A Business Trip in Northern Italy

This weekend was a business trip. A business trip in which I traveled to northern Italy--to the region of wine, olives and pesto--, visited three Italian-based international firms, met the governor of the region (equivalent to a state governor), hiked 2 hours across beaches and cliffs and made a pit stop at the Leaning Tower of Pisa on the way home. My first official business trip has set the bar pretty high in terms of entertainment.

I left on Thursday evening from Rome on a coach bus with about 30 other people who were all taking some sort of business class that gained them entry onto the trip (I'm taking Strategic Management). With only one stop, it took us around 6 hours to get to Genoa, the town that we were staying in. We didn't arrive there until about 1am, so we immediately went to bed so as to prepare for the busy day on Friday.

Friday morning, we got up and out of the hotel at 8 and made our way to the first company--Selex ES. This company was huge in information technology and built software for anything from postal service tracking and codes to national defense communications. From there, we went to Alsaldo STS, a transportation company that designs and implements mass transit systems (trains, trams, etc.) around the world. Next was a presentation at the Italian Institute of Technology, which is basically the Italian version of MIT. It was extremely interesting to hear of and see some of the projects they're working on--including a life-size robot that could think for itself and learn new things. We ended the day with a meeting with the governor of Liguria (the northern region of Italy), which was extremely dull. He clearly didn't want to be there and, like any good politician, he avoided our questions about the recent destruction in the area from floods.

After all of that business, we had worked up quite an appetite. A few of the resident (full-time) students from AUR and I went out to dinner that night in a small restaurant near the hotel, and we had a full-on Italian meal. We started by getting a few bottles of wine for the table--white, since many were having fish. Then, we got some bruschetta for everybody--we ordered 8 and were expecting 8 pieces, but they ended up bringing out 8 plates with 3 pieces each...it was a bit much. Then we went for the main course. I ordered Trofie al Pesto--a pasta dish that was basically noodles, pesto, green beans and a few potato chunks. Since Genoa is known for their pesto, I figured it would be delicious, and let me tell you--it was DELICIOUS. The pesto was unlike any that I'd had before and it was amazing!

The following morning, we set off for Cinque Terre (pronounced chink-way tare-ay) for our hike. Cinque Terre (literally meaning five lands) is a grouping of five beach towns along the northern Mediterranean coast. Between each of the towns is a hiking trail through the surrounding mountains as well as a train that connects them. The drive there along tiny, twisted streets on the edges of a cliff was a bit dicey on the giant bus, but we made it. We had a quick pit stop for lunch--I had Fritto Misto di Pesce (mixed pan-fried fish) and a glass of white wine--before we set off on the 2 hour hike to the next town.

A couple beautiful views on the drive to Cinque Terre

The coast was breathtaking despite the clouds

The first town in Cinque Terre (Riomaggiore), from the bus

 View from the train station in Riomaggiore

 A quick stop at the beach in Vernazza before the hike

Famous views of Vernazza

 Mountainside houses

Couldn't get enough of the Seaside views!

Just over the wobbly railing on the hiking path

Finally made it!

The hike was a completely amazing experience. From the beach at the beginning of the trail to the highest point, there is an elevation difference of 800 meters (about 2,600 feet). It was treacherous at times (if your foot slipped, you would literally fall off a cliff) and it was definitely a workout (SO MANY STAIRS), but WOW, what an adventure. A few of us who were ahead of the main group got a round of waters and beers to enjoy as everyone finished their hike.

After the drive back, we had another delicious dinner (I had grilled mixed fish and white wine), a not-so-good beer at a nearby pub, and then returned to the hotel.

Sunday was the return home, but to break up the drive, we stopped in Pisa for some sights and lunch. Overall, Pisa isn't all that. If I wasn't going there en route to somewhere else, it wouldn't have been worth it. But I made sure to get some spectacular pics none the less.

Nailed the shot

Not even leaning...

Overall it was an excellent weekend. For anyone traveling to northern Italy, definitely consider Cinque Terre if you have a day or two to spare.

