Ages, via del corso was a race track for the races during Carnivale, from Piazza del Popolo to Piazza Venezia. I had no idea. Goethe's former residence is now a museum dedicated to the writer. It houses the drawings he drew during his time in Rome. I walked to Piazza di San Silvestro and hopped on my bus headed for Camilla's. 

Once home it was time to get to work. I helped Ludovica with her homework. Anna is sick and did not go to school. She won't to the swimming pool today either. After the homework, I packed Ludovica's swimming gear and we headed to the pool. I love Ludovica. She is so nice to me and she really tries to speak in English. She helps me too. I tell her that I need her help because I am afraid of getting lost. She like this. It makes her feel important. After the lesson we went home, ate dinner and everyone was put to bed. It was a full day. I am exhausted. I wonder what I will do tomorrow ...

Wednesday before Cortina

2-11-2009

Apparently Cate and Romina are reading my blog. I think Cate might be upset about yesterday's post. I can't blame her. I mean ... how was I supposed to know they read my blog??? In my defense, being controlling can be a fantastic characteristic. It can really get you where you want to go in life. Mamma mia! What next?

It's Wednesday before we leave for the mountains. This morning I went into Rome and found a camera shop. I bought a wide angle lens for my camera. Hehehe. I am sooooo into this lens. It's fantastic. Yipeee! I was getting really frustrated with my original lens. It's a piece of crap. Camilla says she will pay me double in the mountains because I will have to work a lot more. This will pay for the lens. After the mountains ... I have to save all my euros for Morocco. 

I am really learning my way around Rome. I was here before for school, and I know the city, but now I am memorizing street names, piazzas and bus routes. Before I went to the camera shop, I picked up a copy of Roma c'e. Not "Roma Che" like I said in a previous post. Yeah ... I really don't speak Italian. Anyway, "Roma  c'e" is a weekly publication printed on Wednesdays that says everything there is to do in Rome. I LOVE this magazine. It said there was a free Cartier Bresson exhibit in Piazza di Espagna. After the camera shop, I headed to the show.

A Bresson exhibit is a photography buff's dream come true. The man coined the term "decisive moment" in photography. He is a legend. He is also considered the father of modern photojournalism and he developed a new style of street photography. He also founded Magnum ... He's French by the way.  The exhibit was really cool and free, which Miss cheapo here appreciates. After the exhibit, I found an English book shop. Wonderful! I bought two literary books on Rome. They look incredible. I am happy to have something to read for the mountains. I also ordered a travel book on Morocco. The book was published just this month, so it'll be extra current. FANTASTIC!!!

I headed back to Camilla's. She is preparing for the ski trip. We went to pick up Ludovica and Anna from school. They both were invited to a friend's house, so the trip was really for nothing, but it was nice to get a chance to talk with Camilla. I really like Camilla and she is a wonderful companion. I am learning so much about Italy from her. She is telling me all about Cortina and what she expects from me while we are away. It's going to be hard work. I basically have to work all day every day for two weeks. Then I return with Ludovica and Anna by myself and Camilla stays in the mountains with Pietro for one more week. I will have to take them everywhere. OH LORDY!!! I should get paid extra for the third week too. We shall see.

Now I am home with Pietro. Camilla went out to look for ski outfits for the girls. He is playing with his toys right next to me. Soon I will give him a bath and feed him dinner. He is really lovable today. He keeps hugging me. So sweet!

Morocco

2-10-2009

Caitlin finally wrote me back last night. Everything seems to be okay. I wonder about our two different personalities and how they will merge together in the coming weeks. I am choosing to just ignore her if she starts to get on her high horse again. I think she might have a controlling personality. It is really too early to tell if we will become good friends or not. I think we are both apprehensive after the train station melt down.

The letter seemed to imply that everything was okay between us. So, I booked my tickets to Morocco. OH MY GOSH!!!!! I cannot remember the last time I was so excited. Morocco is my kinda place. We will also spend a day in Madrid on the way to Marrakech. I have been looking at photos of Morocco all day long. It is soooooo freakin' beautiful and exotic. We have reserved a desert tour too! We will take a camel ride into the desert and spend the night there. 

