last day in Florence

Once again we had a free day to explore the city on our own. Due to our exhaustion and extreme lack of planning, we all didn’t wake up until 11. After this our group of Megan, Michelle, Ashley, Becca, Mal, Whitney, Susie, Julia, and Amanda, went to go to the Pitti Palace to explore the Medici’s home and royal apartments as well as the art that they had. On our way to find this we sat on the steps of a church in the shade. Sounds interesting right? It actually to me was a great way to start the day, as I had a moment to reflect upon where I was, how amazing this city is, and why I fell in love with design in the first place. The plaza was so peaceful and relaxing among all the people and tour groups chatting and running around. On our walk we found this artist Delia. His works almost moved me to tears. They were so unique from anything else I had yet seen. You all know me and my picky ways so naturally we sat there for an hour trying to decide what to get. Once I decided that was what I wanted, and I wanted it my way. Graciously the artist offered to sit down and paint me a picture right then and there. He pulled it out in less than 5 minutes. I was so impressed and it once again showed me that real art doesn’t have to take 5 years to complete. As I was talking to the artist about his work he told me to only be picky with some things, that life is about being free, especially in love, to just love and accept people for who they are and let myself be accepted in loving. This advice was probably the most unexpected and useful. Most of the time I wind myself up getting too worried about things I can’t fix and need to just let my heart be free. Sometimes the best lessons come from unexpected places.
The Pitti Palace was amazing! I cannot believe how chic and glamorous it is. Every detail of the entire mile long house was posh to the extreme. Guarantee the house now costs zillions of dollars. My favorite room was probably the yellow bedroom because it was bright yellow, just like my room in Draper. The bed had yellow damask which continued throughout the curtains and chairs. The best part was the chandelier, you all should know about this fetish of mine by now. The whole thing probably weighed 8 tons, 8 tons of gold and crystal and loops and candles. What surprised me was how low it hung to the ground. Probably the weight has pulled it down over time, because I would've walked right into it. I loved the huge chunky Victorian gold mirror over the fireplace and the gold detailing in the ceiling. It’s one of those rooms where you just want to look at and not touch anything because it was too beautiful… or a museum. After visiting the other art galleries it was another blessed opportunity to be able to see more works by Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, Tintoretto, Caravaggio, and by a new artist, in the “I haven’t seen” category, Reubens, who is famous for his landscapes because he was the first to make that the focus of his works. He always sets his scene up with a tree in the foreground, a building in the background, and a winding river or stream focusing your eyes through the painting. His technique was the first to use this type of set up. I guarantee this took us eight hours to go through and study each piece as they had about 20 portraits in every room. Also, the bathrooms contained majolica tile, for those who know what that is, it’s beautiful.
After this we decided it was about time to go shopping, mainly because my mother’s bag she gave me broke and I needed a new one. Everyone else left to go back to the hotel, so Michelle and I ran around quickly to find me a bag. I purchased at Segue because their bags were quality, on sale, a fun style, and accessible to my need. I chose a simple travelers bag, khaki and green with lots of pockets for cards and pencils. Most people would generally think that a bag this plain is boring, but I love it and know I can use the bag for more than looking pretty. Europe has made me practical. I now wish that I just took a backpack and shoved whatever clothes in. The whole purpose was to look cute and that’s not happening. I may end up throwing half of the clothes away. Just teasing Mom. I want to pack an entire bag full of my life here, from the stones, to clothes, to food, to tacky souvenirs. I want everyone to experience this with me, unfortunately I have limited space. Anyway, back to the packing thing, seriously I don’t need deodorant or bras because no one here uses them, probably don’t brush their teeth either. That’s at least 12 pounds I could have left home. Oh! Also I went to this incredible little shop that sells handmade paper items. They hand glue, hand paint, hand everything. Naturally I feel in love with the patterns and bought out the entire store. We continued our shopping ventures at Santa Maria Novella at the Apothecary in their chapel. They use old methods for curing ailments, making soaps and perfumes, and healing. They have had that there since the middle ages! I found it to be so cool; you walk inside and can smell oils and herbs which cleared my senses right away. Because we took so long shopping we had to run to get to the Duomo to make it in time to climb the dome. We got there just in the nick of time. So just the lonely two of us hiked all 460 stairs to the top. It was scarier and so much longer than St. Peter’s. The last few stairs to get up to the cupola were a straight ladder with no railing. I was not the youngest one there and it was difficult for many people but once we got to the top it was so worth it! The views were incredible. I will never question climbing that many stairs again. The coolest part for me was knowing I was standing on top of a dome that was created centuries ago, while an entire city formed around. I loved seeing the Tuscan hills and red tiled roofs.
