I turned venti (twenty) yesterday!! But before I write to you about my birthday, I'd like to tell you about the weekend leading up to it! I must say, though, that participating in this Colgate study program in Italy is a birthday gift on its own.
On Friday, we had a class field trip to Torcello, a small island about a 35 minute boat ride from Venice's main city. There we visited the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, the first church built in Venice in 639 AD! A former Colgate professor, Professor Ammerman, who led the Venice study group in previous years, led the tour of Torcello.
On Friday, we had a class field trip to Torcello, a small island about a 35 minute boat ride from Venice's main city. There we visited the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, the first church built in Venice in 639 AD! A former Colgate professor, Professor Ammerman, who led the Venice study group in previous years, led the tour of Torcello.
We also had breakfast cappuccinos and lunch at a restaurant called Ristorante Al Trono Di Attila. (Interesting fact: Attila was the leader of the Huns who raided the Italian Peninsula in the 400s AD causing some to flee to lagoon. Eventually these fugitives founded Venice!) At the restaurant, I tried my first Italian cappuccino and sampled a number of seafoods that I've never eaten before; however, I could not convince myself to eat the fried shrimps and little fish whose eyes were staring at me from the plate haha.
After the field trip, several classmates and I decided to stop at Burano and Murano which are stops on the way back into Venice. Burano is FULL of color. Each house and shop is painted a different color giving the city energy that I think could overcome the gloom of any rainy day. Burano is also known for selling really nice lace!
Murano has a myriad of glass shops that sell jewelry, lamps, cups, and more. One shop we entered, Fiore, had a booth inside where a man did a glass-making show. We watched as he melted the glass and skillfully used his tools to mold it into butterflies and fishes.
BIRTHDAYS!
Birthday celebrations began on Friday evening because two other classmates had birthdays as well. (One on the 11th, mine on the 14th, and one on the 15th)! On Friday we went to an "American" restaurant (Notice the quotes? haha). It's called The Old Wild West, and it has decorations that look like a scene out of a western action movie. I was surprised/ disappointed that we had to order the ketchup separately for 20 cents a packet! haha, but the food was really good and soo worth it. Also, their special honey mustard/mayo flavored sauce that came with the meal tasted delicious as well.
I started off my 20th with a sweet treat, a marmelatta croissant (a croissant filled with marmalade jam) from a nearby cafe. After my morning Italian and Opera classes, I met up with classmates at a Tea Room called Ca' Fujiyama Tea Room Beatrice. It had such a charming and serene setting. We sat outside on the patio in the back with flowerpots and green vines lining the stone wall. So, basically, I had a tea party for my birthday celebration lol, but I enjoyed every moment of it, and I'm glad that the guys and gals who came did too! (Thanks, mama ;-))
After tea, we explored some of the art galleries from La Biennale (Venice's art festival) including Sound and Music at Conservatoria di Musica Benedetto Marcello and an exhibit called I Will Be Your Mirror. As the group gathered outside after viewing the I Will Be Your Mirror exhibit, I asked, "Did anyone understand that?" Everyone said "no" haha. The exhibit was a bit too abstract to comprehend on first walk-through but it was artistic in design! Here are some photos from the exhibits:
After viewing the exhibits we sampled some cicchetti snacks and hung out by the water for a while. It was a beautiful way to spend my first day as a 20-year-old!
Thank you all so much for the birthday wishes! This is the farthest I've ever been from home on my birthday, so the love you sent feels extra special. :-)
Coming up this week: I'm seeing an opera LIVE for the 1st time tomorrow!! It's called Tosca. Also, the University has a buddy program for international students and students who've studied at Ca' Foscari in previous years, and I'm planning to meet my buddy on Friday!
Also, if you'd like to receive an email notification whenever I make a new post, you can sign up on the Cross the Bridge Weekly page!: http://bridgetovenice.weebly.com/cross-the-bridge-weekly.html
Have a great week, everyone!
J McKoy
*Remembering the tragedies of 9.11.2001, and I'm thankful for the soldiers who dedicate their lives to protecting our country and my home, the United States of America.*
Coming up this week: I'm seeing an opera LIVE for the 1st time tomorrow!! It's called Tosca. Also, the University has a buddy program for international students and students who've studied at Ca' Foscari in previous years, and I'm planning to meet my buddy on Friday!
Also, if you'd like to receive an email notification whenever I make a new post, you can sign up on the Cross the Bridge Weekly page!: http://bridgetovenice.weebly.com/cross-the-bridge-weekly.html
Have a great week, everyone!
J McKoy
*Remembering the tragedies of 9.11.2001, and I'm thankful for the soldiers who dedicate their lives to protecting our country and my home, the United States of America.*