Florence | New Olive Oil, Honey, Cheese, and Wine Market

Photo courtesy of instagram @florence_journal 

If you’re currently in Florence right now and the mercato in Piazza della Repubblica of new olive oil, cheese, honey, and wine is going on, do yourself the biggest favor and go take a gander at what’s on offer.  You are encouraged to try all the new oils (olio) on fresh bread (pane), sample the different varieties of honey (miele), and go wine (vino) tasting all in one absolutely beautiful piazza.

Spring Breakers 2014: Kai `Oli `Oli | Hawaii

Erin, Julia, me, Lucia, and David

Living in Hawaii definitely has its perks when it comes to vacations.  We don't have to travel to find the sun and heat; all we need to do is jump in a car and head to the beach.  But it's nice to be out on the water sometimes, not just on the shore.  My friend Erin's boyfriend David works on a snorkeling and whale watching boat, Kai `Oli`Oli with Ocean Joy Cruises out in the Ko Olina Marina on the West Side of Oahu.  This break Erin had her friend Julia come visit her in Hawaii from Bellingham, Washington.  David got us on one of the afternoon cruises along with our friend Lucia and we had a bomb afternoon soaking up the sun, sea, and snorkeling out in the open ocean.    

The cruise is rated one of the best on the island and there's no denying why. The crew is awesome and so friendly. There is an 'ono (delicious in Hawaiian) buffet of local food, an open bar (alcoholic and non, but why non people, why??), great snorkel gear to use, and hot showers which you will be so grateful for if you're on the later cruise.  

Tip: If you're like me and are blind, the crew has prescription masks you can use so you can actually see the ocean life.  Just ask and they'll hook it up. 

They also have awesome photographers on the boat who jump in with you as you snorkel and take some awesome shots, like the ones you see here, that you can purchase on a DVD and use as you like.

Big shout out to David for hooking it up and for Captain Pat and the crew of the Kai `Oli `Oli for always showing us a good time.

North Shore Cruising | Hawaii

No better way to spend the day than driving around the North Shore, stopping at your favorite beach, and filling up on simple, yet extremely delicious food.

Matsumoto's Shave Ice

(And yes people, it's shave NOT shaved)

Large guava and lilikoi shave ice with snow cap (condensed milk)

Pay the 25 cents and go for the holder. Thank me later. 

Romy's Kahuku Prawns & Shrimp

Butter and garlic sautéed shrimp plate

Steamed prawns with side of butter dipping sauce (pictured as the aftermath)

Sunfish with garlic butter dipping sauce and fresh lemon

The wait can be long but stick it out and be patient because it's definitely worth it.

Locals and frequent customers, ask for the stamp card. 

Photos taken by Kiyana using Blackberry Bold and Droid Razr.

Morsels: Fresh Café | Hawaii

My younger sister Kayla and I decided to have a full-blown study session today, trying to get a handle on assignments that are being piled on by professors and prepare for upcoming midterms.  I don't know about you but I have a really hard time getting in solid studying done at home.  There are too many distractions, namely my bed, that keep me from really getting shit done.  

Fresh Café is definitely a cool place to go to when you want good food and a place to study.  They found that great balance of vintage, home-y interior decoration with clean industrial accents.  Free wifi and friendly staff make it a good place to crack down on the week's studying.  They have a wide menu featuring gourmet soups, salads, and sandwiches, and all of your standard café beverages.  Massive acai bowls and smoothies are also on the menu if you want something sweet.  

Fresh Café also hosts community events in their Loft in Space space in the back of the café like Art and Flea the last Thursday every month where local venders, live music, and artists come together for a night of festivities.  Other events are Pow Wow Hawaii, a contemporary art movement, First Thursdays where HawaiiSlam, the largest poetry slam in the world, and many other events like weekly Zumba classes and yoga.  

Warm Spinach Bacon & Garlic Salad

house blend soy vinaigrette dressing, bacon, mushrooms, sautéed garlic over spinach 

Bacon Eggs & Cheese Omelet Sandwich

bacon, eggs, and american cheese omelet in a honey whole wheat bagel

Half Chicken Caesar Salad

homemade caesar dressing, chicken breast, cherry tomatoes, croutons, parmesan cheese

Lemon Bar

Fresh Café hours:

Monday - Saturday 8am - 11pm

Sunday 9am - 6pm

831 Queen Street

Honolulu, Hawaii 96813

(808) 688-8055

http://freshcafehi.com/home/

I should have been Greek! | Hawaii

   

One of my favorite times of the year finally happened, Honolulu Greek Festival! I can't even remember how long I've been going, it's been that long.  Usually we try to go to both days but as I've gotten older, I treat my mama to the second day.  I had to work one of the two days this year so my mom and I went on opening day, my treat.  This year was just as great, not to mention delicious.  Over the years we've learned that on the first day you get there super early in order to make it into the pastry line first.  Those suckers sell out by the first couple of hours.  This year we stoked up on pastries up to my eyeballs.  Baklava, chocolate baklava, kataifi, koulourakai, and sooo much more.  It was a good call because by 3:30 (festival opens at noon) half of it was sold out.   