At this point I was still not hungry, so I skipped lunch and dinner and headed to do laundry before we had to leave for Venice. Now this process was a joke. Michelle, Ashley and I shared two loads of laundry, hauled it about two blocks, sat for an hour, and made some good friends from Vegas, Arizona, and Chicago. We made the best out of an otherwise thrilling event. After an hour of being sarcastic about life in Florence, we; headed to our favorite blog spot to hang with the Penn kids. Luckily they were all studying so they weren’t drinking and being out of control like normal. The bad part was that we all were trying to use the internet, so once again, sorry for the no picture policy. A group of us decided that since this was our last night in Florence we would go out to the disco. After the frustration of not being able to blog happened, we went back to our hotel where we decided that if our concierge would keep the door open we’d go. Unfortunately he’s an angry old man who doesn’t speak an ounce of English. Mallory tried to sign language him and he just yelled at her in Italian for about twelve minutes. Needless to say we just packed and decided bed was a good idea. Which it was.

a sunny July 7

Another full day in Florence, our tour began with a walk to the Uffizi Gallery. Tanya our tour guide led us through with information overload. I felt like I was taking art history in one hour. The artwork and pieces were beautiful; she was so knowledgeable and didn’t want to miss a detail of any artwork. It was nice to see her enthusiasm. The best part was seeing art work that I have studied since my senior year in high school. My favorite was seeing Botticelli’s Birth of Venus. The contraposto and creamy skin was so realistic and lifelike that I felt like that was me. We discussed how her body was a legitimate and anatomically correct, but the most important thing was that she was just so stunning. I wish I was better with describing just how amazing these things are. We also saw Giotto’s Madonna and his first use of perspective and depth.
Next we went to the Academia to see Michelangelo’s David. The anxiety leading up to that moment of finally seeing him was almost too hard to handle. Once I turned that corner I was beamed to him. His face was stunning. I was surprised to see that from the right side he looked so intimidated, the look of sheer terror hidden behind pride and courage. I could not help but stop and stair at the muscles and contraposto in his side. Michelangelo claims that his pieces were living in stone and he was there to bring them out. In all honesty, the David was the most beautiful pristine, clean, smooth, statue I have ever seen. Chills ran down my back. I loved him so much that I had to stay an extra hour just to sit and look at him, alone. I realize that this may not have been the best of ideas as Florence is a huge place with so much to do, but something about him just moved me… and it wasn’t him being naked. It was the power in his face, the intimidation of his body, and the way he made me feel that I could conquer anything I set out to do. Goliath here I come.
Next I bought a book about the Uffizi gallery, mainly due to the fact that I couldn’t take pictures and wanted to remember exactly what I had seen there. Megan and I also decided that it would be hilarious to buy these Botticelli Birth of Venus tattoos and tell our parents that we loved it so much we got it on our bodies permanently to remember our trip to Florence. Not a bad idea right?
