Around the Horn

Last Saturday, I went with two of my friends to fulfill another 4-year-long dream:  attend a Pao Bhangra performance.  Hosted by Cornell Bhangra, it is the largest Bhangra exhibition in North America, pulling teams from all over the country to perform at Barton.  This year, NYU, USC, and a few other DC-area teams visited Ithaca.  However, none of the teams were as impressive as the Cornell Men.  In front of a crowd of 2,600–a new record–the men leapfrogged, swung around, and showcased their hop-skip-and-jumping skills.

The performers’ traditional outfits were visually stunning.  With traditional head dresses (turla) and kurta and pants ensemble, they are brightly colored and intricately embroidered.  Definitely give props to the men; the garments probably kept in heat, but the performers looked like they were having a ball on stage (shout out to my friend Arjun).  The ladies team DC-BC sported color combinations that reminded me of sour gummy worms.  Flares of pink-blue and orange-green tones; unfortunately, they did not have my favorite sour gummy worm combo, red-yellow.  It was great to see the traditional and contemporary worlds collide, when one Cornell group danced to a remix of MIA’s Paper Planes.  The music was hoppin’, and I left Barton ready to rock out!

Our final stop on our epic 2-week Europe extravaganza: Rome.  As you may have read in Tim’s blog, Cornell has an amazing Architecture, Art, and Planning program in Rome.  I stayed with my good friend Jess, a Urban and Regional Students major.  Knowing that we had a few hours less in a more intimidating city, Sarah and I managed to cram a lot into 48 hours.

Day 1 in Rome started with a nice morning hike around the Trastevere area (where we were staying), hiking through the hillside park called the Gianiculum, and trekking our way over to the Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica.  Tucked behind the Basilica lies the famed Vatican Museum.  The museum was breathtaking: from Raphael’s School of Athens to the Sistine Chapel, it was masterpiece after masterpiece everywhere we turned.

From there, we walked across the Tiber to Piazza Navona and the Pantheon, to Trevi Fountain (we tossed a coin over our left shoulder, so we’ll be back!) and down towards Piazza Venezia.  Right behind Piazza Venezia? The Forum and the Coliseum.

The feeling of walking along ruins that have stood for millennia was overwhelming.  Makes you feel pretty insignificant.  Pictures of the ruins really don’t do it justice. The sheer size of these buildings makes you wonder how all of this was possible without modern technology.

On Day 2, we booked tickets to the Galleria Borghese, home to the famous Bernini sculptures David, Apollo and Daphne, and the Rape of Persephone. I stood in the Apollo and Daphne room for half an hour, just ogling at the detail.  How is it even possible to sculpt marble so thin that it looks like glass?!?!  We then strolled through the nearby Villa Borghese gardens, and made our way over to the Spanish Steps.

The view from Aventine Hill:

It was so hard to leave.  My trip to Europe was everything that I imagined it to be and more.  Seeing masterpieces in real life, soaking up the European lifestyle, was exactly what I needed to cap off a busy-bee four years.  If there’s anytime to take a trip, it’s now.  With my Roman Holiday over, I’m now looking forward to graduation in (YIKES) four weeks!

Ah, yes, the Big Red Ambition.  I remember opening the Daily Sun my freshman year to a page long list of 161 things every Cornellian must do before departing the Hill.  With feats as simple as eating pizza at the Nines (#96) to a little more daring (#36. Dress up and view the Rocky Horror Picture Show at Risley), you have four years to check off all 161 things.  As of last week I realized that I had only completed 70.

I completed a double whammy last Friday: #14. Listen to a full chimes concert from the clock tower and guess the songs played. and #161. Climb all 161 steps to the top of McGraw Tower.  My friend Kathy is a Chimesmaster and invited a couple of friends to scale the 161 steps on a beautiful afternoon.  If you heard the 6 PM bells, that was yours truly tag-teaming with 3 other friends.  Kathy dazzled a full crowd with her agile chiming technique, playing Malaguena, Les Miserables, and Kokomo.  The view from the top is truly spectacular, although my acrophobic self did get a little queasy walking around the top.  Some pics:

In a scramble to partake in everything Ithaca has to offer, Katy and I trekked over to Taughannock Falls State Park last Saturday for a leisurely hike.  With a 215 feet drop, the falls is taller than Niagara Falls, and is one of the highest drops east of the Rockies, not to mention a stone’s throw from campus.  We hiked on a flat 3/4 mile trail to get to the falls, soaking up the sun and marveling at the natural beauty.  Definitely won’t be able to see things like this in New York City…

Jumping for joy?

