Just can't get enough, I just can't get enough!

Hey gang,

It's been a while. After the Cinque Terre trip there was the marketing final, and more packing for a 9 day trip immediately following it, so I've been pretty occupied up until now.

For the moment, I'll give you guys a few of my favorites from Cinque Terre, and continue the details of the bigger trips in a future post.

Cinque Terre is by far my most favorite travel destination thus far. It's name literally means "5 Towns" in translation. Each of them are either fishing harbor towns, or cliff-top vinyards. Being that this was my first glimpse of true Italy, it has definitely been one to remember for a long time, and hopefully wont make me feel jaded to the rest of the country's history and scenery. It probably won't--my eyes are continually exposed to new meanings of beauty in and around each respective place I've been thus far.

The towns are connected by a single hiking trail that has an ever changing scenery. You will find your way from rock climbing all the way to walking through a romantic leizure stroll accompanied by a street players accordian rendition of Frank Sinatra's "My way". Theres a bit of a rainforest area, castle-like walkways, and olive tree gardens you pass through as well, and its definitely something everyone should experience once in their lives--it's truly an amazing thing. My favorite part of it all was passing over a Stone beach...the sound is unike anything I've heard before, and is really hard to emulate (for those who know me, believe me I've tried). The way it sounds when the waves pull back and the big round stones knock back on to each other is like a very calm yet fierce feline's purr-- I guess that's what it made me think of. I eventually made it through all five towns and it unfortunately ended in rain...BUT I'd totally do it all over again even if it was pouring the whole time.

I gotta get runnin' for now, but as promised, here's a few shots.




This one reminds me of Hawaii-Big Island...see the album for reference.








Love n' Pepperoni Peace-a
B Ezie

Guess who's back--back again...

Ezie's back--tell a friend.

Hey all, it's been about a week or so since the last post--I had a little scare with the class situation. I took the 2nd midterm and fared very poorly (as well as a large portion of the class, the highest grade was an 82), so the majority of my time since has been entirely devoted to studying to bring up the grade, and I think I'm still in good shape with both the professor's curve on it and the homework assignments that brought the grade up. I think an A is only one of those 100%-on-the-final extremes right now, but if I do reasonably well on the final this coming Tuesday (the 19th) I'll end up with a solid B. No need to stress though folks, I know now how the test is set up, and feel like I know the material too, so all it is now is a matter of re-reading, outlining more in depth, and studying before test time. I'm confident about this one.

On to more exciting news...

The last excursion I took before the midterm fiasco was a hike to the peak of the mountain opposite Monte Generoso from a path right behind the Villa. It's name is Monte San Giorgio, and it is definitely another highlight as to the beauty of this country (Switzerland). The hike was probably the steepest I've ever climbed, including the uphill trek at Kelly's knob. There were literally stretches that elevated on about a 50 to 55 degree incline at times, along with several stop and climb moments on the path. Its probably not the hardest hike, but it's not your typical walk in the park, I'll say that much. When we got to the top, the group was rewarded with an amazing view looking across Lake Lugano to the Peak of Generoso.

I had my camera, but the batteries died the moment I tried to take a picture :(. Luckily, Maggie was there too with hers, and we both took turns taking our shots of the scenery.

Here is each of us cheezin' at 3/4 of the way up and at the peak, respectively.



The city behind Maggie (after the bridge down the lake) is Lugano, where some people in Tech's Business program will be studying this spring, as opposed to here in Riva. The rest of the view was equally impressive, but until I get the pictures I can't share them...look up the photo album link periodically for updates. I'll post everything as I get them.

Also, for this weekend, a big group of students is travelling to Italy to the town of Cinque Terre, said by some to be one of the most beautiful places on earth because of its colorful houses and cliffs cascading the Mediterranean. (Yes, I am bringing my stuff with me to study more) It should be really relaxing, and good break from class before the final push. I'll be sure to pack batteries this time too :)

The only thing at this point that seems to be a future problem is maybe the weather...hopefully it isn't raining all weekend while we are there.