Once again we ran to Grom to get gelato, it’s a necessity at this point in my life. That’s all I eat for lunch now days. Pretty sad when you burn 8 million calories a day and gain them back in one sitting. While we grabbed this we had to be back at the Duomo to go through the Baptistery, which is a separate building mind you and about 4 times smaller. I walked inside and what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a sink, and 8 tiny benches with a golden mosaic ceiling telling the life of Jesus. My favorite part was about hell, let me tell you why. Ever seen where the wild things are? Exhibit A from 1000 years before. My favorite part was that Becca decided that I was the body the monster was eating and to be honest after a long hot day that’s how I felt. The great story about this building is that the doors were designed by Giberhti, after he won a competition. My favorite square shows depth and relief which was a huge invention at the time. Directly after that we headed to the Cathedral. What’s amazing to me was that the inside of the building was generally plain compared to the outside. The façade is detailed to every nook and cranny with floral design, a sculpture, or semi precious stone. The inside decoration was mainly in the glass windows and marble flooring. The patterns were great in circular patterns that if you happened to get dizzy, it would not be your friend. The dome is the tallest one in Florence and built by Brunelleschi, who actually tried to make the doors for the Baptistery as well. The height and intense space is almost too hard to take in. That’s how it’s beginning to feel. I’m learning too much that it’s not entirely seeking in where I am and what I’m doing. I have to step back everyday and realize how marvelous this experience is instead of doing the routine. I am happy to be here, trust me this time has been life changing.
To my dismay we had to go sketch, not only sketch for a long while, but in the hot sun in the middle of the day. We ended on a bridge, Ponte Vecchio, a bridge in the middle of the city that has shops on it, mainly all gold jewelry, which is why Florence is famous also. The scene was picturesque and I hope that my sketches will begin to show just how beautiful it is here. While we sat there struggling to find perfection, all the people walking over the bridge would stand there and take pictures of us. I found it to be hilarious as my sketches are child’s play. We continued to a little park where we had Laura and Brady teach us their sketching technique styles. It was fascinating to see how easy and loose it was to sketch. I learned more about sketching in those few minutes than I had in a long time. I generally try to get the picture just right and it ends up looking wrong, now I just be loose and let my hand take over without my brain getting in the way and they look so much better. This trip is definitely helping me already in that aspect.
Next Darrin told us of this short walk to a church where they performed Gregorian chant. So we turn the corner and there are 700 steep steps. I think at this point in time I died and miraculously made it to the top. I guess that church wasn’t the right one, so what do we do? We continue to climb till we find it bound and determined. The other church higher up the hill was the right one! These three men sat in a grotto cellar of a church and sang these beautiful passages from the bible. As you walk out if the church you practically run into the greatest view of Florence. You could see everything, the far countryside and close enough to see the streets and buildings. It’s one of those moments that take your breath away… literally and figuratively.
Past this point, my stomach was eating itself. After walking around for 7 blocks, we finally found this adorable little place that had real spaghetti! I was stoked beyond belief. Surrriously the best spaghetti I’ve ever had (sorry Mom). The sauce was so rich with tomatoes and the noodles were thick and just the right amount of soggy. It was divine, the way Italian food in Italy was meant to be. At dinner this Japanese group next to us decided to send up “Jackie Chan” to sing Opera. You would not expect this little man to sing with such power, but he did. We picked the right spot at the right moment.
Here I am, yet again, sitting in the other nicer hotel with the screaming Penn University drunkards. It’s so loud here and I’m trying to concentrate with the dial up internet…or so it seems. Another day in the life. Ciao!

...actually July 6

Well today started out a little off, I got a bloody nose and we woke up late, but what else is new. I had a breakfast of fruit and bread, blah blah. Not like anything in the states. The food is so bland and tasteless, not like anything you would expect. After this we boarded a shuttle to the train station. I loved seeing all the train signs switch every letter and number, it was like a scene from Harry Potter. The train was an interesting trip. You have 3 minutes to board the train, people push and you have to haul your entire bag up to the top, and mine is 50 lbs. We sat down and decided to turn on a movie, Prince of Egypt, thanks to Abel. I was so tired and just passed out. I woke up in time to see the rolling hills and villas of Tuscany. It was gorgeous!