Camilla is preparing for the two weeks in Cortina, Italy. We will leave this weekend. Apparently there is tons of snow. Oh boy. I really HATE snow and the cold in general. I can't exactly say that I am ultra excited for the ski trip. I am happy to travel somewhere and hope that the trip is fun. I also hope that I can manage to stay warm. Camilla bought me moon boots and a ski outfit. That was really  nice of her. I don't know if I will ski. I hope they don't pressure me into anything. I might just have to say no. I think it's really expensive to rent the skis and everything. We shall see. 

Domenica

2-8-2009

I love Sunday. I basically live for Sunday here. Today I woke up early and headed into Rome. I had planned a full day for myself. I wanted to go to some markets and to a Picasso exhibit. First on my list was a second hand designer market held at a hotel outside the Borghese gardens. I went to the hotel, no market. The concierge gave me the phone number of the new organizers. I will try again another Sunday after further investivation. Next, I tried to find another market that was supposed to be on some particular street in Parioli. Again, no luck. It was raining in Rome this morning (big surprise) so perhaps the markets were canceled due to the rain. 

I decided to take the tram to the center. While I was waiting at the tram stop, this weirdo came up to me and started circling me like a dog. I was totally weirded out. I moved to the other side of the crowd. He followed. I wasn't scared because there was a group of people waiting to take the tram and it was early in the day in a very nice area of Rome. I moved again, he followed. An Italian woman was watching. She started yelling at the man in Italian. He left. There are some crazy characters in Rome. It's unlike any city. Rome has a lot of problems, I think. It's hard to get the population to obey any laws and poverty seems a little out of control. I did not see so many weirdos in Paris. I still prefer Rome, though. There is so much history in Rome. It blows my mind. Some times I walk around and think of all the people who walked the same steps that I am walking now. CRAZY. 

I took the tram to the Colosseum. It is so beautiful. I listened in on some tour guides. Thirty percent of the Colosseum is now missing. Not bad considering its age. The Picasso exhibit was located in Piazza Venezia, just in front of the monument. I bought a ticket and went inside. The exhibit highlighted the year 1917. Apparently Picasso lived in Rome that year and painted The Italian Woman (the photo of the painting is above). The show was fantastic. I am so amazed that one artist could have so many styles. I spent a long time at the show. All the readings were in Italian, of course. I simply have to learn Italian. I'm starting to get really frustrated that I can't speak or read the language. I start Italian class March 2.

After Picasso, I walked to Trastevere and had a gelato. Limone is my favorite flavor. It's the perfect combination of sweet and tart. I walked in and out of the streets around Santa Maria di Trastevere. I love this neighborhood. It's exactly what comes to mind when I think of Italy. There was a night market I wanted to find on Monte Testaccio. Testaccio is supposed to be a popular are for young people and night clubs. The name of this market was Pulp Fashion. I walked from Trastevere to Testaccio. It was a really long walk. This area of Rome is really old. I was completely surprised by the neighborhood. I dunno, I'm glad to live in Parioli. Once again, I could not find the market. 

I took a bus from Testaccio to Via del Corso. It was 8 o'clock. I walked around and did some window shopping. The stores were closing. Some stayed open 'til 9. I was really tired at this point and ready to head home. I don't know how late the buses run on Sunday. I went to a cafe and had some pizza and a beer. Then I headed to Piazza San Silvestro to catch my bus to Parioli. When I arrived home, I told Federico and Camilla all about my day. Camilla told me there is a good antique market in via flamina I should try. She also told me about a magazine called Roma Che. It is a weekly publication that lists everything there is to do in Rome. Next time. I'll be better prepared.  

Sabato

2-7-2009

Today was a great day. Federico took Anna, Ludovica and myself to the natural history museum. We met some friends of the family there. It was an okay museum, but I was glad to go somewhere with them in Rome. We were able to walk to the museum from the house. Afterwards Federico and Mr. and Mrs. X (you may remember them from a previous post) took us all to the Hard Rock Cafe. There names are Sheila and Giovanni. They have two children, Lorenzo and Francesco. I was soooo glad to have some American food. Not that glad for the food really, but the soda. Mmmmm. Coca Cola!!!

