Home Sweet Rennes

Temple student, Emily Briggs, is currently spending a semester studying abroad in Rennes, France with CIEE.  Emily and the other students on the CIEE Rennes program have been documenting their time abroad through CIEE’s Rennes, France blog.  Check out her post detailing her travels through Portugal, Morrocco and the south of France during fall break. 

by Emily Briggs

Today, we hit the five-weeks to go mark. Five weeks left in Rennes is hard to believe. We have all come so far from the first awkward meetings in the ‘jardin’ of the Paris hostel. But, today also begins our first full week back from our Fall Break. Our Fall Break consisted of a full week off of school, and if you add in the two weekends, it equates about 10 days for traveling the world.  continue reading

Musings on the Metro

My previous post on public transportation made it perfectly clear that Rome’s subway system is far from flawless.  During the course of the semester, however, I’ve adopted its imperfections and established an endearing repertoire with the transportation system I use most here.

For one, I feel like a local on the metro.  I don’t need to stop and look at the signs to know what direction to go; I can feel it.  The ticket machines gracing the station entrances are useless to me; one swipe of my tessare mensile will do.  Why yes, I do have a need for a monthly pass.

I know my route like I know the cheese section at the local grocery store (perfectly).  This has turned out to be great for my germophobic tendencies.  On the trip from school to home, I can enter the subway last and lean against the door.  The two intermediate stops open on the other side, and the door against which I’m leaning doesn’t again open until the exact moment at which I need to exit.  As long as I get a stable initial footing, I can endure the whole ride without touching any pole or surface.  On the opposing journey, from home to school, I can replicate the situation exactly as long as I cross over to the other side of the car upon entrance.  Call it neurosis, but I call it experience.

I wear my stop as a badge of honor.  “Usciti la prossima?” an elderly Italian woman or slicked teen in too-tight jeans will ask me.  “No, I am not getting off at Ottaviano or Colosseo with the rest of the tourists,” I will smugly think to myself.  “My stop is Cipro, and only real Italians (and American study abroad students) have a use for this station.”

Riding the subway everyday is like taking a course in the people of Rome.  I vacillate between listening to music and eavesdropping on the bits of conversation I am able to translate.  I like to think tuning into my iPod makes me seem totally unenthused by the system that unnerves many, although doing such prevents me from fully appreciating the people around me.  It’s a precarious balance that I endeavor to manage everyday.

Each morning, upon my descent into the underbelly of Rome, at the Cipro station that I claim as mine, I catch a glimpse of St. Peter’s off in the distance and the seemingly tiny ball resting on top of the cupola that actually weighs two tons.  Especially now, as my time in Rome is quickly waning, I take this as a daily reminder of the wonder and inimitability of the Eternal city.  It’s true that I would never advise replicating this only-adequate system, but I’m starting to realize I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Firenze (Florence) with my High Ren. Class

I went to Florence for my High Renaissance class, with Professor Paolo Carloni.  The course fee for the class paid for the train and hotel.

Going to a city with an art history class is excellent.  Our professor is able to get us into museums or sites for free or reduced price.  We saw huge museums like the Uffizi, and small churches with mannerist paintings.  We saw famous monuments like Michelangelo’s David, and smaller known works many people don’t think to see.  It was particularly inspiring to me as an art student.  It was perfect to go with a class, because we saw so much art that I wouldn’t have seen otherwise.  I have friends who went to Florence by themselves, and they didn’t see nearly as much art as we did.  When I go somewhere, I’m interested in the visuals in the streets and the art.  So I enjoy being in my art history classes, and being able to experience other cities with the class.

The museums didn’t allow anyone to take pictures inside, and some places don’t allow drawing inside either.  Small sketches in my notebook had to suffice when I wanted to capture the paintings by Botticelli or the sculptures in the Medici Chapel.  My friend Portia and I stayed in the museum later than our class to make sure we got our money’s worth of art.

My High Renaissance professor is an excellent professor.  He doesn’t just tell the fact about what could be on the test.  He elaborates with history and stories.  He brings not only the High Renaissance to life, but also the local Italian history and politics from all time periods.  I always enjoy listening to what he has to say.  It’s great to have professors who get students into the material, and having professors who have the local Italian perspective is even more awesome.  My favorite professors are my professors who are native Romans.

Florence is a smaller city than Rome.  I enjoyed it because it was a very walkable city with beautiful art.  There were many American students who study there because many universities have programs in Florence.  Because of this, the central part of the city was set up basically solely for tourists and American students.  It is nearly impossible to find authentic genuine local food in the central part of the city.  Like any part of Italy, the best food is found in smaller, out-of-the-way locations.