After we pretty much single-handedly bought out the pastries we headed to the greek kitchen section to feast.  I got the spanakopita plate which included greek salad, feta cheese and bread, olives, rice pilaf, dolmathes, and a piece of baklava.  I also got an extra piece of spanakopita because it's my favorite and just so damn good.  My mom shared the plate with me but got her own piece of spanakopita and a piece of moussaka, her favorite.  We found seats near the main stage where we got a great seat in the shade under the trees and watched the live greek band, Apollo, perform.  We lucked out that some of the festival volunteers from the Greek Church danced to traditional songs.  

About an hour later we decided to muster up the energy to get up (and not explode) and walk around.  I always love visiting the booth that a local jewelry store, Artlines, sets up.  I usually find a bracelet or ring that I like but this year I found a sick bell bell chime that I couldn't pass up.  It was so hot that day so to cool off we shared a bowl of lemon sorbet.  Before we called it a day, I picked up a gyro for dinner and a greek sausage and pita bread for my mom.  Overall, another great festival and a very satisfied Kiyana.  

Originally written and published on August 28, 2012 on The Late Night Chronicles

Museum Trippin', Part One | Florence

If there is one activity that rules them all when you go to Florence it definitely has to be strolling through the amazing museums.  With over 70 museums in a city that really isn't that large, I guarantee there is something to wet your museum whiskers and tickle that cultural fancy.  Fun fact from my good friend Catie, Florence is home to a fifth of the world's art.  We're talking about a city here people, not the entire country of Italy.  In just this one glorious city, a fifth of the world's art beckons to people all over the world and dares them to try to ignore its siren call.

I took an amazing Museology (the study of museums) class while I was studying in Florence at the Lorenzo de' Medici International Institute with Carlotta Fuhs.  Almost every week our class visited different museums all over the city and got to participate in some of the museum activities.  One of the best parts of school growing up, at least for me, were the cool field trips we got to take.  These were field trips only previously existing in fantasy.  I mean come on people, I got to see Michelangelo's David for class like it was just an everyday thing.

The biggest tip of all when it comes to museums in Florence is to get a museum pass.  My school in Florence sold them for about €34 and it gave me free access to all the state run museums.  In the long run this is basically like going to the museums, whose entrances can run you upwards to €25 a visit, for FREE.  Visit a minimum of 4 museums and you've already paid for the pass.  Trust me, you'll want to save this money for eating and drinking while in Italy.  Plus, it's like a Disneyland Fast-track pass, you get to skip the lines to purchase tickets and practically go straight to the front to get waived in.

Galleria dell'Accademia

Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 8:15am - 5:50pm, closed Mondays                                               

Tickets: €6,50

The beautiful thing about living in Florence was that seeing the David could literally be an everyday thing if I wanted it to.  I lived about an 8 minute, if not less, walk from the Galleria d'Academia where David lives in all his marble glory.

Tip: If you want to beat the massive queue, go to the Accademia about an hour and a half before closing. Also there is absolutely NO picture taking and they're serious about it.  The museum has people walking around in both uniform and regular clothes to try and catch people in the act.  If you're gonna do it, find a way to be super sneaky or risk major embarrassment when they yell at you and force you to delete (although shhhh, picture below is my own. Stealth status!)

If I felt like it, I just wandered home a different way to take me towards the Accademia, and wandered in for a bit. Now here's the thing: the David isn't the only amazing marvel in the Accademia.  There is a whole collection of marble busts and sculptures that is really something to behold as they stare down at you, the cast of statue The Rape of Sabine, as well as a musical instrument wing that is sure to please any musician such as myself.

Galleria degli Uffizi

Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 8:15am - 5:50pm, closed Mondays                                            

Tickets: €6,50

Once the government offices of the Medicis', the Uffizi Gallery is now home to a very wide collection of art pieces and statues.  You can see the gods of the art world, from Botticelli to Titian to Caravaggio to da Vinci, all housed in this one museum.  The museum is pretty much always full of people as it is one of the must-see destinations in Florence.  Being home to pieces like The Birth of Venus and Judith and Holofernes is bound to bring forth the masses.

