>>DEECHAY(D.C)

this is my bike ride to work. can you see all five of the major monuments in the above picture?should. in the top picture you will find the southern most corner of D.C. The spot where Washington carved out his 10 mile capitol plot. This image is courtesy of the 40 mile bike ride i took to mt.vernon and bike. mt.vernon is not free. i had no money. my life is worthless.

>>CINQUE TERRE

This is like 2 hrs from where i lived. I miss Genoa. I miss Italy. Its one of those rare moments in life when, pausing between stoplights, you realize a period of 6 months has passed. Regretless.

St. Mark's square
St. Mark's square flooded during high tide
Main canal at night
Glass blowing on Murano

View of Venice from the islands
Carlo Scarpa cemetery

I must first state that Venice has been my favorite place in Italy thus far. The city is amazing, the streets are winding, and canals greet you at every turn. The food was great, I ate one amazing meal of clam pasta, a great break from the sandwhich making. St. Mark's is the beautiful square and church we stayed near, and it even flooded for us on the last night-an event that occurs 100 times a year. The first day we were there some of us went to the island of Murano and experianced the famous glass culture of Venice- glass blowing was a tantilizing art that I'd love to try sometime. The other parts of the trip were more academic based-but we did visit a Carlo Scarpa Cemetery(one of my favorite architects) in Brion. In Vecenza we were assigned a tour of Palladio's architecture which was very stately. Now I must buckle down and finish my project before Independent travel, and next week Mom, Dad, and Laura visit me here in Genova!

>>VILLA WINE TASTING

The Sicilian wines

our wine complementing foods

Sara, Me, Jennie

Before departing for Venice our proffesors hosted a villa wine tasting in honor of Virginia's birthday. The feast included a full wine tasting tutorial on proper tasting,smelling,swirling, and other techniques for identifying the quality and character of different wines. We began with two different red wines and concluded with spumante. The spread of delicious foods included crudo, buffalo mozzarella, 7 kinds of bread, an herbal cream cheese, and Parmaseano Regiano cheese. The Parmaseano is the highest quality available and is of such high quality that it's value is more constant then gold and is often kept in bank vaults and used as a barter item for large loans! The night was alot of fun- a good excuse to dress up, eat good food and learn something really valuable.

>>Nice

Board walk in Nice

Pebble Beaches and aqua blue water

Chocolate crepes

>>Amsterdam

The first day of tours we had a bike tour!

It was nice that day, above is view of the city

Our guide, Uta, was very helpfull

Some amzing glass curtain wall in Rotterdam

Some art in Utrecht

>>PARIS

The Louvre
Eiffel Tower
Arc d' Triumph Emmanuel,Mark, Laurence,Me, Janis(behind camera)
Giocometti Sculpture(for mom)
Centre Pompideu

What better way to spend a five day weekend then in Paris? You are right, there isnt a more appropriate way to spend a weekend! Me , Mark, and Janis left from Genoa around 2pm on Thursday (after switz.) and arrived in Paris around 11pm- along trip but worth the cheap flight form Ryan air. We stayed with Mark's child hood friend Emmanuel in the picture above for free. She lives in a tiny apartment but it was in the city and a block from the sub way. After our late night we had an early start to see the Louvre, Notre Dame and a little shopping on Champs D'Elysee. We made it back to the apartment around 6 to start making dinner. We cooked a huge meal with Emmanuel and had some amazing French Wine. The next day it was off to Musee D'Orsee and Eiffel Tower an good contrast to the Louvre. That night we cooked dinner again and went to visit friends of Emmanuel's. The last day we spent at the Pompideu Centre and exploring Sacre Ceur-the area that all the impressionist artists lived. A very lively area on Montmarte. Then it was back to meet Emmanuel. The last night we went out for Dinner and had a feast of steak,green beans, and of course Crem' Brulee. The next morning it was up at 4 am to catch the plane. We made it back to studio by 2pm on monday! The next adventure is to Amsterdam tomorrow.