I really like talking to Giovanni. He is 1/2 American and he travels to the USA often for business. He sells wine to distributors. He has a winery in northern Italy. He told me about Federico's house in the mountains. I will travel there with the family on the 15th. The house is in Cortina, Italy and it belongs to Federico's mother. Giovanni said Cortina is similar to Aspen in the USA. It's the most desirable location for skiing in Italy and he says the houses there are very expensive. He says there is a small town there for shopping and sight seeing too. This is fantastic because I am not good at skiing. I do not plan to ski much at all. 

After lunch we walked home through the Borghese gardens. We stopped at the most adorable children's cinema to pick up the schedule for the girls. There was nothing good playing today. When we got to the house, I went online and chatted with Nick. We were able to video chat! I miss him so much. It hurts to think how long I have to stay here away from him. I know this is a good experience and I am making myself stick it out, but it is really tempting to go home. I have been away three weeks now. 

Ludovica and Anna are preparing for their Carnivale celebration tomorrow. They have changed their costumes dozens of times. Anna has decided she will be a mouse and Ludo could not decide on a costume. Camilla asked me to help Ludovica decide on something. I suggested she dress as an angel. She loved this idea. I found her a white leotard with some white stockings. I made her a halo out of wire attached to a headband. I covered the wire in aluminum foil. Ludo and Camilla were very happy. I am so glad. Ludovica loves the costume, thank goodness. 

After everyone was settled on their costume for tomorrow, I made dinner. I fed Anna and Ludovica. Camilla fed Pietro and put him to bed. Camilla and Federico left for the movies and I will let the girls watch cartoons for a while before putting them to bed. Federico gave me a small bottle of the wine his family produces before they left. It is Chianti Classico and it's really good. I am very happy to have some wine. I will sleep well tonight. I am very tired.

Venerdì

2-6-2009

It's Friday in Rome. I woke early to watch Pietro (I've started to call him Peter) while Camilla took the girls to school. He is better this morning even though he still has a fever. He is happy and playful. His color looks better too. I play with him and sometimes he plays by himself. I let him be alone. Good for his imagination, and also myself. 

Camilla saw me make myself coffee this morning. I have started to use the old fashioned espresso maker instead of the nifty new machine because I can make more coffee and I don't have to use any of the precious espresso capsules. She suggested I use a smaller espresso maker because she uses that one to feed 6 Italians espresso. I was shocked. It is the smallest coffee pot I have ever seen. The amount of coffee it makes is not even a large cup. I will do whatever she tells me except give up my coffee. I plan to ignore this comment and keep on keepin' on with my new favorite espresso maker. If I need to buy my own coffee, so be it.

Camilla came home early and I cleaned my room. I had to iron my clothes and change my bed sheets. Pretty boring stuff. Elena helps me when I am lost. I spilled olive oil on my jacket and I could not get it out. I showed the stain to Elena and she immediately knew what to do. She went to the hallway cabinet and pulled out a glass jar with some foul smelling clear liquid. It lifted the oil right out of the jacket. AMAZING! I have to learn what this chemical is. Of course the Italians know how to remove oil from clothes. I was so grateful. 

I finished cleaning. I vacuumed and cleaned my bathroom. Then I headed into Rome to walk around for a little while. Camilla went out to look for Carnivale costumes for Ludovica and Anna. They are celebrating the holiday on Sunday. Elena stays with Pietro when he is home during the day. It's very warm in Rome. Maybe it just seems so warm after the terrible cold I had to endure in Paris. It's always raining, though. It will be sunny in the morning, but by 1 p.m. it's usually raining in Rome. 

I came back to Camilla's at 3 p.m. She told me that's when she needed me to start working. I asked her if she found costumes for the girls. She said no. I began helping Anna with her homework. She is slow to trust me and is very skeptical of me. She doesn't even think I can help her with her English homework. She insists on running to her mother for her to explain. I am very tired of dealing with Anna. I have resorted to bribery. Today I told her, "Quando Io spiego tu possibile ottenere un trattamento." (When I explain I might give you a treat.) She understood and she allowed me to help her a little. I gave her a small treat when she completed all the homework. 

Camilla told me that she was going out to look for costumes with Anna and Ludo and she needed me to watch Peter. Anna wants to dress as Pocahontas and Ludo wants to be a country girl. I stayed with Pietro and played with him. I put him in his pajamas and fed him dinner. He is going to dress as a rabbit for carnivale. He looks very cute in his rabbit ears. 

