Coffee & Honeycomb: January 2013

black & white | a photo diary

Thursday, January 31, 2013

In my Photography 101 class, black and white composition has been the conversation of late. We took a field trip to Scavi Scaligeri to study the variety of techniques and styles, we watched documentaries and studied works of Henri Cartier Bresson, the father of modern photojournalism; and most recently, we went on a photo walk to apply what we had learned.

Inspired, I decided to take a stab at B & W myself — digitally altered, of course — to show my new found appreciation.

And this last one is for sh*ts and giggles. "Tua mama." Italians can be low-brow, after all.

"A dark hole in the ground? Oh, perfect. Can I please squat down and pee in that?! I even LIKE that the ground is so sticky from others' missing the bowl, it holds my grip."

— Said no one, EVER.

Italy's public bathrooms, everyone.

The Magical Finger Foods

Monday, January 28, 2013

There are times in Italy when I discover something so magical that after experiencing it, I get this urgent need to share it with the world. And by the world, I mean this blog.

Yesterday was one of those instances.

After spending the afternoon indulging in cappuccinos and gelato, and writing love notes to friends back at home, the hot dog and I were famished and ready for a real, proper meal. You know, a meal with more meat than greens, served with multiple sides, followed by a second course — plus an appetizer and two desserts.

We decided to eat out, or mangiare fuoi, because although our fridge WAS stocked, none of the food in it was good to eat. Everything was either coated with a layer of mold or had a lingering sour smell. Yum. (We kind of have a hard time throwing things out. But it's not our fault! Our house mom has this complicated recycling system that we
~~are too lazy~~ can't seem to to figure out.)

Plus, we were feelin' sushi. (;

BUT NOTHING WAS OPEN. So we aimlessly walked up and down Porta Nuova, bantering about all our favorite sushi rolls and all the horrible things we would do just to be able to eat some, until we finally compromised and decided to eat at the next place that smelled edible. I know, we're easy. Food is our kryptonite. Our RD, Claudio, had recently sent us an email listing a bunch of different places to check out that offered special deals. One on the list, L'Orologio, which was the restaurant we had our very first dinner at! (: The listed special was that from 6pm - 7:30 pm, order one free drink and receive unlimited food.

Unlimited food? I mean, we couldn't not check it out.

So we strolled in — entirely confused on how to even go about the situation. We didn't know how to ask if what we had heard was a legitimate deal, if we were misinformed, where to find the free food, if they had bibs, buffet, all you can eat — unfortunately, those weren't in our Italian 101 vocab list, yet. So we kind of just hovered, awkwardly, trying to gather what the norm was based on the seated guests. And not a single person paid any attention to us! I mean, we were pretty freaking obvious that we hadn't the slightest clue what to do. We might as well have been wearing dunce caps and neon signs saying "help." But nope, no one noticed or cared. So after standing in the middle of the restaurant for an inappropriate amount of time, we decided to take the situation in our own hands. We found a menu and an open seat and sat down, our brain muscles juicing, trying to quickly concoct a plan on how to find the all-you-can-eat... And then, at that moment, we saw the bar of finger food.

(Cue heavenly music.)

When we finally grabbed a servor's attention, he kindly informed us that the kitchen was closed until 7pm, but we were welcome to help ourselves to the finger food if we ordered a drink.

All that finger food? If we buy ONE drink? The restaurant had no idea who just walked in.

(Okay, so these photos don't really do justice to how magical this situation was. But use your imagination a bit.) For 2.50 we got this and alllla dis. We shamelessly went back to the bar four times, and one guest even (jokingly) took my plate away when he realized that sad number.

Then once our stomaches were stuffed with bread and oil and tomatoes, we got gelato. And then we came home, put on our fat pants, laid down and proceeded to finish an entire box of honey nut cheerios in one siting — I'm not even kidding you. But is that so wrong? Is it wrong to finish an entire box of honey nut cheerios in one sitting? Is it wrong to eat gelato twice in one day? Is it wrong to steal chocolate coins from Lorenza's kitchen?

I think I have a five-month food baby.

Another reason why I love L'Orologio:

Free wi-fi? Please and thank you. I can finally upload my awaiting Instagram pics!!! #FirstWorldProblems

On a not-so depressing-or-embarrassing note... I finally booked my flights for Belgium and London. Cheers to traveling + more food adventures + photo ops + potentially gaining some dignity and culture and maturity!

