Roma Soccer, Cliff Jumping, Black Sand Beaches, Homemade Sandals, Blue Grottos - Amalfi Coast & more!

April 29, 2011

Yes, guilty again... It has been quite awhile since I have written, and once again it is going to take me another good 5 hours to update everything. So much has happened since I last wrote. I honestly cannot believe I only have a WEEK left in Rome. It is so bittersweet, because not only will I be leaving Rome, but I will be moving on with my life and starting a new chapter...being a grown up! I am still kind of in denial about it all and scared out of my mind, but I guess it is something everyone has to come to reality with. I have an apartment in Glen Carbon right next to the Northwestern Mutual office and will be sharing it with my friend Chelsie. She is also going full time with NMFN when I do, so we will be experiencing everything together! As for today, I am sitting on the terrace of Guarini Campus on a beautiful, but soon stormy day. The weather lately has been rainy off and on, which is not making me a happy camper! I want it to be nice the last week I am here, so hopefully it changes! The Royal wedding was today, so I streamed the vows online, then logged off. Kate looked pretty, but I was soon over it! I met my friends David and Sophia for lunch at T-Bone Station for an American lunch.. I had chicken fingers! They were actually really good. I was going to walk to Tiber Island, but it's thundering as I speak! But...onto my life the past couple of weeks!

April 19, 2011

Today I had class, but left my second one a half hour early because Umberto, Court and I were headed to the soccer game! We waited for the bus and took it to the stadium. We got pizza and beer, then headed inside. It was awesome!! The fans are crazy...they had flags they were waving throughout the entire game, and they would throw smoke bombs onto the track. Firefighters had to pick them up and put them in trash cans. Roma ended up losing, which sucked... but the game was quite the experience. I can't say that I would go to another one, cause soccer just really isn't my thing, but it was cool to go to one and say I went. Court left early cause it just wasn't for her, so Umberto and I came back after the game was over. I was going to go out to celebrate some friends 21^st birthdays, but decided against it cause it was already midnight! I just went to sleep since I had an early class, but it was a cool experience!

April 20, 2011

Today I had class outside the Roman walls at a really pretty church! We had to meet at Termini, so we took a bus there and then another bus to the place where we had to be. After that, I went to tan so that I would have a little bit of color for the weekend. I headed back to my residence and packed for the Amalfi Coast! I couldn't believe that it was already here... We had booked it so long ago! We were going for Sophia's birthday and leaving Thursday night. She wanted to go out for her birthday, so we went to G Bar in Trastevere, then David met up with us. We went over to La Cucaggna near Piazza Novana. We were just hanging out, drinking our drinks, then some Italian guys came over and asked us to get them into La Maison. You usually need girls to get you into clubs here, so I was like okay, but I'm not staying long. David had a flight around 2am for London, so he left and Sophia and I stayed. We ended up staying out pretty late, because the guys we met were so awesome! Matteo, one of the guys, had a car and drove us around Rome. We went up on a hill and saw St. Peter's through a key hole. It was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen and is now my favorite place in Rome. I didn't even know that it existed! Then we drove to the Spanish Steps, and NO ONE was there.. It was so crazy to see the steps empty...So overall, it was a great night!

April 21, 2011

Today I slept in and then had class. After class I met Sophia, Michelle, and Jackie back at the residence and we all walked to Piazza Trilussa to get a cab to Termini. Our trip to the Amalfi coast was about to start! We met infront of the Nike store and boarded a bus to Sorrento. It took like 5 hours to get there, because we stopped at a place to get food and take a break. We watched Forrest Gump on the way, but I was so glad to finally get to the hotel. We thought about going out, but had to be up early to head to Capri, so decided against it. It was nice to get a nights rest! 

 

April 22, 2011

Today was our first day out in Sorrento and Capri! We woke up early and took a ferry to Capri. It was awesome to see the coastline from the water, but sitting in the open air of the boat was chilly. We got to Capri and took little boats along the coast to the Blue Grotto. On the way, we saw many cliffs, which were massive! Seagulls were flying all along them, and it was a really cool sight that pictures couldn't even capture that well. We got to the grotto and waited while everyone got into little row boats to head inside. Only four people could fit into a boat, so Michelle, Sophia, Jackie, and I crowded into one. We had to literally lay down in the boat in order to get inside the grotto. When inside, it was was pitch black, but our boat driver told us to look behind us. It was amazing! The sun pouring inside the grotto made it the prettiest blue I had ever seen. Pictures do not do it justice. I couldn't get that great of pictures because we were only in there about 5-10 minutes. Our guide was singing in the grotto and was echoing throughout. It was definitely one of the coolest things I have seen. Just breathtaking to know that the water and sun together can look that beautiful, and even more so that someone actually found this amazing place! We headed back to Capri to explore the city and climbed to the city center. It was a good 20 minute hike uphill. It was not easy and made me feel sooo out of shape! We got to the top and I got a lemon ice slushie, then we headed to the gardens there to take some cool pictures. We took a bus up to the top and walked around the little shops. We went into a sandal store where they make custom sandals. I got a pair and also got a pair for mom for Mother's Day! We ate lunch at a cute little restaurant outside in the sunshine, and had fish, because it was Good Friday! Afterwards we walked around a little bit more, and then took an open-air cab ride down to the bottom. They have like convertible taxi cabs, which was so awesome to see everything on the way down. We layed out on the rock beach there, which had an amazing view of the sea. I laid there wishing that that could be my view everytime I layed out! We got some gelato then had to take a boat back to Sorrento. That night we headed into the city center to eat dinner, then just went back to the hotel because we were so tired!