Before dinner I gave Anna and Ludovica a bath. I am starting to bond with them. We played in the bath and I can tell that they are starting to really like me. I am very happy because it's been difficult to win them over due to the language barrier. After the bath they ate dinner and everyone went to bed. I stayed up late watching TV on my computer. I did not go to sleep until 3 a.m. 

Giovedi

1-5-2009

Today wasn't too bad. I don't have to wake up early when Federico is home. When he is here he helps Camilla in the morning and takes Anna and Ludovica to school. I was really glad to sleep this morning. I am feeling much better today. My body is craving sleep. I still have a cold, but I am not suffering like before. So glad!

Romina emailed me the strangest news today. She said that her Italian family fired her when she returned to Rome from Paris. They gave her 2 hours to collect her belongings and get out. There must have been something terribly wrong. The Italians are very nice and relaxed. Camilla would never do this to me. If she was disappointed, she would speak to me. She knows that I am miles away from home. She's kinda like my second mom. 

I was really shocked by Romina's letter. It is bizarre. Romina said that the family thinks she was stealing from them. She said that her Italian mother was missing a diamond ring and blames her for the disappearance. Something is off. It is so strange. I thought she would go back to Argentina, but she says she is staying with a friend just outside of Rome. She is determined to find another job and stay until June. She has already made all her reservations for Morocco. 

Camilla REALLY wants me to take an Italian language class. She asks me about it everyday. She asks me if I want her to help me find a school. I found some language schools online so she would be happy. They're very expensive. I really don't want to pay for the class, but I don't want to disappoint her either. Today she asked me to go to the school to see if I like it. I said OK. The first school I tried was the least expensive, but they don't have any more beginner classes until October. 

The second school I went to was 190 euro more expensive, but it is in a nicer location and it is a nicer building. It's closer to Parioli, Camilla's neighborhood. This school has a beginner Italian course starting March 2nd. The lady there said I should enroll now because they only accept 12 to 15 students per class. I said OK and paid the 90 euro enrollment fee (which goes towards the class). Looks like I will be taking Italian. The class is mon, wed, fri from 11:30 until 1:30. Now I have to learn Italian. Camilla was so happy when I got home. I wonder why she is so concerned. 

Pietro is very sick today. I know how he feels. :( He has been sick for a while, but now he has a terrible fever and is completely miserable. He was a big challenge today. I had to take his temperature in his bum! And put his medicine there too!! This was VERY hard for me, but I was able to cope and accomplish the task. Camilla took the girls around this afternoon. They had their swimming lesson and they ran some errands together. I stayed home with Pietro. He was really fussy. He wanted his mother. I fed him and put him to bed. He was so sleepy. He was falling asleep in his highchair. Poor baby.

Then when Camila came home, I made Ludovica and Anna tortellini soup for dinner. They were talking about me at the table, but I really can't say exactly what they were saying. I think they were comparing me to the English teacher at their school.  I wonder what English she has taught them!! After dinner, I put them to bed. It was 8:15. Thank goodness the day is over. Sleep! I need sleep!!! 

Mercoledì

2-4-2009

Wednesday in Rome. I'm still sick and still have not heard from Caitlin. I think I'm just going to book the tickets to Morocco and hope for the best. Not much going on except mucus and sleep. It's so much warmer in Rome than in Paris. I am thanking my lucky stars for the mild Roman winter.

Martedì

2-3-2009

Back in Rome. I could not sleep last night. I am very sick. Every muscle in my body aches. I woke this morning and asked Camilla for some medicine. She gave me something. I slept all day long. I feel really bad for not being able to work, but she seems to understand. I told her I would work Sundays when we go to the mountains to make up for the time I am ill. She said not to worry.

I wrote Caitlin and tried to apologize again. She did not write back. This is so silly. I am really worried that she is still mad at me. I don't understand what was so wrong with what I said. I think we were just under a lot of pressure to get to our destinations on time. I am really surprised that this happened. I'm completely confused and sorry that I offended her, but at the same time ... she wasn't very nice to me either.