For now though, thats the me-news I've got.

P&L 'till Sunday,
B Ezie

I wonder if I'll ever see you again...pt 2

Been a bit, but here's the rest of my Paris Trip:

Musee Rodin (Rodin Museum):

This is a place with all sorts of sculptures by various artists, namely Auguste Rodin. He is the creator of the world famous Thinking Man you see here. I'm not a huge fan of his other work, as it seems elementary when compared to all of the Greek wing sculptures of the Louvre. It's definitely a different style of art, but that's just my personal preference.

Notre Dame:

Truly a marvel. Everything here is just awe-inspiring with it's gothic architecture. The gargoyles are really fun, and not one of them are the same, contradicting the the building's appearance of symmetry from afar. The inside is just as impressive as its external appeal. Towering dark pillars lend a stage for incredible lighting from the stained glass windows, yet keep the inner atmosphere of the church very mystifying. It is definitely one of the top spots to visit when in Paris.

Sainte Chappelle:

This is my favorite of the Paris churches, because of the stained glass display on the 2nd level. It encircles the entire room separated by stone designs of different patterns and lines. My pictures really dont give this place justice, because the lighting is very difficult to capture just right on camera. Make it a sure target if you ever make it to Paris.


Pompidou Center:

This is a painting called "Dr. Livingston, I presume?" I found here in Paris' modern art museum. It's my favorite paintings in there because while it looks like so many things are going on with realistic shapes and shadings, if you look closer, you find out that not one piece is a recognizeable object, and it is thrown together as a massive unit on the canvas. Its hard to explain, but I found it really interesting because it shows a lot of things you can do with just a little improvisation. It takes your eyes all over the place looking for things that seem to make sense to you, but when it doesnt, you find your imagination taking over and providing some closure (at least I did). There's all sorts of other strange stuff in there too, and I didn't understand a lot of it, but the video art they had in there was pretty neat too. One guy recorded himself doing exaggerated walking on the path of a square forward and backward, and It was just funny to me, but an interesting idea at the same time.

Luxembourg Gardens:

One of our rest spots after walking around so much during the day. In certain places it looks like a small Carribbean oasis in the middle of a ginormous city. AMAZING!

The Pantheon:

Yet another church that resembles the Capital Building, but it is famous because it is the tomb of two founders of the Enlightenment era: Voltaire and Rousseau. Inside they were doing a lot of renovations, so I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked, but it was still a good stop nonetheless.

And so concludes my run in Paris. It is a very busy city, with probably as much activity underground on the tube(subway) as above. Still, aside from the cramped nature of it I dont think I could ever get used to, I definitely want to make my way back there someday. There's so much more to see, and the things I had seen I'd like to learn more about. Paris is interesting and somewhat unique in the fact that they have so much history there, yet manage to remain modern at the same time.

I also learned an amazing new recipe there! I'll keep it a secret for now, but lets just say it is a perfect meal for people on the go or an easy fix up for college kids with few materials.

Au Revoir! -for now.

B Ezie

I wonder if I'll ever see you again

Paris: Sept 1 - 5

Pretty much a blur, really... I had a really great time on this trip, but spent so much time going to the most sites I could that I really didn't get the time to enjoy the places I had visited fully. Because of that, I really didnt learn much from the things I had seen either, in terms of their background and history. The entire trip was what you could compare to skimming a textbook (if at all) as most students do instead of reading word for word. I'd definitely like to come back someday and just take it easy if I ever get the chance.

We were so busy that I didn't even get a chance to write down the events of each day as I had hoped to. But, I still took lots of pictures, and can at least share the little that I can recall.

I guess the easiest way to do it would be to break it down by location...

The Louvre:

Couldn't finish it in a slow walking day if you tried...this place is MASSIVE! You enter in its famous glass pyramid, and from the underground where it starts, it extends above ground into the buildings surrounding it into the courtyard. Definitely wish I had more time there, and I saw but wasn't allowed to take pictures of it's most famous artwork, The Mona Lisa. I did capture the Venus de Milo sculpture though (look for it in the album)!