April 23, 2011

Positano, here I come! Today we went to the black sand beaches in Positano, which was about a 30 min drive from Sorrento. We winded down the crazy road right next to the water. We could have definitely gone of the side. There ended up being a traffic jam, so we walked down, which was like a 20 min walk. We ended up finally getting to the beach and got some lunch at a little place. I got a veggie pizza, which was pretty good. I couldn't eat the whole thing though.. it was huge! We headed to the beach, got some beers, and layed out for a little while. Then, they came and told us that if we wanted to go cliff jumping to hurry up and get on the boat! It was SO awesome. We took a boat to some cliffs a little while away. We had to jump in the water and swim to shore. The water was gorgeous, but SO SOOOO cold! It took your breath away when you hit the water, but after awhile, it got kind of warm because my body was kind of frozen I'm thinking. Everyone had to climb up the side of the cliff to jump off. I did it twice, but was good after that! Standing up there the first time, my heart was pounding cause I started to freak myself out! From the boat it doesn't look that far away, but when you get there, you are like oh my gosh, this is high! I had to count, then just went for it...I think the water sucked more than anything, haha. I went for a second time, then had to swim back to the boat. After some crazy people jumped from 40 feet high, we all cruised next to the cliffs just to see more of Positano. We headed back to the beach and layed out the rest of the day. We left from Positano and headed back to Sorrento. That morning I had noticed that I had little bumps on my legs that were red and itched like crazy.. I had no idea what they were, so I just ignored it. After we got back though, it was worse than that morning. I had no idea what it was, so I asked the front desk, and they said heat rash happens a lot from the sun there. But, I looked it up and it didn't look like heat rash. It was instead a sun poisoning rash that was so miserable, but I sucked it up and that night we headed over to 7 Hostel, which was soo much nicer than our place! It had a full restaurant and bar area, so we ate there and hung out all night. They had a rooftop bar which had amazing views of the city! We chilled up there for awhile, then headed back to our hotel for the night. 

April 24, 2011

Happpyyyy Easter everyone! Sophia and I went to mass at a little church in Sorrento this morning. The mass was nice, but nothing different from masses back home, except of course it was in Italian. I went to the pharmacy before to get medicine for my sun poisoning. My throat was also closed up and I could hardly breathe. After mass, I stayed in all day. Everyone else went to Pompeii, but we skipped that part of the journey! It was honestly the worst Easter ever! I was in bed all day long and Sophia and Michelle would bring me food when they went out. I felt like such a loser being inside, but I couldn't do anything about it! I watched Friends, took a few naps, and did some homework. I got to skype with Mom, Dad, and Braedon though! It was good to see them on Easter and complain to them about my disease..haha. So basically, pretty chill, miserable day for me! 

 

April 25, 2011

Last day of the Amalfi Coast! We packed up and headed to meet the group at 9:30, then got on a bus for Naples. After about an hour and half drive we were in the land of pizza. The main pizza place, where Eat, Pray, Love, was filmed, was closed, so we instead went to a place called Solo Pizza. I had a bufalo pizza with bufalo cheese, fresh tomatoes, and ruggala. It was sooo good! Naples was good for pizza, and that's about it. There was trash decaying on the streets and not much to see except for the harbor and one pretty building. The streets were filled with hanging clothes, like Rome, but definitely not pretty like Rome. I would suggest not making a trip to see Naples...totally NOT worth it! We got back to Termini station around 7:30 and had to walk back to the station in the rain... what a welcome back! It was pouring, so we got in a cab and headed back to the residence. That night Court and I met up with our friend Mary and her friend Sharon, cause they were in from London. We went to a little restaurant in Trastevere, then headed to Birrera Trilussa, which has a lot of beer on tap. We had a drink there, then I went home to crash. I was soo tired from all the traveling and going, plus I still wasn't feeling the best from my sun poisoning.. I hadn't been sleeping well cause all I would do was itch at night! Ugh...

 

April 26, 2011

Today I woke up and had to meet my group on campus to finish a presentation we were to give that day in class. We worked on it, then I had to study for a test I also had. I went and got medicine for my sun poisoning, because I could not stand the itching anymore. I felt like a little kid with chicken pox! It was by far the grossest thing I have ever had...This was probably the worst day that I had it. It had cleared up a bit on my legs, but was still very visible and annoying! After class I headed to Aristocampo and got paninis for Court and I. I'm going to miss them so much, cause they are fantastic!! I headed home, watched a movie, then went out with Matteo for the first night! He brought me to La cuggagna and we had a drink, then walked to Piazza Novona and to the Pantheon. I absolutely love the Pantheon at night. Then we walked back to his car and drove to the Trevi Fountain. Even at night, there are still a bunch of people there...I don't think it is ever not crowded! We then went to Ponte Milvio, which is known as the lover's bridge because of all the locks on it. It was so peaceful because you could just hear the water. We then went up to the highest point in Rome to overlook the city...It was awesome! He brings me to the craziest places in Rome that are so pretty and I never knew existed..guess that's the perk of living in Rome. 

April 27, 2011

This morning my friend Mary asked if I wanted to go to the Papal Audience with her to see the Pope and get her rosary beads blessed. I had never gone, because I always had class on Wednesdays, so I met her there. After we had lunch at a little caffe near the Vatican and were going to do the Vatican Museum, but it was too nice outside! We found our way to the metro station, which was my first time on it. We headed towards Villa Borghese. The walk there was uphill, and quite the trek, but totally worth it! It was so gorgeous with all the flowers blooming. We walked to the zoo and saw all of the animals. They have cows in their zoo, which we both found funny considering they are everywhere where we live! We headed to find the row boats because it looked like it was going to start storming. We found them and tried to each row, but that wasn't happening...we went no where! So, I took over and we rowed around the lake. We kept saying how “Notebook” it was and were just hoping it wouldn't start raining! Luckily we found our way back to the metro before it started raining and stopped at the Spanish Steps on the way back. It was so pretty, because now they have all the blooming flowers lining the stairs. We got gelato, then hopped back on the metro to head back to Trastevere. I had to walk back in the rain, but it wasn't too bad. That night I met up with Mary and her friend Mark. We went to take chocolate shots at a place in Trastevere, because Mary had never tried one. They are quite tasty, but so strong! One is definitely enough.. We then headed to Mister Browns, which is down Viccolo del Cinque. We had a drink and David met up with us with some other people. I was surprised, because Donata showed up, also! I hadn't seen him since Venice, so it was good to catch up with him. After that, we headed to Campo di Fiori to meet up with Matteo and his friends. We ended up going to La Maison to dance. Matteo gave me his phone and wallet, which was fine, but at the end of the night, his wallet was missing. I had nooo idea how it happened, but I felt SO bad. He ended up having to go to the Carabineri the next day to file that it was stolen.. :( 

