Jeff & Beth website

On Wednesday, I met the students at 7:30 and headed off on a bus to Carrara.  We visited a marble quarry and a trade show for the marble industry.  You can see pictures here.

I have been getting around town okay and doing lots of stuff.  Some shopping for the apartment and some fixing up of a few things to make it nice when everyone arrives on Monday.  Wednesday after we got back, I did some banking and stuff at the internet cafe, and then had dinner on Piazza della Signoria, and the same pizza place that Beth and Alli and I went to when we first got here last year.  I've become a regular at Corona's for gelato, too, but I have not had time to get back to the Oil Shoppe.  I'm sure when Alli gets here, I will be there more often.

Tonight I'm having dinner with Lynn and Martin Bloom at their apartment.  She is teaching the English program here, and they live in Storrs.  Tomorrow I have not too much to do, but I will have a visitor over the weekend from one of our friends from St Paul's who is on a business trip to Munich and is flying down here to see Florence.  So I have to do laundry and everything on Friday.

Weather has been pretty good -- a little rain and cool, which is nice.  I remember quite a bit from last year and have not had to use a map since I've been here.

More tomorrow. 

Posted by Jeff at 10:32 AM | Permalink

I got up early and made myself some breakfast, with coffee from the odd brewer that we got used to last year.  You put the coffee in the middle of the pot and the hot water rises through the coffee and into the top, and then you pour the cup of coffee from there. 

Students were all there and ready to go at 9:00, although the air conditioner was less happy about waking up.  Class went well, and I had about the right amount of material, and the students were polite and attentive.  After class I took pictures of them and created a map of all their apartments (you can see it on the blog for the class, http://jeff.jbrummel.net). 

In the afternoon, I did a bunch of work for the class, getting material on the web for them.  We will travel to the marble quarry in Carrara on Wednesday -- the white marble for The David statue came from there.  I worked longer than I expected, talked with some of the other professors who are visiting here, and then went back to our apartment.

Shopped a little at Conad - got some italian sausage to add to the spaghetti sauce I was going to cook up and some wine.  I forgot to check, and of course the apartment did not have a cork screw.  I will have to start drinking the wine tomorrow.

Rained quite a bit, but I got out to walk a bit after dinner.  Cool, and quiet -- many of the tourists were inside and out of the rain.  Had a chance to talk to Beth, Alli and Evan from the internet cafe.  Turns out my internet pass also has a phone service, so I can call back to the US and not have to pay, as long as I'm willing to sit in their shop.  I'll try to remember the time difference and not call anyone in the middle of the night.   

Posted by Jeff at 04:09 AM | Permalink

Here are some pictures taken from right at our front door and around the area right where we live.  There is a nice grocery store (small) close by, as well as an "international" shop that stocks food from all different countries.  There is an internet cafe in our building as well, and I have signed up for access so that I can work either there or at school.

Sunday was pretty quiet, as I had work to do to prepare for my class on Monday.  I did a little more shopping for the apartment and did my first load of laundry and cooked a little.  I also moved a little furniture around in the apartment to make things comfortable when everyone else arrives (soon I hope -- it is a little lonely).

My colleague from Penn State was not leaving until Monday morning, so we got together for some talk about study abroad programs and about had dinner.  

More later. 

Posted by Jeff at 05:54 AM | Permalink

Time for shopping.  There's an "international" market near us (sections for different countries, the USA section has cereal) and then Conad, the other chain in town besides La Standa.  It is much smaller than La Standa, but it had everything I needed, so I can now eat in the apartment and wash clothes.

There is an internet cafe in the same block our apartment is in, around the back nearer to San Lorenzo, and they have a flat rate "month" deal -- thirty euros.  This place is a little bigger than the internet train, and also has wifi so I can take my laptop and do work (Italian keyboards are different and confusing -- try to find the @ key).  So I did a little work there.

Then off to wander Florence.  Zigzagging, remembering this place and that place.  Walked back to our old neighborhood, then decided that I wanted lunch at the restaurant that we discovered at the end of our trip last year, the one across from the Ferragamo museum.  Really nice pasta dish, and what seemed like the same people as last year.

More wandering, then came back to the apartment to check everything out.  Started a list for the housing people to attend to next week before the rest of the family arrives.  I think we will be good sleeping everyone for the few days of overlap -- Mom & Dad will have a room, and there are two beds and two couches that should take care of everyone else.  I will try to get some extra pillows, though.

Austin and I decided to meet up for dinner and went to Baldovino and ate outside.  Same waiter as last year.  He's been doing study abroad for a long time and so we talked about working together and I think it will make things easier for both of us.  This will be great, and Ross will start to get new programs because we can fill them with a few PSU and a few UConn students in the early years.  We also started brainstorming about finding a third or fourth partner, too.

Beth was able to call a couple of times while we were eating, and it is good to know that we are connected.  I sure miss everyone, but I will be busy and they will be here soon.

The students all planned to head to Cinque Terra on Sunday, and will all make it back for class on Monday.  More tomorrow. 

Posted by Jeff at 04:38 AM | Permalink

After meeting the Penn State students and getting them off to their apartments, I headed back over to Palazzo Rucellai and met some of the new people who work there -- Jeanette and Holly.  Because the school has expanded to a whole new floor, they needed at least one more, and it always seemed like the staff last year was working very hard, so I'm sure they will keep everyone busy.

