My Solo Weekend

So one weekend, all of my friends went to Rome. Since I’ve already been and didn’t want to shell out money for the same sights again, I decided to spend a couple days traveling all by myself. Though I love the shared trips, if only for all the hilarity that inevitably occurs among our group of friends, it was awesome to set out on my own for a while. I’d planned on doing it at some point during my semester abroad, and it was relaxing to be able to do things on my own time, with lots of freedom to take as many photos as I wanted without feeling rushed. Though, on a different note, separating from the group for the weekend did make me realize how close I had become to them over just the first month of being together. We all went out before they left for their night train on Thursday, and they tried (jokingly) to convince drunken me to abandon my alone time and come with them to Roma (“Just...take a stroll to the train station with us and...see what happens!”) I remember realizing how much I would miss them, even just for a few days. My own adventures were totally worth it though.

Friday: I woke up late (and had to explain to my confused host mamma that no, I did not feel ill, I just REALLY like to sleep) and decided to hang out in Padova for a while. Finally had time to draw in my sketchbook in the Prato della Valle, right next to the big fountain in the middle. So relaxing. Ran some errands, and went to my favorite cafe for a while. We call it “The Yellow Place” for its yellow-painted walls, and the woman who works there is like my third mother-after Maria and my real mom of course! Also got my first Italian haircut (a lot of pointing at pictures was necessary!) and it was surprisingly successful. Had dinner and some good conversation with my family, and watched “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” before bed.

Saturday: Hopped on the train and headed to Milan, which is the metropolitan center of Italy. Saw La Scala, the intricate Gothic Duomo (which is absolutely breathtaking thanks to the influence of French architects as well as Italians) and some exhibits at the Palazzo Reale. One was on Futurism and had some pretty cool stuff (I’ll admit, I bought the ticket for this one by accident...Futurism isn’t my favorite). 

The other was an exhibit entirely of Rene Magritte, called “Il Mistero della Natura” (The Mystery of Nature). I liked him before but fell in LOVE after wandering through rooms full of hundreds of his works. His take on surrealism is just so playful and fun. Plus, I learned that he dipped into impressionism for a while too, mixing it with surrealist subjects. The exhibit called in “Surrealismo in pieno sole”. Very cool stuff. Some of my favorites were Empire of Lights, Companions of Fear (pictured), and one with piled up houses that I can’t name. It was a good thing I understand a decent amount of Italian, because the quotes and signs in the exhibit weren’t translated to English-just French to Italian.

When I went back outside, there was a HUGE crowd in the piazza and a big Carnevale parade going on. Kids were dressed up and throwing confetti at each other (and me). They were also spraying silly string and what looked like soap suds (see the hilarious reaction of two targeted girls below). Some punk definitely got me with the soap suds on my way out of the piazza.

I also stumbled upon a big air vent in the street nearby, where people were tossing confetti and watching it soar above in a big whirlwind. It was madness, but wonderful. As the sun was setting, I shopped around the side streets near the Brera district. Window shopping, that is, since most things were outrageously expensive. Chalk it up to Milan’s reputation as the fashion capital of the country. Some of the high-end stores were set up so beautifully that they could have been art galleries. Milan was even more beautiful at night, once everything was lit up.

Sunday: Traveled to Ravenna, and confirmed that I am, in fact, obsessed with mosaics. The mosaic triple-theat of the Baptistery, San Vitale basilica, and Galla Placidia is a heart-stopper. The stars on the ceiling of the Galla Placidia literally glitter, and San Vitale just envelops you in golden goodness. (Yes, that sounds a bit like a Twinkies commercial.)

I also got to practice my Italian while waiting for my train back to Padova, A couple guys at the station could tell I wasn’t Italian and started asking me about my studying abroad here. One of them was Moroccan, and had some good things to say about the “open minds” of people who seek out travel opportunities. One of them was old and a little crazy, and by the time he was trying to tell me I had “the eyes of Mona Lisa” I figured it was time to go. Only in Europe would someone use that line, I swear.