For dinner the first day there, our professor walked us to a restaurant outside of the main city where he had taken previous classes.  The food was amazing.  I got a dish with seafood and pasta because I wanted to try octopus.  Octopus is sold in the markets and grocery stores here, either fresh or sometimes frozen.  I was told that octopus tastes really good, so I wanted to try some.   It was so tasty!  apparently it doesn’t require very fancy cooking.  It can just be boiled in water with salt.  It didn’t taste gross in the slightest bit.  It was savory and wasn’t even a gross texture.  I do like Calamari though, so maybe if you can’t get over the tentacles, octopus is not for you.

A New Appreciation for Art

A man painting in the Prado

I’ve always loved art, but being in Rome and Europe has really solidified this feeling.  Many people on this program are fine art majors, and a myriad of art classes are offered at Temple Rome, including painting, drawing, photography and sculpture.  One class that many students take, called Sketchbook, is for seasoned artists and beginners alike.  Once a week, the class goes somewhere in Rome and sketches the surroundings.  I wasn’t able to take this class, but it seems like a really interesting way to become familiar with Rome.

I do take two art history classes here, which is definitely contributing to my heightened enjoyment for art.  Having a seasoned professor explain art to you is so much more valuable than blind appreciation.  Once a week, in each of my classes, we go on site visits to see the art we are talking about.  Of course, this alone is such a rare opportunity, and I believe it would make the most stubborn art critic rethink their feelings.

Part of our Temple Rome campus is an art gallery, and art openings and shows occur often here.  Sometimes it is student work, and sometimes it features a local artist.  This is a great way for students to show off their art and for other students, like me, to appreciate what my peers are capable of achieving.

Through my travels this semester, I have visited many museums.  For me, going to a museum is a tranquil and enjoyable experience, but knowing what you are seeing makes the visit infinitely more fulfilling.  Some of my favorite museums from this semester have been the Prado in Madrid, the Tate Modern in London, and, of course, the Borghese Gallery in Rome.  I’m looking forward to returning to Philadelphia and having a new-found appreciation for its museums.  I can’t wait to spend a blustery winter afternoon in the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

I’ve realized that being here has really shown me the value of art.  The medium is such an interesting way to look at the past.  And yet, so much art is still salient and contemporary today.  This past week, I registered for classes for next semester for my school, and in a bold move, I decided to sign up for Drawing I.  This decision is definitely a product of my semester here in Rome, and I think this class will add yet another layer to my appreciation for art.

Tokyo Tower

The weather has been rather pleasant lately (not too chilly), so today after classes my friend and I decided to finally take a trip to Tokyo Tower! Actually, when walking from Tamachi Station to TUJ’s Azabu Hall, Tokyo Tower is visible and at night you can see it lit up. The tower is in the same ward as TUJ (Minato-ku), and since it did not look as though it was too far, we decided to walk instead of taking the Yamanote line (we would go to the stop right after Tamachi, Hamamatsucho). Walking saved us ￥130, and saving money is always good in my opinion!

The tower's visibility near Tamachi Station (田町駅).

The walk itself was not bad – we were worried that it would be a long walk, but it took probably about 20 minutes and was pretty straightforward. Basically, we just pointed ourselves in the right direction and headed towards the tall yellow-orange object.

Taken while standing in the driveway/street leading up to the tower.

During the day, Tokyo Tower is just painted plain orange and white, but as soon as it becomes dark (around 17:00), it lights up to usually this yellow/orange color. However, when I first arrived to Tokyo in August, it was a white color instead. I have been told that sometimes it changes colors for special events or seasons, so I am currently waiting to see if it will change as the winter holiday season begins.

We explored the bottom area of the tower, which mainly consists of souvenir shops (they sell many Tokyo Tower phone straps, mugs, etc., so I plan on going back and buying a few gifts there) and restaurants. The souvenir prices were reasonable (about ￥200 – ￥1000, depending on what you are looking for). There are also elevators that take visitors to the observatory, which I would like to go to when I go back to Tokyo Tower during the day.

Taken at the foot of the tower. You can see the main observatory in the middle.