Arc de Triomphe:

Found at the head of the Champs-Elysees, it is one of France's most recognizeable landmarks, aside from the Eiffel Tower. Underneath is an unknown soldier memorial from World War I and up top offers great panoramic views of the city.

Eiffel Tower:

Easily the most internationally recognizeable part of Paris. Every hour or so at night, it flashes lights all around and looks very pretty, like an oversized, leafless christmas tree with a spotlight star in the top. It was made for a Worlds Fair in the centennial year of the French Revolution and is now used as an FM radio and TV transmission.

Sacre-Coeur:

Tallest point in Paris, and a HUGE Church filled with all kinds of detailed paintings, sculptures and furniture.

Napoleon's Tomb and it's adjacent Knight museum:


#1 is pretty self explanatory, but it was definitely a spectacular sight to see. The place has a magnificent altar facing down onto the sarcophagus, and in the crypt itself there is a sculpture of him that reminds me of Julius Ceasar. #2 (The Museum) is probably the cooooolest place I have seen in Paris. I've always been fascinated with medieval through renaissance era armies, weapons, lore, etc., but never saw such an assortment of all of that stuff in one place! (Yes, I am a nerd)

Out of time again--Im tired and need to get to sleep for class in the morning...
Will finish the rest and continue the updates after class.
G'night all!

Sleep in heavenly peace, and love,
B Ezie

What a feeling in my soul...

This is where I spent my post exam relaxation time Thursday afternoon. Monte Generoso and a Bear Cave close by.

I took an electric-cable-cog train up the mountain with Jeffry and 4 other students, and pretty much went on a photo frenzy...this place has absolutely unbelievable scenery as you now know.

The Bear cave was really cool too, I had expected it to be somewhat of a tourist location, but it turned out to be a live excavation site for the archaeology students at the university of Milan in Italy. The entrance was so small I had to almost crawl to get in, and we were all distributed hard hats just in case we misjudged the ceiling. Inside they still had their digging plots lined with string and you could see their current progress to date. It was really an interesting surprise, and we were given a short informaton basis on the bones that had been unearthed. This is one of the skulls.



They estimate that these bears were much larger than those of today, weighing between 300 and 500 kgs! They also hypothesize that the bears were herbivores because of their molar shapes, and perhaps only had the incisors for defense. Really neat stuff.

After the uphill climb back to the top, we stopped awhile to catch our breath, and I got these amazing other shots. It was really a perfect day to go hiking, and I'm really glad the initial day to go was rescheduled.



The rest are posted on the album...enjoy!

We got back and I had one of the most peaceful sleeps of my life. That view is so calming, it really just made everything seem easy.

Today we started the new class, International Marketing, with the same teacher as before. It really isnt all that much different thus far, and the teaching format is still the same, so I think I'll be able to do well in this one as well.

After class I got all caught up on here and then packed. Tonight we're going to PARIS!!! I forget the length of the stay, but I think its something like 4 days, so don't expect anymore posts for at least that long. Glad I wont be playing extra catch up though when I get back...maybe I'll try writing them down so I can just type it up when I get back to get it on here faster.

Au revoir!
paix et amour,

B Ezie

Sunday morning rain is fallin'...

Sunday, Aug 27:

Yep, our dreams of a sunny beautiful day in luzern were dashed, but there was still plenty to be done even with the muggy weather. The girls split with the guys early in the morning to go out on their own shortly after we all visted the chocolate store downtown. That left just my buddy Rex and myself to see what there was to see in the daylight hours in Luzern.

After wandering around the whole day, I imagine the city to be beyond words when it happens to be a clear and bright. It really is a sight to see even in nasty weather. The lake passing through the city leads to mountain ranges on each side--east and west, and were only barely visible through the fog and dense rain clouds. What we ended up doing though, was checking out the indoor marvels of the town, the native art and statues, and explored the glacier museum positioned just a little ways from downtown.

