Mozzarella- the Real Stuff

The other night I decided to go to TGIF to eat. That decision was not a mistake. However, what I chose to eat certainly was. Their special was mozzarella and tomatoes, with some other ingredient I cannot recall. I must have been too disappointed at the mozzarella to have noticed. I am a very biased person when it comes to cheeses, for I grew up overseas in countries where the making of cheese was an art. After I tried that mozzarella, which tasted like a mix between wet cardboard soy milk, I was thoroughly convinced to never buy mozzarella in state college again.

Back in Italy, in the region of Campagna, I had the privilege to eat some of the best mozzarella in the world. The smell on the way to school was sometimes not the most pleasant odor to wake up to. However, a plate of prosciutto and mozzarella at dinner would completely make up for it.

I remember one of my first field trips out in town was to a mozzarella factory. We were taken behind the scenes to watch the process that is taken to make this peculiar cheese. Mozzarella di Buffalo is made from the whole milk of s buffalo. It is not used for drinking and therefore every bit is used in the production process.

Once the milk is brought in, it is curdled, and drained to eliminate the whey. By hand the producers grind up the curds, and chine them even further in what looks like a small mill.  At this point, the curds are poured into boiling hot water, where it then takes on its rubbery outside texture.  The cheese maker then forms each ball individually, kneading it with his hands. He then immerses them in cold water and brine so that it may keep its shape and texture.

Just by writing this blog I have become extremely hungry as my mouth waters over the original and addicting savor of the cheese. I miss seeing the valleys of water buffalo in Naples, for they were the means to which I could stuff myself on that delicious cheese every week.

Small World

The saying, “It’s a small world” could never be more true. I cannot even recall the amount of times I’ve performed an embarrassing action, like tripping over air, in front of a crowd of people only to have my friends say, “Oh you’ll never see them again anyways.” Nothing could be farther from the truth. Just today I met a girl who attended a Doddea school like me. What are the chances of meeting this girl in my freshman seminar class? We were randomly partnered up and, after talking about our history together, we found out that we had the exact same friends. It’s crazy. There were only 54 students graduating from Rota, Spain, and 94 from Naples, Italy. Often we would go compete at volleyball championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, and never met each other.

Sig.org

Of course we bonded immediately. Just by laughing how everyone think that we are either foreigners of enlisted in the military provided an opportunity for many laughs. We have both been stationed in Sigonella, Italy. Referred to as the Mediterranean Hub, it housed a few more people than Rota. That was my favorite base. Being so far south, it always seemed to be sunny. Even though it was a U.S. Naval station, it housed all units, and testing sites for numerous aircrafts. Sometimes it was annoying to hear the aircrafts overhead when it was so early in the morning. The most frequent aircrafts that rip bye are the  U.S. Air Force C-130, C-17 and C-5 airlifters, KC-135 and KC-10 tankers. For the size of some of those aircrafts, they could shake the place up at times. Since there was so much empty space for air landings, much of the terrain was cleared for running paths. I had no excuse not to be fit then. With all the hills I was in the best shape of my life.

Since this was an island base, in order to travel we need to fly to other bases. It sure beat nine hour buss rides, and we were lucky enough to reserve out own planes. The only demand? That we bring back some sort of medal. We were fine with meeting those demands

O' Napoletan'!

When I first came to Penn State my counselor told me I needed to talk a language in order to pursue the Paterno Fellow program. I thought to myself that after living in Italy for a few years it wouldn’t be that hard. My first day the professor spoke in nothing but Italian. I understood everything he said, as the students around me were starting to sweat bullets. I thought that I would never have to study. Sure enough that Friday we were to have our first grammatical review quiz. Of course I didn’t study.

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When the quiz came back I was shocked. How on earth could I have gotten a C? I was so embarrassed. Then I realized: I was implementing the dialect that I picked up without even thinking. Italy is notorious for the various forms of dialect, especially in the south. Napoletano, the dialect spoken in Naples, is more known to foreigners than the actual language. This is due to its popularity in many famous Italian songs.  In almost all mafia movies and the like Neapolitan is the preferred dialect. Unfortunately, for those who pick up on this, they are out of luck for grammatical purposes. The articles are almost always dropped for bare vowels, plurals are never correct (my errors on the quiz). However, I cannot understand all of it. It is a completely different language, and frowned upon by all other parts of Italy. In Rome, hotels will not admit people who speak with a southern dialect. When asked where I lived when I was up north, I would always say Rome. Saying I lived in Naples was an instant ticket to higher cab fees, no open hotel rooms, and downright poor service.

