Nice, Monte Carlo, and the French Riviera! 10/9/08 - 10/15/08

Buonasera!!!
This past weekend, October 11-12th, I went on a trip to Nice, Monte Carlo, and the French Riviera! We departed from Florence by bus at 4:30 AM and arrived in Monte Carlo around 10 AM. Monte Carlo, a bustling port, is one of six principle areas within the tiny country of Monaco. Known for its lavish casino's, world famous Grand Prix, and the fairy tale marriage of its modern day Prince to the beautiful movie star turned princess, this is the playground of Europe's elite. Situated on the Cote d'Azur between Cap d'Ail and Menton, just a few kilometers from the Italian Riviera, Monaco is a sovereign state, independent and prosperous. It has its own government and the head of the state is "His Highness" Prince Albert. Here, a two-hour guided tour of Monte Carlo was provided for us by a local guide. He took us to many beautiful spots overlooking all of Monte Carlo, a magnificent church, into the city streets, and finally to the royal palace where we watched the "Changing of the Guards" ceremony...a spectacular sight to see! Afterwards, we were given free time to explore and have lunch on our own. At 2:30 PM, we departed from Monte Carlo and arrived in Nice, France about 45 minutes later.
Perched on the Mediterranean coast halfway between Monaco and Cannes and a mere 30 km form the Italian border, Nice is one of the most famous holiday destinations of Europe. From clean pebbly beaches, to some of the country's best museums, it is the gateway to the beautiful Cote d'Azur. Stretching from the baie des Anges (Bay of Angels), where the Alps and the Paillon River meet the sea, it is an unbelievably picturesque spot. Having arrived in Nice, we checked into our hotel, a very centrally located 3 stars off of the main strip and across the street from the beach. Afterwards, a two hour guided tour of Nice was provided by a local guide, where we visited the Vieux Ville (the Old Town), central market, and the Promenade des Anglais. After the tour, my friends and I went to the beach across the street from our hotel, where we swam and relaxed in the sun for a few hours. At 6:30 Pm, we all headed back to our rooms, showered/got dressed, and went to a dinner based on a typical French cuisine. Later that night, we all headed out for a night on the town...bars/clubs...played a couple hands in Nice's most lavish casinos... checked out some Ferarri's and Lamborgini's...and the rest? Well...I guess your just gonna have to ask to find out! Haha.
The next morning, after a free continental breakfast in our hotel, we departed from Nice at 9 AM and arrived in St. Paul de Vence, France about an hour later. Built on its rocky outcrop and surrounded by its ramparts built under the orders of Francois I, St. Paul is certainly one of the most beautiful villages in the entire Provence. The beauty of the surrounding area, the quality of life and exceptional light has inspired numerous famous artists, painters, writers and poets, some of whom took up residence in the village. Here, we were given 2 hours to explore the village and all of the beauty found around each and every corner. Arrays of flowers, trickling fountains, cats basking in the sun...this place was straight out of a fairytale!!! I honestly feel like I left a part of myself behind when I left this unbelievable place! Unbelievable.
Leaving St. Paul, we took a 45 minute bus ride and arrived in Cannes. Located on the south of France, on the French Riviera, Cannes is considered to be one of the most elite and expensive areas in Europe. Packed with luxury boutiques and celebrity property (saw Elton John's place!), it is manly famous all over the world for its Cannes International Film Festival where the hottest stars and directors come to show the new movies they've been working on and plan to release to the rest of the world. In Cannes, we walked around the harbor for a little while, checking out the spectacular yachts and sailboats, and then went over to where the Cannes International Film Festival is held. Here, we walked the red carpet, took pictures with Han Solo and Chewbacca, Austin Powers, Captain Jack Sparrow, and explored the sidewalk with all of the celebrity hand prints/signatures. Really cool!
At 3 PM, we left Cannes and departed for the picturesque village of Eze. Here, we were given the opportunity to visit a typical Provence perfume factory to see how perfume, soap, and other beauty products are made. This was a great experience because we got to learn the whole process that goes into making perfume, the variety of flowers/plants/fruit/spices that are used, and we were given the opportunity to sample a never ending list of great perfumes and colognes. They all smelled amazing but I'm still sticking to my "Curve"... thank you very much! With the day coming to an end, the bus smelling like a botanic garden, and the sun setting behind the horizon, we departed for Florence and our weekend in the lavish French Riviera finally came to an end!