Our first stop was the Hofkirche, which in German means... Yard Church. Constructed in the Swiss Renaissance era, circa 12th century. It has to be one of the most elaborately detailed places I've ever seen--the altars are lined with gold statues and frames, and within and around them are these very dramatically colored sculptures and paintings.

Thats not all there was to it though. Even the outside of the church had its own unique beauty. The entrance had these amazing sculptures of Saints on the left and right, and above the hand carved wooden door there was a sculpture that looked like Mary Magdalene, but I'm not certain, and an angel slaying a demon a little above that. And, the courtyard separating the church from the city was lined with what I believe to be memorials of the families that have passed in the duration of the church's existence. Some were more elaborate than others, but it was still another beautiful arrangement that I couldn't help but marvel at.



There's plenty more pictures of the whole thing on my photo album link, Check it out!


After getting our fill of the church atmosphere, we walked down the street to perhaps the cities most attractive site (on a rainy day), the Lowendenkmal (Lion Monument). Its a gigantic sculpture dedicated to the Swiss Guards of Louis XVI of France. On August 10th, 1792, the guards defended the Palais des Tuileries, in Paris, when it was stormed by revolutionaries. Those who survived the attack were arrested and guillotined shortly after. The lion represents the soldiers who were wounded, killed, and abandoned, and the shield it rests on containing the fleur de lei symbol stands for the French they defended until they met their untimely demise. It's really a brilliant piece of art.



Then, after that we hit the Glacier Garden (Gletschergarten) next door. In that very spot in 1872, an unusual discovery was made in the course of building works after removing a thin layer of topsoil. It had exposed a rock with 32 large potholes formed by the action of water and stones that fell through the crevasses in the glacier that once passed through this portion of land. The garden was created to conserve the geological feature. Here is a picture of one of the deepest ones (using my shoe as a depth reference)



There was also a sweet funhouse at the garden, where we discovered that people really can levitate! Here's Rex displaying his new found power using a large mirror.



Mine didn't turn out so well, but it was still lots of fun to do nonetheless.

Those were the major highlights of the weekend trip. Soon after we got an afternoon train back into Riva, where we found the Architecture students had finally arrived!
One of my fraternity members, Maggie Headly, is included in that group, and it was really exciting and comforting knowing that there's now someone I know a little better around to talk to if things ever get shaky.

The rest of the week; Aug 28th - 30th:

Monday, I was invited to Denny Lane's (and Peter Smithers') house to help him move a bunch of his passed step-father's things around so that he could get ready to move to a different place in Europe. Now I'd like to think of this place as James Bond's house, because it lends much more to the imagination. Either way, the guy had some beautiful taste. He built the house himself over a creek/waterfall! the walkways within open to bridges that you can look down over the railing to see it running through the bottom of the house in amazing lighting. That, and the fact that his hobby away from work was floristry. There were huuuge blown up photos of his favorite flowers he created posted in the rooms all around the house. And, he seemed to have taken a liking to oriental furniture and decor, as that was the main motif I could get out of the layout. The coolest part of the whole experience is that Mr. Lane let the four of us who helped out pick out some of his step-father's old clothes and take it with us if we wanted, because it didn't fit him and he was just going to get rid of the rest. I amazed to find that I fit perfectly into his pant and shoe sizes, so I took two pairs of shoes a handful of pants back to Riva with me...now how many people in the world can say that they own James Bond's clothes?! Pretty exciting stuff!

Tuesday the 29th it was back to the normal grind. Studying a lot, about an hour in the lake, then back to studying. Wednesday was a bit more of the same, and Thursday (31st) was the Final Exam. That one was pretty rough...no 97 this time, but I'm still waiting on the final grade for the Marketing class, which should be no worse than a high B, so I'm reasonably satisfied with my performance, and anything more is a bonus!

Almost all caught up!

Love and Reese's Peaces,

B Ezie