Romina and Caitlin are going to Morocco in April. They will go to Marrakesh, Casablanca and Fez. Romina sent me all the travel flights and dates. I want to book the trip. I am afraid to book my flights before I hear from Cate. I don't want to go if she's still going to be upset. She's probably over it by now. Maybe I should just buy my tickets already. I don't know what to do. ???? AAAAHHH!

Last day in Paris

2-2-2009

Cate and I woke late. It's snowing outside. This made the day more difficult, but it was neat to see snow in Paris. We planned to wake up early to maximize our time today. We had planned to go to an antique market and Musee d'Orsay, the museum where all the Monet and Manet paintings are located. We didn't wake up until 10/10:30. We ate quickly, packed our bags and headed to the train station. We were going to store our bags at the train station and pick them up at the end of the day. We found the bag check and shared a locker.

We arrived at the market. It was terrible and this part of Paris was not that good. There were hardly any vendors at all, probably because of the snow. It was a gross day. I hate snow! I was running out of euros. I had my Visa card, but did not want to use it because of the fees and exchange rate. So, I ate lunch at McDonald's. I had a terrible cheeseburger, but it only cost one euro 90. Cate ate a panini. She did not want McDonald's. Who can blame her? McDonald's is pretty gross.

After lunch, I decided I would opt out of Musee d'Orsay because of my money dilemma. I don't think Caitlin minded much because she had already been to this museum during her previous trip to Paris. We took the metro to a popular location in the city and walked around. I was not a good travel buddy today. I am sick, really not feeling well. I was trying my hardest to have high spirits and push through. My shoes were soaking wet from the snow and the water was seeping through to my socks. MISERABLE. I just wanted to get out of the snow, but I knew Caitin did not want to waste her last hours in Paris. We decided we would look for an Internet cafe.

We asked almost everyone the location of a nearby Internet cafe. Everyone pointed us in a different direction. We were getting frustrated. I found a shoe store and decided I needed to buy some wellies because wet feet are just not okay. Luckily they had some rain boots in my size. I used the Visa. So glad, though. I was much better after I had the wellies. Cate bought a nutella crepe while I was in the shoe store and she found the Internet cafe. Our luck was changing.

We spent an hour in the cafe. I chatted with Nick online and she finished her homework. I was so glad that she was able to get her assignments done. I know it must be really hard to be traveling and trying to go to school at the same time. I'm pretty impressed that she is able to pull it off. I would probably flunk all my classes. I had just enough euros left to pay for the hour at the cafe and buy a sprite. Perfect.

We left the cafe and headed to the train station. Things got very stressful. We got to the station where we checked our bags. I was sure I was going to miss my bus. Trying to keep my cool. Cate had to be at her train at 5:45. It was 5:10. The train station was huge and we could not find the bag check.

At the station, Cate got really mad at me. We were discussing how I would get to the Port Maillot stop, where I would have to catch my bus. I knew the way there. I had to take line one to Port Maillot. I told this to Cate and she said, "No." I was sure I was right, so I said, "Yes. That's what I have to do." She pulled out the map. We were losing valuable time. She was sure I was wrong. I don't know why. She finally agreed with me. She said, "Yeah. You're right." And I replied, "Yeah. I know I'm right." I didn't care who was right or wrong, I just desperately did not want to miss my bus.

When I said that I knew I was right, Caitlin got really offended. I honestly did not think I was being rude. I did not mean to offend her at all. She flung the map at me and said, "OK, you're on your own." She darted off. I had to chase after her. She had the ticket to my bag check. I said, "Cate, I did not mean to offend you. I don't know why you are taking this so personally." I tried to apologize, but this just made things worse. I felt so sad. I'm still really upset about this. She said, "I have been so nice to you. That is not how you should treat someone you just met." Well, I felt the same way about how she was treating me. She said I was being rude. I told her she was being rude too and it takes two to fight. I should have just shut up. This is such a silly reason to be mad. I really don't understand. She won't accept my apology and she refuses to apologize herself. Did she want me to pretend I wasn't sure of the way? I didn't know it meant that much to her. I am really confused.