Here is some information concerning Tokyo Tower, taken from its official site: It was built in 1958 as a structure for communications, to support antennae, and stands at 333m tall. As you may notice, the design is based upon Paris’ Eiffel Tower, and currently it is one of the tallest pieces of architecture in Japan. There are two observatories – the main observatory and the special observatory. The main observatory consists of two floors, and on the first floor there are “look down windows” that allow visitors to literally look down at the ground below their feet. The second floor holds a Shinto Shrine, and the special observatory is higher up and shows visitors the best views of Tokyo city available from the tower.

Although visiting the tower during the day would be very interesting (especially to use the “look down windows”), I definitely recommend visiting at night as well to see it all lit up – it’s so bright that all the buildings around it reflect the orange glow!

Bagamoyo!

Bagamoyo is a really interesting town. Its nestled right on the coast and was the site of many slave markets and trading before slaves would be taken to Zanzibar to more markets or shipped overseas. We had a tour guide for the two days we were there, Mr. Smart. He took us around to a small museum and then to the dilapidated old “Slave-House” which used to be the site of a large slave market, holding cells, and administrative offices. We climbed the crumbling and winding stairs all the way up to the very top floor of the house, it was hot and attic like with small windows overlooking the sea. As we mounted the top stairs, someone let out a shriek and much to everyone’s surprise, it was for good reason. There was a small owl trapped in the room because of a hurt wing and he was scuffling around on the floor. It was quite the excitement although sad, I’m not sure what the fate of a broken-winged African owl may be.

My favorite thing in Bagamoyo, besides the beautiful landscape and beaches, was an arts university that we visited. The College of Arts in Bagamoyo teaches traditional forms of Tanzanian art, painting, sculpture, drums, theater, and dancing. They had a professor teach our whole group how to do a group dance and then treated us to an awesome performance by some of their own. It was really incredible, their dance team was very talented, doing a sort of stomp, chant, dance combination, I think it would be really popular in the US.

It was really nice to see an arts university in Africa, I feel like most people here that I meet are pursuing degrees in business or health in order to acquire a good job, understandably. Most art and craft-work I encounter is done by women who use it as their primary source of income and attempt to sell to tourists on the streets or to the stalls in the crafts markets. Much of the work, beading, carving, painting, etc is done in the same style, little creativity or diversity between artists, which can be frustrating for someone who really appreciates art as I usually do. But the university seemed to foster the students’ individuality and imagination. The school even does outreach work to the surrounding villages, attempting to solve some of the community problems through theatrical expression. I would love to learn more about the programs they do, the short explanation of their innovative approach we received really piqued my interest.

Those last two days we spent in Bagamoyo were the calm and quiet I think everyone in our group needed after the hectic experience in Dar and the drive down. The hotel we stayed in this time was up to standards, not glamorous by any stretch, but it was actually right on the beach which can make anything better. We spent a night lying on blankets on the shore looking for shooting stars while some of the boys climbed the trees, retrieving coconuts and competing to crack them open. The morning we left a handful of us woke up around 4:30 to watch the sunrise. It was cloudy and overcast at first so the colors were muted but as the sun came up it burned away some of the moisture and a few patches of radiant pinks, oranges, and yellows peeked through. The fishermen were all starting out for the day and numerous small African style fishing boats dotted the horizon creating one of the most picturesque sights I’ve seen in my time here so far. The drive home was not nearly as bad, no rain, we managed to organize our bodies and belongings better to have a little more space and spirits were high after a great breakfast and relaxing few days. Back to classes!

The beach right by our hotel with lots of fishing boats

watching the sunrise

Sunrise over the Indian Ocean

On the Road Home to Arusha

Andiamo a Pranzo

Lunch options are all close to both school and the Piazza del Popolo, seen above

In Rome, lunch is my favorite meal of the day.  There are tons of options for food in the blocks surrounding school.  Pizza, sandwiches, cafeteria-style eateries, and even falafel are some of the walkable options.  I have two favorites.

Most days, I go to the alimentari.  This is like a deli, where you can order sandwiches, but there’s also fruit, drinks, and snacks, so it’s like a little grocery store.  It can get really busy during lunch hour, as many students from the Italian architecture school nearby like the spot as well.  And if you aren’t already with friends, you’re bound to see someone you know there.  All the people that work there are really friendly.  The very first day I went in, the guy in charge said, “Today in English, but tomorrow in Italian.”  And he’s definitely kept his word.  I always have a chance to practice my Italian at the alimentari.  And just this past week, because of my continued allegiance to the store, the man that always takes my order introduced himself to me.  I guess he felt that making a sandwich for me everyday necessitated a more intimate relationship.  This is perhaps a bit embarrassing because of the frequency with which I visit, but I considered it a personal triumph nonetheless.