La Vera Pizza is a traditional pizzeria downtown in Pizza Plebiscito, in which there is always a group of men singing traditional Neapolitan music. Even though I do not understand all the words, its an opportunity that anyone visiting Naples should never miss. They come to each table and play a range of songs, which tends to draw crowds of people to listen to their music. I cannot blame them for picking up on the poor grammatical phrases; however, I am not ashamed to say I can speak their dialect. I just have learned to keep it out of the classroom.

Driving up North

Traveling up north from Naples, Italy to Germany to compete in our “championships,” we were fortunate enough to pass by all the countries and regions in between. Unfortunately, at the time a bus ride of twenty-two hours did not seem that appeasing; however, the stops we did take we used to explore our surroundings and experience different cultures.

Half the time we did not know where we were at our stops, for our coaches did not want to be bombarded with the infamous “are we there yet?” questions. So it was up to us to discover exactly where we were. I still remember getting up around seven in the morning at one of our mandatory gas station stops.  Still in a daze, I hastily made my way to the rest rooms. I was immediately taken aback. The walls were ceramic, the steps leading down to the bathroom was a scene taken from Cinderella on the palace steps, and the air smelled like morning dew. A little shocked, I continued to walk down into this so called restroom. Automatic doors swung open (after inserting fifty cents into a machine) and I entered a room of bathroom stalls and, attached, was a shower room. I was a bit scared I’ll admit.

After I came out, my friends were just as taken aback. We tried to look around and see where we were, but due to everything being in Euros, I had no idea. I walked up to a menu, and recognized the language as German. Were we in Germany? I walked up to the cashier, and asked (in my broken German) where we were. After scrutinizing me-probably to make sure I hadn’t been drinking to ask such a question- she responded, “Switzerland.”

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I was so excited. It all made sense. Switzerland is renowned for its cleanliness and beauty. Everywhere I looked there were signs of recycling and advertisements for hybrid cars. I was not about to pass up an opportunity to see as much as I could in the two hour break. Consequently, a group of us set out into a nearby town.

All the way into town, we saw mountains of all sizes with white caps surrounding us. It was a beautiful sight, and the air was so clean it actually made us choke at first (coming from Italy it was a drastic change). We saw a big sign upon the entrance of the town: Berner Oberland.  We came into a small village that had medieval looking remnants, and a big clock on what looked like a castle loomed over the entrance. The smell of pastries and bread filled our nostrils, and instantly we forgot about exploring and ran into the nearest bakery. I have to say the crème filled croissant that I purchased has had my mouth watering ever since.

Unfortunately we were forced to run back to our bus before we were stranded there (which I wouldn’t mind at all). I have every intention of returning and visiting those ski slopes that are famous all over Europe. The western part of Bernese Oberland houses the ski resort town of Gstaad, which goes on to the east for miles and miles; a skier’s dream!

Homesick

Perhaps with the recent pile of homework and exams hitting me from left and right, I have become somewhat homesick. It's funny that when we are in high school, we would always say to our parents (especially in a heated argument) that we could not wait to go to college. Now that we are here, we can't wait to see familiar faces again. The grass is always greener on the other side, right?

Well Naples was no different for me. Going into the heart of Naples didn't really seem like an occasion at the time. Usually my friends and I would focus solely on the negative aspects, like the piling mounds of trash, or the strays running to and fro. Now in State College, I miss the chaotic hustle of that old city.

TMA portal

Amid the trash, there is beauty-literally. One of my favorite places is by the port at Castel dell’Ovo. At night it is beautiful to see the lights out on the water from all the ships and yachts, and it is especially amazing to watch the lights shining down from the medieval castle that juts out into the water. Dating back to Medieval times,

According to one of the most fanciful Neapolitan legends, the name of this castle derives from the egg (“uovo, “ in Italian) that the Latin poet Virgil hid within the  dungeons. The egg was protected because it was said to hold the castle’s protection from enemies.
The entrance to this castle is free, and very often it is used for special occasions like weddings and exhibitions. The DoDea school I attended actually had their graduation ceremony there a few years ago. That is, until it was deemed dangerous due to increased protection against terrorism. How amazing would it be to say you graduated in a Medieval castle?

