Deux jours a Paris.

I missed the Opera Garnier's hours.

I walked past Lavoisier's tomb without seeing it.

I remembered the Cafe des Deux Moulins as the Cafe des Trois Moulins. So I overlooked it.

I couldn't find Fourier's grave on the map. I didn't see a photo booth in the metro at Montmartre.

I don't know if I've ever been in love.

But I have seen Paris.

Quote of the day

"You should not leave Europe without seeing Paris." - Claudius, my European Issues teacher.

Fahrenheit 451

Today in my comparative media class, we watched Fahrenheit 451, the 1960s movie based on the dystopian novel by Ray Bradbury of the same title. In the book and movie, firemen burn books instead of putting out fires. The title refers to the temperature at which paper burns.

This sounds silly, maybe, but every time the firemen set fire to a pile of books, I could feel the beginnings of tears. It was a hard movie for me to watch.


I am positive I was the only one in the class who felt that way. I'm not sure if I was crying because I was making a comparison between the movie and how society actually is, or if I simply hated to see someone burn a book. I think the former.

Ray Bradbury and the filmmakers were commenting on the value of the printed word (books) in our society, and suggesting what might happen if it was (they were) to become devalued. I'm not saying everyone has to cry during the movie, but what if there is something more sinister than burning books?

What about ignoring them? How many books have you read this week? This month? This year? Ignoring literature, rather than burning it, is a much easier, less drastic and just as effective measure to achieve what Bradbury and the film showed.

I couldn't tell you how many books I've read. I don't think I could not read, even if I wanted to. I'm not saying this because it makes me feel smug. When I read, I enter a world where no one can follow me, alone. I still don't think I've read enough to be a good writer.

The book, like the movie, is inherently unrealistic. Can you imagine a functioning, modern, electronic society without the printed word? How would one read a menu, or know how to get somewhere on a map? In the movie, Montag, the main character, is shown reading a newspaper containing only images. Also, why do the characters still know how to read if books are forbidden?

Montag's wife Linda, and many people in the society seem to have lost their capacity to feel and to remember their pasts.

Save our society. Save yourself. Read a book today. (Or just watch the movie version.)

It's still too cold for gelato in February

But I had to have the chocolate hazelnut flavor anyway.


I could not leave Valentine's Day uncelebrated. This is my first quasi-non single Valentine's Day. So, why was I consoling myself with gelato?

Because, ironically, an ocean separates me and my valentine. I shot this couple looking out at the Mediterranean Sea after carnivale in Viareggio. Not bad, eh?


We amused ourselves by writing things in the sand. This is what I wrote.


This means: "I love you." It is reserved for spouses, usually, because it connotes eternal love.

Here is Ryan, a guy in the group, writing a message for Kyleigh, one of my appartmentmates and his girlfriend of five years.


On Saturday, I had walked by myself around Florence. There are quite a few messages of love to be found, maybe meant for those who are alone this Valentine's Day. These were all found fairly near my apartment.


"Hello my love"





"TVB" stands for "Ti voglio bene," which also means "I love you," but is reserved for family members, close friends and your boyfriend/girlfriend.

I walked to the Ponte Vecchio. A bridge has stood there since the time of the Romans, where the Arno river is at its narrowest point.


On the wall where the bridge meets land, many had inscribed messages of love.


In the middle of the bridge, there are always couples admiring the view from the statue of Benvuto Cellini.




When I first visited the Ponte, I noticed that the gate surrounding the statue was covered with hundreds of locks -- symbolizing declarations of eternal love, and presumably marriage. Among the messages and among the locks, I tried to find my own name. I could not. The city has since removed all of them, and placed this sign:


What does that mean for the symbolism?

My mommy sent me a postcard. Why haven't you?

Look how this girl is tragically staring at this sinking ship. Maybe her boyfriend is on it? Mom bought this postcard at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. She cheated and put it in an envelope, maybe because it needed three Canadian dollars in stamps. I'm hoping it's cheaper from the U.S. I need to figure out how much it costs to send one back to Canada. It costs me 85 euro cents to send something to the U.S. Anyway, here's what she wrote:



This is how I asked in Italian for ten stamps to America: Vorrei dieci francoboli per Stati Uniti. Aren't ya proud of me?

Special Valentine's Day post to come tomorrow. I'm headed to the Carnivale at Viareggio. Hope all of your festi di San Valentino are wonderful.