My other favorite lunch spot is Alice Pizza, a popular chain in Rome with one outpost conveniently located directly adjacent to the alimentari.  There are many pizza places with the same concept as Alice – that is they have huge squares pizzas with different toppings, and you tell them (or point, often in my case) which ones you want and how much.  Then, they cut the desired size and charge you according to the weight.  Despite the number of places near school that run the same type of operation, I think Alice surpasses them all in taste by a landslide.  My absolute favorite kind is the mushroom, or funghi, pizza; I think I’ve even had a few dreams about it.  This place can also get really crowded around 1pm.  It took me a few weeks to realize that you’re supposed to grab a number outside before you come in, and I looked pretty dumb for the first month until I realized how the process worked.  You can eat in the tiny hallway of a restaurant, or they can wrap it up for you to take away, which I prefer.

In theory, I want to explore the other lunch options available to me, but I can’t seem to pull myself away from these two offerings.  Lunch is so easy and delicious and I look forward to the meal every weekday.  The best part is that all the options are pretty cheap.  My signature sandwich (prosciutto crudo e formaggio) costs 2.20 euro and pizza isn’t usually more than 3 euros.  I’ll definitely miss lunch like this when I’m back in the states!

Sega, Gundams, and Maids…Oh my!

Hello everyone (again!).

I must admit, Akihabara (秋葉原) was one of the places I was looking forward to going to the most. Akiba (its shortened name) is popular for many reasons. It is the place to go if you are looking to buy electronics (new and used), videogames, or anime and manga goods. There are also many popular maid cafes located in Akiba, and as you walk through the streets, there are some maids outside their cafes asking you to come in. There are many arcades, and almost every building along the main strip is lit up.

Also, for anyone interested in J-Pop, the group AKB48 originated from Akihabara, and their cafe and theater are both located here. Their cafe is right next to the Gundam Cafe outside of the train station, and the theater is in the Don Quixote store on  the eighth floor. From what I’ve heard, AKB48 perform live every day in their theater.

The Gundam Cafe.

My friend Brittani and I mostly just walked around exploring, although we did go into a couple of arcades and electronic shops. The streets were fairly busy, although I believe we went a little too late into the evening, because there were a good amount of smaller shops already closed.

The one arcade that we went into had about four floors, and each floor was something different. On the first floor, there were your typical crane games, mostly costing about a few hundred yen for a couple of tries. The second floor had games like Dance Dance Revolution, a guitar game, and a game where you hit drums to the beat of the music. The last two floors were full of video poker machines, video mahjong machines, and other video machines that I didn’t recognize.

We decided to leave that arcade, and then went into a Sega arcade, and tried to play a crane machine for a little bit; however, it was not your usual crane game. The crane was just a single hook, and the item was looped around a metal bar. We originally tried to get the hook through the loop and pick it up, but kept failing. A salaryman actually came over (looking very amused) and taught us how to do it – instead of trying to pick it up, you’re supposed to nudge it off the bar. Unfortunately, we still kept failing horribly, so we finally gave up, but at least we got a good amount of laughs out of it!

There also are a lot of restaurants in Akihabara. Outside the station is a Kaitenzushi place (conveyor belt sushi) that I want to go back and try! Also, on the top floor of one of the camera electronics buildings, the whole floor is dedicated to restaurants. There are Shabu Shabu places, Chinese, sushi – something for everyone.

All in all, Akihabara is a very lively and fun place, and especially great if you have an interest in Japanese pop culture!

Also, all the photos in this post are posted with the permission of Brittani Ericksen, and belong to her.

Hospitals & Cakes!

Greetings!

To celebrate the fall weather and the spirit of Halloween, my friends and I did a couple of fun things during the past few weeks. It was also a little surprising to see that Halloween is actually popular in Tokyo – there were costumes and decorations around the city.

Our first stop was this buffet called ‘Sweets Paradise,’ which has a few locations throughout Tokyo. My friends Stefania, Brittani, and I went to the location in Shibuya (and it took us a couple of minutes to find the actual entrance that is located on the side of the building rather than the front). You enter, pay the ticket machine ￥1,480, and then have 80 minutes to eat an unlimited amount of various cakes! They also have some regular food (pasta and curry), but most of it consists of desserts.