We arrived at the train station in Venice and immediately were face to face with Santa Maria Novella. It is an Etruscan church that has been turned half renaissance. It was white and green stone, very different than anything we’ve seen. I love that every sentence I say starts with its. Sorry! Anyway, we met our guide there and got our adorable little headsets to listen to her for 3 hours. By this time I was far past exhausted and struggled with completing two tasks at once, I know it seems ridiculous but walking and listening gets hard under the Florence sun. She took us to the church where Masaccio’s work was. I saw the Adam and Eve and could not believe that it was A. that small and B. that old. When you think about how old it is and the fact that no one else had done anything like that, it’s amazing! Next we walked over bridges and looked at all the shops. We learned a lot of information that it’s hard to process it all. Here’s a brief synopsis… Florence was once the center of huge markets, well known for their gold and wool. A large wealthy Family would own a large piazza and let other families live within their piazza, the palaces are huge and decorated, but not like they are in Rome. Florence is definitely a different more medieval look. This is the center of the Renaissance where all arts started.
We ended our tour at the Duomo, or cathedral and baptistery. It was similar to the style of Novella in the fact that it is striped with colors and a very different Etruscan style. The tour guide was telling us that they taught the Romans everything they know and that there are still some rivalries in certain towns. I found this funny because it’s similar to our civil war; everyone just wants to be the best with all the power. Once again words cannot describe the detail in these buildings. I can’t imagine how much they cost and how long it took to build them. I’m just glad they’re still here to enjoy.
Due to our exhausted nature we decided to go get gelato, our favorite, and call it a day. This place we went to, Grom was candy to my mouth. The owner has land where he grows all the fruit to make his products. I had the lemon and cookie dough this time; my goal is to try all the flavors. Every time I get some, it gets better and better. Lemon was divine! I highly recommend going there, if and when you get the chance.
Oh, did I mention that our hotel is…. Interesting. Our room smells like vinegar and is about two inches big. It has nice brick holes in the wall and we can’t decide if it’s a decoration or a needed repair. At least we have bathrooms… and two flights of stairs to climb.
All in all, I have to say that so far I like Rome much better. Florence is all really tall buildings, the drivers want to run you over, our hotel is a jolly good time, and it’s so hot here. The pros are the shopping! Everywhere you turn is another cute little store or market. I’m gonna enjoy that. Well it’s off to bed once again, in my cubby hole. (I feel like and arrogant brat, oh wait…)

... to "rome" around

So today was our free day to “rome” around. Ha! So we decided it would be really neat to attend mass at St. Peter’s. We missed the shuttle because it was too full so we had to wait an extra hour to get on that in order to get to the Vatican. We finally got there about ten minutes after mass started and the entire place was jam packed with people. Needless to say we didn’t get in, so instead, Megan, Ashley, and I had a religious chat on the stairs while we looked at the basilica. It was definitely a good moment to exchange religious views and build my testimony by proving that my church is true.
Because we missed that opportunity we came back to the hotel to change and get our bags for a day of adventure. Which is what it was… oh and missed the shuttle again. Luckily we waited because we met up with Jenna, Mal, Whitney, and Beccah and proceeded to the Spanish steps. They were beautiful, I expected them to be different and more Spanish like, but it was beautiful to see the church on top and the nice marble stairs. After this we shopped downtown in stores like Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, and Versace. It was cool to be in a meccah of fashion, and where these designers live. Although I wish I had a million dollars so I could shop there. We went to the H&M here, waste of time. It was odd to see that the same store had such different items here. I really liked this area as it looks like the Italy you imagine in your mind, cute buildings and green planters with cobblestone streets.
Next we went back to the forum, for real this time. Only me and Megan went in though. It was 12 euro but well worth it. How often am I going to see that right? The ruins were just strewn around all over the place. I wish I would have been able to see it in its prime, I know it would’ve been gorgeous cause it’s huge and decorated. We entered the palatine which was on top of the hill. In the center is a sort of grotto that contains a water fall, up on top are hundreds of plants with a pond that leads to that spring in the grotto. It was a beautiful villa. We took lots of pictures in a short amount of time, we had to hurry fast cause people were waiting. While we were attempting to go to the forum, there were 8 million cops closing it off and the colleseum because a special dignitary was coming and wanted it to themselves, who was that dignitary, the ambassador of China. It was a bit ridiculous how much that woman needed. Needless to say the forum was amazing and well worth the moneys.