Don't skip the Niobe Room (Sala della Niobe).  There are statues of Niobe and her children in poses that you don’t often think of when you think grand marble statue masterpieces all around the perimeter of the room.  But if you know the backstory it makes the room that much more awesome.  Niobe claimed to have more children the goddess Leto, who was mother to Apolo and Artemis, and in revenge Leto’s  children killed them all.  The room itself is magnificent so don’t forget to look up at the ceiling.  The ceilings in general in the hallways of the Uffizi is something to not miss in general.  The type of painting style is the grotesque style in which the word grotesque derives from.  See if you can figure out why.

One of my favorite parts of the Uffizi though has to be the Tribuna deli Uffizi, or the octogonal “Room of Wonders” was designed by Bernardo Buontalenti for Francesco I Medici to hold his treasures and prized pieces the Medici had collected and acquired over the years.  The room itself is incredible, a tribute to the elements.  My favorite part has the be the Mother of Pearl shells that line the dome interior of the room.  Talk about a symbol of status and power.

Photo courtesy of images.google.com

Photo courtesy of images.google.com

Much More Than An Evening in Roma, Part Two | Rome

We woke up bright and early to what was a beautiful day in Rome, even at the ungodly hour of 7:30 (college students here, mornings don't exist on the weekends).  We ran to the Conad, a supermarket in Italy, and picked up some things to eat for breakfast on the go.  The beautiful thing about Italy is that even the supermarket bakeries and hot-food kitchen is delicious.  We walked to the Roma Termini, the main station in Rome and hopped on the Metro to take us to the Vatican City.

To get to the Vatican City you can take one of three methods: walk, bus, or Metro.  Walking is great but it'll take you forever and you'll be tired as hell by 10 am.  The bus can be sketchy and most pick-pocketing happens on crowded and often extremely hot buses.  The Metro is the fastest and fuss-free option.  You hop on and hop off in a matter of minutes and it's not as crowded as the bus as there is more room.  There are only two Metro lines too so there is not too much confusion.  A third line is currently being built but even then, that's only three you'd have to navigate which is totally do-able.  We bought our Metro tickets in the underground station and hopped on the Metro Line A and got off at the Ottaviano San Pietro station.  A quick walk and you'll be at the grand wall surrounding the smallest country in the world.

We decided to visit the Vatican City in the early morning so we could work backwards through the day across Rome since the Vatican is the furthest thing in Rome.  We waited in line for the Vatican Museum for about an hour which was not at all bad...until you heard the constant scamming of "tour guides" trying to get you to pay an arm and a leg for a advance ticket and tour.  When you see the lines forming to get into the museum outside you'll notice there are two.  One closest to the wall where you wait if you are NOT with a group or have purchased advance tickets, and the other which basically acts as a Fast Pass line in Disneyland.  All along this line you will be bombarded with people trying to get you to pay to skip the line with a tour.  I'm not sure on the validity or how much these people know about anything you want to see but I do know you'll end up paying waaaaay more than you would have if you just dug deep for a little patience and waited.

Travel Tip: If you are a student, make sure you bring along your student ID so you can get a student price which was about €8ish.

Once we got in it was madness.  With Rome you can't escape the tour groups.  But there is so much to see in the Vatican Museum that you'll be blown away with the vast volume of things the Church has collected over its history.  I was completely mind blown with what I was seeing but I do have to admit that half way through I was getting anxious and completely overwhelmed with all the people in the museum.  Make sure when you're entering rooms you remember to look up.  The ceilings and interior in the museum is a collection in itself.  But by the end of it I felt like I was just following the heard just to avoid getting trampled or suffocated by all of the tour groups.  We finally made it to the Sistine Chapel at the end of the museum and it was crazy surreal.  It is literally, un-freaking-believable.  With all of the representations and images of the Sistine you see growing up, to be inside and looking at the real deal, it's hard to wrap your mind around it.  I have to say though, actually being inside is a little hard to handle.  You're literally shoved into the chapel with what feels like every person in Italy and the guards are constantly telling people to move in, don't stop in the middle, and for the love of all that is holy and right in the world to not take photos.  So please people, for once in your life resist the urge to take a photo.  Be in the moment, live it, and enjoy it.

After taking in all we could from the Sistine Chapel, the four of us were ready to get the hell out and remove ourselves from the madness.  We walked to St. Peter's Square to take a look at St. Peter's Basilica.  The line was way too long for our liking so we decided it was enough to just admire beauty of the outside and take a walk inside the square.  It really is a beautiful sight to see and so surreal to be in.  After our adventure in the Vatican City we headed off back into Rome to check off more sights on our list.