April 28, 2011

Ahh, Thursday... I slept in until around 1 and checked my e-mail to find out that I hit Power of 10 again for my internship program! I was pretty excited about that, considering I am over here and just have the help of reps back home to get me to that goal. I'm very fortunate to have such awesome people in my office! I met my friend Mary for lunch in Trastevere. I met her at the tram station and we walked to a nice little Italian restaurant. We ordered wine and I had gnocchi. We talked of our time abroad and all the experiences we have had, and how much we are going to miss it all and how much we have learned just from being here. It is crazy the friendships you form while abroad. She is definitely a girl I will continue to keep in touch with when I reture back to the states. She lives in New York, so a trip is definitely on my mind...ha! We then went to her friend Mark's apartment, which is at the end of the tram line in Trastevere. She had a flight to catch back to London, and I had class to go to. I went to class, and as I was sitting there, I kept thinking of how it was the last class I would ever sit in. Another girl in my class is graduating in a few days, too. I actually started crying after class just because of the reality of it. She knew people at a bar down the street from school, so we went and took a “congrats shot” to celebrate both of us graduating, lol. I headed back to my apartment and took a nap for a little while, falling asleep to Little Rascals. I woke up and got ready to go to dinner with Matteo. He brought me to this Roman restaurant near the Vatican. Roman food is completely different than Italian food. Our first course was Roman style beans, a dip that tasted like hummus, and a kind of meat that tasted like our deer meat. I still have no idea what kind of meat it actually was, but it tasted good! Next course was pasta, and we got carbonara. It was the best carbonara I had ever had! Then, meat...I had veal, I think. I just had him order for me what he got! It also came with potatoes and salad. Finally, dessert! We had cookies that you dipped in a sweeter red wine. Definitely something I had never had before! We got up to leave and I asked if he paid the check.. he said to hurry up, cause he didn't. He is quite the sarcastic one! After, we headed to Campo di Fiori, but were stuck in traffic for a little while. We went to la cucaggna, which is a bar near Piazza Novona. I had this chocolate kind of drink, which was very interesting...Can't say I loved or hated it! We went to Studio 18 after and I met up with Court and Gab. Matteo had to leave cause he had work early at 7am, so I just stayed with the girls. Ended up being a fun night!

V. Istanbul. P - Court and I's adventure to Turkey & Asia!

April 15, 2011

This morning Court and I left for Istanbul! We had to meet up with mom, Aunt Janice, and Aunt Lori to drop off all of my luggage, which was a lot. I had to send it all back with them, cause my friend Alison and I are going to be traveling for 2.5 weeks after I am done in Rome. I couldn't bring it all with me, cause checking bags would cost me sooo much! So, all I'm left with is a carry on and a backpack....Should be an interesting next couple weeks with clothing! We headed to the airport after I said my last goodbyes to them. Good thing we got there early, cause we ended up having to go through customs in Italy because we were traveling outside of the UN. We boarded our flight and were off to Turkey! We ended up leaving an hour late. We landed in Istanbul where the airport was on the Asian side, so yes!, I have been to Asia! Court's dad has part of his company in Istanbul, so we met up with one of his partners who lives there. He picked us up from the airport and brought us to our hostel. We pulled up, and he looked so hesitant about the place. While we were checking in, he went to another hotel and arranged for us to stay there in case we didn't like our place. He was so cute! We had to explain to him what a hostel was, and he was like are you sure it is okay? We said it was fine for us, and we had definitely stayed in worse! The girls that were in our room with us were so cool. They were studying in Barcelona and there for the weekend also. We headed to Ehren's house to meet his family. His wife was adorable and his kids were beyond cute! The little girl was 7 and just starting to learn English, so we tried to get her to speak cause her mom wanted her to practice. The little boy was 2 and too stinkin cute! He had red, curly, long hair and was so outgoing! They had a gorgeous apartment that overlooked the valley. We had Turkish coffee and Turkish delights, which were so good! We headed out to eat at a Turkish restaurant after that. It was only Turkish people in the place, but when they bring guests, they bring flags to represent the nationalities present at the table. There were at least 5 courses. The first was one of all dips. In Turkey, they eat a lot of bread. So, all of the dips were eaten with a flat bread that they put on our table. Next was more different Turkish foods, including their pizza. After that was all different kinds of meats and kabobs, then dessert. There was a pumpkin dessert that was amazing, baklava with pistachio, and others. Then at the end, we had Turkish tea. This was by far the best meal I had eaten in Europe!! Soooo delicious! After that, they drove us along the coast to see the Bosphourus River. They explained what everything was as we past and then they headed back to our hostel. We got there and just decided that it had been a really long day, so we were going to go to sleep. We went and check out the terrace bar for .5 seconds, then crashed in bed!

April 16, 2011

Today we woke up and Ehren and Aslet picked us up to take us to a Turkish breakfast. Once again, absolutely amazing! Court and I could not get over how amazing the food was there! The restaurant wasa right on the water, and they told us most people came here on Sunday's for breakfast. They have this cream that you eat with bread and honey that is fantastic. Cheeses are also a big thing and meats, too. After that, we went to the Grand Bazaar. It was not anything like I thought it was going to be! We walked up to it thinking it would be all street vendors.... we were totally wrong. They were legit shops all lined up, one right after the other! Jewelry, purses, shoes, leather jackets, spices, wallets... anything you could think of! We walked around for awhile and went into a store where they sold legit Louis Vuitton knockoffs. They were around 300euro though, so I happily said pass. We continued to walk around and I found a gorgeous necklace that was made with mother of pearl and had the evil eye in it. In Istanbul, they are huge believers in the evil eye to ward off evil things. Court and I told Ehren and Aslot they could leave us, because we were going to be there for quite awhile longer. We got baklava before we left them, which was amazing! Then, Court and I headed to the Hagia Sophia. It used to be a church, then it was turned into a mosque, and now it is a museum! It was massive, but so pretty! We walked around there for awhile, then headed to the Blue Mosque. We had to wear scarves on our heads and take off our shoes. When you walk in, it smells like feet. People are everywhere and people are praying in their designated areas. It was cool to see, but we didn't stay long. The inside had lights hanging from ropes in the middle and it was clearly blue inside! We headed back to the Grand Bazaar and I got a really pretty mother of pearl ring, knock off Gucci heels...which I have no idea if I'm going to be able to walk in, considering I haven't worn heels in 4.5 months! and Dad some cuff links. The heels were definitely a challenge to get. I saw them and loved them, but he wanted like 150 Lira for them, which is close to 75euro. I said noooo way, and the guy would just not give up! I ended up only having 35euro on me, and the guy insisted that he would sell them to me for that price so that I would end up happy, cause if I wasn't happy, he wasn't happy.. and that of course is not good! It was so cute, but overwhelming at the same time. I think we kind of bonded.. he showed me pictures of him in the military and his girlfriend.. and even wanted to add me on Facebook! As you can see... overwhelming, lol! We headed back to our hostel after grabbing McDonald's really quick (we were in a hurry!) and got ready. We met Ehren's cousin at at bar by the water. It was like a 30 minute cab ride, which was quite a long way, but it was nice for him to arrange it for us. We thought that his cousin was 27... but, nope, 39! We were like omgosh, what are we going to talk to this guy about... lol. He was super nice, but I was like Court, this proves we could never date a 40 year old, lol. We headed home after having a few drinks and went to sleep.