There are also many restaurants that surround the castle. Last time I visited home for winter break, I ate with my senior friends down by the bay. Situated right under the castle, there is a cozy pizzeria where I could non resist but to order my favorite ‘Buffalina” pizza (pizza with only fresh mozzarella and tomatoes.” Even though most tourists order seafood, being right on the water, I have decided that the water is just a little too murky to order fish. Even though Naples is full of problems, to find bits of beauty like this castle make it all worth while.

Lake Constance

I am a beach girl at heart. However, it is not always possible to have the water at my finger tips. That is when I escape to the mountains and find a lake to dive into. The rolling landscape, the mild climate and a plethora of life contained within the Lake Constance in Germany immedietly took my breathe away when I visited my friend this past summer in the hot month of August.



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What seems like a never ending vastness of water, Lake Constance is the second largest lake in Central Europe. Not only serving as a breathtaking scene for tourists and citizens alike, it is the main source of drinking water for over four million people. As my friends and I decided to take a swim early one morning, we passed by numerous boats cruising by with onlooking tourists. What I did not realize at first was that the lake acts as a boundary crosser, which made it that much more enticing to delve into. On the Swiss, south-western side of the lake, you can literally swim up to the delightful old towns, as well as picturesque townships on the lower side of the lake, like Gottlieben. A famous river cruise starts off at Kreuzlingen, leads through the Untersee to Stein, and then continues along the Rhine to Schaffhausen. At the other end of the lake, boats cast off to connect to the Old Rhine river. Of course we did not swim this course, but took our canoe out later to travel most of the length of the river. Over forty miles long, we decided to travel the length of it over a two days span, waking up on the third day with tremendously sore arms.

An interesting fact that I did not know about this lake is that the water around the edge of is quite shallow and features some marshes which are home to approximately 250,000 different kinds of birds. Some merely nest there during their winter migration while others take up residence throughout the year. The birds feed on shellfish, plants, and some venture out into the middle of the lake to find larger fish. I was lucky enough to see the live action of what looked like a sparrow scooping up a fish double its size.

Carnival!

When we think of carnivals, we think of cotton candy stands, shows, and various other ride attractions. However, the carnivals, especially in Italy, are conducted in a much different matter. Instead of clowns and cotton candy, they wear masks and consider it as a holiday. The Carnival of Venice is an annual festival, held in northern Italy. The Carnival starts 58 days before Easter and ends on Shrove Tuesday, which is referred to as Fat Tuesday or Martedì Grasso-the day before Ash Wednesday.  The origins of this celebration can be compared to our version of the Forth of July. This celebration of “liberation” was from a victory of the "Repubblica della Serenissima", which was Venice's previous name. They were forced to fight against the Patriarch of Aquileia, Ulrico. After their victory, in honor of the heroes, the people started to create cheers and dances through reunions in San Marco Square. This reunion did not become official, though, until the Renaissance Period.  Today, approximately 3,000,000 visitors come to Venice each day for Carnivals. Venice is renowned for their beautiful masks even in the eastern hemisphere.

When I went to visit, I was taken aback at just how large and lively the celebration was. I came during one of the most important events. It was the contest for the best mask. This event, which occurs at the end of the carnival (which is a main reason I was so surprised they still were so lively). There was a crowd of lined couples walking down the streets, all in beautiful masks and gowns. A jury of international costume and fashion designers votes for "La Maschera piu bella", or the most beautiful masks.  It was like living in a Disney movie with all those dressed up people around me! Of course I wanted a mask. That is until I saw the prices. The average price for a handmade mask was around seventy dollars…needless to say I got one of the smaller scale masks.  

Scotland

Most people wonder where my last name comes from: Ogilvie. It just sounds strange. However, my family has a proud heritage in our Scottish roots that date back hundreds of years. I cannot even recall how many times my father would point to our family crest and warn me to never take my future husband’s name. Besides being super annoying, I wanted to see Scotland for myself.

