Italy and Amsterdam

Last day in europe!

I have to say that I am slightly more excited than i was yesterday about going home because this morning I woke up and dad's computer says there is a misfunation in the hardware and therefore will not turn on. I wonder what happened because it was working fine last night. I guess karma is catching up to me or something. All of my trip pictures are being held hostage. Major suck!!

Yesterday I flew into Amsterdam (without sleeping the night before) and arrived here at 9:00am. Goo timing. I found the hostel, got checked in and headed out. My first stop was a "classy" sex museo. It was fine and interesting with some great videos (not of porn) about the creater of the can-can, or a movie star who created the tango and who died at 27 or 32 or something. it was nice.

Next stop was to get a gay map. Once aquired I stopped by the Anne Frank museo and waited in a medium sized line to get in. No student discount! interesting. I ended up shedding a few tears out of frustration on the subject. And also because what she went through was one of many many families. At the end they've added a cool participation process. you get to sit down (in a group) and a tv presents different moral cases and you get to vote yes or no. ex: "This is Jen. She is part of a fb group that believes the holocast never happened. (data data data...) Do you think that these fb groups should be allowed to exsist?" I sat there for maybe 40 min. It was awesome learning about different sides of issues. But there are some seriously hard decisions.

After the Anne frank houseI mapped out all of the gay clubs, bars, restraunts that I wanted to go to and I progressed all over town finding them! I found many of them for the first time. I even took some pictures because I wanted to be able to prove I'd found them! I went to the Hienikin Brewery after all that walking I was thirsty. So I paid the 15 euro to get in (which includes 3 beers at the end- and they didn't ID) The tour was self guided and VERY well put together with multiple interactive parts, good laid out process, a virtual tour where you "get bottled" and some great commercials displayed in various ways. I even learned how to drink beer as an art form! The tour was very impressive! At the end of the tour, there were a lot of people, some even looked like they were in HS. I found 2 girls who I'd been leap frogging the entire way. We ended up talking and they went to Smith college! Hugely ironic. We decided to meet up that night and check out some of the gay bars i had seen.

I went back to the hostel (Cocomama) and had a group dinner with about 20 other guests. The hostel is completely full right now. We had a pasta with red sauce and peppers and mushrooms. It was not enough food but it was ok. I was exhasted from not sleeping the night before but I was in a bad mood so I needed to get out. I got dressed and passively started walking to meet my friends at a bar waaaaay across town. it took me 25 min walking quickly. And it felt warmer now than during the day. But in no means 'warm" it's SUPER COLD. Brisk. We met at the bar and I had a beer... nothing special. Over the night we bar hopped to almost all the gay bars of interest (8). They were all dead- accept for one where we got pushed out as we were opening the door. their excuese was "ummmm... men only tonight..." Orgie anyone? It was naked night.

So we went to a coffee shop and my friends `lindsey and `ester (love her name) bought a joint of the strongest weed they had! We sat in the bar and smoked it a bit. the guy kept saying... slow down slow down. I guess I wasnt inhaling enough.. cause I didnt really feel anything and there was NO BURN. strange!

So we settled a the cute gay bar that reminded me of the mix but only the top floor and smaller. Filled with gay boys. When I left they all blew me kisses!!! So wonderful! I also got a free beer from the bartender.

So it was an ok night. I stayed up until about 1:30am. I was on speed or something because I kept fidgiting and noticing little details everywhere, and I felt super awake!!!! Maybe the weed. There were 2 pure kinds: 1 that made you fall asleep and 1 that didn;t. we got the one that didn't. meh. I came back to the hostel and got on skype to see if candis was on to talk. sadly no. So I went and talked with a few people who had stayed up.

LAST DAY IN EUROPE FOR A WHILE!!!! Im happy to be going home. But I could easily stay 2 more weeks if I was in Florenza... but I'm not, and i did the math, it's actually cheaper to come back. Love you all!!!!

Weeellll,

Bologna was quiet interesting, but to let everyone know, it did get better. I stayed at this adorable flat that was 1 room and lived in by this wonderful woman who was 26 and working as a lawyer! We had a lot of fun going out at night and meeting her friends. She has officially invited me back whenever I want. Unfortunately she did get super sick the second day I was with her and so we could not go out, although we went out for an hour to her neighbor's art instillation. It was interesting and E5 with food.

This morning I woke up in Bologna and it was snowing!!!!!!!! so cool!!!!!!!!! I walked to the train station and found my train ok. I picked the long train because it was the longest and i wanted to see more of the country side and I wanted time on th train to relax and catch up on the 4 days in my journal! It was wonderful being on the train and writing and being alone. so nice. I'm now here in Milano and in a very very nice house with Noemi and her mother.

