Carnivale di Viareggio (PART TWO)

Buon Giorno,

Viareggio, as you can tell, was as wacky as it was fun, and I wish I had taken more pictures with me and our group, but live and learn!

Here are some snapshots of the town:

Here are some of the costumes and whatever "leftover" photos I have. You can tell that the Italians put a lot of work into some of these!

MY FAVORITE!!!!! HAHA. She looked right into my soul!! ahhh






And who doesn't believe me when I say the Italians love their dogs?

And finally, look who I bumped into:

Carnivale di Viareggio (PART ONE)

Buona Sera Bloggers,

I am excited to release part one of the trip to my first Italian Carnivale! It's a mixture of a parade, political statements, and Halloween. Took my first treno (train) for an hour and half to this little coastal city. It was the coldest day of my stay in Europe, but was very entertaining. And I think you'll see why.

The ATM card did not work for me, so I had to operate on what money I had (6 euros, I think... which was enough to have some of the best pizza I've ever had, and a Coca-Cola)! Yay!

I will always travel with a little extra now. The less money you have, the more you want to buy. It's weird.

So here are some of the Parade floats...

Obama with Osama in his hat

Candy is very expensive here, so it was a tease. I think like a handful of gummy bears was worth close to 5 American dollars (Granted, its off the street of a giant parade...its bound to be expensive... but still)

Yup, thats really happening.

And here is a video of my personal favorite float! (I wish my laptop had a video editing program, so I could spruce it up a bit, but I can only show hard-cuts.)

Tomorrow's blog will show the rest of the trip, along with what people were wearing which I thought was equally entertaining! (Even Lady Gaga might be impressed by the average Italian costume!)

Ciao ciao!

Museo di Storia del Scienza

A bust of Galileo






Considered one of the most influential men of science, Galileo Galilei, was born in Pisa and buried in the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence This museum is located right next to the Ponte Vecchio and is full of little trinkets of history, some gadgets causing some of the most dramatic leaps in medicine, astrology, and physics. I paid 5 euro for a group ticket, we went as part of my Physical Anthropology class, and it was really neat to see some of the things that are talked about and explained on the history channel or PBS.

Galileo has been called the Father of Modern Physics, and notably backed philosophy that the Earth was not the center of the universe but the sun - a heliocentric theory that placed him in immediate controversy.

Inside the museum, Galileo's actual middle finger is displayed in a glass egg-shaped container, which the guide suggested was his viewpoint of the Catholic Church - which is ironic, because he is buried in one now. 

Photographs were not allowed, but being the tricky guy that I am, here is what I came up with ( - though as a result, I do not have an explanation for many of these, but most are self-explanatory)

Galileo's Middle Finger, I know its really hard to see, but I couldn't take a picture fast enough!
sorry! I have a google photo of it later. :)

And here is the google image of Galileo's finger, which was my favorite part of the whole trip.

Now whether or not this is Galileo's defiance to the church or pointing upwards to a place where he often explored through his telescope....

well, you can decide. : )

Ciao for now blog buddies!

Must...Keep....Blogging!

Ciao Blog Buddies,

My California readers are just about approaching 2:00 pm, but here, it is almost 11:00 pm: I'm exhausted! And I feel disappointed that I did not get the Sienna Daytrip up.

: (

But in my defense, I had a test in Humanities (Italian Film and Fiction) class, and a midterm tomorrow in my Italian Life and Culture class.

I've discovered a little thing called: Bread-Vinegar-Olive Oil! My new favorite snack, can't get enough of it! I had an entire loaf today and went back to buy another. Sooooo good. Also nutella, which I will explain later, because I have a few food blogs I want to do.

I miss this guy the most:

Even though I was extremely allergic to him, haha, he slept with me every night. My little buddy, Johnny.

The Italians, however, love their dogs. It is very difficult to find a street that does not have... er... obstacles. Despite this, the image of the little Italian woman and a massive German Shepherd dragging her down the street as she shouted, "Basta! Basta!" (which can translate to "enough" or "stop!") was quite entertaining. lol

And I saw another little German shepherd puppy, which has refreshed my love of the breed. So when I move out... I might be getting a puppy.

Who can refuse this face...

Ciao, Ciao.

Postcards and Address

Buon Giorno Blogger Readers,

It is a bit cloudy and murky outside today...

Outside my Kitchen Window

It is the first day of March and my third month outside the USA ( January, I was only gone for a couple of days... haha)... I've finally figured out my side of town and can navigate most of the Historical Center of Florence, but I always carry a map of the city in my back pocket. Why? Well, the third night of living here, I was lost and straggled outside the center of the city, where graffiti and nicely dressed ladies waited on the street corners. I am not jumping to conclusions on their profession, but it was late, and the environment was foreign... So your mind begins to play tricks on you, and the little kid down the street suddenly looks like a thug that will shank you, and all the stories you hear about getting robbed, suddenly creep out from the back of your mind.

Okay, so it wasn't that bad. haha.

I found my way back, but still, it was intense... So maps are critical! Just a basic one could make a huge difference. They are about a Euro... Just get one!

The good thing though, is that the parties and the Italians that go to them stay out late. Most clubs and pubs, for example, do not really open their doors until 11, and people don't show up til about 1:00 or 2:00 am then close at 5:00. And that goes the same with some of the small little cafes and restaurants.

The weekends here bring on a new set of tourists, and just like me, they'll have their large maps and frazzled looks on their faces as they wander in the wrong direction. People from all of the world come here and its interesting to see what they came for. I met a bunch of Americans from "Philly" as they called it, and helped them find their way to a point across the city... I think that was the moment when I felt a little more... at home...where I am. If that makes sense!

Today, even though I've written a bunch of postcards, I haven't mailed any yet, because I couldn't find the stamps! But now I have them. So in about two weeks, you should receive a letter from me!

Yours might be here!

: )

And if you want to write me:

Alex Twomey
c/o AIFS
CLI Dante Alighieri
Piazza della Repubblica, 5
...50123 Florence
Italy


Ciao for now! :D