Roll Out

Interesting adventure last night: Watching the new live-action Transformers movie in Italian. I figured it wouldn't be too hard to follow a Michael Bay film, even if it was in a foreign language. I was right, almost to a sad degree. The movie's script was pitiful, apparent even in Italian, but it was still very cool to watch some of the idols of my childhood in real-life form, blowing things up to a degree that only Bay can do it. Watching an American movie here was quite the different experience, with the music, product placement, and familiar faces spitting out noises that didn't click at all. All in all, the evening was nostalgia at its best, and a novel experience.

Picture Time

Alright, here are the public links to my photo albums from across Italy. Hopefully you should be able to simply click on each link to see an album. Let me know if they work, and enjoy! -msr

http://uga.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2235314&l=2ef7d&id=4912107

http://uga.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2235317&l=8401b&id=491210

http://uga.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2235308&l=e8f86&id=4912107

http://uga.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2235292&l=56c1a&id=4912107

http://uga.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2232810&l=914ba&id=4912107

http://uga.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2232799&l=95627&id=4912107

http://uga.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2232742&l=753ff&id=4912107

http://uga.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2232785&l=36e27&id=4912107

http://uga.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2232740&l=4d007&id=4912107

Lesson of the day: Don't attempt a slidetackle on astroturf.

Other lesson of the day: Nike Shox have a crappy soccer touch.

Thought of the day: Playing soccer with Italians makes you realize why they call it the beautiful game.

-msr

Nothing creative coming to mind...

I usually try to base my posts around some theme or story rather than giving a minute by minute account of something, but nothing special (aside from the fact that I'm studying on the side of a mountain in the middle of Tuscany) is coming to mind. Instead, I'll share a recap of my typical weekday to give all of you curious readers a feel of what a day in the life of a Cortona study-abroader is all about.

I woke up at a nice and rosy 7:30 to throw on some clothes and head the door to our dining room, where we enjoy a buffet-style breakfast that our nice "housekeepers" set out for us on a daily basis. My typical breakfast includes the European equivalent of Special K and Granola (which is what I eat back home, so it works for me), a small fruit pastry, a roll with jelly, and some orange juice. I also usually try to comandeer a cup of yogurt to the studio with me for a mid-morning snack.

Class begins at 8:00 in the building next door. I have my landscape architecture design studio until noon. This time is spent drawing and writing as we create designs for one site or another. Right now, we are in the process of designing a front and back courtyard for the local elementary school. Our second day in class, we walked down and visited the site a in an effort to "get to know" the schoolyard and analyze its features by sketching, photographing, and taking notes. The next stage of the design process is conceptual, where we come up with loose, general ideas on what the site could be used for and how best to tackle those uses through plants, hardscapes (brick, concrete, walls, fences, walkways, etc.), art, paths, sitting places, etc. After the conceptual process, we start whittling the design down to specifics, like where a path should lead to and from, what the space will look like as you enter it, leave it, and move through it, how certain plants at certain times of the year will impact a space in different ways, what a space is appropriate for and what it suggests one should do in it, what kind of mood it sets the occupant in, and so on and so forth.

The last stage is putting the final pen to paper, as we draw a plan view (an aerial shot, basically), sections (as if you were looking at the landscape from the ground), and different detail sketches and drawings that clarify important parts of the design. I started the final sheet today, so hopefully it will be looking good by Monday's due date.

After my studio class, I have a one hour lunch break. Lunch is typically either a sandwich from the local grocer at the bottom of the hill, some fruit, or a classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich. My choice usually depends on whether or not I want to brave the grueling walk back up the hill once I get my food from downtown.

After lunch I have photography. My professor is a UGA Grad that has taught photography at both UNC and Duke, and is now taking over the photography program at UNC-Asheville. She's only 26, and is very energetic and fun to be around. We've started from the basics of how to make your camera work and have come all the way to printing photos complete with burning and dodging to enhance them, so it's been a neat experience. I have strong connection to photography as an art form, so I love seeing how the process actually works. It's also interesting to see just how little I know about what makes a good picture. But that's what we learn for, right?