Ciao bao.

A Weekend in Florence

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

This past weekend, some girls in the program and I decided to skip class on Friday and take a trip to Florence. Best decision ever. We had our first exam that Thursday, the day before departure, so timing was nice — the perfect way to commemorate the completion of the first unit and celebrate with a little hooky + retreat.

And man oh man, was it a celebration. We caught Florence on the most beautiful day: the sun was in its full glory giving everything in its reach a little glow. (Not like the kind of glow girls tried to achieve via spray tanning the day before prom. #Yikes.) Florence radiated — the good way — and its radiance was contagious.

Everything from the monumental architecture to the back alley streets made for the most perfect backdrop. And trust me, I took advantage of each and every one of those photo ops. (; Every minute or so I would look up from my map and just be blown away with what was staring back at me. If you ever have the chance to travel, put Florence somewhere high on the priority list and see for yourself.

Here are some highlights of the weekend.

Florence was a weekend of firsts which made it exciting — first time planning a trip since arriving in Verona, first time missing class, first time riding Italia rail, first time staying in a hostel, and first time traveling with these girls. And since it was my first, it's a favorite in my book. (:

Lunch in Bolzano, Dinner in Trento.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Last year when I was reading up on the different study abroad programs U of I provided, one of the things the Verona program offered that caught my attention — I know, as if I needed another reason to go besides the fact that IT'S IN VERONA — was its frequently planned group excursions. AKA pre-paid trips to an array of cities, restaurants, museums, tourist spots, activities, etc. The entire program travels together with all expenses — dining and wining and traveling — taken care of. Some on the lineup include: skiing in the Switzerland alps, dinner in Venice, horseback riding in Asiago, shopping at the Mantova outlets, etc.

Not bad, right? (:

And last Sunday was our FIRST excursion! It was only a day trip, but we were still fortunate to witness a broad scope of Italy. First, we went to Bolzano to sight see, shop around, and visit the museum hosting the Otzi exhibit. Otzi, you know, the "mummified" iceman they found in the mountains and were able to put on display for the public to see.

Bolzano was straight out of a fairytale. Magical and idyllic.

Bolzano is right near the mountains. So the air is much colder, BUT there is NO WIND. Niente. So the cobblestones, sugared bread on the streets, pastel colored buildings, and the constant still, damp air makes you feel like you're in Disney World Epcot. Just a large dome with good food and good scenery. Then THAT thought reminded me of my favorite book from junior high about the society that is presented as perfect and real but under all the layers it is actually a dystopia and everything from their dinner conversations to ways of thinking are constructed and manipulated by a higher authority because they are always under surveillance. (Guess the book. Hint. The cover has an apple on it.) Then THAT thought snowballed into all these other creepy pop culture references with altered realities all the way to lunch time when a lady yelled at me in fast and angry Italian and kicked me and my frans out of Burger King. But that's beside the point. Bolzano was kinda weird and beautiful and uncomfortable all at the same time. Plus I was wearing these chunky rain boots but not a rain cloud was in the sky.

Final thought: Bolzano is one surreal place — for the good or bad.

But one thing holds true whether you are in Verona or Bolzano — Italians love their cappuccino.

Defrosting our toes and sippin' on some warm te + caffe. (:

Then ze 25 American tourists hopped back into the bus and headed over to Trento to check out the Castello del Buonconsiglio. THIS WAS SO MUCH FUN. A castle that still remains from the 13th century to real royalty, but now serves as an archaeological site for glimpses into the time period and a gallery of art.

Hot Dog takes pics with her finger over the flash.
Breathtaking view from one of the castle's windows.
^The whole gang cheesing. (:

After the tour of the castle, we had some time to kill before dinner reservations so we roamed around the streets of Trento and sipped on spritzers.

The dinner venue was an authentic German restaurant. All of us were starving out of our minds — both from that day, and from being cheap on grocery selections — and since this was considered a pre-paid meal, we all went HAM on ordering way too many dishes.

^ This was a plate of meat covered in meat with a side of meat and some extra meat.

In other news...
- I have my first exam tomorrow.
- I hear back from a few summer internship prospects within the next week. Keep this in your prayers! (:
- Going on our first trip with some friends. (: Right after class we're taking the tran to Florence for the weekend and then visiting Mantova on Sunday.
- Staying in a hostel for the first time Thursday + Friday. Any thoughts/advice/precautions?

Hope everyone else is having a great week!

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