"The warmth of the sun on my face,
the smell of a salt water breeze,
the sound of waves crashing against the smooth, pale rocks.
Water so cold, it sends a chill down my spine, but still leaves my heart feeling warm.
I sit here...watching...waiting.

Lovers holding hands walking towards unforgetfulness.
Others looking, longing for another.
We are all not so different.
Off in the distance, the haze leaves me wondering, "what is just over that horizon?"
.....a never ending smile.

Off in the distance, I hear your voice.
It is different from all other sounds.
It can be heard over noises that bury everything else.
Even when it's just a whisper,
Even the lowest whisper can be heard when it's telling the truth.

Like the water washing away the hardest, toughest stones along the shore,
I am finally letting the current take a part of me away.
A part of me that I will never forget
and never surrender to."
- Paul Nowacki -

The Opera:
Last night, Tuesday Oct. 14th, some of my roommates and I got all dressed up (suits...baaaaller!) and went out for a night at the opera. "Tosca," the name of the opera we saw, is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Victorien Sardou's drama, La Tosca. The work premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on January 14, 1900. One of the most dramatic of operas and a staple of the standard operatic repertoire, Tosca appears as number 8 on Opera America's list of the 20 most-performed operas in North America.
This night, the opera was performed in Florence's Teatro Comunale. It was all in Italian so here are the acts explained in English:

Act I. Cesare Angelotti, an escaped political prisoner, rushes into the church of Sant' Andrea della Valle to hide in the Attavanti chapel. As he vanishes, an old Sacristan shuffles in, praying at the sound of the Angelus. Mario Cavardossi enters to work on his portrait of Mary Magdalene - inspired by the Marchesa Attavanti (Angelotti's sister), whom he has seen but does not know. Taking out a miniature of the singer Floria Tosca, he compares her raven beauty with that of the blonde Magdalene ("Recondita armonia"). The Sacristan grumbles disapproval and leaves. Angelotti ventures out and is recognized by his friend and fellow liberal Mario, who gives him food and hurries him back into the chapel as Tosca is heard calling outside. Forever suspicious, she jealously questions him, then prays, and reminds him of their rendezvous that evening at his villa ("Non la sospiri la nostra casetta?"). Suddenly recognizing the Marches Attavanti in the painting, she explodes with renewed suspicions, but he reassures her ("Qual' occhio al mondo"). When she has gone, Mario summons Angelotti from the chapel; a cannon signals that the police have discovered the escape, so the two flee to Mario's villa. Meanwhile, the Sacristan returns with choirboys who are to sing in a Te Deum that day. Their excitement is silenced by the entrance of Baron Scarpia, chief of the secret police, in search of Angelotti. when Tosca comes back to her lover, Scarpia shows her a fan with the Attavanti crest, which he has just found. Thinking Mario faithless, Tosca tearfully vows vengeance and leaves as the church fills with worshipers. Scarpia, sending his men to follow her to Angelotti, schemes to get the diva in his power (Va, Tosca!")

ActII. In the Farnese Palace, Scarpia anticipates the sadistic pleasure of bending Tosca to his will ("Ha piu forte sapore"). The spy Spoletta arrives, not having found Angelotti; to placate the baron he brings in Mario, who is interrogated while Tosca is heard singing a cantata at a royal gala downstairs. She enters just as her lover is being taken to an adjourning room: his arrogant silence is to be broken under torture. Unnerved by Scarpia's questioning and the sound of Mario's screams, she reveals Angelotti's hiding place. Mario is carried in; realizing what has happened, he turns on Tosca, but the officer Sciarrone rushes in to announce that Napolean has won the Battle of Marengo, a defeat for Scarpia's side. Mario shouts his defiance of tyranny ("Vittoria!") and is dragged to prison. Scarpia, resuming his supper, suggests that Tosca yield herself to him in exchange for her lover's life. Fighting off his embraces, she interrupts: faced with capture, Angelotti has killed himself. Tosca, forced to give in or lose her lover, agrees to Scarpia's proposition. The baron pretends to order a mock execution for the prisoner, after which he is to be freed; Spoletta leaves. No sooner has Scarpia written a safe-conduct for the lovers than Tosca snatches a knife from the table and kills him. Wrenching the document from his stiffening fingers and placing candles at his head and a crucifix on his chest, she slips from the room.

