So this weekend was filled with various activities, aka FIELDTRIPS. For ecosystems I hiked with the group on friday through the Sicilian countryside at Pantalica... the bu ride took about an hour, but it was raining and cold. So the group started hiking on the trail, Ricardo pointing out various shrubs, dwarf shrubs, and all that other schnick schnack he tries to educate us about every Tues/Thurs from 5-7:30... He is useful though, I collected some rosemary and calendula (the latter dried and shriveled up though... ><)
We sought shelter in a cave in a limestone wall. Pantalica is pretty much all about the tombs/catacombs that Christians carved into the limestone so that they could be laid to rest. There was even a little church behind a tiny opening in the limestone. The trail was pretty much all limestone, with little pools that collected rainwater. We were stuck in the cave (Ricardo and Simone, the archeology prof didn't want to leave) but eventually kept on walking. I will post pictures that show the landscape ... it was very pretty. Less pretty was the amount of bitchin and moaning that could be heard throughout the trip. If we are going on a HIKING trip, with RAIN in the weather forecast, don't wear just a light knitsweater and clothy van shoes... yikes! Or at least, don't complain when you do.
It was getting uncomfortable after 2 hours or so, and I was glad when the field trip was over. While we were marching through the mudd, my roommate who wasn't on the trip engaged in a CRAZY shopping frenzy at the local mall - which *gasp* I haven't been to.
Anyways, on saturday we were ready at 7 am sharp at the parking lot to embark on our trip to PALERMO!! Of course Brie was in her element (she has family there) and we were all excited. Especially since we had booked a hostel a day earlier and planned to separate from the group ;) After the three hour busride (I slept through all of it and missed some of the pretty countryside, but I'm very glad about the dropamine pills I found in the farmacia!)
Our first stop in Palermo was some sort of Palazzo where we could really just see one room because there was some judicial schnick schnack going on in the rest of it. We pretty much sat around doing nothing for a while and then were released to find some lunch somewhere. The roomies, Rachel, and I went to this tiny Pizzeria and I decided to be adventurous and try Pizza Gazella. Bad idea. The pizza was topped with eggs, cheese, tomatoes, olives, and "wurstel". I kid you not. "wurstel" was really just sliced hot dog, and the olives tasted very bitter. The pizza was also covered in decent sized pools of grease... OH WELL.
For the afternoon part of the trip, the roomies and I escaped and did our own thing, such as finding the hostel and checking out shoe stores. Sales are still going on.
Who would I be kidding if I said I don't need to buy a pair of ITALIAN BOOTS while in Italy. Anyways, I purchased these babies that were marked down to 55, from 139.
ta daaa:
Exhausted, we lounged in our hostel room (looked more like a hotel) and watched TV. They only had German channels :P Hella von Sinnen lost weight and overalls. -- Quick digression -- Berlin Berlin is dubbed and shown as "Lolle", and Tuerkisch fuer Anfaenger is dubbed as "Kebab for Breakfast" , both are on MTV Italia. hehehe
Anyways, we got ready to go out at around 11:30 and hit up the infamous Palermo nightlife. What happens in Palermo stays in Palermo.
This morning Ashley and I got up early to catch the 9 am Bus back to Siracusa, and here we are.
I'm getting increasingly annoyed by the tag-along-society in our group! Originally, half the group wanted to stay the night in Palermo, and we were the only ones who actually did (which is a good thing!!!). It's all talk, no action for most of them. I guess no one signed up for a personal travel agent who is available for all things that you are too chicken to do or not inventive enough to find out. Because my roomies and I seem to be more assertive in getting things done/doing things we want to do, we get the tag-alongs alot and actually sometimes just feel the need to sneak off. Which is probably a good thing because I don't think that I'll be able to listen to complaints anymore. You miss American FOOD? Why are you here? You're telling your mom to send you gum? You complain when British profs use British spelling? You complain when your restaurant bill is high because you accepted all the "free" food and champagne that the waiter brought to the table? Well, the TANSTAAFL rule applies to all areas in life, esp. while studing abroad -- (the rule is: There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch")
SIGH. I just don't understand why some people are here.
Quick before I'm done - in the current Spiegel (well, the one from 1/28/08) there is a good article about the recession, credit crises, etc, very insightful!
Cheers!
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