April 17, 2011

This morning Aslot picked us up to go shopping, because it was supposed to rain all day. We got to the shopping mall and went into a few Turkish stores. She brought her daughter who was happy to be hanging out with us for the day. They had such cute clothes that I wanted them all, but I refrained! Ehren met up with us and then he brought us for a boat ride along the Bosphourus River. It was so pretty to see the city, and both sides, from the water. After our boat ride, he brought us to the airport. We got there like 4 hours early, so Court and I just chilled in a restaurant, ate, and drank Turkish Tea. We went to check into our flight and headed toward the gate, but then customs took forever. We really thought we were going to miss our flight, but they pushed it back 30 min, which was good for us! This airline was the worst everrrr. They were chronically late, so I'm thinking I will never fly Blu-Express again. We got back into Rome and it was past midnight so we had to take a cab back. We were just so exhausted it was so nice to be back HOME!! It was a great trip though filled with so much culture and fun. I'm definitely happy that we went!

5 cities in 2 days... along with david and leaning towers..: )

April 7, 2011

We met for drinks in Campo at a little outdoor place with happy hour. After that, I left them for the night and headed out with my friends to celebrate my friend Umberto's birthday. We went on a bar crawl, which took us to a few bars around Rome. I ended up getting home pretty late, and had to be up early to head to Cinque Terre with my Mom and Aunts...

April 8, 2011

So... I wake up to my mom in my room yelling at me to get up. I totally slept past my alarm. I had to throw all my clothes together and pack in like 5 minutes. I called a cab, and we ended up making it to our train in time... I just stressed everyone out! Eeeek.. sorry to you all again! It was a couple hour train ride to La Spezia, then we had to change trains and head to Montorosso where our hotel was. It was such a cute seaside town and our hotel was awesome. We got to check in right away, so we freshened up and explored the tiny town. We headed back to the hotel to eat a free meal that they offered from 2-6. It was so good...we had pasta with pesto and red sauce. After, we headed out and tried to start walking the trails, but it was closed off to walk to Vernazza because it was being worked on. They were bringing in concrete through the use of a helicopter that would bring it bucket by bucket. We got some cool pictures, then headed back down to the town to catch a ferry to Riomaggiore. The trip there on the ferry was so cool, because we could see each of the towns from the water. We walked around the small town and mom and I ended up finding really cute dresses that we bought. We found the Via delle Amore, which is the lover's walk on the way to Manarola. There were locks all over the trail and they also had a graffiti wall. It was a really neat walk along the water. Once we got to Manarola we had to take a train back to Montorosso. We went back to freshen up and get sweaters, because it was chilly! We headed to this awesome restaurant by the water. All of our food was soo good. I got almond-crusted salmon that was delicious! Aunt J and I headed to a bar for a drink and I met some Alpha Phi's there, which was cool, then we headed back to the hotel to go to sleep.

April 9, 2011

We headed out on the train to go back to Manarola again and explore the city more. We walked up into the vineyards on the hill and saw where the stations of the cross were placed on the hill side by a local man. They light up at night, but we weren't there for that. We headed down to where they had graves stacked on top of one another. It was so weird because after 100 years of being in the grave, they put the bones into one big hole in a building there. They also had the picture of the deceased on the outside of the tomb... kinda eerie! We continued on the trail as far as we could, but were forced to turn around... so onto Corniglia we went! Can you say steps?!?! There were like over 200 to get up to the town of Corniglia. There were really pretty views of water, but this was probably my least favorite one of the five. Aunt J and Aunt Lori walked down another 100 steep steps to the water; they are crazy! I was sooo tired, so mom and I stayed and waited for them! We got gelato, then caught a train to Vernazza. This was my favorite city! The boats in the water were so pretty and the castel that we walked up had awesome views! Mom and I got pizza, then we headed back to Montorosso to nap. Aunt J and Aunt Lori walked the Vernazza trail some more then came back and we went to dinner. After that we went back to the hotel with a bottle of wine and went to sleep!

April 10, 2011

We took the train to Florence this morning. We got to our hostel and left our luggage there because we couldn't check in yet. We headed to the Acadamia to see the David by Michaelangelo. The line was soooo long because all the museums were free that week. Mom and I went to get gelato while wating in line, then I went to the front to check things out. I found out if you get a reservation, you could cut the line, so I did that. We got right in! Aunt J did some good work and met a really cute guy, whos name was Christian. He worked for CNN in London... thought about getting his number, but ya, too shy for that kind of stuff! Ha, then Aunt J said if we saw him again, she would get it... My goodness. Needless to say, we did not see Christian again... tear. Seeing the David again was really cool, and Aunt J was really excited to see it! We listened to our Rick Steve's audio guide, which helped a lot. After that we headed to a museum that houses the best Renaissance works. We ate lunch in the square, then headed to Piazzale Michaelangelo to watch the sunset. It was quite the hike up to see it, but totally worth it. The view of the city from up there was amazing, especially with the sun setting! We headed back down and then went to our hostel. It was actually not bad, and a first experience for mom and the aunts in a hostel. They approved and now know these are not bad things!

April 11, 2011

We woke up and got breakfast at the hostel, then headed off to see more sites in Florence. We walked down a street of vendors, and got caught up in the shopping madness for a little while. Mom and I wanted a really neat leather carry on, but the guy was asking a lot for it, so we said we would come back. We did the Renaissance walk and listened to our Rick Steve's audioguide. We learned more abour the Duomo and another church along the way. We took more pictures in front of the Ponte Vecchio, then got some quick lunch at one of the oldest little shops in Florence. That afternoon we headed to Pisa! I met some older guys, around 35-37 years old from New York. They were so cool and here on business. One gave me their card and was going to be in Rome, so said to e-mail him some good places to go. We got to Pisa and took a bus to see the Leaning Tower! Of course we did the touristy 'hold up/push over' the tower thing, but hey.. we are tourists! So, push-on! After an hour and a half in Pisa, you've pretty much seen what you need to, so we headed back to the train station and caught a train back to Rome. We didn't get in until around 11, so I went back to my place and went to sleep cause I had a HUGE paper to get done for Wednesday.

