Estery 12

For the start of my second semester, I decided to move away from the Old Town into the hip neighborhood of Kazimierz! Yes, this happened in the beginning of March and, yes, it's June, but as a co-worker of mine last year would always say, "Better late than pregnant."

Some background on Kazimierz:

Once upon a time, Kraków's city limits were the borders of the old town. Instead of a garden surrounding it, there was a wall. Adjacent to Kraków was the throne of Poland, Wawel Castle. In 1335, King Casimir III wanted to set up a new city nearby to create some competition for Kraków, with the hope of spurring it to increased productivity. He also wanted a city to be named after him. Thus, Kazimierz was born.

This is what it once looked like.

In the top-right corner, you can see Kraków and Wawel. In the center is Kazimierz.

Eventually, Kraków usurped Kazimierz and all the rest of the surrounding area, making the modern metropolis that we have today. For many centuries, Kazimierz had large Jewish and Christian populations. They lived in (relative) harmony. In the 1930s/40s, though, some assholes came in and kicked out / exterminated the Jews. Today, despite the absence of a significant Jewish population, Kazimierz still houses many important Jewish cultural landmarks, causing people to often refer to the neighborhood as the "Jewish district."

From the end of the Second World War to the 1990s, though, Kazimierz was run-down and received little tourist attention. The filming of the movie Schindler's List (that was set in Kazimierz, despite the fact that most of the scenes actually took place in the adjacent neighborhood, Podgórze) changed that. For the past 20 years, Kazimierz had undergone a renaissance and is now the hip neighborhood for nightlife and culture. Since the Old Town is a bit too touristy, most young people spend their Friday and Saturday nights here.

This is what Kazimierz looks like today.

I live on Plac Nowy (New Square), the nieghborhood's main nightlife hub. It is famous throughout Poland for its zapiekanka, a street food that's popular among young people and can best be described as Polish French-bread pizza. It can come with any topping or sauce under the sun and is available any hour of the night! Yummmm!

Here's a view from my bedroom window. As you can see, I have the fortune of overlooking the square.















The apartment used to be a hostel, so each of the bedrooms has a bunch of beds. Here is a picture of my room. At one point, I decided to put all four of my beds together and make a SUPERBED!

I live with four other people, two Spanish guys, Eloy and Alejandro, and two French erasmus students, Marie and Thibaut. The amount of languages that are spoken here is really awesome. Here we are at a bar on Plac Nowy with some random Scottish people.

I suppose I should include a word about my courses (my alleged reason for being here).

I am taking a joint lecture/seminar course called Europe and the United States in the 20th Century, a class on Research Methods in Cultural Studies, a lecture on Poland and the European Union, a lecture on Science Fiction as Political and Social Metaphor (my personal favorite), Polish Language A1.2, and an MA Thesis Seminar. At the moment, I am planning on doing my thesis on Polish public opinion on the United States and how it has changed over the years. If you're Polish and have an opinion on the USA, let me know!

Our apartment also has a neat cellar room and a back yard. I'll leave you with a picture of our yard after one of our parties.

Roma

My train rides between cities in Italy were all lovely. They were inexpensive, comfy, fast, and ran on time (take that, Mussolini!). When I was riding from Florence to Rome, I was drinking wine out of a plastic cup, while propping my feet up on the opposite seat. When the ticket collector walked by, he chastised me for having my feet up, but said nothing about the wine. As an American, this struck me as so unusual and so, so wonderful.

To be honest, I had very low expectations for Rome. I anticipated a hot, overcrowded, overly-touristy behemoth of a city that would serve simply as a box to check on my life check-list.

But Italy just refuses to disappoint me!

As with anywhere in Italy, the people were overly friendly. Italians seem to be less likely to speak foreign languages than other Europeans, but find a way to somehow be more communicative. Vocal tone and hand gestures get you quite far in this country. Plus, when my limited Italian failed me, I could usually pronounce the appropriate Spanish or French word with an Italian accent and be understood.

The best way that I can describe Rome is an anachronistic mosaic of ruins, cathedrals, and piazzas. On any given square, you'll find Egyptian obelisks, elegant churches, Roman ruins, and grandiose state buildings. Some of my favorite such piazzas were Piazza del Popolo and Piazza Navona.

Seeing art in Rome is quite a neat experience, since many of the city's most famous pieces are housed in churches, not museums. Thus, it is not only free to see them, but one feels like one is witnessing them in their natural habitat.

Here are some examples. Note the folds in St. Teresa's robe. Or the musculature of Moses's arm.