Photo is done around 3 in the afternoon. I have no set schedule for my afternoons yet; I typically update this thing and check email for a few minutes once class is done, but by then I've usually seen enough of the classroom building and am ready to high-tail it out of here. Afer that, it's either running, working a bit longer on my project, reading, napping, laundry, running errands and buying supplies in town, shooting basketball, or taking photos for my class. Regardless of the activity, I seem to run out of time every evening, just squeaking by with a shower before dinner at Tonino's.

I hop around tables at dinner, rarely sitting with the same group. I like getting to know more than just one group of people, so I make it a point to sit with someone I haven't recently whenever I can. Our dinners are served in the typical Italian style of a primi course, which is always pasta of some type, followed by a second course, typically with meat, some salad, and another something or other (veggies, cheese, potatoes, etc.) and then dessert, which is typically fruit. It's wonderful.

After-dinner plans usually include hanging around in town for a few minutes to let the food settle, sometimes with the help of gelato. I cannot tell you how good that stuff is. Just imagine light, creamy ice cream with amazing flavors. My favorite is nutella (basically vanilla/chocolate swirl) and caramel creme together. It's unbelieveable. After that, it's back up the hill, at which point is typically around 10:00. It's chill time after that for an hour or two, and then off to bed to start over.

Hope that didn't bore anyone too badly. Maybe I'll have some amazingly deep, introspective thought to share tomorrow. Take it easy, everyone.

-msr

EDIT: Check out my facebook- new album up today.

Reflections, Part 2

Two posts in one day. To quote Ron White, "We are mooovin'." More on my earlier adventures:

After our tiring arrival in Germany, Kara and I decided to tackle Munich in our first full day. Despite a hellacious wind and driving rain outside, we began our trek to the Marianplatz (the historic downtown district). It took all of 10 minutes of walking to realize that this might not be the best day ever to explore the city on foot. The rain was sideways in spurts, and the wind so bad that people's umbrellas were reversing themselves by the dozens as they skittered in and out of buildings. I swear the temperature didn't crack 50 all day. This would have been fine except for the fact that US Airways had been kind enough to lose my luggage (I'm two for two on international trips as far as that goes), and I was sporting shorts and sandals until my clothes arrived.

Despite these epic obstacles, Kara and I trooped on like the determined folks that we are. We dashed into stores to regain feeling in our limbs from time to time, which turned out to be a good experience simply because we saw a lot more than the typical shiny tourist stops. A multi-story department store had a hilarious collection of American music, with selections ranging from 50 Cent to Ozzy. We wandered around the Marianplatz, enjoying a few of the churches and plazas, and browsed through a few shops.

Finally, when I was convinced that everything below my knees had frostbite, we called it a day. Stopping at Pizza Hut for dinner (it was the first thing in sight), we ordered some pizza (original, right?). After the meal, it was time to brave the last mile or so of our hike before reaching the sanctuary of our hostel. Not 5 minutes into the return trip, a huge gust of wind upended the take home box out of Kara's hands. As it opened, a piece of cardboard shot out of the box and made a beeline for my head. I had to make a Matrix-style dodge to avoid losing an eye, much to Kara's enjoyment. It was at this point that I was completely convinced that this trip was going to be miserable. I mean, when a Pizza Hut box is out for you, you know you're in trouble. We made it back to the hotel in one piece after nothing short of a videogame day, and readied ourselves for a (hopefully nicer) trip to Bad Tolz the next morning.

Lessons learned from my first full day in Munich?

1. Pack pants in your carry on. Exceptions include trips to the Sahara and Phoenix.
2. Keens are great shoes, but not the warmest when wet.
3. Pack an umbrella. Otherwise, you'll end up paying $7 for a piece of crap from a street vendor that turns inside out everytime the wind gusts.
4. Don't leave said black umbrella by the door of a store amongst dozens of others. Apparently, it will look the most attractive and thus will be stolen while all of the others remain safe and sound.
5. Even if the weather is horrible, you're suffering from jet lag, and you have no clothes, being in Europe is really, really cool.

More later, and hopefully pictures of my first photo prints. :) Peace.

