Holiday - Rome

HOLIDAY IS HERE - Holl and I are taking on Italy for the week and I couldn't be more excited. there will be plenty of funny stories with the two of us ROME-ing around (see what I did there? lolz.) be sure to watch my snap story (@juliekromar) for all the pictures and live updates of h&j adventures.  

we got up today, had everything packed and made our way to the train station. it was gorgeous weather in angers, sun was out, blue skies bright - of course the day you leave it's the most beautiful weather it's been in weeks.. anyway, we got to the station - found the ticket punchers we totally missed last time, and made our way to the tracks. I've been on a few trains by now, and there are two types. TGV and TER - TGV's are typically nicer on the inside and much faster. TER is like a classic rollin on the tracks train with a dated look inside. We looked at the board, saw the train was there to Nantes and hopped on. We knew something was off, so we went to get off and heard the whistle blow so we panicked and stayed on. We passed a train attendant, she asked if everything was okay and we showed her our tickets. She said that we were on a TGV, but our tickets were for a TER - all in french but I understood and immediately panicked that we hopped on the wrong train. I then asked, "est-ce que nous allons à Nantes?" (are we going to Nantes?) and she said oui and then was a kind soul and in french explained that she didn't see our tickets and it's okay (basically like, this is wrong and you shouldn't be here but I didn't see anything, move along.) bless your soul lady because we were seriously confused and panicked. so we sat down illegally, and made it to Nantes faster than planned (total bonus.) we hopped on the shuttle (FREAKIN 8 EURO FOR A 25 MINUTE SHUTTLE.) arrived at the airport, went to security and I've never been through airport security besides the US so I wasn't sure what to expect. well they stripped me down, fondled holly (it was a woman luckily) and my bag was thoroughly searched. I was sweating bullets the not so happy security lady would take something - mind you I packed as minimally as possible - and she shuffled through literally everything but luckily didn't take any of my belongings. relieved we made it to the gate and we're now ROME BOUND. 

had the most incredible first day in Rome. easily the best day I've had abroad so far, and could be on my top places list. it was gorgeous sunny weather, and the people here are so nice. I was called Bella a few times, so confidence boosters these Italians are indeed. hol and I went to the trevi fountain first, and it took my breath away. I mean I had a real moment, the sun was shining and it was spectacular. for those of you that have seen the lizzy McGuire movie, it's one of my favs. I was fan girling like mad around town all day thinking about the movie. I also wanted to ride a red scooter SO badly, but I had to settle for a keychain instead.  after the fountain we snagged our first gelato at valentinos - I had mango & lemon, it was incredible. gelato for breakfast? why not! we ventured toward the pantheon, which was really neat to see as well. there are bullet holes in so many buildings here from the war, it's like a huge part of history and were just not healed from all of the tragedy. we then had lunch at Alfredo alla Scrofa - it was divine. we had fresh mozzarella, salami, prosciutto, and my favorite - fettecuine Alfredo. we practically rolled out of the restaurant and we were fill the rest of the day. we found our way to a few another landmarks, Piazza Navona, Campo de Fiori where there were beautiful flowers in a Saturday market, Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele Ii, Arco di Tito, Arco di Constantino, Colesseum, San Pietro in Vincoli, Parco Traiano, and Santa Maria Maggiore. We had a full day of sunshine, gelato, and walking. We went back to the room, chilled for a bit and then asked the receptionist for a pizza place recommendation. His suggestion did not disappoint - we had the most delicious pizza, I had a cold glass of beer and Holl the house red wine. We took long showers, hopped into bed and fell asleep quickly after the big day. 

two things I really love about Italy so far: the brightly painted buildings & the people. the bright oranges and yellows are just so happy and uplifting, whereas France typically has grey/beige buildings. also the people are just SO nice. willing to help, try to speak English (because our Italian is extremely limited) and I love how when you say thank you (grazie) prego (you're welcome) directly follows. in France, when you say merci you don't usually get a de rien (you're welcome.) if you do get a reply, it's au revoir (goodbye) which has an entirely different feel to it than you're welcome. just seems like they're warmer and kinder here in italia. it's noticed, and greatly appreciated by the american "bella." another thing holl and I noticed: the Italians drive like MANIACS. I mean, you thought New York was bad but they don't stop for pedestrians, they all drive small cars so they just assume they can fit anywhere they please, they gun it in the shoulder on the highway, they are just horrendous drivers. I was relieved to not be on the road with any of them because my defensive driving would've been on overload. 