Act III. The voice of a shepherd boy is heard as church bells toll the dawn. Mario awaits execution at the Castel Sant'Angelo; he bribes the jailer to convey a farewell note to Tosca. Writing it, overcome with memories of love, he gives way to despair ("E lucevan le stelle"). Suddenly Tosca runs in, filled with the story of her recent adventures. mario caresses the hands that committed murder for his sake ("O dolci mani"), and the two hail their future. As the firing squad appears, the diva coaches Mario on how to fake his death convincingly; the soldiers fire and depart. Tosca urges Mario to hurry, but when he fails to move, she discovers that Scarpia's treachery has transcended the grave: the bullets were real. When Spoletta rushes in to arrest Tosca for Scarpia's murder, she cries to Scarpia to meet her before God, then leaps to her death.

*Overall, a spectacular performance, beautiful story, and a great night at the opera!

My quotes:
- I know I didn't write anything of my own for my last blog (Switzerland and Lake Como) because I was so busy and instead posted a funny quote from one of my favorite movies, but I was doing my laundry a few days ago and found a piece of paper in the back pocket of my jeans that I had wore on that trip and noticed that I had scribbled something down so I decided to go back and add it into my other blog. It really is nothing special but feel free to take a look if you want. It simply describes how I felt, at that given moment, when I was sitting by myself on a bench by the lake in Switzerland.

Things to come:
- Trip to Barcelona this weekend!
- Midterms Week all of next week...ouch!
- Fall Break: Prague, Czech Republic (3 nights), Berlin, Germany (3 nights), Amsterdam, Netherlands (3 nights), Brussels, Belgium (1 night).

(To be continued...)

Love you all...take care!

Buonanotte,

Paul

Switzerland and Lake Como! 9/30/08 - 10/8/08

Ciao everybody!!!
So last Tuesday, Sept. 30th, I took the time to organize and plan a trip for a bunch of friends and I to go to the Fiorentina "Champions League" soccer game vs Bucharest (capital of Romania). Altogether, there were 11 of us plus one of my new local Italian friends, Filippo Morandi. Filippo is one of the head tour guides that works for "Florence for Fun," a local travel agency that organizes trips for students here in Florence. I got to know him pretty well our trip to Cinque Terre and have been hanging out with him ever since. Considering that soccer games here in Europe can get pretty crazy at times, I asked Filippo if he'd be willing to take a bunch of us (Americans) to a local Fiorentina soccer game and he got all excited and agreed! That night, we all met up over by the Duomo and Filippo showed us how to hop on the right bus and we all headed to the game. Wearing new purple Fiorentina soccer jerseys and scarfs, we were all really excited for our first official soccer game here in Italy!!! As the bus approached the stadium, you began to see streets filled with people heading for the game...wow, what a site! After going through security and having our tickets checked, we headed for the "home side" bleachers to get some good seats for the game. Already, there was a "sea" of purple, giant Fiorentina/Firenze flags blowing in the wind, and people screaming and shouting like there was no tomorrow! We took our place amongst the rowdy crowd of local Italians and before we even knew it, the game had begun!!! In the end, the game tied "0-0" but overall it was a great game and we all had a lot of fun!

This past weekend, Oct. 4-5th, my friends and I went on a trip to Switzerland and Lake Como! We departed from Florence at 4 AM by private bus and arrived in Tirano, a small Italian village at the foot of the Alps, at 10 AM. From here, we boarded a train called the Bernina Express which crosses the Alps and takes you into Switzerland. The Bernina Express from Tirano (Italy) to St. Moritz (Switzerland) boasts countless jaw-dropping views from bridges, viaducts, and tight bends as the train climbs even higher and higher, until it goes through the Bernina Pass, the highest elevation of 2,553 m. This line is the highest rail crossing of the Alps, making it one of Europe's most outstanding and unforgettable train journeys. I thought the sights I saw on my "Hiking in the Alps" trip were amazing, but the things I saw on this train ride...WOW! AMAZING X 100!!! Absoooooluuuuutely breathtaking! The coolest part about the train ride was noticing how, when we began at the foot of the Alps, there was no snow, and slowly and slowly as you get higher and higher up, you could see more and more snow on the ground/in the trees until finally when we reached the Bernina Pass, it was snowing hard and looked like the Arctic...no joke! Snow everyywhere! Finally, after the wonderful three-hour train ride through the Alps, we arrived in the St. Moritz train station, where our bus was waiting for the group, ready to take us to our hotel.