Things to look forward to this week: a buttload of homework before midterms next week, a visit to the Capitoline Museum for my history class and a trip to Barcelona leaving on Thursday!

Thanks for reading,

Kasey Ann

Czech It Out: A Weekend in Prague

What an amazing weekend. I can't even remember what I did last week because the awesomeness of the weekend completely overshadows it (I didn't really do anything of particular interest last week anyway).

On Friday morning, three of my roommates and I packed a backpack each and headed over to the nearest train station--about a five minute walk from our apartment. We each bought a ticket and took a half hour train to the airport (this process was significantly less thrilling on the way home). We arrived at the airport about 3 hours early because we had no idea what to expect, and within 15 minutes, were sitting in our terminal wondering why on earth we left so early. 

As it turns out, if you don't have any baggage and security is reasonable, you can get to your gate pretty quickly. Once it came time to leave, we boarded the plane and arrived without issues in Prague. We were then picked up by a shuttle and taken to our hostel...or so we thought.

When we got to the place we were supposed to stay, the front desk told us there was "an issue with the room" (they wouldn't elaborate), so they called someone from another hostel to come pick us up, which was a real disappointment because the location of that place was prime--just off of Old Town Square (one of the main attractions in Prague). Within about 10 minutes, some guy named Robert came and told us he was going to be driving us to "his place". We walked over to his car (his personal car, complete with baby seat) and cautiously got in. He drove us about 10 minutes away, all the while giving us tips on things to do and places to see and generally not shutting up at all. 

The front door of Robert's Place--the Museum Inn

We were feeling very uncertain with Robert and "his place" anyway, but then we pulled up to the front door (pictured above). Without thinking, I walked right in when Robert opened the door (probably should have been a bit more cautious), but once we got into the actual room, everything was alright. It was well furnished with two twin beds and a queen. There was a shower, towels, sheets, and a kitchenette if we needed it. It really wasn't bad at all. 

Once we got our bearings, we ventured out for an early dinner at a place nearby that Robert had suggested. It was called Deminka and served American dishes as well as classic Czech cuisine all from an English menu. I ordered a dark beer (no idea what it was called) and the beef sirloin in cream sauce--I went for the classic Czech. It was pretty good, but had an odd citrus-y sweetness that I wasn't too excited about. 

Beef Sirloin in Cream Sauce with Bread Dumplings

This first place is also where we realized that beer is much cheaper to get than water. While a half a pint of beer was about 35 koruna (about $1.20), the same amount of water was 50 koruna! Needless to say, my friend that ordered the water was a little miffed. 

After we ate, we headed to the tourist attractions. Our hostel and the restaurant were at one end of Vaclavske Namesti, or Wenceslas Square, which is one of two squares of importance (to tourists at least) in Prague. We went through Wenceslas Square (which is really more of a boulevard) to Old Town Square--the location of the St. Nicholas Cathedral and the Prague Astronomical Clock. We kept walking and found ourselves at the Charles Bridge, so we crossed over into the area known as Lesser Town. 

A colorful corner of buildings in Old Town Square

 The St. Nicholas Cathedral at night

 An interesting find in a chocolate shop

One of the many beers lining the walls of the chocolate shop

(still regretting not getting it)

 Insufficient view of the Prague Castle at night

St. Nicholas Cathedral (yes, another one) in Lesser Town

After an evening of walking, we decided to go to a bar to relax for a bit before heading to the hostel. All of the authentic-looking pubs were really crowded and noisy, so we ended up in an Irish Pub in Old Town Square. After one drink each, we found ourselves exhausted and went back up to the hostel.

In the morning, we had great plans to go to a cafe suggested by Robert, but after about 20 minutes of searching for it, we settled for a place called the Colour Cafe (or something like that) where I ordered scrambled eggs with smoked salmon--a delicious choice. 