April 12 & 13, 2011

Tuesday I did not see Mom, Aunt J, and Aunt Lori all day. They went to the Vatican Museum and did things on their own, cause I had to work on a group project and then I had class until 7. I had to work on my paper.. so I did that until like 5:30am.. I hate my stupid procrastination. I got noooo sleep and had class at 9am. On Wednesday our class went to the Roman Forum again, and then I met up with mom and the aunts at the Colosseum. I had never been inside, so again, Rick Steve's told us all we need to know about it! We got some cool pictures inside, and then we headed to find the church where the chains of St. Peter are located. After that, we made our way to where manger relics are in a church and we ended up at the church of the Scala Santa – the steps that Jesus is claimed to have walked up to meet with Pontious Pilot. We 'kneed' up the 28 steps, because you are not aloud to walk up them! We got back and then went out that night for supper in the Jewish Ghetto. Court and David came with us! It was a great dinner, then we all went out to Studio 18 that night for a few drinks. The guys from the train ended up coming there and buying us a few drinks and we ended up heading off to another club as well.

April 14, 2011

I met mom, Aunt J, and Aunt Lori at Campo di Fiori the next morning and we explored the market. Then, I had to work on a group project, again.. so I headed back. We met up for lunch in Trastevere at a little Italian restaurant. The guy little old Italian man was so cute saying we were all “bellisamo,” and then brought us a pizza that we didn't order. We ended up having to pay for it, which we were like what the heck?! Haha..but then had class until 7 again. I stayed in that night packing up the rest of my suitcases for them to take back with them. Court and I thought about going out, but with my track record the past week, I wasn't waking up on time so it probably was best to stay in!... Istanbul tomorrow!! 

Visitor's in Rome? Yay! The start of MIne, Mom, Aunt Lori, and Aunt Janice's Adventures...might get crazy?

April 6, 2011

Today I had class close to Termini Station at a Museum about frescoes taken from Villa Farnesina, which is right next to my residence. The bus ended up taking forever and we got to class 20 minutes late, which I was okay with. After class, it was time to go meet up with mom, Aunt Janice, and Aunt Lori. I met them at Hotel Trastevere and then they were brought to their room. They freshened up a little bit, and then we headed to Campo di Fiori. They were just cleaning up from the market, so we read from Rick Steve's book about the statue, and then proceeded onto Piazza Novana. Here is where Bernini's famous fountain is that represents the four rivers. We went inside the church there and also saw the original track where chariot races took place, which was 25 feet down. After that we headed to the Pantheon and went inside to check it out. I absolutely love looking up at the ceiling, because it is so amazing! We headed to see a gelato place with more than 100 flavors, then went into another church. Trevi Fountain was up next, but on the way we ran into St. Ignatious church, which has a 2D ceiling. It is painted to look like the images are coming out at you, but that is not the case, they are just simply painted. We wondered and found the Trevi Fountain, which was packed with people! It is getting so nice out, more and more tourists are coming to the city. We got some gelato at a place by the fountain and sat on the steps of a church to eat it. We headed to the Spanish Steps to watch the sunset, which was gorgeous! As we were getting ready to leave, we saw some police come through. Every single vendors picked up their sheet and started running, because it is illegal for them to sell the stuff that they do. It was quite funny! We headed back towards Trastevere and went past Piazza Novana again and picked up a beer each and drank it on the way back. We just stopped for sandwiches at a great little shop in Trastevere – it's one of my favorites! I went back to my place and Mom, Aunt Lori, and Aunt Janice went back to their hotel to sleep. They were exhausted because they did not sleep on the plane, and we had walked for hours! I went out for a few drinks with one of my friends, then headed to sleep!

April 7, 2011

Today I woke up and met Mom, Aunt Lori, and Aunt Janice at the hotel. We took a cab to the Apian Way, which is the first street in Rome, and one of the oldest! It lead from here to Naples. We went to the tomb of St. Cecelia and then to the Catacombs of St. Sebastian and to where St. Peter and Paul were at one point in time. They were absolutely amazing! The little paths through them were tiny and it was chilly down there. They were about 25 feet underground. Little compartments were shown to where adults, and children were buried. The bones of the people had been moved to a specific part of the catacomb, which was also 3 different levels. They started with the top level and worked their way down. Over 80,000 tombs were there because the dead were not aloud to be buried inside Rome's city walls. It was pretty cool to learn about. We then walked along the Apian Way on a path, and ran into some sheep. We frolicked in the meadow.. literally, and took some pictures! It was so pretty and green because everything is blooming here! We kept walking and found huge lemons on a lemon tree. A guy was picking them, and threw us down one. It smelled SO good! Definitely not like any lemon in the US. We went into a church where there is said to be footprints of Jesus, so I took a picture of my feet on them. We came back to Trastevere and then ate lunch at an outdoor cafe. I'm currently sitting in class, and probably should not be typing this now, but hey.. I'm bored! After this I'm meeting them all in Campo di Fiori for drinks in the square outside. It is so gorgeous out, so have to take advantage of it!

Canals, French Fries, Waffles, Beer, Chocolate, Tapas, Beach.. I'd say it was a good Spring Break! : )

