Apparently, Italians don't pee.

 So. There are many interesting cultural differences I have noticed between Italy and the good ol' U.S. of A since I've been here for the past week. However, the two that infuriate and baffle me the most are a) Nobody seems to ever need to pee and b) you have to pay for water when you go to restaurants. Now, you may be wondering if Italians just lack the proper biological equipment to relieve themselves or if they just choose not to go. And honestly, it is too early for me to give you a definitive answer either way. All I know is that there are no public restrooms that are all that easy to find in most places, and at the ones you do find, you're required to pay .5 Euro on average to pee. When you have to PAY to perform a normal bodily function, there are some serious issues and questions that are raised. I'm beginning to become suspicious. I did find a link between my two discoveries, though. I have a theory. I believe that Italians do not need to pee because they have to pay for the water when they eat out. If they are as frugal as I am, that would link the two...showing that because Italian people refuse to pay for said water, they never have to pee. The end. Enjoy that little nugget of completely made-up knowledge.

Anyway, since I last posted, I had the opportunity to FINALLY  find a reasonably priced straightener and hair dryer at a small electronics store in the center of town (...and get completely, utterly lost on the way home), attend the Lorenzo de' Medici Welcome dinner (...which I ended up being late for because of getting lost), and take my first weekend trip with my school here in Florence to a few beautiful locations in Northern Italy.

Saturday: We had to wake up at the crack of dawn after already being jet lagged from just being in Florence for a few days. Aimee, my roommate, and I were lying in bed just whining about how we couldn't fall asleep until 3:30am...and then we got up at 5am.  At that time, two of our housemates came in from the free pub crawl that we were unable to attend (though I probably would have been miserable anyway). It was kind of a slap in the face to be waking up as people were just getting home from a night of shenanigans.

Aimee, Carly (another housemate), and I then headed towards the bus in the center of Florence in the dark, early hours of the morning.We got on the bus and, anticipating a nice day walking around Garda Lake & Verona then hiking the Alps on Sunday, found out that we were swapping the two days because of weather. This changed the 3 hour bus ride to Verona to a near 6 hour bus ride all the way to the Italian alps. However, that time flew by simply because of the amazing views I witnessed during the drive. Though the changing altitudes every 30 seconds caused my ears to nearly explode, it was worth it.
See the pictures below from the drive.

 

OH. I totally forgot to mention how pissed I was that there was no bathroom on the bus. Apparently, one stop at a highway rest stop is totally okay for a 6 hour drive (supporting my theory...). 

When we arrived at the Alps, the town looked like it was plucked straight out of a story book. The architecture looked like that from a Disney film, and the views of the mountains were breathtaking. The group of about 40 students who attended the trip then set out on our 4 hour hiking extravaganza with 3 Alpine guides. I expected it to be scenic the entire way, but after about a half hour of staring at trees and sticks, I kind of felt like I was back in Connecticut, which is truly tragic. However, after all the tedious, boring hiking, we arrived at an incredible waterfall where we were able to take a break, take in the view, and have a snack. I was so happy to see that near the waterfall, there was actually a little restaurant...WITH A BATHROOM. I almost peed myself with excitement, but that wouldn't make any sense since there was a bathroom right there and all. After our nice little break, however, we encountered some SERIOUS slopes that pretty much none of us were prepared for. I pretty much threw in the towel after that. Though it wasn't sweaty and disgusting like Florence temperature-wise, I was bascially hyperventilating... so I headed back about halfway through to grab an actual lunch since I hadn't eaten a real meal in days with a few new friends in the cute little storybook town until everyone got back. 

After that trip, we had an hour long ride to Trento where, ironically, we stayed in a hotel called Hotel America. In the middle of Italy (thanks for securing those stereotypes for us, LDM). It was actually really nice, and wait for it...HAD AIR CONDITIONING. It was a truly delightful treat. We were able to enjoy a free four course meal of salad, risotto, saltimbocca, and gelato with fruit. I pretty much died of happiness. Free and delicious? Such a winning combination. Aimee, Carly, and I ended up walking (or shall I say waddling from soreness) to the mini duomo in the middle of the town and saw some very ornately painted buildings and a couple street performers. For a city I'd never heard of, I really enjoyed visiting it, if only briefly. 

Sunday: We then woke up at 7am the next day to begin the second part of our weekend adventure. We had a quick free breakfast from the hotel (croissants + nutella=so. good.),  and then we drove about an hour to Sirmione, which is the location of Garda Lake. It was a very scenic, almost tropical town. There were palm trees everywhere, brightly colored buildings, a gorgeous lake, and oh yeah...a castle with a MOAT. No big deal. Those actually exist. There wasn't a whole lot to do if you didn't want to spend money, so the three of us ended up just walking by the lake, taking pictures, and browsing outside of the shops. It was another unexpected treat since I'd never heard of it. However, I was not in the least bit surprised that to pee, I had to pay half a Euro. Thanks, Italy...like you're not getting enough of my hard earned nannying money already.

Finally, we arrived in Verona, which I was so excited about. We first went to the historical center and saw the coliseum/arena. We were able to go inside and walk around. We were daring enough to walk to the very top of the giant, slippery stone steps, and I was seriously concerned that the slightest gust of wind would send me to my demise. It offered a beautiful view of the city, though, and some fantastic photo opportunities, as you can see. 

We then took a walking tour and were able to see Juliet's house from none other than Romeo & Juliet. Of course, it was only crafted to look like the house described in the play. Some people did not understand why it was the "so-called" Juliet house. I had to tell them it was because she was a fictional character...so she couldn't actually have a house in Verona. We'll pretend that didn't happen, though. Shortly following this visit, we got stuck in a torrential downpour in the middle of Verona. 40 of us were huddled under store canopies, laughing hysterically at how shitty it felt to get covered in rain after being sore all day and having to sit on a bus for 3 hours shortly after. It was a real bonding moment. I even stopped caring about how my hair looked. You know it had to be serious then. 

The final step in Verona was to travel up to the very top of a nearby  hill to look over the entire city. It was incredible. I got tons of great shots, but none of them could do any justice to the sight in person. After that, I had a chance to pee before the trek home...and oh...there goes another half a Euro. Maybe if there had been a BATHROOM ON THE BUS IN THE FIRST PLACE, THIS WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN A PROBLEM.

Annnnnd then I came home after the long bus ride to find out the fuse had been blown in my apartment by having the washing machine and oven on at the same time. Italy is just full of fun-filled surprises!

So overall, I am getting slightly more used to being here, though the culture shock is still somewhat prevalent. I am still convinced that Italians don't pee, think restaurants should just offer tap water, and am looking forward to my classes starting tomorrow! Expect a new post on my adventures in this wonderful world of confusion and carbohydrates in the next week. Ciao. :)