At 11, we began a free walking tour (through the same company that we got the airport shuttle) of the city. We started in Old Town Square and walked through the Jewish ghetto of Prague, some of the historical streets, to the Charles Bridge, over through Lesser Town and ended the 4-hour tour at Prague Castle. We had a great guide, he was very knowledgeable about the city and told us historical facts and stories about various sights along the way. 

Wenceslas Square

 365 day/year open market in Old Town Square

St. Nicholas Cathedral and Old Town Square

The Prague Astronomical Clock

It shows the astronomical signs on it according to 

which constellations you can see in the sky during that time of day/year.

 A student folk band in the Prague Public Library

We saw them during a lunch break on the tour

 View of the Lesser Town and Prague Castle from Charles Bridge

View of the Vltava River from Charles Bridge

The city from Prague Castle

Prague Castle

Stained glass inside the castle

The rear spires of Prague Castle

 Gorgeous views were plentiful

 The Lennon Wall

Graffitied by the youth of Prague after John Lennon's death in 1980

The tour offered beautiful views of the city in areas where we wouldn't have thought to go ourselves. After the tour, we scrambled back to Charles Bridge while there was still daylight to get some more pictures. 

Paige and I sharing a moment

After getting some more pictures, we went back to the hostel--partly because I needed to wash my hair because a bird pooped on me on the Charles Bridge and partly because we needed to figure out where to have dinner.

We ended up going to a place called Hostinec U Kalicha (I only know the name because I snagged a coaster) and it ended up being a great decision. I ordered roasted duck with cabbage (first time having duck) and a pint of pilsner. The duck was pretty good, but what really made the experience was two guys from the kitchen came out and played folk songs on an accordion and bassoon--it was so awesome!

That evening, we participated in a pub crawl (which I now know are a total scam and not worth it at all), then ended up at a bar where we had a pint of pilsner (the local delicacy). We were drinking them outside and, still bitter from the pub crawl scam, we took the mugs as restitution. I'm currently drinking water out of it. 

In the morning, we finished up our visit with a few more tourist-y pictures of the Charles Bridge, purchasing some gifts for the folks at home and getting street food for lunch. You can see why this lunch was necessary...

"The Traditional" Wenceslas Sausage

A view of New Town Prague

The weekend was one I'll remember for years to come. Prague is truly a beautiful city: so clean, so quaint and an 80% atheist/agnostic population! My only regret is that we couldn't stay longer.

To those who haven't been: Go. You won't regret it. The people are very friendly, english is widely spoken, it's incredibly cheap (only spent 80 euro/$100 the entire weekend), and the views are unbeatable.

To those who have been: Go again. We both know it's worth it.

Things to look forward to this week: One of my roommates has her 21st birthday tomorrow that we'll be celebrating and a field trip to Liguria with my Strategic Management course for the weekend (includes visits to 4 different Italian companies, meeting the governor of Genova, a 5-hour hike in Cinque Terre, and a stop in Pisa and the Leaning Tower therein).

That's all for now! Thanks for reading.

Kasey Ann

A Week(end)'s Worth of Chocolate

This week started off quite nice. I'm feeling comfortable in Rome, I'm able to get where I want to go, I'm running and going to the gym...it's been nice. Between my morning and afternoon classes on Tuesday, I ventured over to a little cafe in the small streets of Trastevere (I'm really going to try to remember the names of these places from now on), I stopped by and got another falafel for lunch (though I think they may be giving me stomach aches), and then I went back to school for class. On the way home from that, however, I sprained my ankle like a fool. It wasn't even on cobblestone, either! Clenching my teeth from the pain, I hobbled down the 6 flights of stairs it takes to get to the tram. By the time I got home, my ankle was the size of a blood orange! All is well on that front now though, it's just bruised and still a tad swollen but it didn't stop me from having a good time this week!

This week's falafel

On Friday, my friends and I (and a bunch of other people from school) ventured to the city of Terni for a Chocolate Festival in celebration of the Valentine's holiday. To get there, we had to go to the Termini Train Station in Rome, and having only been to the dinky train station in Pontiac, Michigan, it was a bit overwhelming. We found the train and within an hour, we arrived in Terni. The festival wasn't as huge as I was expecting (supposedly it's a lot more crazy on Valentine's Day), but it didn't disappoint!