Next we ran across Rome to meet up with the girls who went to the Pantheon and Campo de fiori. We had a great meal, best yet in Rome. Our waitress was from LA so we chatted with her and made a good time. I loved the atmosphere, we sat outside at a little café with an umbrella while on the piazza musicians were duel playing. It really hit the Italian dining experience on the head. When the moon hits your eyes, like a big pizza pie, that’s amore! That’s how it felt.
After we went to Piazza Navona to hang out and get gelato, pineapple this time. Best yet!
We saw a clown, named Chofo, performing tricks in the center of the plaza, he juggled fire while unicycling… pretty impressive. After this we walked around and all the artists had set up booths with artwork. We walked around and I got some prints for me and my parents as a thank you gift. Their work is amazing and I can’t believe they just can sit and do that! It was like reliving a modern renaissance art fair or something. Really neat to me. I loved the night life in Rome, everyone was out enjoying a calm nice evening. Very romantical if I ever heard of such a thing. We continued around the plaza to then go down to the Bocca de Vietra, or mouth of truth. You stick your hand in the mouth and if you lie it cuts your hand off! It’s shown in the movie Roman holiday. It was closed though so we just took pictures and hung out for a while. Next we just took a taxi back to the hotel to pack and get ready for Florence!
Overall my experience in Rome was a good one. The people aren’t the friendliest but I wouldn’t be either if I had tourist running around me all the time. It’s a huge city and hard to navigate, but I managed to become a champ just in time to leave. The city is beautiful as you’ll be walking and out of nowhere comes a huge cathedral built in 200 or a huge piazza with fountains and statues. Amazing architecture and design, ancient ruins, the first city, and art make for one of the best cities in the world. All in all, Rome is a metropolis of art and culture that will surely not be forgotten or lost in my memories.

... a real July 4th

Today started off with probably the highlight of Rome. We went to the Vatican. It was AMAZING! You start out by entering the museum vatacani, with tight security. The experience seemed so odd to me because I can never imagine having to do that to enter a temple in Salt Lake. After that our guide Antonella took us through the Vatican pope hall museum. It has all these ancient artifacts of previous popes. It’s where the cardinals stay when they have conclave. Mainly it’s full of old statues and vases, with their “bits” as Antonella puts it, missing or covered in yellow fig leaves due to a new material of plaster. The amazing things were the floors filled with lapis lazuli and marble. They had tapestries from the Sistine chapel that they no longer use but there are 40 nuns who dedicate their life to keeping the tapestries clean and in good condition… also they are filled with silver and gold threads… cheap.
Next was the Sistine Chapel. I walked in and got teary. It was so beautiful and not what you expect from pictures and movies. The ceiling itself by Michelangelo was stunning. It took him many years working every night and day by candlelight at the age of 70 or so. He had to stand to paint it and therefore got sick when he would sit to write or anything. They found some of his original sketches when they refinished it because his method of preservology, ha, was a glue. Good one genius. He volunteered to pay for all the materials to paint it, which came back to cause him pain because the blue paint needed lapis lazuli to be blue, so he created a mixture of glass and lapis to seem not as blue. The ceilings triangles are women who gave birth to important religious men. The inner rectangles are the creation and sins of man. I loved the Adam being made by God. The cracks in the ceiling and composition are so well done and make it so authentic and real to me. The large panels are the life of Christ done by famous artists of their day. My favorite was the passing of the keys to Peter, it used a new perspective. The chapel was actually tiny to my envisioned mind. The last judgment on the wall also by Michelangelo is stunning blue because this time he made the pope pay for the lapis. He painted the heavens, hell, and pergatory with nudes. Jesus reigns in the middle with Mary pure beside him. He is surrounded by saints, one of them being Michelangelo in the skin of one of them… if you see it you’ll understand. When he painted these nudes, a cardinal came in and told him that was blasphemous and should be in a brothel, and that the church does not approve of nudity. Michelangelo didn’t care and said, cardinal how do you know what a brothel should look like. Ha ha… So needless to say the nudes stayed and Mikey painted his face into one of the hell bodies with a snake biting his “bit.” Truly a masterpiece though. The guards just yell at you to stop talking, yet they talk and yell in 12 languages to stop talking, a bit hypocritical.