So one day, for a whopping ticket of 43 Euros, I went to Edinburgh with my father. Goal number one: find the street that said Ogilvie. It wasn’t that hard. Situated on a picturesque street of olden houses the tall sign stood with out last name on it.  The moment was like a glimpse back in history. But it was just that-a moment. What were we to do with the rest of our time?

There were so many places to visit, and my father and I literally took the first cab that went by and said, “take us to your favorite location.”  I would describe it as Italy, but only a thousand time cleaner. One of our first stops was Edinburgh castle. It was a magnificent site, situated on the top of a rocky and winding hill. The huge stone made me imagine the amount of time and work put forth to creating such a place. A mighty fortification of Scotland’s kings and queens, it was built in 1617 in honor of James VI. Unfortunately, the entrance fee was a bit steep, and my father and I decided to save our money for a mighty Scottish feast.

That hike up the hill was one I would never like to have to redo, and it created an enormous hole in my stomach that craved anything and everything. After randomly selecting another cab, we chose to eat at a cozy restaurant situated on the outskirts of the capital. I chose the traditional “ hungry man.” Thinking I could eat ten different types of meat on a platter that had to have been at least a foot long, no Thanksgiving meal could compare to how overly full I felt. Not to mention the haggis that didn’t sit too well. Needless to say, I was happy to call a cab back to the hostel.

Vietri sul Mare

Now I’m sure you’ve all heard of the Amalfi coast, probably by means of a tourist guide book.  One of my favorite locations along this Mediterranean coast is the peaceful yet exquisite town of Vietri sul Mare, literally meaning “glass on the sea.” Located here are many small shops build in or along the rocky hillsides. These shops contain famous polychrome ceramic handicrafts, whose first records date back to the XV century. My mother and I loved collecting these handmade pieces, and over the years they lined our countertops and shelves. Unfortunately, most tourists never really appreciate the rich history this locations holds; the concept of showing off their foreign ceramics back home holds more importance.

Call me old fashioned, but I love to just sightsee. Trust me  when I say it is a work out touring Vietri sul Mare. Like many Italian cities, the buildings date back hundreds of years, and still stand to this day. The town has Etruscan origins and played the important role of outpost for centuries on the sea for commercial traffics with the hinterland. Occupied by the Romans, we find numerous archaeological artifacts that lie in the  village of Marina. Of these remains, the Church of St. John the Baptist, built in the XVII century in late Renaissance style, stands on the top of the town. It is built of a single nave and topped with the very popular dome covered roof. All along the sides are remains of majolica tiles. Outside stands a tall bell tower. Inside the church, there stands a fine marble altar of the XVII century, a coffered ceiling in gold, a statue of the Saint in alabaster, and a crucifix painted on wood of the XI century. It’s not uncommon for there to be ancient churches in Italy. However, this one stood out to me, showing off the skill and craft of the people in its designs. It’s almost sad to see this place becoming a sort of mall, laden with overpriced crafts, while masterpieces like this church are overlooked.

sources:

http://www.njcharters.com/nj_charters_blog/2009/03/vietri-sul-mare-italy-amalfi-coast.html

Taking in the Beauty

I love the shore. No, I don’t mean Jersey shore or those overcrowded beaches where it’s hard to take two steps without bumping into the person next to you. I love shores around islands, where you can hop on one boat and merely glide to the next. My favorite part has to be parking your boat on a pier and merely climbing off to explore some of the most famous tourist attraction sites that people pay thousands to experience.

I think back to a hot summer day in August. It was beautiful outside, but we needed to get out. So my friends and I decided to go to a trip down to the Naples bay area. Why not rent a boat? Now when I say boat I mean one of those small engine, four people boats that you always try to fit more in than possible. I was surprised the thing didn’t topple over when we congregated all on one side.

Our day started off just cruising around the coat of the Naples area. We were surrounded by islands and rocky caves that called out our names to explore. The biggest islands surrounding us were Capri and Ischia, two of Italy's most popular island destinations. To us, they were a challenge. We made eye contact with a fellow Italians cruising by us, and the race was on!  Who could get to Ischia first? I cannot even begin to explain the exhilarating feeling of racing through those waters. The boat hit the waves, and for a couple seconds it felt as though we were sailing through the air.

After grabbing a traditional “pizza napoletana” we decided to explore the enticing caves. No scrapped hands or bloody feet stopped us. As if we were small children again, we screamed out to the top of our lungs “helloooooo!” Just to hear the echo.

