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Celebrating Autumn - October 4th 2010
This week was our final week of classes before midterms, a sure sign that autumn is coming. It’s hard to believe that we’re almost half-way through our time here! Preparing for midterms in Italy is pretty much the same as preparing for midterms at home: review sessions, note shuffling, and a bit of stress. Thankfully we have plenty of time to study, as we still have a full week of day trips before we take our midterms the following week.
On Wednesday night we squeezed in an extra class, learning to make pizza at a small pizzeria right here in Florence. The dough was prepared for us, but we learned how to shape the crust by hand and cook the pizza in a bake oven. We even got to choose our own toppings, which of course included fresh mozzarella cheese!
Over the weekend we made a pilgrimage to Munich, Germany, in order to celebrate the final week of Oktoberfest. The weather there definitely felt more like fall! We stayed at a campground in the Botanical Gardens of Munich, just a short distance from the central train station. Oktoberfest itself was a cultural experience, to say the least! People from all over the world were gathered in celebration, crowding into the tents to have a taste of German food and drink. I have to say, it was nice to have a break from pasta and panini to enjoy some sausage and strudel!
While in Munich we also did some sightseeing, visiting the Dachau Concentration Camp
memorial and taking a tour of Munich’s historic city-center. We were glad we took the time to visit Dachau, as it was a very moving experience. Our tour of Munich on Sunday morning was a nice way to end the trip. We saw the Glockenspiel, the Old and New Town Halls, and learned a bit about the history of the city. We ended the tour at Viktualienmarkt, the famous outdoor market, where I enjoyed my final German meal of sausage and sauerkraut. Even the drive home was enjoyable, as we weaved our way through the snow-topped Alps.
submitted by Anne Hartman, Fall 2010