So I know I haven't written in a while because real classes have started as well as service which leaves me with limited time for sitting down and writing my thoughts. Any ways I finished the three week intensive course for Italian and to celebrate surviving we go on a 4 day trip. This year we went to the alps!!! I was beyond excited to go and ski and enjoy the beauty of the mountains.
Day 1 of the Gita:
We get up way too early to meet our bus that will take us to Calavese. On our way there, we stopped at a cheese factory that makes specifically Parmesan cheese. Each round weighs 40 kilos and takes months to become ready. There is also an organization that comes through his factory once a month or so and check the cheese. They can tell if there is a bubble in the cheese just by tapping it with a small hammer and listening to the sound. My roommate Melissa and I bought a little bit of cheese for our host family because our host dad loves cheese. Next we went to a balsamic vinegar factory. We got a short tour and were shown the barrels where they keep it. They have a barrel that they have been using since the mid 1700's and are still using today. The barrel alone is worth 40,000 euros and the balsamic vinegar inside is also worth 40,000 euros. Who knew it could be so expensive? Afterwards we got to taste test all the different kinds they sell. Most of them were delicious and they even had vinegar filled dark chocolate candies which weren't that bad. We eventually arrived around 7pm and got settled in our respective hotels before going to the other hotel for dinner. That night, nothing much happened and after a lovely German style dinner, we headed to bed. One thing to note about Cavalese is that the people's first language is German, but they speak Italian as well because at one point they were apart of Austria until they rejoined Italy.
Day 2 of the Gita:
We get up early and have literally the best breakfast of my life. Out hotel had the best food ever and I don't even like breakfast. They also had so many different choices and fresh squeezed orange juice. We went to another cheese factory that was a little bigger than the last one and they also use different milk because the cows eat the plants on the mountain which are different than the plants on the lower parts. They also have two different types of cheese because the cows are moved during the year between high and lower parts of the mountain which also has varying plant types and in turn makes two very different types of milk. When we went through this factory, we had to dress head to toe in protective gear to help keep the factory sanitary. We had hair nets, jackets, face masks, and booties for our shoes. We were quite a site to see, but we got to watch the workers pull out finished cheese rounds from the bottom of the big cauldron looking things. So cool! After that we had some free time before we were suppose to go to a place in the woods where they take these special trees and use them in super eco-friendly ways to build houses and such. We weren't able to go to that though because it had been snowing all night and continued throughout the day and had cover the ground in at least 1 ft. of snow. The bus driver was uncomfortable with driving us up there because the roads hadn't been cleared. Instead we had more free time which I spent resting and playing cards with friends. I also did have snow pants or a coat for skiing the next day because I didn't want to bring the extra bulky heavy weight with me to Italy and not use it so I went and found a place that had all their stuff on sale. It was still really expensive, but it was so worth it as I will explain later. It ended up being better this way and a lot of people went to the spa or hung out or slept and we were all content to the fact that we missed the activity. That evening we had planned on going to this really nice restaurant up in the woods that was suggested by the hotel. The only problem was that our bus wouldn't/couldn't take us so the hotel shuttled us part of the way there and then we had to walk a kilometer up steep hills in the snow while it was snowing. So it took a while, but eventually we got up the hill and found the restaurant and ate a very meat heavy typical German meal that was amazing followed by strudel for dessert. At the end of the evening we were given the choice to either walk home or take the shuttle and some people decided to take the shuttle, but most people just walked. Once we made it down the hill back into the city and avoided all the tractors plowing snow, we were told to take a path that curved down another hill that lead into Calavese. This was interesting and beautiful. We didn't really know where were going and just hoped that this path lead us back to the city. Luckily enough, we followed the right trails and made our way back. We arrived late so I pretty much went to bed because the next day I had to get up early to go get equipment to go skiing.
Day 3 of the Gita:
Today was our designated free day. You could either go skiing or find something else to do. Originally there was an option to go to a museum that houses a 5000 year old dead guy. It is run by National Geographic and they have tons of information on the science behind what happen. They think he was murdered and he even has tattoos that are visible. Unfortunately, the snow was working against us and continued to snow huge blobs making the roads unsafe. So people went to the spa and sauna or ice skating, or slept or played friends or explored the city. I of course went skiing and it was beyond amazing. This was the best day of my life. It was seriously the most gorgeous thing I have ever seen. Not only do you get to go up in gondolas but the views were fantastic and it actually took a while to go down some of the trails. One of the trails we went straight through the woods. It was my favorite because the trees protected you from most of the wind and snow and you saw all the valleys and snow covered trees. It was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. It wasn't a hard trial but you had to have control because although the trail wasn't steep, it was narrow with a huge drop off and no protection. Overall, the day was the best. Some of the hills hadn't been manicured properly and so the hills pretty much had moguls all over. I do not have much experience with moguls nor did I have the proper skis for moguls and therefore had a difficult time keeping in control. My boots were not fitting like I was used to and the edges of the skis would not carve so I kept tripping and catching my ski on every bump. I know this sounds like a bad day, but I got to cross this off my bucket list and the trails were amazing and the views from looking atop a mountain were to die for. That night we had dinner and after we made our way back to the ski resort for a discotecha at a bar near the top of the mountain. It was a cool little place that had the structure of a covered jungle gym or an igloo. The DJ played some nice house music and everyone was dancing. Actually, I should say that all the Americans were dancing as the Italians and other nationalities stared/watched us until later in the night when a few Italians joined us. It was fun, but also kinda awkward having so many people looking at us. It made me feel so different and like an outsider.
Day 4 of the Gita:
Sadly, this was our last day in Calavese and i had to say good bye to the mountains and the snow. On our way back we to Siena, we stopped in Firrara. This city is famous because it housed a lot of Jewish people during World War II. They still have the ghettos. We didn't stay too long there; only an hour or so. The A2/ higher level students gave a presentations about the history of the city and the famous families that lived there. After that we had an hour to walk around and explore the different historical spots, we had another two hours on the bus before arriving in Siena in which time ended the trip and now began real school on Monday. :(
Pictures to come soon!!!
-Cori
No comments:
Post a Comment