Or the way the light reflects off of St. Matthew's face.

Seeing the Vatican was also pretty cool. I had heard rumors of its postal service being much more efficient than Italy's, so I decided to test it. I sent postcards to my parents from both Rome and the Vatican on the same day. Result? The Rome one arrived about a week earlier!!! Superstitious oppression AND slow postal service? If it weren't for the magnificent art that they inspired, I'd have some choice words for those Church guys!

My favorite part of Rome was the Trastevere neighborhood. It is sort of the Kazimierz (for those who know Kraków) of Rome. I had some fabulous evenings there with delicious food and friendly Italians. It's across the river from most of the main tourist sites, so it's easy to ignore... but don't! It's a can't-miss if you want to experience real Italian culture!

~A note on GELATO~
When searching for the best of this frozen magic, make sure to avoid places that have it in neon-rave colors. Pistachio shouldn't light up the dark. It should be more of a babyshit green (read: natural) color. You might enjoy crap gelato today, but try the good stuff and you won't be able to go back (as with any delicacy - beer, wine, etc.). My favorite was at a place called GROM. It's a chain that exists in most Italian cities. If you come across it, try it. That's an order.

In my travels throughout Europe, I seem to come across fewer Italians than I do other Western European nationalities. For example, Kraków is flooded with French and Spanish erasmus students and British tourists. Relatively few Italians, though. Now I know why. If I were from a country like that, I'd never want to leave either.
Extremely friendly, passionate people. Beautiful scenery. Beaches. Mountains. Fascinating history. The world's greatest aggregation of art. Exquisite food and drink. Oh, and some of Earth's most marvelous cities.

All of this has an interesting consequence on the country, though. I had a fascinating conversation with an Italian guy at my hostel in Florence about Italy's history "holding it back." It concerned him that Italy  had so much culture and history to preserve. This cultural "maintenance," according to him, occupies so much of Italy's focus that the country has had trouble moving forward. This is especially evident if one compares Italy with a country like Germany that actively tries to move on from its past (and understandably so). And today, Germany is an economic leader, whereas Italy is in crisis. It's interesting to think about. Still, I wouldn't trade Italy's culture for any number of gold bricks.

If you ever get a chance to visit this gem of a country, please do. And don't be afraid to ask me for advice on things to see!

-Riccardo

Firenze

Soooo..... my nexteh stoppeh was the city of Ninja Turtles, Italian Sausage, and... Decapitation! Firenze!!

Something that Florence really opens your eyes to is the beauty of the male body. The objectification of the female body in our society harms both genders, in that it (1) causes an undervaluing of women's other attributes and (2) causes a neglect of the male figure.

Men are allowed to be "rugged" or "tough," but not beautiful. Seeing Michelangelo's David in person makes one realize how absurd this double standard is. Thank you, Florence.

Another great thing that is unique to Florence is that it allows one to see all of this Renaissance art in the birthplace of the Renaissance! It makes the art feel much more real than when one sees it at Paris's Louvre or London's National Gallery.


My favorite paintings were Filippo Lippi's Madonna with the Child and two Angels...

...and Botticelli's Madonna of the Magnificat.

My favorite sculpture was Cellini's Perseus with the Head of Medusa.

Here I am on top of the Duomo, overlooking a Tuscan sunset.

And here's a great street performance right next door.


Some other highlights:

• The Duomo's Baptistry interior
• The Brancacci chapel that houses Masaccio's famous works
• The wine and coffee (duhh)
• My hostel, Eurostudent Home. It was right in the heart of the city!

Another random piece of awesomeness was that the Palazzo Vecchio had an outdoor water fountain that had both still AND fizzy water!! SAY WHAAAT???? I don't know why that got me so excited, but it did.

I'll leave you with a couple more of Florence's decapitation depictions!














Bye bye Firenze!

Nexteh Stoppeh...

Before I move on to Firenze, I must include a word on Italian pronunciation of English. As you probably know, Italians are addicted to vowels like Americans are addicted to free stuff (samples, refills, etc.).

They're sort of the anti-Poles (who have words like wszczniesz).

When Italians speak in English, they tend to add vowels to the ends-eh of-ah every word-eh. The perfect example of this appeared on Venice's boat busses. In order to accommodate the tourists, the computerized voice that announced the stops spoke first in Italian, then in English. But even the computerized voice added vowels to the ends of words!!! "Nexteh stoppeh: Accademia."

Now if only the computers could make expressive hand gestures...