We finally found the bag check. It was 5:20. I was surely going to miss my bus. I ran to line one. I had to ride this line for 30 minutes to Port Maillot. I finally got there. I was completely depressed. I missed my bus, but luckily there was another one headed for the airport in 15 minutes. My plane did not leave until 8:45, so I knew everything should be okay. It all worked out. I cried the entire way to the airport. What a depressing way to end my trip to Paris. I got to the airport an hour before my plane was supposed to leave.

My flight was delayed until 22:45 because of bad weather, so I waited and waited. I am so sick. Sneezing, coughing, headache, sour throat. I have the flu. I have been through so many tissues. My eyes are watering. I am completely miserable. My plane finally took off at 11 p.m. I arrived in Rome at 1 a.m. I took another shuttle from the Rome airport into the city. I arrived at Termini Station (Rome's main station) at 1:45. I took a taxi from Termini to Camilla's home. I used my Visa again. At this point, I was so miserable and depressed, I didn't even care. The taxi only cost 18 euros.

I arrived home around 2 a.m. I am so sick. I could not sleep. My head aches, my entire body aches. I cough and cough. So miserable. I took a hot shower. This helped clear up my nose so I can breathe. I slept only a few hours. I feel like I am dying.

Sunday in Paris

2-1-2009

Today is our last full day in Paris. We did not get to sleep until 4 a.m. We slept late today and woke around noon. Caitlin is usually the first to wake up and Romina the last. We got dressed and Eline fed us a wonderful breakfast again. We ate quickly because we wanted to get to Paris as soon as possible. We took the train into the city. Romina and Caitlin both wanted to eat at Subway. There are no Subways in Rome and they were excited to see them in Paris. So, Subway was our first stop. They were both disappointed in their sandwiches. Not the same as Subway back home. I was not interested in Subway, but I definitely understand the homesick part.

After lunch, Romina and I were headed to Versailles. Caitlin had already been to Versailles so she decided she would part from us to see some new sights. Romina and I headed to the metro to take a train to Versailles. It took about 30 or 45 minutes to get there. We stopped and had coffee at Starbucks. There are no Starbucks in Rome. We walked from the metro to the palace and bought tickets. It was magnificent. So beautiful. I was amazed. I can't believe I am here. It takes my breath away.

We toured Versailles and took lots of photos. It was incredible. I saw the most magnificent paintings! The gardens were beautiful and it's winter for heaven sake. We did not get to stay as long as we wanted because the palace closed at 5 p.m. and the gardens closed a 6. It's Sunday, so everything is closing early, I guess. We saw all the highlights. Romina is fun to travel with. We talked a lot on the train to Versailles. She told me about Argentina and her trip to New York City.

We headed back to Paris to meet Caitlin. We met at a metro station. It was a little confusing. Romina said to meet at the platform, but when we got there we didn't see Cate so we decided to wait at the entrance to the platform. She finally came to the entrance and said she had been waiting at the platform. Confusing, but everything was okay.

We were meeting Eline outside of The Moulin Rouge for dinner. We took the metro in that direction. It was so cool to be outside of the Moulin Rouge. We wanted to see a show, but it was really expensive, so we opted out. We met Eline and decided we would look for a French restaurant. We found a place and sat down for dinner. The piano player at the restaurant was fantastic. He was playing the best songs. I had duck pate and roasted pork with french fries, of course. It was good to eat some French food. Better than Subway.

We finished dinner and decided to call it a night. We headed for Eline's place. We arrived at Eline's and got ready for bed. Caitlin is taking online classes through The University of Oklahoma and needed to get some homework done. I don't know how she is managing to go to school and live in Rome. Pretty incredible, especially with the time difference and everything. She was unable to complete her homework on Eline's computer. We decided we would try to look for an internet cafe the next day so she could post her assignments.

We talked a little and went to bed. Romina was leaving at 5 a.m. Caitlin and I had a half day left in Paris. She was leaving for a week vacation from Paris. She's headed to Lyon, Strasbourg, Luxembourg and Amsterdam. I think Prague too. How wonderful?!? She leaves at 5:45 p.m. from the train station and I need to be at the shuttle to the airport at 5:30 p.m.

Saturday in Paris ...

