Solo Inter

Have you ever spent a Friday afternoon relaxing by Lake Como, Italy with George Clooney at his Italian Villa? Neither have I. I did, however, spend Friday afternoon by Lake Como exploring its surroundings. Nine of us ventured to the small town Friday afternoon prior to our weekend adventures. While we had no particular itinerary on this day trip, we made sure to have our first Italian pizza. Needless to say, it was delicious. While in Como, we saw the Volta Temple, honoring Alessandro Volta, the creator of the battery and visited a beautiful church, the Cattedrale di Como. Our visit was brief, but very enjoyable. I plan to return again later this semester, as the weather warms up.

 

On Saturday, Nick Carr and I woke up before sunrise to catch a train to Milan, Italy. After about thirty minutes of wandering through the streets of Milan, we found CioccolatItaliani, home of the greatest breakfast I have ever had. I thoroughly enjoyed a fresh waffle covered in 61% dark chocolate. The heavenly chocolate shop was located in the center of Milan's extravagant shopping district. 

Name any expensive brand, you'll find it in Milan. Armani, Gucci, Prada, the list goes on and on. While I couldn't afford anything in the famous shops, as simple t-shirts cost upwards of 90 euros, it was certainly fun to check out the famous Milanese fashion. 

The Duomo in Milan is one of the most incredible architectural wonders I have ever seen. On Friday, I was impressed by the Cattedrale di Como. The Cattedrale di Como is to the Duomo di Milan as a matchbox car is to a Hummer. Nick and I spent about an hour inside admiring the building's intricate detail and the beautiful stained glass windows. Outside the cathedral hundreds of people gathered to take pictures of the colossal structure and small children were grinning ear to ear as they fed the pigeons. 

I tried fried pizza for the first time at lunch. It was essentially a deep fried calzone, which sounds like a meal invented in the United States. It was spectacular. After lunch we explored the grounds of the Castello Sforzesco. 

As we left the castle, we came across a large crowd gathered in one of the piazzas. The crowd had gathered for a free concert by one of Italy's most beloved superstars, Biagio Antonacci. While neither Nick nor I were familiar with his music, we stayed to watch his concert. People of all ages crowded into the area to enjoy the show. Everybody in the audience seemed to know the lyrics to each of the superstar's songs. The concert was definitely one of the highlights of the trip so far. 

We woke up early again on Sunday to return to Italy for the Inter Milan game. Molly Rose and I left early to explore Milan a bit more before Nick, Kyle and Ashley joined us. We returned to CioccolatItaliani for breakfast, where I had another heavenly chocolate covered waffle and finally had my gelato. The cone was filled with melted dark chocolate before scoops of strawberry and mandarin orange gelato were added on top. Words cannot describe how delicious it was. The rest of the group joined us soon after breakfast, and we made our way to Stadio Giuseppe Meazza to see Inter Milan take on Catania. We took the metro to the stadium and walked the final mile, where extremely elaborate graffiti lined the walls from the metro stop to the stadium.

Our seats were incredible, only twelve rows back behind the goal. This was the first time I had ever watched soccer from behind the net, which gave me a completely new perspective of my favorite sport. Despite the game ending as a scoreless draw (an American's worst nightmare) it was a thrill to see an Italian Serie A game in person. It is evident that the fans are incredibly passionate about their team, and the players intend to join Italy's dive team for the 2016 summer olympics. 

Next weekend's plans are still up in the air, though Munich seems to be calling my name. Ciao!

Miracle on Turf

Several players of FC Montarina got their first international caps this evening. After class, we invested in a soccer ball and about twelve of us went to the nearest soccer field to kick around a bit. We found a turf field about five minutes away from the Montarina by foot. When we arrived, there were five children under the age of ten playing World Cup on one side of the field and six men ranging from ages eleven to thirty on the other. All of them were incredibly talented. Even the kids were nailing volleys with notable consistency.

After about twenty minutes of playing Monkey in the Middle, the locals asked us to join them in a full field game of five vs five. We accepted the challenge. The rules were set: the first team to score three goals or whoever had the lead after eight minutes won.

We lost our first game within three minutes. It was in part because the team of locals we were playing was very skilled, and in part because we were under the impression that we couldn't play with a goalie. The MVP by far was a young kid, no older than 13 named Leeriam. His passion for the game was admirable, and his skills made us all look ridiculous.

While we got smoked in the first few games, we rallied back. In the third game, we got out to a 2-0 lead. I scored my first international goal! The lead was a nice change of pace after multiple beat-downs. I got a little too excited and compared our performance to the "Miracle on Ice" from the 1980 Winter Olympics. Within a few minutes, we relinquished our lead, and lost 3-2. We remained competitive throughout the rest of the evening and played for about two hours before calling it a night. Here are a few instant replays from today's games including members of FC Montarina getting smoked by a local, and a rocket from FC Montarina's Kaitlyn Kicia.

