Cinque Terre

This weekend we visited Cinque Terre which was another great excursion through italian cities. For the first time here we got to have a nice relaxing time on the beach, for a group that lives right by the ocean, and I was able to swim in the Mediterranean for the first time which was one of the many great and new experiences i hope to encounter on this trip. The scenery was beautiful; colorful houses built on the side of the mountains, walkway through the island, and little shops and restaurants on the side of the road. It was definitely nice to get out of the city and experience this kind of small town feel of Italy, and we definitely did not feel like tourists here since most of the people happened to speak English. After spending the morning on the beach in Monterosso we then took a ferry over to the last island of these five islands called Rio Maggiore. On the ferry ride there we were able to see from a distance these groups of Italian mountains that at some points are so high they are in the clouds, or we might have simply been that close to heaven because it was truly beautiful looked like the most peaceful place on earth. When we reached Rio Maggiore we ate a very nice lunch at this small restaurant that you basically have to climb up a hill to get to, like the rest of the town it is built on a winding hill. We got to have some more fun in the sun and the water of course and took turns jumping into the Mediterranean which made everybody's day more fun and exciting. As I was swimming in this blue water that was crystal clear all I wanted to do was freeze time and live the rest of my life like this because I had never felt so at peace. After the long day at the beach we started to head towards the hostel where we were spending the night and that's when I continued to photograph seeing as how I kept stopping during the day to go swimming. Luckily we had a chance to walk around the higher part of the city since our bus wouldn't take us to our stop and I was so interested in the simplistic natural scenes that I had been seeing all day that to me wasn't touristy because they implied a documentary mood of where I was traveling and my relationship with the nature around me. I liked some of the photographs shot that day but I think I was being a little lazy because going into the ocean was so important for me. But the day slowly ended and we walked to our hostel and ate pizza and went to sleep to only wake up 6 hours later to make our train back to Genova. It was a very enjoyable trip and I can wait to see what the other Italian cities have in store for us.

Ciao,
Harry

Nervi

Visiting Nervi was definitely a great trip. It was the firs time since we arrived in Genova that we were able to get out of the city and see the beautiful natural Italy and not the busy, narrow city street. I was able to dip my feet into the Mediterranean for the first time. It was a very small town and we were able to walk along the side of the ocean and have a great gelato. I think my pictures still looked kind of touristy but it was such an amazing place that it was hard for me to keep my eyes off of the simple beuatiful pictures of the water, sunset, and houses that i could see. I think that the most amazing thing i saw was that at the top of the mountain that this town looked up to the mountains were in the clouds which is definitely not something you see everyday. I think that I am focusing on more of a "place" project on where I have been traveling and what the common, simplistic things are here that most Italians probably just see every day but it sticks out to me in a way of being a beautiful landscape, scene, or object. Well there should be more fun experiences to come when we head to cinque terre. Hopefully my ideas will start to flow a little better when i get to swim in the ocean.

Ciao,
Harry

First Pictures From Italy

First Photo Shoot In Italy

Yesterday was the first day since I have arrived in Genova that i was able to go out with my camera and shoot. I did not focus on anything specific because I don't really have an idea of what to focus on at this point so I took pictures from a tourist's stand point. The architecture here is of course very interesting because it is so old and made up of different cultural ideas so I was shooting what looked different from what I have ever seen. I really enjoy street photography so it was very nice to walk the cobblestone streets and shoot anything and everything I liked, many interesting alleys, streets, shops, fountains, and people that are so excited for you to take their portraits. Taking portraits of people gave me a chance to practice more environmental portraits while also practicing my italian. I can't wait to travel around Genova more and visit some more italian locations.

Ciao,
Harry

First Impressions of Italy

The flight to Italy seemed to be the easiest part of the trip so far since I slept during the entire flight, but then we got to the train station and the chaos commenced. Knowing the little Italian that I do was not helpful enough to make our way through the train station, find out which train we are taking, and buy our tickets, but luckily we all managed to work together and get on the train from Milan to Genoa. During the train ride staring outside looking at the view of Italy I think that I was still in shock, looking at the view of fields and rivers and houses with the clotheslines out the window should make me feel like I have finally arrived in Italy but not until I stepped outside the train station into the center of Genoa did I really arrive. As soon as we got out of the train station and I am looking at this huge fountain with mountains in the background where you can see small houses built on it and looking at some of the city I was just looking and didn't even know what to think except "wow".

The architecture is too beautiful for words and the city layout is very interesting and very different from anything I have seen, the buildings are so tall and close together that it blocks the sun from even reaching the sidewalk in most places, you can definitely tell that this is not like any city you would find in America. Eating my first slice of pizza from an Italian restaurant was quite an experience and then walking through the city of Genoa at night down the cobblestone streets, with hanging lights outside of buildings, walking past the church of San Lorenzo, seeing basically an introduction to the next 6 weeks is making me so eager to go out with my camera and start shooting.

Today we got a more of a taste of Italy, first I went into a panetteria (bakery) and ordered myself un brioche semplice (croissant) and accidentally grabbed the famous italian aqua frizzante (fizzy water) which is not what I wanted but va bene (it's O.K.) Then we were able to have our first Italian lesson which was taught in only Italian, no English whatsoever, which is definitely helping me learn and get more assimilated into the culture. The bus ride today was where I got to see how culturally diverse the city of Genoa actually is by seeing all these different types of people walking around the streets and getting on the bus and just by looking at the people I wouldn't even be able to tell that I'm in italy. To finish off the day we ate dinner by the port where we were able to see the cool blue water of the Mediterranean and the large port that the city is famous for, I ordered penne with shrimp which was very interesting when the shrimp was served whole on top of the pasta, and had my first Italian gelato which was one of the most delicious desserts I have ever had. I am so anxious to go out and shoot and can't wait to discover more. I will have pictures to post soon.

Ciao,
Harry