Ah, once again, time slipped away from me...It is April 3^rd, and even though it's a few days past April Fools, I feel like someone is pulling one on me now. I cannot believe it has almost 3 months since I got here in January. How does time pass so fast? Where does it go? Today I went to the Vatican for mass. It was a beautiful day in Rome (72 to be exact) and I couldn't help but feel like a horrible person, because it was the first time I had gone since I have been here. It was the most wonderful experience. It was amazing to see all of the people from all nations who come to see Vatican City. I arrived around 10 for 10:30 church (yes, I was on time!). The line to get through security was surprisingly not long, and before I knew it, I was inside St. Peter's. The inside is amazing – sculptures, frescoes, the detailed artwork on the ceiling – is all something everyone should experience. I got a seat in the first section of chairs and was not too far back. I could see all the priests walk in and perform the mass. Even though I couldn't understand anything that was being said, I followed along the little booklet that one of the security guards gave me when I walked in. As I sat there, I honestly could not believe that I was there. I prayed the entire time, asking God to bless everyone in my family and just thanking him for the amazing family I have, for the support they give me, and the most wonderful experience that he blessed me with by being able to come to Rome. After mass was out, I followed the “mass” crowd out to where the Pope was going to give his blessing. This again was in Italian, so I had no idea what he was saying, but felt better just cause I knew I was blessed by the Pope! I traveled down the road to St. Angelo's Castle and on the way, found these amazing bronze statutes made by 2 sculptors that took them 4 years to make. They were of the stations of the cross and absolutely beautiful! I continued on to the castle and walked around the back of it to come across a very peasant park with swings and local Romans and tourists alike taking in the sunshine. I walked back to my residence after a morning of exploring Rome and got some gelato on the way. I took a short nap, then decided I was going to watch the sunset from Gianicolo Hill, just a short walk uphill from me. The city looks amazing at sunset, with the sun shining on all the ancient buildings, illuminating them to where it looks like a painting. I took pictures, but they just don't do justice to such an amazing sight. As of now, I am now sitting on the hill typing all of this out..I'm on my computer, while couples all around me are taking in the sunset and each other..so cute! The sun has gone down, and the lights of the city are starting to twinkle to keep the city alive at night. I really don't know how I am going to deal with not being able to see this anymore once I come home...But I guess this will just be motivation for me to save up and come back! Today has been a “me” day, and I have loved every second of it. I think it's good to have those days every once in awhile just to reflect and look back on all what God has given you and take in the little things in life that most of the time go unnoticed. St. Peter's looks amazing from up here at night..

Now, onto the rest of my life that has happened the past couple of weeks... oh joy!

Italian Unification Day and more importantly, St. Patrick's Day!

My friend David calls and wakes me up at like 11:30, telling me to get outta bed and come join them at Scholar's, which is an Irish Pub here in Rome, popular for being American and showing games from back home. I meet him, Betsi, and Ashley there and they already each have a Guiness on the table, wearing crazy tall St. Patrick's Day hats. I don't really care for Guiness, so therefore I don't get a hat... tear. But, I do order a pitcher of green beer – I found out last year it still taste the same! - and start drinking that. I order a sandwich (cause Scholar's is the only place I have found to have “American-like” sandwiches) and it takes me a good 45 minutes to get it. I was starving, but they claimed that because they were so busy they ran out of plates. I don't get how this is possible, but once I do get my sandwich, I scarf it down. They had an awesome 2 person band there playing Irish Jigs to set the spirit even more. After we had finished our pitchers, we walked to another Irish bar, but it definitely was not as cool as Scholar's. They didn't have a band, had no seating, and wouldn't serve us...so we left! We continued onto Abbey Theater, yet another Irish Pub and got some more food and a pitcher of Strongbow – a cider like beer which is actually pretty good! We then headed back to the residence to call it a wrap on the St. Patty's Day Festivities. I went out to dinner with the girls – Court, Gab, Claire, Michelle, and 3 of her visiting friends, to this amazing little Italian restaurant in Trastevere. On Thursday's they serve gnocchi, which is claimed to be the best in the city! It was amazing! All of the food was. I got a pizza with mushrooms, tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese, and we all split two bottles of prosecco, which is veryyyy good Italian champagne. After that, we headed out for the night.

SPRINGBREAK!!!! 

March 19-27th

Ya, definitely not like any other classic Florida spring break I have been on in the past. Let's just say Amsterdam, Brussels, and Barcelona.

Amsterdam, Netherlands: 

Days 1-3 – March 19 through the 21

We left from the residence to head to Fiumicino airport at 8:15 and took a cab there. Claire was running late, so we were kinda worried we wouldn't make it, but were perfect on time. Claire and Court got some breakfast and cappuccinos, then we headed for the gate. The flight to Amsterdam I do not even remember, cause I slept the entire time. We get to the airport and take a shuttle into the city. We get dropped off in the museum district and our hotel is within a 15 minute walk, we think. We end up not being able to find where it is at because it is a Bed and Breakfast and not labeled for some reason. We stop at a hostel that we come across and they are kind enough to print us out directions. We eventually find it after a bit of searching and when we get there find out that the owner of the place cannot keep us that night. After about an hour of sorting things out, she finds a hotel in Rembrantplein, right by all the nightlife. She explains to us that it is a place for 6 people, but we were only going to be charged for 3 people and she would cut us a deal on her place. We agreed, so got in a cab there. Well, the cab driver ends up taking us to a completely wrong address and makes us pay him for that and the toll to the other... Ugh. Talk about a great start, right? Ya, not so much! We get to the other hotel and check in, head up 4 flights of stairs to our next home for the night, and bam! Worst. Room. Ever. We thought for the money we had paid that the place would be this nice apartment, but nope... we were wrong. The couch was filthy and the beds looked pretty sketchy. We decided just to forget all we had just been through, freshen up, and go explore the city. Amsterdam is really a gorgeous city. It has canals like Venice and the charm of a quaint little city. We snapped a few pictures by a pretty bridge, then I got a hold of my friend Alex, who had been there since the day before. He met us in Rembrantplein at an Irish Pub for lunch and we showed him our place. We had him judge if the beds were okay, or if bed bugs were present. He said that ours was a lot better than his and insisted we see his so we couldn't complain..so off we went to his. I must say, “The White Tulip” was nothing like the name. Bright neon green walls, cramped rooms, and shared bathrooms...nothing pleasant, but tolerable. He then gave us our first experience of the Red Light District, which was nothing like I expected it to be. I thought it would be trashy, dirty, and gross.. but it was surprisingly clean and decent, for what it is! We then saw the only church in the entire world surrounded by brothels. It was really pretty, but I feel bad for all of the priests that have to walk in and outta there..kinda weird! We then walked around the streets and went to Dam Square to experience Amsterdam's fries in paper cones, where you can have whatever toppings you want added. Pretty cool! We came across a store with cows on the ceiling and Dutch wooden shoes. Court and I had fun playing around with them, then we stumbled across waffles. Can you see why studying in Amsterdam would be bad? AMAZING food everywhere! I know I gained a few pounds and could never study there for that reason..lol. We went back to our hotel for the night, and slept in the beds... We didn't catch anything, so guess that's a plus! Oh, the joys of traveling...