The plan is to start playing soccer regularly while here in Lugano. In the meantime, I'm headed to Milan for the weekend and will be attending the Inter Milan vs Catania game Sunday. 

Ciao!

Avalanche Risk: Considerable

My alarm went off at 3:45 in the morning on Saturday. We had a train to catch. Sixteen of us were headed to Zermatt, Switzerland for what would soon become the best weekend of our lives. Over the course of the next seven hours, we took five trains and arrived at our hotel in Randa, Switzerland. Randa is located about twenty minutes outside of Zermatt by train. We stayed at the Matterhorn Golf Hotel, where I imagine golf has never been played. Trip, Taylor, and I were placed in the penthouse, just as we are in the Montarina.

After dropping our bags off at the hotel, we got back on the train to our final destination, Zermatt. As cars are not allowed in Zermatt to preserve it's natural beauty, horse-drawn carriage is one of the main forms of transportation within the town. Zermatt is a small German-speaking town in the shadows of one of the most famous mountains in the world, the Matterhorn. We spent Saturday, exploring the town and making preparations for our ski adventures on Sunday. While in town, we ran into a recent Hokie grad and his father, who helped us find a good place to rent skis.

We enjoyed a delicious lunch and explored the Matterhorn Museum before heading back to the hotel for the evening. Things got interesting Saturday night. Twelve of us met up in the penthouse for a classic game of Go Fish. After about two hours of playing cards, we got a knock on our door from our very angry next-door neighbor, and owner of the hotel, Maurizio. As it turns out, large gatherings are frowned upon in his establishment. After all of our guests left, and a lot of yelling in a mix of Italian and English from Maurizio, things calmed down. Despite his threats, the police were not called. Luckily for us, he arrived about twenty minutes after we broke on of the beds in the room. We had about eight people sitting on the right side of the queen bed while playing, before it caved in. Had we gotten away with it, I would not be blogging about it, however we received an email this morning informing us that we will, in fact, be charged for repairs. Divided by twelve, the cost is minimal, so thankfully we can laugh about it.

Sunday morning we woke up early to head to the slopes. We rented our gear the Saturday night, to help ease the process for the morning. Following a breathtaking thirty-minute ride up the mountain, to the Gornergrat peak we were ready to go. As a relatively inexperienced skier, I was informed that Gornergrat was home to several beginner friendly slopes. It seems as though the term beginner has a different meaning in Switzerland. The initial drop of "beginner" slope was very steep, and stayed that way throughout. I stuck with my friends Alex Santoli and Ashley Graham throughout the day. While Ashley and I had skied before, it was Alex's first time skiing.

Being Alex's first ski trip, she endured the expected challenges, on a mountain far bigger than a beginner should start on. I was incredibly impressed with her great attitude throughout the day. Despite the difficulties, she made it to the bottom with a smile on her face. Ashley had a great approach. She took her time, and stayed on her feet. I tended to get over confident with my abilities every so often. If I managed to stay on my feet for anywhere over five minutes, I started to think I could compete with Lindsey Vonn. Despite having to pull out of the Sochi Olympics after tearing her ACL, if I were to race her today with a three-hour head start, I'm confident she would still beat me to the bottom with time to spare.

While we were only able to see the outline of the Matterhorn through the clouds, the view was incredible from 10,132 feet up. The conditions were perfect, with temperatures hovering around zero degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit) and snow on and off all day. We ran into our new Hokie friends about an hour into our ride. The kindly to guided us to an easier trail that lead to an igloo and an ice bar. Naturally, we had to stop there. Ice bars are cool. Igloos are cool. Ice bars in igloos on top of a mountain that overlooks the Matterhorn are very cool.

After enjoying a beverage, we continued our descent down the mountain.  It took us a while to get down to the gondola. It took three hours and forty-five minutes to be exact. While I had "Help Me Rhonda" stuck in my head the entire time, I loved every second of it. I was in no rush to get to the bottom. We stopped occasionally to enjoy the view, and frequently to help each other up when we fell. We made a few more trips down the mountain, despite notices that warned "Avalanche Risk: Considerable" as we got on the gondolas.

Needless to say, my trip to Zermatt was one of the coolest experiences of my life. I still cannot believe that I skied in the Swiss Alps yesterday, and lived to tell the tale.

Auf Wiedersehen!

Mission Accomplished!

The forecast called for rain all day today. When I woke up, I was pleasantly surprised to find three inches of snow on the ground instead. Strangely, snowy palm trees are becoming a normal sight here in Lugano. Conditions were perfect for castle hunting. Since arriving in Lugano last week, I have spoken with a lot of locals to try to find the castle. The language barrier made it slightly more difficult, but the overwhelming majority of suggestions pointed towards Bellinzona, Switzerland.