We did not find treasure. We did not spend a fortune to rent one of those high powered engines either. We simply enjoyed the beautiful scenery and company of everything around us. To me, that si something money can never buy.

A Looming Threat

So how many of you can say they climbed a live volcano? I have traveled up this winding trail more than once. I love the outdoors, and to climb this structure and look down upon history is an exhilarating feeling. Vesuvius has erupted more than 50 times in 79 A.D. It is renowned for burying Pompeii and the nearby Herculaneum. What many people forget is that after Pompeii was buried, the volcano continued to erupt every 100 years. It did enter a 600-year time frame of quiescence. However, its destructive power was seen again in 1631. It has been silent since 1944, causing it to give off a very looming air of fear. Though, people seem to forget its power as they flock in large tourist groups around the mountain. Its great power and destructive tendencies, along with the thrilling mystery of its next eruption, cause people from all over the world to come and snap pictures.  

Living not too far from this mountain, I was constantly reminded of its exceedingly overdue eruption. On the naval base in Naples, we were constantly reminded of evacuation plans if it were to erupt. Living right by the water, there was no question that our homes and life as we knew it could be swept away by a title wave from the explosion. We all knew, though, that if it were to erupt again, there would not be enough time to evacuate us all. I can’t help but to think of all that pressure building up inside. The type of eruption of Mt. Vesuvius is not the typical lava depicted scene portrayed in cartoons. During eruption a column of varying material that has built up over time is ejected into the air. It creates a mushroom cloud of suffocation that eventually coats all land surrounding it. The debris then is spread by the wind for hours after. In summary, southern Italy might cease to exist if this volcano decided to come to life again. So you might want to think twice before joining that tour guide group to climb its mighty sides.

sources:
http://www.angelfire.com/mi/penny101/info.html

What Lies Beneath Our Feet?

    Give me a backpack and a pain of sneakers, and I'm off for an adventure. If I were to critique one major flaw of Penn State, it would be that I can never leave and explore the unknown. Call me spoiled, but ever since I was fifteen, I have had the privilege of living overseas and exploring all the famous, and even obscure, locations around Europe. For this reason, I would like to journal some of my favorite locations, and give a little background on their history.

     My love for traveling occured the moment we landed in Rome, Italy. It might sound a bit cliché, but it is not the Coliseum or Spanish steps that grasped my attention.  It was the mazes ofunderground tunnels were used to bury thousands of bodies that motivated me to spend three hours of examining the archeological finds from thousands of years ago at depths that greatly constricted my breathing abilities.

    

     In the film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the scene at the library marks a spot on the ground through which Indiana Jones must dig to reach the catacombs of Venice. At the end of the movie, those catacombs lead him the Holy Grail. Just to clarify Hollywood’s tendency of stretching the truth in many of their films, there are no catacombs in Venice. They are all located much further south, mostly in Rome and Naples, and the Calabria region as well.

     Located on the outskirts of Rome, these passageways were intended as a burial place for early Christians as well as pagans. Miles of tunnels were cut into the sides of mountains to be used as burial chambers. The Roman catacombs contain thousands of these “graves,” all stacked one on top of the other. Along the walls are numerous remains of frescos, which give us some insight into the burial practices of the ancient Romans. Crypts and tombs of martyrs were spread throughout the catacombs, and there was great veneration for these holy places on the part of the Christian community. Unfortunately,  all Christian catacombs in Rome are property of the Catholic Church, and special permission from the Vatican is needed to even get a glimpse at these sites.

      What baffled me about these locations was how advanced BC civilizations really were.  Those cemeteries have stood the tests of time, being buried under debris and topsoil for centuries. The insulation used to line the walls has helped the tunnels from caving in. I still remember following some of the tunnels as they became smaller and smaller; at one point I was forced to crawl on all fours to connect to another catacomb.

     I love puzzles. Perhaps that’s why I loved touring these catacombs. It felt like a maze that I could get lost in for days. With over sixty catacombs in Rome, I would need some time to travel through the underground world. As eerie as it might seem, I am not one of those people that goes to a graveyard at night to tell ghost stories. I am simply fascinated with history, and just how much is still undiscovered, just waiting to be dug up.

sources:http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/italy/0200catacomb.htm