A "Moon River" Serenaded Gondola Ride, view from above:
The past few days have left me and my classmates exhausted, to say the least. I would attribute a great part of that exhaustion to jet-lag, but we have also been kept very busy. Our orientation was on Monday at our classroom, in the Instituto Veneto di Scienze Lettere ed Arti right next to the Accademia bridge (for a photo of the building, see my last post, Ciao, Italia!). The room, appropriately named "Sala Alta," is at the top of a never-ending flight of stairs. From there, we can hear our exuberant seagull neighbors laughing and endless bell-chiming through the skylights. It is also incredibly hot up there ("sweat-lodge" hot). While it makes for slightly gross law students, I think adds a bit to the ambiance ... it feels like we're in Renaissance Italy, pre-air-conditioning. The inside of the entire building is absolutely gorgeous, with modern classroom amenities lodged in a practically ancient structure. And we have the standard study-abroad local handyman/tourguide/helper, Stefano. He is so sweet and has the most adorable Italian accent (you might be thinking, "duh, he is Italian," but really - it's a lisp mixed with a child's pitch and your typical Fabrizio intonations - so cute).
Outside the classroom is Campo San Stefano, and there are numerous bar-cafes, shops, and restaurants. It is so picturesque. Walking to class in the morning is like being in a travel novel, or Julia Roberts. Any day now I will be befriended by a group of Italian locals, learn to speak fluently and have dinner parties every night, making me so fat that I can't zip up my jeans.
After the orientation on Monday, I somehow managed to drag my suitcases about half a mile to my apartment, bought groceries, and promptly passed out at about 7:30 pm. Side note, however: my apartment is beautiful. It's huge, in a gorgeous building, 12 foot ceilings and hardwood floors, a big kitchen, expansive bathroom, and large room - and, there are enormous windows everywhere so there is plenty of light. I don't ever want to leave!
Yesterday was the first day of classes. I am taking "International Arbitration" and "Choosing Legal Regimes" - the two classes go together quite nicely, and will be fantastic preparation for working at a European law firm later this summer. That said, the 100 or so pages of reading and 5 hours of class each day are very time-consuming. Despite that fact, Professor Newton (the head of the program) organized an 8 hour field trip for us after class, so we ended up having a very fun afternoon and didn't get much work done at all.
We all took a vaporetto to San Marco and walked to a glass-blowing factory called Vecchia Murano. There, we were given a demonstration of how glass makers of the Murano tradition still hand blow their glass vases, ornaments, jewelry, and other goods. It was amazing how deftly the artisan worked, and when he made a glass figurine of a horse in about two minutes my mind was effectively blown. Upstairs they took us to a showroom with hundreds of pieces, including multiple chandeliers priced at over $500,000. I was relieved I had chosen to leave my slingshot at home.
From the factory, we took an hour-long vaporetto to the island of Burano, known for its lace-making and colorful houses. It was a photographer's DREAM. The colors contrasted beautifully with the sky, the boats in the canals, and the people walking by ... the setting sun created the perfect lighting for some beautiful images. (Please see more of my photos from yesterday, posted in the album linked to the right, or, here!)
We walked around for about an hour, taking photos and wandering down all the side streets. One thing I noticed above all else - ONLY older people seem to live in Burano! It would be an ideal spot for retirement, no doubt, but other than that I am not sure why there seemed to be so many mature men and women everywhere. It was almost like a retirement island. Who knows, maybe I'll feel compelled to move to Burano one day ...
We had a reservation at the Trattoria Gatto Nero, a Michelin-rated restaurant on the island, for all 35 of us (students, professors, and Stefano of course). Having been made aware of my gluten intolerance, the chef was prepared. During the five-course meal, I was given risotto twice (which I certainly did not mind - it was delicious), and instead of calamari I ate a huge platter with an entire fish and a squid. The fish was flakey and fell off the bone; the squid was tender and delicious. Dinner, on the whole, was a lovely experience. By the end of it, everyone was practically falling asleep in their chairs and the end-of-dinner espresso was much appreciated. Cue the 2 hour trip home ...
Despite my near-inability to walk home because of sheer tiredness, I was happy to have accidentally taken the wrong vapoetto route back to the apartment - walking through Piazza San Marco at night was so romantic. There are two large cafes on either side of the square, each with live bands that play all day, every day. To hear them while looking at the stars, couples in love dancing, and pigeons settling in on their perches to sleep, was a wonderful way to end the night.
This afternoon will be mostly catch-up and then rest (and perhaps a first attempt at making an Italian dinner a casa), but more exciting posts soon to come!
Arrivederci, tutti!
Come si dice "Meow" in Italiano?
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