We continued on to St. Peters Basilica. You walk in and cannot stop looking up and forward. The scale is gigantic! Just the letters on the wall that are the spoken words of god to peter are 6 feet tall! That’s bigger than I am. Off to the right is the pieta by Michelangelo. This is the figurine of Mary holding her son after he has been crucified. She looks so delicate and young and so horrified. The Christ figure is just laying there helpless and it brings you to tears. It’s beautiful! Off to the side are these two huge angels by Bernini where you get the water to “cross” yourself, I forget what that’s called, but they were like 8 feet tall and so real. They also have two spaces where they lay the popes bodies for display. They embalm them, take a death mask, and then leave their casket in the hall for everyone to look at. It honestly was a bit terrifying. At the front where the alter is there is a huge huge black canopy. The pope wanted it to clarify where exactly the alter was because the building is so huge itself. It was black and gold and had lots of honeybees. Behind the alter lies a beautiful stained glass window with a dove signifying the trinity. The gold and gotty gloriousness is what I refer to it as. There was also a statue which you touch the feet and are blessed. I don’t recall the name of it but it was fun to pretend to be catholic for a minute. I can’t even begin to describe the details and greatness of the building. So, look at pictures, and try to imagine.
After this we decided to climb the dome. You have to pay 7 euro, but it honestly was worth it. You are layered in between the two domes with about 2 feet to stand and move and climb. The view from the inside of the dome was beautiful too. You don’t realize the beauty and detail and craftsmanship till you are up there. It’s incredibly high. After that you go into a tiny hallway to climb approximately 360 stairs to the cupola. Once you get there through all that and tiny spaces, you get to the top and see these incredible incredible views of Rome. Every little thing you can see. It felt like being on top of the world! (Or the tallest dome of the largest cathedral) I just wish the city wasn’t so smoggy so I could get better pictures.
We played in the square for a long time, the columns were beautiful, the obelisk was grand, and the statues were even better. Words can’t really describe how this all works and looks, so.. go experience it.
Next was our attempt to go see the Pantheon. We, meaning I and Megan, decided to just walk to the designated place. Everyone else wanted the metro cause it was so hot. Well 4 hours later and after anger and fighting and many failed attempts at street finding, we finally got there. Thanks to me and Megan sitting down and figuring it out instead of just pretending to know. By this point in time I had blisters on my legs, sunburned, headache, and feet on fire. Not pleasant times for me. We finally made it and it was worth it. Like I said before you just turn a corner and there it is… The oculus and dome are the largest original ceilings left, made of concrete and coffered. It was actually rather small, but the height of the dome is the radius of the whole floor. Raphaels tomb was off to the left, small, simple and decorated with metal doves. Mass was about to happen so church music started playing. It was beautiful to be able to feel what it was like to actually attend a mass, which tomorrow we are. Needless to say… beautiful.
Next, gelato break. This time I got coconut and melon. Loved coconut, not so much melon. I am on such a coconut fix these days… eh, oh well, it’s good. Then we headed back because I had had it and needed shade and water. We finally arrived back, walked in, sat down and fell asleep immediately while other went to the pool. I took a bath, my favorite, and Megan came to our room to go to dinner. We waited an hour for the shuttle to come but then met up with Mallory, Becca, and Whitney. We went to this little place I don’t even know what it’s called and had pizza. The pizza was a very thin crusted piece of crap. I expected much better, it’s probably because the Italian cheese was far too strong for me. Our waiter was a sweetheart and really tried to make us feel comfortable, so he gave us free shots on the house. Obviously we don’t drink, so we pretended to and shoved it into our already existing cans. Just the smell of it gave me a headache. Way way too strong smelling to ever be able to drink, not that I would. After this pretend drunken episode to not make him feel bad we retorted to a taxi to get back, and here we are. Buonanotte! Hope for cooler days and better nights.