When I got here I could not find which house/ her call button and I did not have her phone number. I walked around the street for 20 min maybe and I had no idea what to do. SO I pushed all the call buttons on this one complex and someone answered. I feabally asked "Noemi? Couchsurfing?" "SiSISI duo prego"

And I went in and to the second floor where I could not find the ringer... so I stood outside of the door for 3 min knocking. Noemi had maybe 10 people over because it was a very special day for her. She had friends of hers over who are practicing Buddism and today she was finally recieving her "mirror" or her place of worship where she recieves and now keeps her "self" in which is a scroll of paper with chinese writing on it. I'm not sure... anyhow, there was about an hour of praying to themselves, where I sat and listened to them. then everyone read a passage of a book or told Noemi how special she was, there were a couple gifts for her alter also, very cool experiance.

There, of course, was also food. This time there was:

- a filo dough and pesto with melted parm
- a mix of octupus tenticles, crab, lobster or something
- filo dough with a shrimp mix in the middle
- mini panini bread with cheese and tomato on top
- oven baked cheese and cucumber sandwiches
- 2 sweet balls rolled in sugar (not that good)
- ummmm I think that's all...

and of course red wine and bubbily.

After everyone left I went to my room to get organized a little. The house: One floor on the American 3rd story, there are three bedrooms plus a storage room/ study (where I will be sleeping) and a very long and large bathroom that has no shower, just a bathtube, 2 sinks. Also there is a very very nice kitchen with granate and new cupboards and a nice stainless steal fridge, and a large living room. the place is huge! and clean!!! The walls in Noemi's room are orange and her tall ceiling is light purple. The living room is a light yellow with orange cloth couches. everything is nice, the furniture is all a finished oak- throughout the house. the cielings are all valted with an accent design. It's open and every room has a window! Super different from what I am used to!

Anyhow, I think that I am going out to a trivia night at an irish pub, but maybe a poetry reading, I'm not sure! more later, Love you all

Carrie, Scooter, GF, Sister, Awesome, Eli

Hello All!!

SO Sorry it's taken me a couple of days to get something else written. I wrote a lot 2 days ago and then my computer died or the internet didn't work or something and I lost everything I'd written and then I needed to go out to the other room because I didn't want to re-write everything. Anyhow...

So right now (I'll workbackwards) I'm in Bologna and it honestly isn't all that great. It's full of people with face piercings (everywhere the bull ring and between the eyes is most frequent) and hippies who actually do smell. As well as who wear super dirty clothes. There is graffitti on everything and the streets are small and fast with traffic. There is a constant cloud of smoke covering the city, both from the cars, but more the people.

I met my hostess at the station and she looked nice enough, she is a student in medicine at the university. There are no tourists and everyone looks at me all the time, actually... less than when I was in the other cities. Oh well. We went to the flat which was next to a broken door that was clearly used a lot and falling apart. we walked up 4 floors and then to her door. My backpacking bag almost didn't fit going straight through the door way (naaarrrrow!) I walked in and was instantly hit in the face with stale smoke from all different sources. also, it smells as though this house has never been cleaned! Or if it has, it's been quiet a while.

Then I go into the room and there are clothes all over and there it is extremely messy, ash all over the floor from smoking... gross. I thought to myself (wow it's only for 2 nights and after, who knows, maybe my next one is better.) Anyhow.. I'm not super excited to be here. I don't have a map and there are no tourist informations, so I don't feel good going out walking alone because I will not be able to get back to the flat. There are 3 bedrooms and one bathroom and kitchen, and 6 people living here. all boys except this girl, who's name I can not say.

Last night we went to a friend's birthday party in a political activist place that was covered (in a dark alley) the inside walls were covered in black and red, and she told me everyone will be wearing black because that is their color. She is apart of a political activist group. they present books that go challenge authority and she plans protests and such. I felt slightly out of place. Everyone is wearing overly huge clothes and I'm in my tight pants and wool with a scarf. I just feel out of place here. It's like living in Asia (near campus a house) for those of you who understand that.

Anyhow. It was interesting her cousin invited us to his bar so we went and I tried grapa a very very alcoholic drink made form grapes. I also tried light beer with lemon soda (super good)! and brutte,

I miss florenza a lot. Elena was so cute and we connected super well. Her grandma told me when I was leaving that I was going to be missed. I really liked having a family to go home to. Oh well. I am half considering going back for some time. I don't know yet. I don't know. I really miss Elena and her clean, normal flat with her mom.

Oh well. Here is the update! Love all you!

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Elena y yo

SO last night was crazy! There was a 6 course meal: started with a martini then...

