it appears that my graphics card got burnt out on my laptop...
i guess pictureless posts will have to suffice until i can get to a place where i can upload...BAH!!!
rip powerbook...it's been a good 3 years...
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
London & Brighton - 4 days in England - 4 days of paying double for everything...
This is a bit out of order as I only had two days after getting back from southern Italy before I was off to London.
The best thing about London is that the museums are all free. On the other hand, everything else is ridiculously expensive (for Americans at least). Here are some of the weird price differences...(I hope my mom doesn't read this...she would probably kill me for some of the things I spent money on)
Bowl of Won Ton Noodle Soup w/ Roast Duck - £5.50 ($11)
Day pass for the Underground (zones 1 & 2) - £5.50 ($11)
Delicious "Kiwi Burger" (Egg, Cheese, Pineapple, Lettuce, Tomato, 1/2 lb. patty) w/ fries and a drink - £12.50 ($25!!!)
Standing room (I stood right next to the stage) ticket for Love's Labour's Lost @ Shakespeare's Globe Theatre - £5 ($10)
Train ticket to Brighton (approx. 1 hr. away) - £25 ($50) AHHHH!
So you see...while museums are free and a ticket to the best play i've ever seen, complete with rennaissnace minstrels, is only about $10...normal foods (I certainly could not afford fine dining in London) can be found for about half the price in america. And while, most of the price discrepancies are due to the currency exchange rate...the average wage in England is still only around £23,000. How do people survive??? Maybe that is why people say food is so bland in England...they go home and eat mashed potatoes and overcooked meat with onion gravy all the time because that is the only way to save enough money to take an occasional vacation. Sheesh!
That being said...London was amazing, and Brighton was like a glorified Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Pretty nice all in all. Oh...and don't let the efficiency and ubiquity of the underground in London fool you...you still have to do a considerable amount of walking.
Jolly good then. Cheers!
Ted
The best thing about London is that the museums are all free. On the other hand, everything else is ridiculously expensive (for Americans at least). Here are some of the weird price differences...(I hope my mom doesn't read this...she would probably kill me for some of the things I spent money on)
Bowl of Won Ton Noodle Soup w/ Roast Duck - £5.50 ($11)
Day pass for the Underground (zones 1 & 2) - £5.50 ($11)
Delicious "Kiwi Burger" (Egg, Cheese, Pineapple, Lettuce, Tomato, 1/2 lb. patty) w/ fries and a drink - £12.50 ($25!!!)
Standing room (I stood right next to the stage) ticket for Love's Labour's Lost @ Shakespeare's Globe Theatre - £5 ($10)
Train ticket to Brighton (approx. 1 hr. away) - £25 ($50) AHHHH!
So you see...while museums are free and a ticket to the best play i've ever seen, complete with rennaissnace minstrels, is only about $10...normal foods (I certainly could not afford fine dining in London) can be found for about half the price in america. And while, most of the price discrepancies are due to the currency exchange rate...the average wage in England is still only around £23,000. How do people survive??? Maybe that is why people say food is so bland in England...they go home and eat mashed potatoes and overcooked meat with onion gravy all the time because that is the only way to save enough money to take an occasional vacation. Sheesh!
That being said...London was amazing, and Brighton was like a glorified Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Pretty nice all in all. Oh...and don't let the efficiency and ubiquity of the underground in London fool you...you still have to do a considerable amount of walking.
Jolly good then. Cheers!
Ted
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Bonus Post!
Lauretta, the soprano in Giacomo Puccini's opera, Gianni Schicchi, sings this aria about her love, Rinuccio:
O mio babbino caro
mi piace è bello, è bello!
Vo' andare in Porta Rossa
a comperar l'anello
Sì, sì, ci voglio andare
e se l'amassi indarno
andrei sul Ponte Vecchio
ma per buttarmi in Arno
Mi struggo e mi tormento!
O Dio, vorrei morir
Babbo, pietà, pietà.
Which means:
Oh my dear daddy
I love him, he's handsome, he's so handsome!
I want to go to Porta Rossa
to buy the ring
Yes, yes, I want to go
And if my love is in vain
I would go to Ponte Vecchio
and throw myself into the Arno
I struggle, and I am tormented!
Oh God, I would rather die
Dad, have mercy, have mercy.
This opera is Puccini's only comedic story. As you can probably tell, Lauretta's father doesn't approve of the marriage (because Rinuccio's family did not recieve him well), but she loves him so much! Absolutely tragic isn't it? Well, he ends up assenting in the end, so it's not so bad afterall.
A few notes:
The Arno is the river that flows through Florence.
It passes under Ponte Vecchio ("ponte" means brige)
Goldsmiths line Ponte Vecchio which was built/rebuilt to connect the Palazzo Vecchio to the Palazzo Pizi
The Palazzo Vecchio was the original site of Michelangelo's David
Babbo is the Tuscan way of saying Dad - Papa is the standard way
And now for more pictures!
Ponte Vecchio.
Replicca of David where he originally stood at the Palazzo Vecchio.
Angry goat.
Look at how big the wine barrel is!
Me and Toscana's landscape - a view from San Gimignani
And that's that.
Ciao, ciao.
-Teo
O mio babbino caro
mi piace è bello, è bello!
Vo' andare in Porta Rossa
a comperar l'anello
Sì, sì, ci voglio andare
e se l'amassi indarno
andrei sul Ponte Vecchio
ma per buttarmi in Arno
Mi struggo e mi tormento!