Venezia

Wow. Where do I begin? I had very high hopes for Venice, which worried me, since I feared it could not possibly live up to them. I really needn't have worried.

The word "magical" doesn't do this city justice. No noise or air pollution from cars. No waiting at traffic lights. Just beautiful walkways, canals, and Italians. My hostel, A Venice Fish, was in a funky old building in the Canareggio neighborhood in the north. It had a bridge that led right to the front door!

My first day, I awoke early with an agenda to just get lost.

I started off with the obligatory morning coffee at 7am. The way the bartender worked the morning rush at the espresso bar was beautiful. Seeing the customers in the mirror behind the bar as they walked in, the friendly barista would address them by name and have their usual drink ready for them by the time they got to the bar. There was an endless flow of customers and he didn't miss a beat.

I spent most of that day wandering around in the rainy weather, equipped with an umbrella and a bottle of wine. I can safely say that it was the best day of my life. Every random alleyway that I turned down revealed new delights. This is precisely why my preferred form of travel is solo. When traveling alone, one doesn't have to worry about whether anyone else is ok with taking a random detour.

I bought sandwich ingredients at little markets. I had 1 Euro glasses of wine at adorable, tucked-away bars. I had limitless energy, despite about 3 hours of sleep (aided by a dozen-or-so espressos). Churches at every corner housed paintings by Venetian artists Titian and Tintoretto. Seeing the boisterous, old Italian men living their slow, happy, Italian lives would make even John McEnroe smile. That night, I found a little mom-and-pop bring-your-own-bottle wine store that served their wine from barrels. 2 Euros a liter for some of the best wine I'd ever had! The next day, I realized that this was the first full day of my life that I did not see a single car! Just writing about it makes me teary-eyed.


Some Dos and Don'ts for visiting Venice:

Do:

• Get lost! Put the map away. Wander down side streets. 
• Get up early. Venice is not a nightlife city. Spend a long day making plenty of stops for espresso and vino.
• Take the boat busses. Instead of loud, crowded, stressful subways, Venice has boats! They serve the double purpose of sightseeing and transportation. The Line 1 "bus" goes right down the Grand Canal! Breathtaking at night.
• Visit Murano, Burano, and Torcello. Beautiful little island clusters north of the city. Go there. Murano is famous for its hand-blown (gl)ass factories. Burano and Torcello look like this:

Don't:

• Take a gondola ride. The boat busses serve the same purpose for far, far cheaper.
• Make rigid plans / pack your schedule. Venice is a maze of a city. You will get lost, whether you desire to or not. Embrace it. If you worry too much about the destination, you will get stressed and have a suboptimal experience. Exploring the city is more important than any particular sight, museum, or landmark.
• Spend too much time at Piazza San Marco or Ponte Rialto. Every big city seems to have a standard tourist track. It is usually suffocatingly crowded, with traps of expensive, low-quality food. These places are popular for a reason, but are NOT the main reason for visiting Venice.
• Fall for the tourist traps. Among foreigners, Venice has a reputation for bad, overpriced food. That is because they fall for the tourist traps. The farther you get from Piazza San Marco, the better and cheaper the food will be. Eat Venetian food (seafood!). If you eat a 4 Euro slice of cold cardboard-pizza next to Rialto bridge, it's your fault, not Venice's!!!

Leaving Venice was one of the most emotional experiences of my life. It was my first time crying upon leaving a city. This blog can't do justice to how that city made me feel. Its beauty is really unparalleled. It makes Paris look like Wheaton, MD. Just knowing that Venice exists makes me want to be a better steward of the world. My consolation came in the knowledge that I would be back many, many times in the future. Arrivederci Venezia!

Milano

I had been to Sicily, but never the mainland, so I always had to add an asterisk when people would ask me if I had been to Italy (since Sicilians have their own strong identity). Also, as the son of an art history teacher, I have always longed to see the land of the famous Italian Renaissance artists.

So here I was on my way to Italy. My twelve night itinerary included:
Two nights in Milano
Three nights in Venezia
Three nights in Firenze
Four nights in Roma

Between the two Ryanair flights and three Trenitalia trains, I was able to book all of my transportation for about $150. And the hostels ranged from about $13-$20 a night. God, I love traveling in Europe.

Upon arrival, I had very little knowledge of the city of Milan. I knew that there was a big cathedral and some Da Vinci stuff. Supposedly, though, a Last Supper ticket had to be booked months in advance, so I wouldn't even be able to see that... or so I thought!

When I arrived in Milan on Friday night, I figured I'd check the availability of the Last Supper anyway. The one 15-minute time slot that was available in the next month was... THE FOLLOWING MORNING AT 8:15AM! Sometimes when you travel, the stars just align for you.