New July 3

So.. today started out a little rough….Me and Ashley woke up like 20 minutes before we had to be ready. Luckily I had showered last night. After that we headed down to the continental breakfast. Totally not like I had expected, there were eggs and fruit, yogurt, and orange juice; not anything like the US. The eggs were runny scramble disgusting, the fruit ok, and the yogurt was runny and sour. I find it almost a miracle that my body is handling this all so well. We took a taxi to the metro station and rode the train till we got to the Borghese park. Ashley’s ticket was ruined from yesterday’s rain, and she got left behind. I didn’t even notice until we got to the park! Such a horrible roommate I am. The park reminded me a lot of central park, only taller skinny trees…. And more Italian of course. We went to the Italian Borghese Museum which was so adorable and had Bernini statues. My favorite was the Apollo and Daphne. (no photos :(!)The story is that he loves her, she no love him, and he turns her into a tree. The delicateness in the leaves is incredible. One of the other statues has such realistic qualities as the man grabs the girls thigh, you can see the indents. The reclining Aphrodite was also incredible. It’s hard to imagine that these were done in the 1600s. The museum itself was detailed in every way imaginable down to the window sills.

After that we sat in the park for a minute and headed to the coliseum… again! This time we went inside. Pictures will never do anything justice, but it was huge, like 80 Energy Solutions Arenas. I was horrified to think that gladiator battles happened in such a beautiful place. Every brick was laid so perfectly and the plan was so well thought out.
After that we went to get lunch but I decided to just get gelato and save for dinner. Gelato probably changed my life! I had strawberry, SO GOOD! After that we just hung out and waited for our tour lady. She was very personable and a professor at the architecture university. She took us to three churches. The first one was the church of San Clementine which is the first basilica. Underground is two layers that were found in 1800, and was originally a pagan church, kind of ironic but it was a church designed to honor Mythra, who was going to save the world by killing a bull and cleansing the world with its blood. His birthday was Dec. 25. When Constantine made Christianity the main religion, they took control of the original church and buried it. Also, many of the early followers followed with Mythra and the thought of Jesus and combined them into one… hence Christmas on Dec. 25. They rebuilt a church on top which now sits on roman level. The funny thing about Rome is that they tear things down and just build on top so the city has ancient cities below and wavy streets. The church was also the first one commissioned by Pope Clemente.
The next church was St. Peter in Chains. This church is famous because it has the original artwork by Michelangelo, Moses. The sculpture was originally supposed to be looking forward but David later changed it so he was looking to the left. He has a funny pose because of this; his arm and beard are still faced forward. It’s a beautiful church. Also it holds the chain of St. Peter… go figure. The story goes something like… he was in chains but broke away, the two pieces were moved apart and somehow came back together as one chain later on. Sounds fishy right… totally.
Next we came upon the Cathedral of Mary Major or Mary in the Snow. This story goes that the pope wanted to build a cathedral to honor the Virgin Mary. This came to him in a dream and he didn’t have the money or place to do this. He looked for a place and it snowed on the current location. Now the money part was… he ran into a wealthy street merchant in front of the place who said he would take care of the cost. Ta-Da! It’s one of the Papal Basilica’s meaning that every 25 years it holds a jubilee and the pope will bring out the relics of Christ’s birth… a wood piece from his cradle. It has the sacra, sacred pope doors that they open for the jubilee. So every Christmas the pope chooses this church to attend as it focuses on Christ’s birth. It’s the only church that holds a fresco where Christ and Mary are the same size. It is also the burial ground for the Bernini family.
We stopped by the Church of... something Vittoria. This is the church where Bernini did the Ecstasy of Teresa. It was so beautiful; a light was built in to make it glow. The entire chapel glowed; it was small but filled with light. Bernini was criticized for this piece because the people feel that it’s too sexual due to the position of Teresa. I thought it was gorgeous. Her face was in ecstasy! This is also the church from Angels and Demons where they hang the cardinal and light him on fire…
After this we walked by the Presidents palace. The changing of the guard was incredible! It made me feel so patriotic and I’m not even Italian. Their marching was so in sync and they looked so professional and proud. The palace was beautiful with a secret garden.