The next day, our alarms didn't go off. We were supposed to check out at 11, and at 10:50 we all wake up to “oh my gosh, we have to be out in 10 min.” We threw everything together and headed out the door and onto our next hostel. This “Bed and Breakfast” we were staying at definitely did not have breakfast, but the room was quiet comfy, having 3 beds in the space of a closet basically. It was like one huge bed! There was hardly any room to move around or put our stuff, but at least it was better than the other place. We met up with Alex at Central Station and got a pass to go to different museums around Amsterdam. First stop, Van Gogh Museum. Before we went in though, we came across the I Amsterdam sign and took some pictures and enjoyed the huge park that it was in. We walked around the exhibit for a good 2 hours just looking at artwork and then ran into some of the guys studying at John Cabot. We walked down to the Picasso exhibit that was there, and went through that also. Next, we were off to take a canal tour of Amsterdam. The buildings are amazing here. Some seem as if they are leaning, and I'm not sure if the architect meant to build them that way, or if they just did it over time? We then headed back to the main street in Amsterdam and went into a few more museums. Alex retired early for the night because he had to catch a plane the next day. We ended up meeting up with the guys that we saw from the Van Gogh museum and hung out with them in Rembranplein for the night. We got a bike ride back from this guy who asked if we needed one. It had one of those little covered carts on the back, but it was still freezing! It was kind of a cool experience though.. lol

On our last day, Court, Claire and I found a pancake place. It was the cutest thing ever, with the best pancakes, juice, tea, and yogurt! After that we found the Amsterdam Historic Museum to find out a little more about their culture and found a mini I Amsterdam sign there. We took some pictures and then headed to find the Anne Frank Museum. We ran into the guys again and they told us about a bagel place. So, even though we had just eaten, we had to get bagels with cream cheese. Bagels here are a rare commodity, so it has to be taken advantage of! We finished up the bagels and headed to the museum. Lets just say.. I was totally engaged in every aspect of it. I have read the book and the Holocaust is one of my main interests. It was so surreal to actually be in the place where she lived for those years before they were found. The posters she put up in her room are still there...I got a picture of the infamous bookcase, even though no pictures are aloud. I HAD to. It was like a dream come true to be there! It was so solemn and quiet. Everyone was just reading the plaques and taking everything in. It was honestly amazing. Souvenir shopping was next. I got my mom a snowman ornament that is Hollandish, a magnet for me, and my friend Chase a pair of Amsterdam socks. Courtney insisted on for real shopping after, so we went.. I was good and I didn't buy one thing! I did find an amazing pair of shoes that were 119euro, so I refrained. I took some pictures of them instead! We went and got some more fries, because they are amazing, then headed to the hostel to rest up before heading out again. We got up and were going to meet the guys, but instead just wondered around and decided to head in early, because we had a train in the morning to Brussels!

Brussles, Belgium: 

Day 4 – March 22, 2011

We decided to head to Brussels for a day before we headed off to Barcelona. We boarded the train and it was around a 2 hour ride. After we got off the train, our hostel was only a 10 minute walk from us. We couldn't check in right away, but they let us leave our bags until we came back. We ended up walking the long way to all of the main sights. We had to ask a police officer on the street exactly which way we were supposed to go because we didn't have a map. Speaking of police, there's are very attractive – just throwing that out there! Ha, we were then walking in the right direction and were passing chocolate and waffle shops like crazy! We kept making our way to Grand Palace. There we snapped some pictures of the amazing architecture, then we decided to get lunch. We ate at this little cafe outside and had a really funny waiter. We ordered Morte Subite, which is a raspberry beer. We had croquettes, which are a type of French food, and it had cheese, ham, asparagus, and hard boiled eggs on it. Definitely different, but so good! We asked our waiter where Mannekin Pis was and so he pointed us in the right direction. Claire and Court got waffles on the way there, which were amazing! We walked down the street, turned around, and there he was....little boy peeing into a fountain. So many people were there taking pictures and so of course I got mine in front of it. We then headed to the 3 story bar across from it where all of the Mannekin Pis's outfits were displayed and we had another German beer. I ordered a beer called Bink, which was a little too hoppy for me, but it was still good. If you can't tell yet, Brussels offers chocolate, waffles, and beer... perfect combination if you ask me! We then headed to find the little peeing girl, which they made to maintain equality in the city. We walked back to the hostel to check in and rested up a bit, then headed out to eat dinner. We ate at a place called Drug Opera, where I had amazing French onion soup. We then headed to Delerium, where they have over 2,500 beers and around 30-40 on tap at all times. I got one called Barbar Blonde, which was so good! Delerium was a kind of touristy place, but we met some guys from Brussels who were fun to talk to. They told us to go to the Antonium, which was built during the World's Fair. After a night out, we headed back to the hostel. 

The next morning we packed up and left our bags at the hostel. We ate at this place called Exki, which had the freshest foods I had eaten all break. I had a sandwich with lentils on the side. It was actually really delicious. After that, we decided that the best way to see the city would be to get on a city tour bus where you can hop on and hop off, so we headed to central station to get on. This brought us all around Brussels. We had no idea that it was so big! Brussels has so many parks and cool places to see. We hopped off at the Antonium to get a closer view and see the park that it was in. It was so nice to have a park and greenery around us, because in Rome it is mostly all old buildings. We got back on and rode the rest of the way. We went past several museums and past the EU headquarters there. After the tour was over, we headed back to the hostel to grab our bags, then headed for the train station. It was so difficult for us to find the stupid bus to the airport. We ended up having to ask like 5 people because everyone would tell us different things. The bus ended up being on the opposite side of the station. When we finally got on, it was a good hour to the airport. We thought that we might miss our flight, but ended up getting there in plenty of time. We waited at gate 8, then they switched it to gate 5 to board, then literally changed it to gate 2, and back to gate 5. It was so hilarious watching people run from one gate to the other. I don't know if they were wanting to play a game or what, but eventually we were on the plane headed to Barcelona!

Barcelona: 

Days 5-8 – March 23 through 27

We got into Barcelona around 9 on Wednesday night. We checked into our hostel after we took a bus to the center of Barcelona. We were all hungry, so we went to a place called Blue Rita, which was right around the corner from our place. It was so good! I ordered fajitas and we all 4 shared a pitcher of sangria. The waiter was awesome and told us of some cool places to go out at night and to watch out for pickpocketers. He was from New York, so he knew English very well. After that, we headed back to the hostel to rest up for the next day.

