Buongiorno principessa! It’s been un mese and time just keeps ticking on. I was asked by a certain sister of mine, “What could possibly be keeping you so busy that you don’t have time to blog??” Well, let me tell you…
To resolve those cliffhangers from the last post: Michelangelo’s David=AWESOME. It sounds silly to be in awe of a piece of rock, but Michelangelo was an absolute genius, and it’s impossible to deny that after seeing this piece of work. If there’s one guy from Florence I’d like to make mine, it’d be him. David + Lauren = 4ever.
And then came Espana. Madrid, specifically. I got to spend 3 days with my girl, Elena Callaway, and they were an awesome 3 days. The weather was wonderful, sunny and warm-I even got to wear short sleeves without a jacket. Oh how I miss that Texas heat. Blazing sun and 105 degrees never sounded so good after living in this chilly, shadowy town I call Florence. BUT, I digress. The Prado? Check. Parque de El Retiro complete with fresh strawberries and sparkling wine? Check. 4 story discotheque with acrobats and dancers with nipple tassels? Check. Massive castle of El Escorial? Check. Yup. I think I had a pretty good time my first go around in Spain. If I ever get a chance to go back, I’ll swing by Barcelona because I hear that’s a pretty poppin’ place as well.
And then there were midterms. Pass.
And then (hold on to your bikini tops, ladies and gents) SPRING BREAAAAAAK! Okay, so it wasn’t as “girls-gone-wild” as I had expected, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t fun. While everyone else was jet-setting all over the world, my friends Bree, Nicole, Sadie and I decided to take it easy in Florence. Plus we needed a couple days’ rest to prepare for Carnevale in Venice. Don’t know what Carnevale is like? Just watch this cheesy video that I’ve picked out for you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OL3db7VeCKM. Now picture that but about 500x better and THAT was my Carnevale. Monday night was eh, but Tuesday night (aka Mardi Gras, aka Fat Tuesday, aka the last night of Carnevale) was POPPIN’. We’re talking party in the streets till the break of dawn kind of party. Definitely an experience unlike any other. I had heard not so great things about Venice before I went, but they’re all wrong. Go before it sinks. No really, it’s actually sinking so you should get going on that one. Other highlight of the trip? Gondola ride. My mother’s been waiting 30 years to ride a gondola, and I did it at the ripe old age of 20…Nice. Sorry, mom.
And then there were Jacobs. 5 to be exact, 6 including yours truly. How Italy didn’t kick all of us out after a day, I have NO idea. La mia famiglia arrived Thursday and Friday of spring break. And once Stu hit the ground running, he wasn’t looking back. It was a fast-moving, jam-packed weekend, and I didn’t even do half the day trips with them. Unfortunately, someone is the bearer of bad weather, so although the weather was gorgeous before and after they left, somehow they managed to bring about rainy and cold. Non va bene. It was so much fun, though. I always have a great time with my family (with the exception of a few moments). When you’ve got your family, great food, and beautiful surroundings, what more could a girl want? All in all we saw: Siena, San Gimignano (Mom, I can hear you saying it wrong all the way from over here), Pisa, Chianti, Cinque Terre, e Roma. A word to the wise: If you can’t say “thank you” in the country’s native language, don’t attempt to continue speaking in that language. For example, the Italian word for “thank you” is grazie. It is not: grazia, grazi, graz, grits, gretz, wayne gretzky, or ANYTHING else along those lines. The guilty parties know exactly who they are. And that concludes our lesson.
And then there was Pompei/Sorrento. You know, it’s a very odd feeling to be with your whole family in another country and then everyone leaves to go back home but you. So, to ease the sorrows (or maybe at that point to celebrate?) of mia famiglia leaving, I went to the south of Italy on a school trip. 7 hour bus ride there, 7 hour bus ride back. Woof. Sorrento is beautiful and known for their limoncello. No matter how hard I try, I will never like limoncello. I do, however, like the free samples of chocolates they give you to try with that nasty yellow crap. But that one’s pretty obvious. Pompei is pretty freakin’ cool. If you’re making a trip to Italy, make sure you stop by Pompei. But you have to get a really good tour guide if you go. Ours looked like and had the humor of Alec Baldwin. Just a warning, there are peni (plural of penis) everywhere in Pompei. To them it wasn’t a vulgar thing at all, but actually an apotropaic symbol (something that wards off evil). So don’t be surprised if you see one carved in stone every 5 feet, just go with it. To them a penis is like the North Star, except instead of guiding you home, it guides you to a brothel. No seriously, they used peni like street signs. Crazy, huh? Vesuvius was also cool. Like Venice, you should go to Pompei before it’s gone, cuz that baby could blow any second, and we could have another 79 A.D. on our hands.
And then there were none. Well, at least nothing else to catch you up on. So there you go Rel-a-bel, you’re up to speed. But very quickly before you go, let’s reflect on what’s ahead. In exactly one month from today (April 27th) I will be legal. Salute (cheers) to that! Now I can continue legally at home this bad wine habit I’ve picked up since I’ve been here. If you would like to send your regards in the form of a birthday card or better yet, a birthday package, you can send them to:
Accademia Italiana-Lauren Jacobs
Piazza Pitti 15, Firenze 50125 (Italia)
Also, I’ll have just come back from Corfu, Greece, which hopefully means I’ll have a rockin’ birthday tan. (Like I said, I live in the city of shadows and darkness.) And, sadly, that means I’ll have only 2 weeks remaining of my time in Florence. Seems like a lifetime away, but it’s really not. Well, I guess that just means I’ll have to get started on that bucket list. Time’s a-tickin’. Little J, out. Ciao tutti.