-msr

The Soundtrack of Our Lives

It's strange how geography and lifestyle can alter musical preferences so much. My tastes while in Athens overlap only slightly with my favorite music during the summer and winter breaks when I'm in Brevard. Apparently, the same goes for Cortona. My Athens music is usually driven by indie stuff like Death Cab, Sufjan Stevens, Ryan Adams, Bright Eyes, and such, with a bit of folk, such as John Prine, and southern rock, such as the Allman Brothers, thrown in. Add a bit of classic rock from Seger, Aerosmith, the Stones, and the Eagles, as well as some out-there favorites like Natalie Merchant, and you basically have my mix of music while at school.

In Brevard, 88.7 dominates my ears with its electic, multiple-personalityish mix. I listen to a lot more folk and bluegrass at home, and not so much of the newer indie stuff. Malcom Holcombe, Bob Seger, and the Eagles are typically my favorites back home.

David Gray, the Drive-By Truckers, John Mellencamp, the Eagles, Shawn Mullins, and Ryan Adams are my concrete favorites; it seems that regardless of where I am or what mood I'm in, these guys come through in the clutch. It's been interesting to see how my musical tastes have differed thus far this summer.

Music has been a big part of my Italy experience thus far. My iPod has been a great companion on the train, in the studio, on the city wall, on the bus, and often in the moments before I go to sleep at night. Strangely enough, a lot of my typical favorites aren't seeing as much time, and complete albums are really working for me instead of random songs. Here's the soundtrack of my summer, thus far:

Ryan Adam's "Heartbreaker". Dynamic enough to work in a lot of settings, be it a chill evening, motivating studio work, etc. "My Sweet Carolina" makes me a bit homesick each time it runs through, though.

My Morning Jacket's "Z" and "It Still Moves". Two of my favorite albums that did make the jump over the pond.

Sigur Ros. The weird chill/indie vibe that these guys provide has been great listen to while I write in my journal. Beautiful meditative music.

Wilco's "A Ghost is Born". Another dynamic one. "Kidsmoke" is my favorite tune while running, and a lot of the other songs are good things to draw to in the studio.

The Allman Brothers' "Live at The Filmore East". Favorite album to work to in the studio thus far.

Any and all Drive-By Truckers are still candy for my ears, despite the subject matter and tone seeming to come from another world.

Shawn Mullins is still a favorite also, with "Eggshells" seeing a lot of playing time.

The Wallflowers' "Breach" and "Red Letter Days". Two albums that I haven't listened to much recently have been almost on repeat in the last several weeks. "Rebel, Sweetheart" is another album that has seen a lot of time, and the one album of theirs that I usually do listen to, "Bringing Down the Horse" has only gone through once or twice. Definitely my favorite band of the summer to this point.

A big surprise is that a few of my favorites like the Eagles, and Aqualung, and Aerosmith, haven't been doing it for me so much. Maybe it's the elevation.

Reflections, part 1

I've decided that instead of publishing a thorough recount of my earlier adventures with Kara, I'm just going to throw out little reflections whenever I have time. It doesn't look like I'm going to have the spare change to sit down and type an entire story out anytime soon, so here goes.

I flew out of Charlotte on a toasty Sunday afternoon. I said bye to Mom and Dad, went through security, and got on a tiny little plane to Philly where I would connect to the flight to Munich. I only mention this flight because I had a nice little run in with someone quite famous in my mind. Jay Bilas, of Duke basketball and ESPN analyst fame, happened to be sitting two rows in front of me on the plane. As is always the case with famous people, I found myself second guessing whether or not it was him. I got confirmation when he stood up and nearly hit his head on the cabin ceiling. I walked off the plane, only to find him heading to the terminal right beside mine (turns out Mr. Bilas was flying to England). I introduced myself and told him it was a pleasure, and in the next ten minutes or so, we shot the breeze about college basketball as we made our way to our respective terminals. I don't think my trip could have started much better than that. Despite being a dookie, Bilas was very kind and down to earth. I guess not everyone from that school is pure evil. Jon and he both turned out okay.

My entry into Munich wasn't quite as rosy. Lost luggage, Kara being locked out of my terminal, a few early collect calls to Mom and Dad, no food, and little sleep all added up to a hectic and not-so-fun hour and a half after I arrived. Things worked out as they always do, however, and it wasn't too long until we were on a train headed to Munich's city center.