Saturday was my one full day in Milan, so I decided to make a marathon out of it. I left my hostel just before sunrise and had a pleasantly eerie stroll through the streets of this old city.

After Da Vinci's Last Supper, I saw Milan's Sforzesco Castle, some Roman ruins, two museums, and the Quadrilatero D'Oro (Milan's equivalent of Paris's Triangle D'Or). I found an iPad cover on sale... for only 98 Euros!!!















Oh, and I also saw the Duomo.

With tired feet, I rewarded myself with an early night's sleep in preparation for... Venezia!!!
I had high expectations for this city. Would it live up to them?

Fall In The Krak

Ok. Time to catch up on the blog, so that I can talk about my trip to Italy!!!

November went by pretty quietly. I was basically getting into the rhythm of life here, studying and socializing with my peers (a post on Polish night-life to come!).

Here's a picture that I took of a fall night on Kraków's main square:

December, though, was a pretty exciting month (as it usually is). On the 17th, I celebrated my 24th birthday in the most Polish way I could think of -- by attempting to eat 100 pierogi!

My rules for the day were that I had from the time I awoke to the time I went to sleep to eat the 100. I also could consume nothing but pierogi, coffee, and wódka.

Sadly, I only made it to 91. Impressive, nonetheless, for a mere American!

Here's my tally of the pierogi flavors I ate:

Meat: 33

Meat/Cabbage: 5

Broccoli: 4

Spinach: 2

Mushroom/Cabbage: 20

Chicken/Curry: 6

Pizza: 6

Cherry: 6

Potato/Cheese: 9

My birthday also provided me with a good incentive to work on my Polish language skills. I bought candles with packaging that was all in Polish. When I tried to blow them out, it turned out they were trick candles!!! Have you ever heard of someone playing a birthday prank on himself?

The following weekend, on a whim, I decided on a brief getaway to the capital - Warszawa!

I showed up to the bus station to buy a ticket, only to learn that they could only be bought in advance!! I was destined to make it to the Polish Washington, DC, though, because the guy behind me in the bus line happened to have an extra ticket, which he gave to me! So on blind luck and no planning, I was on my way to my first Polish city outside of Kraków. I could now have something to compare Kraków to, so as to determine what about the city was typically Polish and what was uniquely Krakowian.

I was very pleasantly surprised by Warsaw. Every native Krakowian absolutely loathes this city. They call it ugly, impersonal, boring, and artificial. I think they're crazy. The extent to which the city was reconstructed (it was completely razed in WWII, unlike Kraków) is remarkable. The old and new towns have the beautiful narrow streets that one would expect from a Polish city. The city squares were very well maintained. The Christmas decorations were beautiful. The streets were clean. I particularly enjoyed walking around Warsaw University's campus. To hell with the commonly-held opinion in Kraków. I would definitely go back!

Here I am with the city's mascot: A sword-weilding warrior mermaid. Note how low the "fish parts" start.

Shortly after my return to Kraków, I left again for the Polish mountain town of Zakopane... to celebrate Christmas! Three friends and I got some rooms at a little inn for what was to be my first Christmas away from home. The trip was fraught with problems, though. We did not have a kitchen, as we were expecting, so we couldn't cook. Also, most stores and restaurants were closed, so we had trouble finding places to eat. I got deathly ill on Christmas morning and was bedridden most of the day. We arrived with some snow on the ground, but by the time we left, it had all melted into muddy slush. Despite all this, though, I had a great time! I made mulled wine and egg nog. We were constantly playing chess, particularly at night with our hot wine. Christmas carols were playing on loop on my computer. The problems that we ran into gave the whole experience an adventuresome feel!

On our second to last day, we went on a great hike up one of the city's nearby mountains, Morskie Oko.

Next up was New Year's. It's a pretty big deal in Kraków. People from all over Europe flock to the main market square. Somehow, I survived the crowds and had a great night. By the end of the night, the city's streets were filthy with broken glass, discarded alcohol and food containers, confetti, and passed-out drunk people. The next morning, though, the city was spotless. It made me wonder whether the previous night had been a dream. Well done Kraków!

January was all about final exams. For most of the month, I was a recluse with a gross exam beard. In Poland, they really draw out the exam process. In the states, they take place over a week. Here, they're spread out with endless make-ups and re-sits. When they're finally over, you feel like this lady:

Right after my final final, I hopped on a Ryanair flight to Italy to celebrate!