1-31-2009

Today we were all together. Romina, Caitlin, Eline and myself woke up at 9/9:30 and got ready for a full day in Paris. Let me begin by describing my companions ... Romina is a Latina firecracker. She is a born leader and if Romina says it's so, don't argue. She is from Argentina and has been pretty much everywhere. Caitlin is an American debutant. She rides horses and is from Oklahoma. She has a great personality and gets along with everyone. Eline is French. I just met her yesterday. She was born in Paris and now attends the Sorbonne. She is in her first year and is studying Italian. She's quiet (maybe because her first language is French and we all were speaking English) and extremely polite.

Eline fed us breakfast. She had the best assortment of French pastries. Sooo good. I wonder how all the French women are so skinny. For example, there were apple chaussons, puff pastries with chocolate, croissants and more. She made us Columbian coffee too. We needed it! After we ate we headed into the city. Eline's house is very close to a train station, which made getting to and from Paris really easy.

Once in Paris, we headed to Sacre Cur and Montmartre, a charming neighborhood just behind the church. We stopped along the way and bought souvenirs. We walked up the stairs to Sacre Cur and viewed the church. Then we walked to Montmartre. I loved this neighborhood. It might be my favorite place in Paris. There were artists everywhere and really great little restaurants. Romina had her portrait drawn by one of the artists in Montmartre and I stopped to write my postcards. I was really dissappointed because I left my iPod back in Rome. The iPod has my address book, so I was only able to write to those whose addresses I knew by heart.

After a little while, Caitlin, Eline and I went into a restaurant to escape the cold and waited for Romina. We drank coffee and I finished writing my letters. Romina came and joined us and we all decided we would head to the Eiffel Tower. We left Montmartre and headed towards the metro. We rode the metro to the Eiffel Tower. The tower is huge. I was really surprised by how big it was. I don't know why, but I expected it to be smaller.

Romina and Caitlin wanted to ride to the top of the tower, but I really didn't care to see the view at the top. I was so cold and I knew it would be even more freezing up there. Eline and I left and would meet them later. Eline took me to the Opera house. Sooo beautiful. Then we went to Starbucks and had a snack. Afterwards it was time to meet Romina and Caitlin. Eline had a party, so she needed to get home and get dressed. I rode the metro back to the Eiffel Tower and Eline headed home.

I met the girls. They wanted to head to Eline's and then meet up with their friend Louise for a night out in the city. We did just that. We met their friend Louise after freshening up. She took us to a bar that used to be a train station, called Fleche d'Or (the golden bow). Louise was really cool. She is French and lives in Paris. She is interning at Cosmo. She had an event earlier in the day and she said she met Lauren Conrad there. Lauren invited her to intern for her new company. She was thrilled, but the internship was in LA and she's looking for something in New York City.

We watched a band play at the bar and then we headed out to a nigh club. We rode the metro a few stops and found the club. It was packed. There was a line out the door spanning the entire street. We would have to wait at least 2 hours to get in. We decided it wasn't worth it and left. Louise headed home and we were on our way to Eline's. We rode the metro where we needed to make our connection. When we got to our connection the metro was closed. AAAAHH! Disaster. We had to figure out the night bus situation.

Thank goodness for Romina. She had the bus time card. She picked it up at one of the train stations. It said that our bus would come every hour. We just needed to figure out which bus stop was our stop. At 2:30 a.m. we were looking at the bus schedule. We saw the bus we needed to take drive right past us. Just a couple blocks ahead was the bus stop. So, we had to wait an entire hour for our next bus. It would have been fine, but it was sooooo cold. I mean this is the coldest I have ever been. My feet were frozen. I had tights under my jeans, a thick pair of socks and wool lined boots, and I was absolutely frozen.

I really wanted to call a taxi, but it would have cost a lot of money. I have become really cheap. I mean REALLY cheap. The exchange rate is crap, so I pretty much refuse to spend dollars unless it is necessary. And I literally make no money. I have to save my euros to travel. I cannot squander my euros on taxis and clothes. This makes things a little more difficult and sometimes I will have to pamper myself a little or I'll get depressed. For example, I am going to find a good salon and get a haircut. I also need to have my hair colored because it turned a weird red color that I hate.

Anyways, back to Paris. We waited at the bus stop for an entire hour. When the bus arrived we were sooo releaved. It hurt when my feet began to defrost. The bus took us to the train station next to Eline's house. We went straight to bed. I slept in two pairs of socks and my sweatshirt. I was still freezing even after we were in our warm beds.