We arrived at Munich's central train station, the Hauptbanhof. This massive complex of exposed framework and steel was a daunting but beautiful entry point. We hunted down the friendly folks at the "Euraid" office and a smooth-talking American helped us purchase Eurail passes and pointed us in the direction of our hostel. I enjoyed a pelligrino (ironic, drinking an Italian gassata on my first day in Munich) at a bar, and did my best to order in German...one of many failures at breaking the language barrier.

The rest of our day was spent wandering, unpacking, and of course, sleeping off some jet lag. It felt good to lay down, and while I was tired, I found myself eager to start my adventure.

Little Things

In Pulp Fiction's early dialogue in which two hit men discuss travelling to other countries, Travolta nails it when he talks about how it was the "Little Things" that stand out when one visits Europe.

For the most part, things work the same way here that they do back home. People commute in and out of cities to work, three meals are eaten every day, kids go to school, etc. It's the little things, however, that stand out. Businesses stay open until 7 at night, but they close for 2 or 3 hours in the early afternoon for "siesta" time. Ketchup is scarce, while manoyaisse can be found on nearly every food item. And peanut butter costs about $7 for a jar as small as most jelly jars back home, a personally brutal discovery. Perhaps the one that gets me the most, however, is the serving size for beverages. People here drink just as much coke, water, juice, etc. as we do, but instead of filling large glasses, they bring out the bottle of said beverage and a tiny cup that you have to fill up every 30 seconds or so if you drink like me.

These little things have been interesting to discover, and are fun to acclimate to. As far as big things go, classes are going well, the group of people I am with is great, and the food is still excellent. I might tell a story about my first photo processing experience later on today. Off to Assisi tomorrow for a field trip. Take care everyone!

-msr

Cortona

Well, I'm closing in on finishing my first week in my new home, Cortona. The town is everything I could ask for, and more. The views from every part of the city are simply breathtaking. One can see so far towards the horizon that it eventually fades into a haze, much like it looks like from the window of a plane. The town is flourishing, no doubt helped by the success of "Under the Tuscan Sun" and the travellers that come due to it, along with the constant drum of students from our program every three months (the summer program is one of four semesters spent in Cortona; UGA also has a fall, spring, and maymester course here). The locals seem very kind and understanding of our ineptitude at speaking Italian, and have had more than one "welcoming party", if you will, in our honor.

Our dorm is plain but homey; apparently our group is the first beneficiary of a major restoration over the last couple of years. I'm living with six other guys in the basement of our building. We've aptly named it the Bachelor Pad (creative, right?). It gets a little interesting with one shower, but the guys are all great and such be good company. It's a great dynamic, with a wide range of personalities. The studios and classrooms are in a neighboring building just a bit down the hill from the dorm. The building itself is ancient, but the studio seems to offer all we will need. I'm currently writing from a very high-end Mac in the computer lab.

Food is served to us nightly at Tonino's, a local restaurant apparently famed across the region for some great cuisine. I have not experienced anything that would suggest differently; the pasta, second courses, and desserts (typically delicious fresh fruit) have been incredible. Breakfast is buffet style in the dining room at our dorm, with cereal, European milk (not refrigerated), oj, rolls, jelly, yogurt, a few cookies or pastries of some kind, and coffee. It gets me by fine. Lunch is on our own, and I'm still scouting out the cheapest and tastiest meals in town for that. So far the local grocer has hit the jackpot with a 3 Euro turkey sandwich complete with mozzerella, pesto, and mayonnaise (which they put on everything here).

Evenings have been a treat for me. The temperature dips down into the fifties as the sun sets, which is a wonderful change from the hot afternoons. I've had the privilege of watching the sun set from the highest point in Cortona the last few evenings, and those moments will be forever engraved into my memory. The night life has been fun, complete with trips to the discioletca, or dance club, night walks through the town, evenings with a book and the iPod, and a big birthday celebration complete with 20 pizzas on top of the mountain last night.