Beautiful!

Sarah and I lovin' Florence

A lost in translation moment: From the Florence airport, Sarah and I took a 15 minute taxi ride to our hostel, a small apartment 30 seconds from the Uffizi Gallery, a five minute walk to the Duomo. The hostel was cash only, so when we checked in, we used up all of our cash and needed an ATM and a place for dinner. The hostel recommended a cheap place called Gusto Leo. This was when we realized that we didn’t know how to say “ATM” in Italian. The host greeted us outside the restaurant, eager to seat us, but got confused when we started pecking at a wall, motioning for an ATM. The host clearly spoke no English, but only understood the word “Cash.” We were soaked from the rain and cashless, on our last strings of patience (we had waited at the Barcelona airport for 6 hours…) until thankfully, an American guy walked by and asked if we were looking for an ATM. There was an ATM a few blocks away. For your reference, “Bancomat” is ATM in Italian.

Breathtaking!

The next morning, we set off on a personal tour of the Tuscan countryside. We spent the morning cruising around the Chianti Classico wine region, visiting three wineries: Castello Vicchiomaggio, where Leonardo daVinci stayed the summer he painted the Mona Lisa; Castello Verrazano, think Verrazano bridge in NYC; and a smaller villa Fattoria Montagliari. We also had olive oil and balsamic vinegar tastings (aged 20 years…rich and delectable) and a tour of a wine cellar.

Crostini, anyone?

Some villages we stopped by included Castilina, Monterriggio, the “crown” of Tuscany”, and San Gimignano, the “Manhattan” of Tuscany, complete with 12 remaining family towers. We also visited Siena, walked the square, St. Catherine’s home, the 17 different animal districts, the Duomo and Santo Domingo.

After a whirlwind trip to Europe-more updates to come over the next week-I arrived in Ithaca at 6 pm last Sunday.  Completely dazed and jetlagged, I had completely forgotten (rather, wrongly assumed) that Girl Talk, the mash-up DJ sensation, was set to perform in Barton Hall at 7 pm.

A friend welcomes me home…and offers me an extra ticket to the sold out concert.  Reluctant at first, Ryan’s “carpe diem”/once-in-a-lifetime speech wins me over, and I decide to go to the concert, skipping a much-needed post-travel shower (you know how you always feel so gross getting off a plane?).  Not that this would matter, since the huge crowd reeked of sweat anyway.

My friend Katy and I were bumped back and forth in the crowd for 10 minutes before we decided to take a water break and dance in the periphery.  Why make like a sardine when you can rock out on the sides, with a 5-foot radius for your dancing pleasure?  We stay on the edges, busting out our unique dance moves, minding our own business (”dance like no one’s watching…” possibly the most popular quote among high school girls). Before we know it, a girl working the show pulls us over and asks, “Hey, would you guys like to go up on stage?” Um, is that even a question? We get the wristband hookup, and make our way on stage.

Girl Talk was amazing.  The biggest and best dance party of the year.  Every song/sample was geniusly matched, with a mix of old and new. I managed to snap a shot from stage:

This morning, I got an email from my friend Scott. Attached:

That would be yours truly tripping out in the back.  Proof that Cornellians know how to have a good time.

Sarah and I capped off an amazing first leg of our trip in the metropolitan and beautiful Barcelona.  It was  a challenge for both of us to relax and soak up the vacation time, since both of us are very uptight and punctual/scheduled people.  Our phrase for the entire trip: where’s the fire? There was no rush to do anything, and we embraced spontaneity (for once)!

Food-Drinkwise, we started our mornings with the prerequisite cappuccino and pastry, and fresh fruit juice from La Boqueria the outdoor market off of La Rambla.

During the day, we dined on tapas, paella, cava, and sangria.  We visited the Picasso Museum, walked along the beach, visited the Olympic stadium and the F.C. Barcelona stadium (2 blocks from our hostel!).

We walked by churches, cathedrals (La Sagrada Familia, which is still a work in progress, was AMAZING), parks, and unique buildings designed by Gaudi, the psychotic/obsessive Spanish architect.  On top of walking miles and miles of Barcelona streets, we mastered the Metro and also took the funicular up to Monjuic, which has some of the best views of the ports and city.

Sorry for the brief hiatus: I just came back from a 12-day European trip with my friend Sarah.  More details to come.