Pizza with buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes, lettuce, and salmon lox

"I Love You" Chocolate hearts

 The Licorice Booth

SO many truffles and chocolate-covered goodies

Sweet (ha ha) Chocolate Sculptures

Main Street of Terni

(note the mountains in the background)

 My First Cannoli

The Chocolate Festival overall was very cool. There was also a meat and cheese tent, but they weren't giving out enough free samples to keep our attention for long. The town of Terni is home to the burial ground and cathedral of Saint Valentine (Santo Valentino) himself, and after trying for an hour or so to find the basilica, we found out that it's about 10 miles outside of the city. It was nice to be in a city like Terni that was much more slow-paced (and surrounded by mountains, which was awesome). I'm a bit ashamed to say that I spent about 20 euro on truffles and chocolate that day...but WOW was it good!

Saturday began with a nice run along the Tiber River (my first since the sprained ankle). In the early afternoon, we decided to walk to a place called Eataly, which at the time, we could only describe as the "Italian Whole Foods" (I now know that it is SO much more). I took about a half hour to get there walking through some odd neighborhoods, but when we stepped through the doors, we knew it was well worth the trip. The store is four floors of downright amazingness. The first floor has fresh fruits and veggies along with gourmet kitchenware items. Floor two housed a 50 meter wall of craft beer from around the world (it was tough not to go straight for the American ones) along with a meat and cheese wing (where they were making their own mozzarella) and a pasta wing. Floor three had cafes, bars and seafood on one end, and the other was entirely dedicated to wine. We spent an entire hour milling about the place trying to see (and taste) everything--we walked around most of it twice trying to nab some of the samples that were being passed out. It was difficult to even think of buying something because it was incredibly overwhelming (although I did get a couple bottles of Italian craft beer).

After going back to our apartment for a couple hours, we set out again in search of the best pizza in Rome. We were told by many people to go to Dar Poeta in Trastevere for amazing pizza, so that's what we did for our Valentine's dinner. We got to the restaurant around 7 and ordered some wine. The menu had about 30 pizzas on it, one of my roommates and I decided to go halvsies (we both ordered our own pizzas and then split them when they come so we each got half of 2 pizzas). I ordered the Dar Poeta which had mozzarella cheese, hot pepper, zucchini, sausage and garlic--note the absence of sauce. My cohort ordered the Superbufala which had tomato sauce, buffalo mozzarella cheese, artichoke, olives and pecorino cheese.

The Dar Poeta

The Superbufala

Caitlin and I sharing a Valentine's moment

We had a great time. The pizza was absolutely FANTASTIC (get ready Mom and Dad, we're going there when you come in May). We'll definitely be returning to Dar Poeta this semester as well--way too many pizza choices to only go once!

Today, we had great plans to take the train to Orvieto, a historical town between Rome and Florence, but we didn't make it to the station quite early enough, so travel times were inconvenient and ticket prices we higher. Instead, we headed over to the giant flea market that happens in our neighborhood every Sunday. Thousands of tents cover a span of about 10-15 blocks selling everything from books to jewelry to clothing to kitchenware for way cheap!

 These guys were selling seeds, nuts, and pickled fish!

Many of the clothes are used, the rest have unknown origins

A few tents like this had hundreds of bottles of 

shampoo, soap, makeup, shaving cream, etc.

My biggest question with all of this is where the heck are these vendors getting all of their supplies? The clothes, the shoes, the scarves, the name brand makeup...how do they get it? After walking along the streets of the market for about an hour and a half, I ended up only buying a belt for 1 euro. One of the ones I brought with me has just about had it, so I figured it was worth the splurge.

That's about it for now. Things to look forward to this week include a possible wine night tomorrow night with chicken cutlets by Chef Danny and a trip to Prague over the weekend!


Thanks for reading,

Kasey Ann