My daytime activities have been helter-skelter to say the least. Last Wednesday and Thursday were basically the "Here's Cortona" days, complete with tours of the campus and town, unpacking, room assignments, a welcome band our first night, and supply shopping. I skipped the few meetings on Friday and actually made one more return trip to Rome (you would think two would be enough) and went to the Borgehese Gallery with a friend, as we had both missed the chance to see the gallery in our 4 days there. The trip was worth the effort; to see Bernini's sculptures and Caravaggio's images in person is enough to put tears in one's eyes. Never have I been so entrhalled at a piece of scultrue as Bernini's "Apollo and Dafne". It was incredible. Saturday was spent on a field trip to the beautiful city of Siena, in which I took a nice nap in a park after visiting a few sights. Sunday was a sleep and read day, complete with about and hour and a half worth of laundry. We had our official kick-off last night, complete with a ceremony attended by the mayor, a member of the US consulate, and other important people that I should probably remember but don't. The evening was finished off by a group of flag-throwers, which was a very cool spectacle to watch.

All that rambling puts me here; I just finished my first day of class, and am about to go for a jog and then probably to (finally) go shoot some basketball. I cannot tell you how happy I was to see a rim at the park the other day. I've already had a few chances to play some soccer, so that itch has been scratched, but I miss my basketball something awful. I'll backtrack later on today and share some thoughts on my first leg of vacation, Vill D'Este, soccer with the locals, and Italian food. Until then, ciao!

Oh yeah- some of the pics from my first leg of vacation are finally online. Here's the links. Click on any and they'll take you to my photo pages. Florence, Rome, Naples, and early Cortona shots will follow as soon as I can get my computer to work.

Munich and Bad Tolz: http://uga.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2226700&id=4912107

Munich and the Alps: http://uga.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2226709&l=9f5c3&id=4912107

Venice: http://uga.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2229183&l=3fc7a&id=4912107

More pics later. Have a great day, everyone.

Grounded

In my first two weeks in Europe, it's been a little like a dream. Only my bank account and lack of sleep have grounded me in reality; aside from that, it's been seeing remarkable sights as if in a dream, having little responsibility aside from my own (and Kara's) well being, following whims, and expressing my artistic tendencies.

So it struck me as out of place when, two nights ago, my program director announced at dinner that he'd rather not have us venture into the city due to the increasingly rowdy protests about President Bush's visit to Rome this week. It made me realize, that, despite my freewheeling adventures, the world and all of its problems are still going strong. This was no revelation, but a thought worth sharing in my mind.

I promise to have recounts of my visits to Munich, Tolz, Venice, Florence, Naples, and Rome soon...internet has been scarce and very, very expensive to use, so I haven't had time to write the tales in the fashion that I would like. Once we arrive in Cortona on Wednesday, however, I will have free internet to give my travels the time they deserve.

I hope everybody back home is doing well. I miss you guys.

Peace (please),

-msr

Roma

We arrived in Rome this evening. I was actually sad to say goodbye to Naples; it was beautiful. Nothing great to say right now...check back later for updates.

Napoli!

Arrived today in Naples via train. Our hotel is actually about 30 minutes south of the main city, all the way around the bay. The view is breathtaking; the bay stretches out from the cliffs below, meeting with the city in the distance, with Mt. Vesuvius (sp) towering over it all, its top so high that it becomes lost in the clouds. It truly is unbelieveable how people can see something like this and not believe in God. More later- I am back where internet costs money and there are no apostrophes on the keyboard. Bueana notte everybody.

-msr

Bet you guys thought I wasn't ever going to type on this thing. Truth is, internet and time have both been scarce thus far in Europe. I wonàt type long because the bed is calling my name, but here are a few thoughts that will have more elaboration soon:

Munich is much like many of the Germans that inhabit it; quiet, stern, and expecting respect from its visitors. I loved how quiet it (and Germany as a whole) is. It's like everyone just wants to take life in.

Bad Toelz is one of the most beautiful towns I have ever visited. I wish I could remember more of my time there. The people were warm and inviting, and there was so much vibrant energy all around.

Venice is amazing. The depth of that city is unbelievable. It has its visitors fooled into thinking it's all glitz and glamour, and satisfies those looking for such things. I think that it will go as deep as the traveler wants to go, with such a labryinth of alleys, streets, and canals. I could have photographed detail shots for a week and never found two shots that were similar.

If you're on a tight budget and still want to see Europe, go by train. I've seen so much just from a window.

That's all for tonight. Florence tomorrow, Rome the day after, then Kara heads home and I meet up with my classmates for a few days in Naples followed by a few days in Rome. After that, it's off to Cortona. I'll stick pics up whenever I get the chance. Until then, ciao.

-msr