St. Moritz (Switzerland) is one of the most renowned holiday resorts of the world. Chic, elegant, and exclusive with a pronouncedly cosmopolitan ambiance, it is situated at 5,624 ft (1,856 m) above sea level in the middle of the lake-dotted landscape of the Upper Engadine. After checking in at our hotel, some friends and I spent the rest of the afternoon walking along one of the most beautiful, romantic, and scenic glacial lakes I have ever seen. We took plenty of pictures, went into town and bought Swiss chocolate (soooo good!), I fed some horses, and the remainder of the time just sat by the lake and enjoyed the scenery of one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen in my entire life! Something I will never forget. At 7:30 PM, we all met back up with our entire group and enjoyed a typical Swiss dinner which was served in the restaurant of our hotel. DELICIOUS!!! Tired from our long day of traveling, we all headed to our rooms and slept like babies, with mountains all around us, knowing that the next morning we had to wake up extra early and head to famous and beautiful Lake Como.

After waking up and having breakfast in our hotel, we departed from St. Moritz and at 10 AM, arrived on the North-Eastern coast of the Lake of Como. Lake Como is considered the jewel in the crown of Italy's famous lakes and it is often described as a haven of tranquility, superb cuisine, majestic snow capped mountains, courteous folk and style. It's coastline is bordered by spectacular towns, world renown magnificent villas, and steeped in history. Our first stop on the lake was the town of Varenna. From here, we took a ferry ride to Bellagio, a stunning town ranked as one of the most beautiful in Europe, with its breathtaking views, immaculate homes/gardens, and stupendous villas. Here, we were given two hours of free time to explore the town, take pictures, and drink espresso/cappuccino by the lake. After taking the ferry back to Varenna, we took a nice bus ride around the lake and about one hour later arrived in the town of Como. Como, the main centre on the lake, is situated at the head of Lake Como and is an ancient town over 400 years old with magnificent churches, historic monuments, and with a wonderful lakeside walk with cafes and restaurants making it one of the most charming towns of Italy. Here, we were given several hours to tour the town, visit the famous churches/historic monuments, walk along the lake, and enjoy a nice lunch with friends. After a spectacular day on the lake, we departed from Como, arrived in Florence, and our unforgettable weekend finally came to an end!

"A breath of fresh, cold air.
A chill deep within my soul.
Snowflakes brush my cheek.
The quiet...like a whisper.
I close my eyes.
Beauty all around me."
- Paul Nowacki -

My Quotes:
- For those of you who have been reading all my blogs and about all of my experiences while I've been here, you've probably noticed that I've been writing little poems/quotes about how I've been feeling since coming here. This weekend I definitely felt warmth and inspiration from my experience, however I've been so busy with school, planning my Fall Break, and everything else that's been going on that I haven't really had the time to write anything special or poetic.
- Lately, my roommates and I have been joking around a lot, watching funny movies, and having a good ole time together so I would like to leave you all with a quote from one of our favorite movies:

"What is love? What is this longing in our hearts for togetherness? Is it not the sweetest flower? Does not this flower of love have the fragrant aroma of fine, fine diamonds? Does not the wind love the dirt? Is not love not unlike the unlikely not it is unlikened to? Are you with someone tonight? Do not question your love. Take your lover by the hand. Release the power within yourself. Your heard me, release the power. Tame the wild cosmos with a whisper. Conquer heaven with one intimate caress. That's right don't be shy. Whip out everything you got and do it in the ****. By Leon Phelps"
- From the movie, "The Ladies Man". Haha

- Don't worry, I'll be back to writing my own stuff whenever I get a chance/have some good inspiration!

Things to come:
- Trip to Nice, Montecarlo, and the French Riviera this weekend!
- Going to the Opera next Thursday night!

Cooking:
- I'm learning how to cook from a well known/respected cook here Florence so if your lucky, I'll cook for you when come home!

Pictures:
- All of my pictures of Switzerland/Lake Como as well as some new ones of things here Florence are up on my Facebook page so feel free to check those out!

(To be continued...)

Miss you all...take care!

Ciao,

Paul
(a.k.a "Paolo" - My new Italian name!)