1st:
-Started with a filo dough with a dab of guacamole and tiny shrimp on it
-filo dough with a cheese and sausage mix in and cooked wiht a sweetness around the edge.
-garlic bread
-crackers with home made hummas

2nd:
-thin pasta dough rolled like sushi with a ragou meat sauce inside (rolled like sushi) and cut into 1" slices set into a pan, face up with fresh parm on them and cooked in the oven

3rd:
-Cooked spinach, olives and raisins
-Cooked polenta and mushrooms
-Salmon with dill, butter and lemon
-a baked potato

4th:
-a filo dough torte filled with 1" of dark choclate filling- thick
-pre-made tiny (I" tall 1/2" across) desserts (strawberry, choclate, terrimasu)
-champagne

5th:
-coffee
-coffee liquor
-warm milk and sugar
-brandy

6th:
-fortune cookie (my fortune was "you are very intelligent about men")

You know, an average day of eating. the meal lasted from 1:00pm-5:30pm

That was about all.

Today, all the museos were closed so I just walked about. I'm super tired from the trip (I blame Rome) so I've slept in till 930am everyday. I'm sleeping better here than sometimes at home! It's great! Earplugs are magic. It was sunny but very cold today. I have a yogurt and 1/2 a bagette for lunch. I was also so tired that I went into the only open museo and thought it was the Uffizi (where the painting of venus is coming out of the sea, but when I left the museo, I realized I'd paid and walked around the wrong museo without realizing it! I was tired. I leave for Bologna- gay capital of Italy!- on Wend morning.

I might write more later.

For dinner tonight I'm cooking sunny-side up eggs and toast with left overs. Ya American food.. kind of.

Love you all. And yes aunt sue. Traveling alone is becoming normal! Thank you Candis for always being on Skype and talking with you it, it's been awesome. And Mom and Dad I've loved having random long conversations with you two also.

So,

I am now in Florenza and loving it. I came in yesterday by train and fell in love with the weather ( I got a small sunburn) and the surrounding mountains, but not the people. Turning out most of Florenza's population comes from American women studying photography or art. boo. they have proven to be very obnoxious.

Yesterday I walked to the top of one of the near by hills that used to be a fortress of sorts I think, but there was nothing on the top but a view point, maybe this is where the guards stood, who knows! It was beautiful! There wasn't a cloud in the sky, the sun was strong but not hot, there weren't a lot of people on the top. I had a view up and down the city, from the Andes down by Pisa and also up the river to the rolling hills full of vacant houses and native trees, dotted with olive bushes.

It was gorgeous. I spent most of the day sitting on a littler version of the Spanish Steps. I journaled and looked out over the city. After the first house a man sat behind me (the stairs were starting to fill up) and began playing slow acoustic guitar. It was beautiful!!! everything about the moment was wonderful. He briefly stopped out of respect to the monks below the steps who gathered in a circle to pray atop their world.

I ended up buying another souvier- a gay flag with the word 'pace' or peace on it.

Those moments on the hill were perfect. I headed back down and around the city. I ended up getting geltato for 12E (not a good enough price?) but looking back I think I was over charged. I trying saying I didn't want it any more and to put it back, but that would have been rude, so I paid the 12E and called it quits for good food that night.

I sat in a plaza next to the museo Uffizi and took pictures of all the weird or cool hair cuts I saw.

After a while I headed back to the house with Elena (who I'm staying with)- around 4:30pm.

She is super sweet, and we get along really really well. She loves dance photography she also works at a bar (like me), her room is neat and organized, and she has tie dye sheets and covers. she lives with her mom and everywhere in this house there is color. (I saw house, I mean apartment). There are 2 bathrooms, 2 bedrooms a kitchen and a living room. It's a rectangled shape. A fat orange cat also lives here named Figaro. He's obsessed with being touched! he's funny

I got back to the house and met Grandma, who is hilarious since I don't even know what she's saying and only speaks Italian. She's the crazy opinionated old granndma! I like her.

Elena had work last night and came home around 4:30am- no I was not awake. And mom and family were going out to dinner so i couldn't be at the house until 11-1130pm. SO I went out and walked around I waited at this hopping pizza place for 40 min but I didn't care I had 3 hours to kill. I tried a Napoli and house wine. The pizza had capers and anchovies on it, I thought that I might like it because I liked olives here. but the answer is still no. I don't like them. I ate slowly to kill time.

I walked around the main place where the night life happens and didn't see anything interesting so I walked home sloooowly and got to the door at 11.

So TODAY:

I woke up around 10am and got up with Elena at 1030 maybe. We went out and I was offered coffee and toast with butter and jam, I accepted and ate breakfast here at the house. All morning I've been helping everyone get ready for Elena's birthday party (that was last tuesday). It's going to be 13 people, all Italian, and there's so much good food!! I'm excited to meet everyone. more later