We are president with you.

We watched this in European Issues. I think it was part of Silvio Berlusconi's most recent reelection campaign. For your viewing pleasure.

How to avoid homesickness

Don't watch this Death Cab music video from New Moon. Don't let the lyrics: "Everything, everything ends," remind you that you probably won't be coming home.

Don't recognize the Italian road signs. Don't think of the Palazzo Vecchio when you see that crazy clocktower. So I read the movie wasn't actually filmed in Volterra, but we still want to go, just for kicks. And once and for all, I'm fairly certain we won't find a festival honoring vampires.

I'm afraid those Twilight producers must be doing something right because this video made me tear up.



Instead, listen to this American Life. Guaranteed to raise the IQ, not lower it. Thanks to my friend Jonathan, who did the D.C. program with me, for the suggestion. From now on, consider me a fan of Ira Glass' soothing voice.

Giornalismo

Finally getting back to reading the news, but this time it comes from The International Herald Tribune, the global edition of The New York Times. I'm trying to learn as much as I can about the Italian political / media scene while I'm here, so in that spirit, here's an article about what Italian Prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has to say about the Sopranos.

Title translation: Journalism

The R-C describes my program, so I don't have to

Here's a nice write-up of our communications program from Record-Courier columnist Margaret Garmon. Unfortunately the cutline is wrong. We're not standing in front of where our classes will be held, we're actually in front of the loggia at the Piazza della Signoria. It would be a bit cold to have classes outside among the statuary. You can see the 19th Century copy of Michelangelo's David in the background.

This is actually the second time my photo has appeared in the Record-Courier, but that's another story for another time.

UPDATE: Our Palazzo dei Cerchi is literally half a blog from the Piazza della Signoria, and one of my Italian Art classes was held outside ... I just want to cut whoever wrote that cutline some slack.

Perchè a Firenze?

One of the ways I'm going to try to motivate myself to is to ask myself questions, or prompts. Also, I will try to think of clever titles in Italian. Let's see how far I get with that.

This one can be translated as: Why in Florence?

Good question, Kiera. (That's what interview sources say when they have no idea what to say.)

Maybe a better question would be: Why do I want to travel at all?

I think it has something to do with my upbringing. Both my parents are professors, and they were both settled in their careers in separate countries when they realized they were having triplets. To make a long story short, I've moved back and forth with my family about every three years between Montreal, Quebec, and Kent, Ohio.

Even though I was never moving to a new place, arriving always felt new and different. My old friends didn't always immediately welcome me. Things had changed. We had changed. The surroundings had changed. The vegetarian restaurant had become a bar. (Kent) The bar had become a porn theater. (Montreal)

I both loved and hated moving for those reasons. Now, I crave it. I love the sense of renewal I feel when I go through my room and throw away all the clutter before packing up. I hate to admit it, but I had to leave. I love finding my way around an unfamiliar place and yes, learning to live there.

I am a product of my upbringing. I only realized that when I got here. Before I left, I felt horribly anxious. I didn't really know why I was leaving. I had just started my first relationship. I felt like I was leaving too much behind.

But, I think (and hope) everything will work out for the best. Last spring semester, I studied in D.C. I came back more focused on my goals, more self-confident. I hope this experience will have a similar effect.

I have always dreamed of traveling abroad. And now I'm realizing that dream.

Benvenuto! Send me mail!

Dear family, friends, and people who may be interested in my life. (You all have your reasons, I'm sure.) I'm starting a travel blog. All of my previous blogs have a maximum of five entries, so let's hope I can do better with this one.

In case you don't already know, I'm part of Kent State's new communication program in Florence for my last semester of college. This is my first time abroad. It's no surprise I'm a little homesick, so I'll leave some of my contact info here for you to send me e-mails, postcards, etc.

If you send me a cute postcard, I may post it here. Incentive? Maybe. In any case, I will certainly reply.

My address here (we get our mail at school):

Kiera
c/o KSU Florence Program
Palazzo dei Cerchi
Vicolo dei Cerchi 1
50122 Florence, Italy

Skype: kiera.manion.fischer

I'm usually online in your morning and your early afternoon if you're on Eastern time. I'm six hours ahead of Kent, Ohio.

E-mail: kmanion@kent.edu

Twitter: KManion

I will continue to update with my thoughts and impressions. Second half of my blog title thanks to @michellethefan