Holly's corner:

• get on: meaning, get along. "we don't get on at all"
• good on ya: meaning, good for you
• aircon: meaning, air conditioning  
• fussed: meaning, bothered. "im not fussed by it
• aerial: meaning, antenna  

Sunday we got up for checkout at 11, brought our backpacks and made our way to the Vatican. Being a Sunday, it was quite busy but there were hundreds of people in the center of Vatican City, and they began to cheer about 10 minutes after we arrived. We then heard a voice, and saw The Pope on tv screens around the square. Online it said he did not appear often, but usually held mass on Wednesdays. Holl also thought he was in Mexico, so to our surprise he spoke! We couldn't see him, and then I looked through the pillars and saw a window way far up there with a banner and a little man addressing the people. Papa Francesco! What a guy. He finished his prayer/address and away he went. The mad dash afterward for people to get where they wanted to go was insane. Holl and I were trying to get into St Peters Basilica but couldn't find a way that wasn't blocked off. We made it inside, walked around and were lucky enough to get in for mass. Everything is monitored and blocked off, so I was thrilled when they let us in for the service. All in Italian, I followed the basics of amens and the kneeling/standing order but otherwise didn't follow the words. It was an incredible structure - I can't fathom the amount of work and planning it took to create such a masterpiece. Unfortunately the Sistine chapel required a ticket which were pricey, so we opted out of that (kept thinking about the line in Hitch when he's talking to Albert about how he's michaelangelo and Albert is the Sistine chapel - LOL gets me every time.) After we navigated our way to the train station by he metros (fist pump to the ceiling for navigating public transportation. it's always something worth celebrating.) Currently hanging out until our train leaves for Firenze (Florence!) We're loving Italy, the kind people, and of course the gelato, pasta & za. Firenze here we come!

cheers & ciao, jkro 

galentines day

so I've been slacking - I know. holl Sarah and I visited the chateau d'angers (sort of) but we couldn't get inside because they had already closed. we ventured down some back streets of angers - it's really a pretty place.

Mary, Jibri, &  Bence

mary and I went out with some friends on a Wednesday to a bar called "Le Snooker" which I find entirely cheeky. they charged a boat load for pool, but Jibri and I won so I'm going to say it was worth it. tried jäger bombs for the first time  - not a fan. they're so sweet and im not much of a chugger which is really the only way to drink them evidently. Mary and I snagged some kebab pitas on the way home and my they were tasty. we've all had a few more of them since then because there are heaps of kebab shops around angers. 

galentines day (Valentine's day for the gals) was a smashing hit. Mary and I made fondue (she made the Brie dip and I the chocolate) and all of the girls brought something to dip. the turnout was awesome and it was really neat to have so many girls from so many countries. We had representation from USA, New Zealand, China, Colombia, Mexico, Spain, Scotland, and the U.K. I borrowed a speaker from Juan, all the girls brought a bottle of wine and we drank, ate, danced and sang and it was easily the best Valentine's Day yet. 

