April 16-19

    So Thursday of this insane week (only one day after I said goodbye to Rachel), I headed out to Munich Germany with the Florence For Fun group.  We took a bus, 9 hours, up to Munich to go see the spring time beer festival, which brings in over 6 million tourists.  We got in to Munich around 7 am and napped until 10 am where we got up and met for our local bike tour.  Mike’s Bike tours, was our program, and Frankie was our tour guide.  He was from Hawaii, and spent half the year in Germany being a tour guide, and the other half of the year in Hawaii being a surf instructor- ya know, living the life.  At this point it was drizzling and cold, so they gave us plastic bags that attempted to cover our body, and they matched us up with the bike, and we headed off.  Our first stop… Hofbrauhaus to enjoy our first taste of German beer.  I decided to try the Malzbeir, a sweet, full-bodies malt beer, which came in a HUGE liter mug (about 3 beers fit into one of these mugs).  After enjoying our beers, Frankie took us out for our tour.  We went all over the Marienplatz, and over to the Odeonsplatz where we saw churches, museums, and tons of other important things in Munich.  We saw the National Theatre, the Residenz, and Hofgarden, Schwaabing.  We also went through the Englischer Garten, filled with the Chinese Tower, and the Japanese Tea House,  which were absolutely BEAUTIFUL, and then followed the river up to the Museumsinsel.  He also took us to “surfer’s bridge” which is a place in the river that has a wake like a wave and you see surfers there practicing their tricks.  It was really cool! The bike tour, with beer included was about 4 hours long, and very informative.

    After the tour, Grace and I wanted to walk around and get to know the city. So we went shopping, looking for traditional Lederhosen attire.  We tried on several outfits, but couldn’t bring ourselves to buy one since they are over 200 Euro with all the shirts and ribbons and accessories.  That is a bit ridiculous if you ask me.  So we continued exploring and wound up just sitting in a plaza and enjoying our time until the sun went down and we headed back to the Hofbrauhaus for our group dinner.  We started out with a big salty pretzel, then had a soup, a pork roast with crackling gravy and two kinds of dumplings, had homemade cabbage salad and then an apple strudel for dessert.  In all, it was delicious.  However, what really made the experience was the environment.  There was a live German band playing, and dancers and whip crackers and the whole 9 yards.  It was great, and unlike anything I had ever seen. We sat and enjoyed our Hofbrau beer, or the beer that belongs to the royal court, and listened to the band play until Grace and I headed home to bed. 

    Saturday morning we woke up at 7:30 am because we wanted to go see the Dachau Concentration Camp.  So we ate our complimentary breakfast and caught the first train out to Dachau.  On the way we met a lovely girl that was traveling by herself all over Europe that was only 18 years old.  She spent the day with us at Dachau.  Dachau was the first concentration camp in Germany, and still has a lot of the original buildings and such still intact.  There is a museum and several films and you can tour the bunkers and execution chambers.  We bought the audio tour, which was a really great idea, because it gave you a great personal tour through the site.  The day was gloomy and raining, which only added to the overall ambiance.  In all, Dachau was heavy- very intense topics, and hard to see a lot of the pictures that were displayed.  Walking through the execution chambers and the crematories was very intense, but I am really glad I did it.

    After Dachau Grace and I wanted to lighten our day a bit, so we headed to the BMW Museum to pick out our future cars.  The building itself is architecturally amazing and we wound up not actually going through the museum and just checking out all the new car and motorcycle designs, and picking out our future rides.  After this we were right next to the Olympia Park, which was built in 1972 for the Summer Olympic games.  It now hosts cultural, musical, social and religious events all the time.  It kind of reminded me of DIA in the sense that its architecture was like a large metal tent-like roof.  It was fun to walk along the lake and see the swans and see the locals out with their kids at the huge soccer park. We also stopped in the pool for a bit and watched some daring kids have a belly flop contest from the high dive- ouch.  We then headed home to take a nap and get ready for our night.