From Rome to Paris

1-30-2009

My flight to Paris leaves at 7 in the morning. Romina says there is only one bus to the airport this morning leaving at 5 a.m. We wake up at 3:30 a.m. She picks me up in a taxi at 4:15 and the trip begins. We get to the bus, buy our tickets and we're off. We spent the morning chatting and trying to take naps. I don't think either of us slept a wink. I didn't go to sleep until 1 a.m., and Romina didn't go to sleep at all the night before. Caitlin is going to meet us in Paris tonight because she had to take a late flight.

We waited in the Rome airport for about an hour and 45 minutes. I packed some sandwiches and we ate and talked. Our plane took off on time and we arrived in Paris around 10 a.m. From the airport in Paris we took a shuttle to the city. Eline, the French girl we are staying with met us at the metro station at Port Maillot. She helped us buy a day long metro pass and we headed to Eline's house to drop off our luggage. Eline made us a French lunch, some kind of ham and cheese pastry, and then we headed into Paris.

We walked all over Paris. We were so tired from lack of sleep. We walked to the Louvre and saw that there was free admittance for those under 26 years old after 6 p.m. So we decided we would come back at 6. We walked from the Louvre to the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Elysees. Eline took us to the most fantastic pastry shop on the Champs-Elysees called La Duree. Sophia Coppola filmed scenes from Marie Antionette at this very shop. It was the most beautiful, decadent shop I have ever seen. Eline bought us all a macaroon. She said it was very important for her to have us taste the French macaroon from La Duree.

We walked past the Arc de Triomphe and decided we would go see Nortre Dame. We hopped on the metro and headed to the church. It was soo beautiful. I can't even imagine how they were able to build such an elaborate maze of arches and buttresses. It was truly incredible. After Notre Dame it was time to head to the Louvre. We hopped back on the metro and headed in that direction.

The Louvre was awesome. I could have spent 12 hours there. My favorite sections are the 18th and 19th century French paintings. I saw most all of my favorite paintings. They look so different in person than they do in art books. There was the most famous Jaques-Louis David paintings, Ingres, Delacroix ... I LOVE Delacroix. It was amazing to be there in front of these paintings.

Also, Francois Boucher, the famous Rococo painter. I think seeing his paintings was the best. He was Madame Pompadour's favorite painter and really revolutionized French painting in general. I was given a lesson from one of the staff members of the Louvre on Le Dejeuner, a famous Boucher painting. It was fantastic. At the Louvre there are staff members all over waiting to educate viewers on the art they are seeing. How wonderful is that?

The woman at the Louvre told me that Le Dejeuner was a self-portrait of Boucher and his family. It was one of the very first times that the Bourgeois class was depicted in a painting. She pointed out the most fantastic attributes. She said that the painting is cropped unlike any paintings before. It is more intimate as opposed to showing the entire space. The desk leg in the painting shows the Bourgeois class borrowing from the nobility. This kind of desk would have been seen at Versailles or another palace, and now the Bourgeois people are buying this furniture for their own homes. There is also a fair amount of exoticism in the painting. This is showing the new French imports. There is a table with a red velvet lining, probably from China. They are drinking tea or coffee and this is exotic. Also, there is a tiny Buddha figurine just behind Boucher in the painting. I never would have seen the Buddha if she hadn't pointed it out!

I have to go back to Paris by myself one day. I would stay at the Louvre all day long. My companions were just not that into the paintings. Romina likes the ancient Egyptian artifacts. Pretty cool, I must admit. We wandered through the Egyptian section and I saw a mummy. Ewww! Eline has seen this all so many times. She was a bit bored, I think. It was difficult traveling with such diverse people. At times I felt I was the new girl. They know each other and so it can be hard to feel completely included. I'm still getting to know everyone. After the Louvre, we were so exhausted. We headed to Starbucks and lounged a bit before heading to Port Maillot to meet Caitlin.

We met Caitlin at around 10:30. We were so tired, we decided to go to Eline's and call it a night. Caitlin didn't mind. She was exhausted from traveling and from her day back in Rome. We hopped on the metro and headed towards Eline's. We had a full day planned for tomorrow and needed to rest up.