Holly's Corner: 

• GB: meaning, good bitch
• download: meaning, dish it out, tell the story after we've been apart 
• crack it:  meaning, crush it or kill it (you cracked that test today)

cheers, jkro

oh the people you'll meet

I have another post for the last week or so in the works, but I feel the need to tell you something incredible that happened to me today. I was standing at the tram stop, and I'm always jammin with my headphones in, but I saw an older woman motion in my direction. she pointed to the ground, where my ZTA think pink ribbon had fallen off of my bag. I smiled and said merci about 3 times, and proceeded to put it back on my bag. she continued to speak, quietly and obviously all in french. I told her in french my french isn't very strong, but tried my best to hear her and respond in french. she asked if I was American, and I told her yes. she told me her kids study around angers, are older and know English better than she does. she invited me over for couscous, and asked for my phone number (I had to give her Sarah's because I don't have a french number.) and then the tram arrived so we hopped on and sat together. she asked me if I had family in angers, and I told her that I didn't. she then put her hand over her heart and said, I am your family, you can call me. 

it took every fiber in me not to start crying and hug this little lady. today, #eurojules is feeling warm and blessed because of a Moroccan lady at the tram stop. 

cheers, jkro  

american food shout out

so i'll be the first to say that the pastries around here are totally divine and nothing will compare to them when i get home to the states. the cheap brie and baguettes are also at the top of the list, and i am a big fan of both. i do however miss a few american treasures.

dinner one night. actually isn't brie, it's a cousin of brie with a name i'm not sure of but its creamy deliciousness. and only 2 bucks a block.. #collegebudget

• peanut butter. JIF only, that is. mom & dad advised that i pack some, because they know how much i eat it. more than half of a sams club size jif PB is gone.. luckily kate & jack are bringing reinforcements upon their arrival (3  WEEKS!!)
• mexican food. literally any and all mexican food. queso, salsa (a staple in my diet), a quality tortilla chip, qdoba queso, chipotle burrito bowl, el rancho rice... you name it, i miss it. the french need some doba chains or something, so if you're looking for a business venture to thrive i'd suggest you start there.
• milk that will taste pretty good and more or less the same no matter where you buy it. i bought some milk the other day that i thought was just the generic brand for the first milk i bought which appeared to be name brand, and it has the funkiest taste (mary is convinced its fine but mary would also eat mostly anything expired or stale - we love her anyway) and i can't figure out why its so weird (because its all in french.) needless to say, the green cap 1% milk from kroger is totally underrated. 
• sweet tea. everyone who knows me knows how much i LOVE sweet tea, specifically mcalisters sweet tea. well they don't have sweet tea here, and even if they did it would probably be terrible.
• RANCH. I love ranch with just about everything and it doesn't exist here. they do have some funky sauce options but ranch isn't one of them. I'm on the hunt and so far nothing compares.  
• apple sauce. weird right? well their idea of apple sauce, and salsa for that matter, is like a baby food puree. WTF no i don't want baby food i want a chunky salsa, and apple sauce that hasn't been through the processor for 50 years. you know how apple sauce has like some texture? not chunky but not puree? yeah they need that over here.
• cheap liquor. i've been drinking wine - and everyone (including myself) is surprised about this. thing is, i can get a bottle of wine for like 3.50 euro, but even low shelf vodka is like 13-15 euro, on the low end. YIKES where's the smirnoff for $12?i'd settle for $10 burnetts.
• classic american burgers. five guys? heavenly when its convenient. but when you don't have access? oh you crave those suckers.
• COFFEE. i wasn't a big coffee gal before college, but those late nights and early mornings really catch up to you and you rely on some serious caffeine. starbucks exists in europe, but really only in the big cities. i wouldn't classify myself as a "basic white girl" but i have been seriously missing starbucks because the french idea of a coffee is a joke. its served in a tiny cup or mug, so small you could throw it back like a shot. and it tastes AWFUL - swear its like porter beer bottom of the coffee pot bitter and dark and gross. i heavily rely on a ton of cream, a ton of sugar (inspired by poppa kromar of course) wouldn't fight some some vanilla or carmel flavoring - and that just doesn't exist here. cafe au lait is the closest thing you can get, but it barely has cream and definitely doesn't have sugar so i choke it down with a face that babies make when they are less than enthused with the food their elder is scooping into their mouth. an ode to starbucks, even my keurig, i miss you.

cheers, jkro

the ever classic pan au chocolat