Caterina and Serena came late in the day and both looked exhausted from going to and from the airport and standing out in the heat.  But after some water they both looked a lot better and there were only three missing students (missed connection in Paris).  Two of the three had contacted PR, but the third was not to be found.  She had no phone, and then Andreina was on the phone with the mom and they figured out she had been rerouted separately from the other two and was "supposed" to be at the Florence airport.  When the other two arrived in Florence, the third was found and all went to their apartments.

I had dinner with the three Trinity faculty (the two economists from last year plus a person teaching a biology class), Austin Jaffe from PSU and Andreina at the little restaurant near the school, La Spada.  Good food and good conversation.

Friday was busy.  I went early and stood in front of Cafe Amerini and looked for groups of lost American students with red folders and maps.  Then I would point them down the alley to the entrance to the school.  The last group arrived at 9:10 after getting lost and were so happy to finally be there.  Lynne and her husband Martin also arrived after spending most of Thursday recovering from their long trip.  They looked great and ready for adventure.

The staff had their orientation with the students in the morning and then sent them off for phones and lunch.  I caught up with a few of my students and offered to walk with them to the phone store.  I think I ended up with seven or eight.  Walked by our old apartment from last year and down one block on G Verdi to the store.  The owners were overwhelmed, but finally got phones for everyone.  I went last, and then offered to show them a great place for lunch, the Oil Shoppe.  They all got subs and were very happy.

We walked back and I walked them through the piazza around the Duomo (most had not been yet) and then back for the policeman's lecture to the students about how "Florence is not Disneyland."  He was great, although I worried that he was never going to stop.  Then the students got some tours and "emergency Italian" and then I met with them quickly and gave them their first assignment for Monday (nice guy).

Everyone was tired by now and we all went back to settle in a bit more.  I had to swing by Corona's for a gelato (straciatella e fraggola) and then walked around a bit, getting to know what was in our new neighborhood.  Had a nice dinner at Il Porscopino and then it was time to get some sleep. 

Posted by Jeff at 04:25 AM | Permalink

The adventure begins.

I was at a conference at Duke, and left the meeting at about 10:00 on Tuesday to catch my flight from Raleigh to JFK.  The connection was good and after a very long walk from the gate to collect my bag, I rode the Airtran around to the other side of JFK to catch my flight on KLM.  Checking in was no problem, and I got through to the boarding area around 4:00 for my 6:10 flight.

The flight was nice, although the food is definitely better on Air France.  Not too bumpy, and we had a big tailwind and landed 45 minutes early in Amsterdam.  Cut down on the sleep time.

Amsterdam is a very nice modern airport, very easy to get around in.  I think I went through EU customs there, but all they did was stamp my passport - no questions or anything.

The flight from Amsterdam to Rome was on time and pretty comfortable, although I was over the wing and did not get to see much.  I slept a little more and landed in Rome about about noon.  The plane parked out in the middle of nowhere and they loaded us on buses and drove us back to the terminal where we waited for our luggage to be driven all the way in.  Bag was fine, and I was ready for the next part of the trip.

The airport has a train station with a direct train into the main train station in Rome.  Got a ticket and got on and it was a pretty easy ride.  Then went to the ticket office in Roma Termini and got the next Eurostar train to Florence.  Left Rome at 2:10 and got to Santa Maria Novella at 3:45, where Stacy (from Palazzo Rucellai) was waiting for me.

She offered a taxi ride, but the walk to our apartment was not that long, so she pulled my carry on bag and we walked over.  Nice three bedroom apartment, with a great location. 

Pictures of the apartment There are captions to each picture (I figured out how to do that easily -- next time I will try sorting the pictures a little better).  You enter down a few stairs into a foyer.  Then there are the bathroom and half-bath at the beginning of a hallway that looks over the courtyard.  The first bedroom (the guest bedroom) is at the beginning of the hallway.  At the end is the living room.  To the right of the living room is another bedroom (Alli's) and the the left is the master bedroom (I got here first, so I get to pick).  There is a terrace (small) that runs outside the living room and master bedroom with nice floor to ceiling french doors.  At the far end of the living room is a small hallway that leads to the kitchen.  It has a table in it, but is small, so most eating will be done (I think) in the living room.  The washing machine is in the kitchen.

I took clothes out and hung them up and then walked over to the school and got there about 5:00.  Saw everyone and talked a bit.  They all look great and it will be fun working with them again.

I walked around Florence a little, then went back to the apartment and put on a soccer match and rested on the couch for a while.  Then a little more walking around, a pizza for dinner on Piazza della Republica, and then I went back to the apartment and went to bed.  This apartment is much quieter than ours was last year, and I got a great night's sleep.  I'm a little jetlagged today, but so far I'm doing okay.

I'm going to walk to the train station and meet the Penn State students today, and then meet everyone tomorrow at the orientation.  It is a little lonely in the big apartment with no one there, but the crowds will start arriving soon.

Ciao! 

Posted by Jeff at 05:01 AM | Permalink

Andrew got word in the mail that he's been accepted to Campbell University and plans to major in the golf management program in the business school.  We go down for orientation in July, and then classes start for him in the fall.

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