Bellinzona is located twenty minutes outside of Lugano by train, and is home to three castles: Castelgrande, Sasso Corbaro, and Montebello. In the early 16th century, the cantons of Bellinzona were united politically, but weren't particularly friendly otherwise. Each eyed control of the St. Gotthard, Lukemanier, and St. Bernard passes, and thus built the castles.

I got on a train from Lugano to Bellinzona at 1:15 this afternoon. Within twenty minutes, I was in Bellinzona, carrying the card David made me from the Card Isle, in search of the castle. I walked through the town, and saw glimpses of the castles up in the mountains. In an attempt to get more information, I went into a local cafe, Botega Caffe Cacao, to ask a local for help. After exchanging basic greetings in Italian, it became clear to them that Italian is not my strong suit. Luckily, one of the women in the cafe spoke English and was able to help me.

I went to Castelgrande first, as it was closest and largest. Castelgrande has two gigantic watch towers. I climbed to the top of the tallest tower to get a view of the town. It was there, that I spotted my castle.

The castle on the card is the Montebello. It took me about twenty-five minutes to walk up to it. Bellinzona had about six inches of snow covering the streets. I took my time touring the snow-covered castle and finally found the exact spot that David took his picture last summer when biking through Europe. I am so glad I got the opportunity to explore Bellinzona. While it is very close in proximity, I doubt I would have made the trip had I not been lead there by the mission. Thanks for encouraging me to adventure, David!

After a great day in Bellinzona, I headed back to Lugano to prepare for my next adventure. Sixteen of us are headed to Zermatt, Switzerland for a ski trip tomorrow morning. Next stop, the Matterhorn!

Ciao!

Ventuno

After our first day of class on Monday, about half of us went to the Alprose Chocolate Factory. Alprose is the largest chocolate manufacturer in Switzerland. The factory is located just twenty minutes outside of Lugano by train. While the factory is closed for special production until the end of the month, we took a tour of the museum and ate lots of samples.

It's not often you see snow covered palm trees. In fact, Tuesday was the first time I had. I awoke on my twenty first birthday to the sight of snow falling from the Lugano sky. Tuesday was our second day of class, and unlike Monday, classes lasted six hours instead of three. The day started with our first session of Introduction to Italian, followed by Consumer Behavior.

After class, I finished some homework, studied a bit, and then went to AnaCapri for a mug of Feldschlösschen with my friend Nick Carr, before heading back to the Montarina for dinner with the rest of the students. At dinner, Professor Brinberg surprised me with a Lindt chocolate bear and a tiara in recognition of my birthday.

After dinner, about thirty of us went to a bar called Coyote Ugly to celebrate. It's slightly disconcerting when you walk into a bar only to find a couple and their infant in a stroller sitting by the bar. They left soon after we arrived, but it was certainly bizarre. I had a blast with my new friends, and enjoyed what was without a doubt, my favorite birthday to date. It doesn't get much better than singing Train's Drops of Jupiter at the top of your lungs with thirty friends to end an awesome day.

This weekend I am headed to Zermatt, Switzerland with about twelve other students for a weekend of skiing in the Alps. I hope to do some castle hunting and possibly attend a Lugano hockey game Friday before leaving. Stay tuned!

Ciao!

McAfee's Knob on Steroids

Switzerland is beautiful. After a smooth flight from Washington D.C. and a breathtaking drive through the snow-covered mountains of Switzerland, we arrived in Lugano around noon on Friday.

My new home, the Montarina, overlooks Lake Lugano with an incredible view from the balcony. You may be surprised to know that there are palm trees all throughout Lugano. It is rather peculiar to see palm trees and the snowcapped Alps in the same line of vision.

I spent most of Friday and Saturday butchering the Italian language, exploring Lugano, and getting to know the other 47 Hokies on the trip. I am rooming in the Montarina's penthouse suite with my longtime friend from middle and high school, Trip, as well as my good friend and former Pritchard hall mate, Taylor.

On Sunday, all 48 of us hiked up Monte San Salvatore, in the northwestern part of the Alps. It can best be described as Southwest Virginia's McAfee's Knob on steroids. Our hike lasted nearly seven hours, but the view over Lake Lugano was well worth it. I could see all of Lugano and as far as Milan, Italy from the top of the mountain. The weather was a perfect 13 degrees Celsius (56 degrees Fahrenheit). We spent about an hour at the top taking pictures and soaking in the scenery. Our goal is to return to the top of the mountain at the end of our trip.

We learned the hard way that most restaurants only serve coffee and tea between lunch and dinner in Switzerland. After nearly an hour of searching for a restaurant that served dinner before seven o'clock, we found AnaCapri, a restaurant conveniently located across from the train station near our new home. I ordered the Scialatielle bianche con verdurine e menta, which is homemade pasta with grilled eggplant, zucchini, roasted tomatoes, and mint along with a Feldschlösschen beer. The food was so good, that I literally cried. I expect I will be back there very soon.

Classes start this week, including Italian and Consumer Behavior! Stay tuned for updates!

Ciao!