Project Week

Hello All,

I just wanted to post a quick blog, because internet was out for most of the day and I didn't get to email everyone, or reach you by phone.
I'm heading out to Bosnia for a week, which will be quite the experience. If I have the chance, I'll update the blog while I'm there, otherwise, you'll be able to read everything in about two weeks!!!

ciao for now!

Sas

The Harbor












The Holiday Inn, for those of you who are planning to come out.










A short blog to give some idea of how I am living. The building farthest to the right houses our mensa ;-)




ciao for now

Sas

Pictures

Until I get my own pictures developed digitally, I'll scrape them from the net. They are all very similar to the ones I have. I've added to Verona as well

Sas

Milan Express

Duomo

Question: what do you do when you rettore walks up to you and asks you drive up and down to Milan in a few days time to help students get a visa for project week. Answer: you say yes and then start to worry.

Why the worry?
First of all, I have never driven a mini van such as the ones the school uses.
Secondly, I have never driven in Italy but have heard horror stories.
Thirdly, even the Italians here looked worried when they heard we were going to have to drive in Milan.

I am the first to admit that Dutch burocracy and planning has gone to far, but I am glad some of it rubbed of on me. I was assured that all information would comemy way in time and there would be no problem in getting to the Bosnian consulate. Now, having grown up watching my parents prepare for trips into the unknown, I decided I was going to trust that. I bought a map of Milan, grabbed the map my roommates had bought me before leaving and sat down to plot my way across the A4 and A51. Thank god I did, because Italian roadsigns are crap. The A51 wasnowhere to be seen until we actually passed the exit. Somehow we managedto get into milan anyway, where a superfriendly taxi driver took us to our destination.

Driving on Italian motorways in the north is actually a very pleasant experience. People are quite patient and very few actually show any aggression, so the drive to Milan went very smoothly. But Milan itself!!! For those of you who have ever driven in Belgium: the Belgians are perfect drivers compared to the avarage Milanese (?)

Lanes, traffic lights, right of way. Nothing matters once rush hour hits the streets. It is every car fot itself and I was actually quite happy to be in a van as people are a bit more intimidated by it. 45 minutes of chaos and we hit the motorway once again where pandemonium continued as you have veer through dozens of lanes to stay en route to Venice. Somehow I managed.

It was a very eventful day and I will not soon forget it!!

Sas

ps. Watch out Holland once I am home!!!
pps. I've changed my settings so anyone can respond now!

In fair Verona, where we lay our scene!!

View from Amphi-Theate

Yes, the wet dream of every Shakespeare lover was realised within two weeks of being in Italy. Verona, birthplace of star-crossed lovers, was the first port of call in what already seems to be likely to become an endless list of school visits.

At 7 am last Saturday I hopped on a bus for a day of sight-seeing in Verona. On the list were the amphi-theatre, the tombs of the Scalieri (aka, the dogs of Verona), the duomo (cathedral), Roman theatre and, of course, Juliet's house.

For the occasion, the school had rented a bus and since Henry has apparantly left students behind before, all were on time and we were actually able to leave 7 sharp. The effects of a bus on UWCAd students is amazing. As soon as we hit the motorway, 39 students were fast asleep. I had had little sleep myself the previous wine-soaked night, so the 3 1/2 hours provided some welcome shut-eye.

We reached Verona at 10 in the morning. The sun was up and the theatre was still very quiet, so we walked all alone and imagined the wild animals, the huddling Christians and the gladiators. Verona is like a huge filmset all around, for example the bridge out of the old city provides such a beautiful vista that you can't imagine it is simply always there.

The scalieri, the dogs of Verona, were the warlords who ruled there before Venice became a big power. They have beautifu, gothicl tombs and normal tourists might miss them as they hidden quite well.



Scaliere Tombs

The church was just finishing up a wedding, so we got some beautiful pictures of the blushing bride and the church was covered in white flowers. Picture perfect!

Then there was lunch. Pizza, of course, but no Dr. Oetker (Cameo here) but freshly baked and together with a local wine the best lunch you can have! And because of that beautiful lunch we almost missed Casa di Guiliette!!! But we found her and it was the most grafittied plac4e I've ever seen. Curious thing: lots of people posting notes professing eternal love there hoping to have a love like Romeo and Juilet. Didn't they commit suicide? ;-)



Juliet's Balcony


Finally, it was off to the tomb of San Anzo, where pilgrims used to come to from far and wide, but the good man has lost his religious signifacance over the years. The church is split into two levels at the back. Upstairs is the church, downstairs the tomb. This is a good indication of how popular the man was at one time as church services could take place and pilgrims could continue to visit him at the same time.

We headed back around 1700. The few students not sleeping were up front and with a lot of laughs we were back in Duino. Perfect school trip!!!

ciao for now,

Sas