O Dio, vorrei morir
Babbo, pietà, pietà.
Which means:
Oh my dear daddy
I love him, he's handsome, he's so handsome!
I want to go to Porta Rossa
to buy the ring
Yes, yes, I want to go
And if my love is in vain
I would go to Ponte Vecchio
and throw myself into the Arno
I struggle, and I am tormented!
Oh God, I would rather die
Dad, have mercy, have mercy.
This opera is Puccini's only comedic story. As you can probably tell, Lauretta's father doesn't approve of the marriage (because Rinuccio's family did not recieve him well), but she loves him so much! Absolutely tragic isn't it? Well, he ends up assenting in the end, so it's not so bad afterall.
A few notes:
The Arno is the river that flows through Florence.
It passes under Ponte Vecchio ("ponte" means brige)
Goldsmiths line Ponte Vecchio which was built/rebuilt to connect the Palazzo Vecchio to the Palazzo Pizi
The Palazzo Vecchio was the original site of Michelangelo's David
Babbo is the Tuscan way of saying Dad - Papa is the standard way
And now for more pictures!
Replicca of David where he originally stood at the Palazzo Vecchio.
Angry goat.
Look at how big the wine barrel is!
Me and Toscana's landscape - a view from San Gimignani
And that's that.
Ciao, ciao.
-Teo
Monday, August 6, 2007
La Dolce Vita
WAAH WAAH WAAH!
That's what my cell phone sounds like as the auto-snooze goes off for the third time. Great. Late, as usual. As my body drags itself out of bed before my brain has fully regained consciousness, the perfunctory motions of the "wake-up routine" never get easier, even though I practice them everyday. I stumble out of my room (which is the biggest i've ever lived in - even in America - ironic isn't it. See my first post for a picture) and find breakfast laid out on the table, as it always is.
"But I don't have time!" My mind screams to me.
I try to articulate my thoughts, and I try to tell Stella that they'll take a whopping 5% off my grade if i'm late to class more than 10 minutes twice in a term, but she just wont listen! Or is it that she just doesn't understand?
"I'm sure that it is OK." Stella says with a slight Italian accent, as she tries to reassure me that taking a little extra time to enjoy breakfast before school, rather than gulping some coffee down and taking a piece of toast to go, would be perfectly condoned by the school's administration.
I think to myself - yes, many of the schools faculty and staff are Italian. Yes, they understand and fully participate in the "dolce vita" way of life, but NO, they won't make exceptions! And somehow, Stella, as knowledgeable and cultured as she is, can't seem to comprehend that while Italy loves la dolce vita, we Americans can't live without deadlines, ultimatums, and efficiency.
I guess I should just stay home more, drink less, and get more sleep at night. NOT! HAHA - La Dolce Vita (eap style) includes late nights out and fraternizing with locals at contrada parties in addition to the long lunches and afternoon naps.
This weekend we went to the Opera, Florence, and San Gimignano. Sorry no pics of the opera, but we saw Madame Butterfly at the same lake where Giacomo Puccini was inspired and wrote the opera.
Me and my too-short haircut at the Rialto Bridge in Venice
Cool bridge across from the Ponte Vecchia (Old Bridge) in Florence
Shar Pei in Florence - who woulda thought!
Grapes, grapes and more grapes!
Cool winery we visited and toured outside of San Gimignano
More pics to come!
Ci vediamo a dopo. Baci.
-Teo
That's what my cell phone sounds like as the auto-snooze goes off for the third time. Great. Late, as usual. As my body drags itself out of bed before my brain has fully regained consciousness, the perfunctory motions of the "wake-up routine" never get easier, even though I practice them everyday. I stumble out of my room (which is the biggest i've ever lived in - even in America - ironic isn't it. See my first post for a picture) and find breakfast laid out on the table, as it always is.
"But I don't have time!" My mind screams to me.
I try to articulate my thoughts, and I try to tell Stella that they'll take a whopping 5% off my grade if i'm late to class more than 10 minutes twice in a term, but she just wont listen! Or is it that she just doesn't understand?
"I'm sure that it is OK." Stella says with a slight Italian accent, as she tries to reassure me that taking a little extra time to enjoy breakfast before school, rather than gulping some coffee down and taking a piece of toast to go, would be perfectly condoned by the school's administration.
I think to myself - yes, many of the schools faculty and staff are Italian. Yes, they understand and fully participate in the "dolce vita" way of life, but NO, they won't make exceptions! And somehow, Stella, as knowledgeable and cultured as she is, can't seem to comprehend that while Italy loves la dolce vita, we Americans can't live without deadlines, ultimatums, and efficiency.
I guess I should just stay home more, drink less, and get more sleep at night. NOT! HAHA - La Dolce Vita (eap style) includes late nights out and fraternizing with locals at contrada parties in addition to the long lunches and afternoon naps.
This weekend we went to the Opera, Florence, and San Gimignano. Sorry no pics of the opera, but we saw Madame Butterfly at the same lake where Giacomo Puccini was inspired and wrote the opera.
Cool bridge across from the Ponte Vecchia (Old Bridge) in Florence
Shar Pei in Florence - who woulda thought!
Grapes, grapes and more grapes!
Cool winery we visited and toured outside of San Gimignano
More pics to come!
Ci vediamo a dopo. Baci.
-Teo
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