We then took a trip down to Trevi fountain. I tossed my little coin into the giant fountain, biggest one I’ve ever seen, and wished for health, wealth, and happiness. I probably shouldn’t say that, but now you know. We also got water from the fountain and drank to health. It was nice to relax after a long day. We proceeded to dinner at Il Chianti. It was an adorable small little restaurant with ivy and umbrellas and candles. The food was excellent. I had the traditional lasagnette, which was not traditional to me. It had peas and meatballs and more of a shepherds pie feel. We also ate tiramisu… not my thing, too coffee mush tasting, the cream was good though. And like I say… when in Rome! We then just headed back to our shuttle with about 12 girls. These people decided to be jerks and not wait in line and push us out so we lost some of our girls. Needless to say we made it back in time and are now just taking care of the days work. New word… Buonanotte… Goodnight!

When in Rome...

Longest day of my adult life. It started with the plane ride, that actually started on Wednesday and ended Rome time 11 am. On the plane we had thee raunchiest flight attendants. Her name was Jane. She would just boss orders and act like a total drama queen by bad mouthing her fellow employees and throw food at us. Me and Megan Evans did not enjoy it one bit. She sat by me on the plane, well twice, once on the first plane and then on the Rome plane. We laughed about the dumbest things because we were so tired. Once we landed we hit the bathrooms and boy were they bad! They smelled so bad and I couldn’t even handle it, and these are nice ones! After that we hit customs and I got my very first stamp in my passport, pretty neat. Then grabbed my huge bad, probably the biggest one of everyone. “Fabio” became our bus driver, I don’t really know his name but that’s how he acted. He was the epitomy of Italian men, greasy, gold jewelry everywhere and a pink shirt on. When we got to our hotel we were more than exhausted… and wanted in our rooms. Me and Ashley Matier are rooming together. It’s a good time. The rooms are actually way nicer than I thought they would be. (first… a bidet. Second… a balcony. Third… double beds, tv, internet, and space!) We showered in our nice little shower, and I mean nice, and headed downstairs for our next adventure. We took the hotels shuttle from the hotel to some place with a cool mural on the wall. We, being 14 students, then had to fend for our own to find food, yeah first Roman experience… get your own food. We failed miserably and had to settle for waiting and finding a professor. We found him at a BAR, or sandwich shop, and had lunch. I chose ham and cheese sandwich. The little café was so adorable and had thee best looking little treats I’ve ever seen. Way fancy and I’m sure way too good to eat, hence why I didn’t. After that we got on the train to go see… duh duh duh da, the Colleseum. Also, the train smelled of urine but in all respects was much cleaner than New York. Literally you walk out of the train station smack dab into its walls. The beauty of it overpowers you. The proportions and size of it are overwhelming. I loved all 80 entrances and the ruin look of it. We took pictures and in no less than three minutes after being there, it starts raining. Now I’m not talking about a summer sprinkle, oh no! Camera in hand, bag in other, I have to run my fanny over to the nearest cover… a tree. We all ended up there, soaking wet and miserable. I tried to save my dear new camera so I had to shove it in my pack and then get my umbrella out, thank heaven I still had that. So as all 29 of us are huddled under 15 umbrellas, completely soaked and angry, we decide to walk the town. Not only is this a bad idea, it’s a horrible one. The rain turned to hail and was taking people out, size of golf balls. After about two hours of being completely soaked we walked past the beautiful forum and Giotto museum to the museum on top of the hill. It’s an old trifecta of buildings that now house a museum of the ancient building. It’s so beautiful there, and to know that this was so long ago makes it that much more special. After the beautiful museum we decided to split for dinner. Me, Susie, and lots of others decided to spend the night at a Hard Rock. The food was so good, probably because we were so hungry. Susie led us astray twice, down the same street. In other words, we rode a taxi back into town and am not headed to bed. Rome is totally different than what I expected, and I hope to keep learning more. Today has felt like a year of struggle but it will be fine tomorrow. It’s hard to be away from the fam, but am having a total blast.