Since it is fall, they had pumpkin cakes in addition to green tea cakes, roll cakes, mousse, tiramisu – pretty much anything you wanted, they had. Needless to say, the three of us ate too much and basically felt like we were in a sweet-coma afterwards.

We really had no control.

My friend Stefania also found a free event to go to in Hatsudai, so a couple of days later we ventured to an abandoned hospital. I believe it was hosted by ‘ArtGig Tokyo 2,’ and it was open from noon until midnight. We decided to go later, around 7:00pm. The information said to bring a flashlight, so we made sure to pack one!

The basement entrance.

At the entrance was a sign to go down into the basement, and at the bottom of the stairs we were greeted and asked to enter a raffle. They had run out of maps, but the lady told us that the layout of the building was square, with a larger room in the center.

The crematorium display.

It was really dark, and flashes were not allowed, so I was not able to get many pictures. However, it was sufficiently creepy, and there were art displays set up in almost every corner. There was a black & white animated film playing on the wall in a tatami room, a CT scan room where actors were pretending to be doctors, a sokushinbutsu (the mummy of a Buddhist priest and a result of self-mummification), and a main performance featuring a clown (yikes!) in the main room.

即身仏 (sokushinbutsu)

Overall, though, I must admit that, as a fan of survival horror games, I most enjoyed the ability to wander through an abandoned hospital basement. There were abandoned stretchers and equipment left around, store closets full of random devices that were falling apart – the atmosphere was very creepy, definitely.

If I’m in Tokyo again around this time of year, I definitely will keep an eye out for any more free events hosted by this organization!

What to See at St. Peter’s

Last Friday I took a good part of my day and dedicated it to visiting Saint Peter’s. If you couldn’t tell from some of my previous posts, Saint Peter’s has quickly become my favorite spot in Rome. Shockingly, this was my first time actually going inside the basilica! I wanted to do this visit right, so I looked up a good amount of information before I went to make sure I didn’t miss anything.

The walk from the residence to the square is a mere 15 minutes, a huge plus. I headed out around eleven, grabbed a cappuccino and made my way into Saint Peter’s square (actually, an oblong circle). I couldn’t have asked for a better day to visit- 75 degrees and sunny.. in NOVEMBER! I admired the famous square designed by Bernini and made my way to the long security line. Once past the check, there are two options on what to see. You can make your way directly into the basilica or wait in another line to climb Michelangelo’s famous dome. I chose to go up inside the dome first. The line can be a deterring factor, I waited a good hour and half, but it is completely worth it. For five euro, I got a ticket that allowed me to climb the 490 steps to the very top. On the climb to the top, you can stop halfway and look down into the basilica from the base of the dome. I had no idea that I was going to get the chance to be on the inside of the dome like that, it was an awesome surprise! I recommend it to anyone who hasn’t seen the inside yet to first climb the dome and be able to look down into the basilica.

View from inside the dome

After looking down into the basilica, there was still another 200 or so steps to climb to reach the top. You literally have to scale the dome, climbing up narrow staircases. Once at the top, the tiny doors open up to an incredible view. The dome is the highest in Rome, and allows you to see the entire city.

View from the top of Michelangelo's dome

After coming back down from the top, I made my way into the basilica. To the right is Michelangelo’s famous Pieta sculpture, which in my opinion is the greatest piece by the artist. It sits behind bullet proof glass and is usually the most crowded spot in the church. The church itself is a masterpiece, the high vaulted ceilings create an echo of muffled voices and the light that is cast from the windows is breathtaking. The basilica is filled with many side chapels that hold daily masses and are decorated with Raphael’s, Bernini’s and just about any other master you can think of. The main focal point inside the basilica is the bronze canopy the marks the remains of Saint Peter. Created by Bernini, this canopy stands taller than some buildings in Rome today.

The main altar of St. Peter's

Bernini's bronze canopy

The canopy acts as a frame for the window behind it, also created by Bernini. This window has the image of a dove on it, is surrounded by golden angels and lets in the most beautiful sunlight. Below the window is an important sculpture in honor of Saint Peter which shows how important and centralized he is to the Catholic Church. I spent about an hour just walking through the church, and could have easily spent the whole day there. If I would have had the time, I would have loved to take a guided tour of the ancient necropolis that lies under St. Peter’s. This is the underground cemetery that holds remains of saints, popes and other important figures to the church. I was fortunate enough to visit St. Peter’s again, just yesterday, for a class site visit for my Baroque class. I had a lot of things explained to me about things I was unsure of when I visited by myself and of course just loved getting marvel at this gorgeous building once more.