On the 2^nd day we were in Barcelona we decided to explore the city. The biggest market in Spain was right next to our hostel. We walked in and there was such amazing fruit, candy, fish, meat, and bread stands everywhere. The fruit stands had pre-made smoothies that we got every morning cause they were only 1.50euro. After taking in all of the market, we ventured off to see the houses that Gaudi was the architect of. He is very popular for his works in Barcelona. We took the train to the Sagrada Familia. This is a church designed and built by Gaudi, also. The inside is amazing, made with granite pillars and gorgeous stained glass. It was made to represent a forest and is absolutely amazing. The outside of the Sagrada has images of different scenes from the Bible, such as the Ascension and Death of Jesus. We took a lot of pictures inside, then went outside and took more. The architecture is amazing and it still isn't completely finished. After the church, we went to the part of Barcelona that reminded us all of Trastevere. There were little shops and restaurants all along the way to the restaurant we ate lunch at. Gab's friend who studied there last semester told us of Bell Amic, where we had a 3 course meal. I had a mango salad, fish, and chocolate cake. We also got bread, 2 glasses of wine, and a cappuccino all for 9euro! It was the best food we ate there. Court and I decided to stop in all of the shops on the way back and I found this amazing dress for only 20euro. It's absolutely adorable and I can't wait to wear it! We then headed to the theater because we bought tickets to a Flamenco dance. The dancers were so talented, along with the band that played. I am definitely glad that we went, because I don't know when I would ever have the chance to go again. After that we met back up with Gab and Claire and headed out to eat. We went to a restaurant right on La Rambla and had Paella. It was my first time eating it, and it was really good! Gab and I shared seafood, chicken and vegetable with rice. After that we headed back to the hostel to go out for the night. We went to this club on the beach called Opium and didn't get there til like 2am. In Barcelona, no one goes out until then, and we were up until around 6....so crazy! The music was so good! They had a mix of new and old stuff, so we danced all night. I definitley could not do that every night though!

The next morning we all woke up around noon and got ready, then headed to the market for our daily smoothies. Then, we were off to Park Guell. We got off the metro, then it was about a 20 min walk uphill to the park. It was so worth it. Gaudi created this park as well, so everything in the park was beautiful with Gaudi inspiration. It was a beautiful day and so many people were out! We walked up a mountain sort of thing to where music performers were playing and there were a lot of vendors. We got pictures on the longest park bench in Europe, and bought some cute bracelets. Gaudi's house is also at the top, so we went in and saw where he lived. We went to a place called Venus for lunch, and had tapas there. On the way back we saw this little shop with gelato popsicle like things. I had a coffee one with white chocolate, which was pretty good! We walked down La Rambla and went to the beach for the sunset. The harbor was so cool with the sun setting behind it and I got some really cool pictures. At the beach, the wind was kind of chilly, but it was so cool just to be there and put my feet in the Mediterranean Sea. We walked back to get ready to go out to eat for the night. We went to this place called Princesa 23. They had the best tapas and mojitos! I got stuffed mushrooms with cheese and a wrap with avocado, chicken, cheese, and lettuce. We all shared nachos and were stuffed by the end! We walked around Barcelona until around 2:30, then headed back.

The last day in Barcelona, it was only me, Court, and Gab. We went to this place called “champagneria” located by the beach. It is totally a locals place that you have to stand to eat tapas at, but they have 5euro bottles of delicious champagne. We got cheeseburgers and also got this tapa that was something like a bratwurst. We weren't exactly sure what we were eating, but it was really tasty. We took a bottle to go and headed to the beach to chill for the day. We stopped by a few street vendors to see what they had, then continued on. While hanging out at the beach there were all these Asians giving massages, which sounds awesome.. massage on the beach! Um, no...not so much! These ladies would just go from one person to the next, whether it was a back, head, shoulder, or feet and leg massage. They wouldn't even really wash their hands. They would just use the water that you used to rinse your feet from the sandy beach. Yuck, haha! There were also guys walking around selling scarves, so I bought one to lay on. We left around 3:30 and headed back to the hostel to get our stuff and head to the airport. Here is where things went wrong.... eek! We had plenty of time and ended up figuring out where we needed to go, but the lady told us platform 9. Which was great, but she decided to leave out that more than one train stopped there. We ended up getting on the train we saw because she said that it only came every 30 minutes. We didn't want to miss our flight, so we got on. We asked a kid that was on there if it was headed to the airport, and he said no. Our faces had to have just dropped. We could not believe it. The train ended up not stopping for like 45 minutes, so there was no way we were going to make it back in time to wait and get on another train. We ended up getting to the airport around 8:30, and then had to book another flight. Another didn't go out until 5:30 or there was one at 9:30. The one at 5:30 wouldn't let us book online with cheaper rates, and at the counter is was so much more expensive. So, we ended up having to wait til 9:30am. We kind of restaurant hopped to the places that were still open in the airport cause we didn't want to have to pay for a hostel and transportation back. That was the longest i've ever been stuck in an airport. Like, 13 hours!! We were all exhausted and slept on the plane. We got back and then I did laundry, dishes, and made some lunch. I went to church at 5:30 in Trastevere, then I took a short nap after I got back. So, that was the ending to our spring break. Never again will I ever miss a flight. Lesson learned. : )

   

On Saturday, April 2, my friend Michelle and I decided to go to the beach in Gaeta, Italy.  It was only an 8euro and hour long train ride there, so we took advantage of it.  I am soo happy that we did!  We had to get off of the train at Formia, then bus to Gaeta, but it was the prettiest place ever.  Mountains surround these two cities and the sea surrounds them.  The view is spectacular.  We decided to eat lunch at a beach restaurant with amazing food that looked out onto the Gulf of Gaeta, which is part of the Mediterranean Sea.  Serapo beach in Gaeta was amazing.  I was going to put in my ipod, but there was no reason to when I heard the breeze and the sound of the ocean.  It was so calm and peaceful.  We laid out for a few hours and then headed up to the mountain to Montagna Spaccata, which means split mountain.  This is where legend says that the mountain split into three on the day that Jesus was crucified.  We walked through the split, but my camera died, so I have no pictures... I was so mad!  We also went to the grotto at the top of the mountain, which was amazing and took my breath away.  I cannot even explain how beautiful it was! The views were amazing anywhere you went there. We did not want to leave at all, but both agreed that it was the most beautiful place either of us had ever seen!