    After resting for a bit, we went to the tents to go see the carnival.  There was a full on amusement park set up with a huge fairs wheel, and several rides that spun out of control.  There were also concession stands selling pretzels, beer, chocolate covered fruits, and my personal favorites, a ½ meter long bratwurst.  Grace and I got the ½ meter long brawt and split it and then went into the main tent on site.  Inside the tent it was INSANE.  There was a live band- playing traditional German songs, mixed in with American classics! It was hilarious.  You sit at these picnic tables and a beer lady comes around and brings you a liter and the pretzel guy comes and sells the huge pretzels and everyone is singing and dancing on the tables.  We spent several hours there and met a lot of really amazing people.  After our fill from the tent, we wandered around outside again and some of the people we were with rode some rides, I did not think that would be such a good idea however- so I just took pictures.  We got more food and enjoyed the rest of our night.

    We woke up fairly early on Sunday and wanted to go to the German Museum of Masterpieces of Science and Technology, also known as the Deutsches Museum.  We did not realize how amazingly large this museum is.  It has over 50 exhibits, over 47,000sqm and has 6 floors.  We saw exhibits on metals, marine navigation, power machinery, model railway and tunnel construction, hydraulic engineering, physics, musical instruments, pharmacology, scientific chemistry (I took pics for you mom), glassblowing, ceramics, printing (I took pics for you dad), paper, film and cameras, astronautics, astronomy, computers, food technology, radios, and SO MUCH MORE! Like I said- a ridiculous amount of information in this place.  I felt like a huge dork in there because my favorite exhibits were walking through the huge replication of a human cell, the airplane wing, and the astronomy wing.  We spent HOURS there and still didn’t see everything. After enriching our minds our stomachs were starved, so we were walking back home and saw this Indian place called the Indian Mango.  We walked in and it smelled amazing, so we sat down and had the waiter pick out his favorite dishes for us and bring them out.  Mine was a spicy chicken dish that was amazing.  We also got a mango fruit smoothie that was quite thirst quenching.  We then headed back to the hostel and took our bus ride home and said goodbye to Germany.  In all Germany was much more than i expected and I would love to go back! The people were nice, the atmosphere was chill, and the sites were amazing! 

Pictures  of Munich

 http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2140342&id=18312640&l=b30f018938

April 9-15

    This weekend was quite AMAZING because one of my best friends from back home in CO came to visit me for a week.  Her name is Rachel, and she is actually studying abroad in Cork, Ireland right now, and is on her (get this) MONTH long spring break.  She got in on Thursday afternoon- we spent the rest of the day catching up on the latest dish and eating with my friends.  We took Rachel to the Pitti Palace gardens wehre we sat and enjoyed the views until we were kicked out at closing.  We also took Rachel up to my favorite Piazza de Michelangelo and drank wine. 

    Then on Friday, we went around Firenze.  I took her to my favorite places and we went shopping and sight seeing.  We made a yummy lunch and went around to a few more places like the market and a few churches.  Then we planned to make mac and cheese at Graces apt.  We told stories and had a BALL  and by this time is was almost 2 am…. So we hit up secret pastry and called it a night.  

    Saturday morning we got up early, ate some breakfast and met Grace and Lisa at the train station,and took the next train to Lucca. Lucca is one of the only cities in Italy that was never conquered nor destroyed during the war.  They still have their original walls up and people tour around them all the time. Once getting to Lucca, we were starving, so we ate at this pizza place where we each ordered a large pizza, not knowing how large they really were.  We got our pizzas and they were each, full size, large pizza, as long as from tip of finger to elbow, HUGE pizzas.   We made it our personal mission to finish every last bite, and that we did.  With some effort, and some time, we ate every last bit of our HUGE pizza!  We were hurting after that. Hahahah but well worth it.  The we entered Lucca, and it is such a nice town.  Very small town feel, the people are nice, the atmosphere is lovely and everything is beautiful.  We walked around for a few hours then decided to rent bikes and bike the wall.  It was super cheap and a really fun way to get to see the whole town.  So we biked, and took silly pictures, and decided we should have a cool name since we were now in a biker gang.  So we names ourselves Lucca Troopers and came up with a gang sign and the hole bit.  It was hilarious.  We took a break half way around the wall and stopped to pic some flower and make flower chains.  I made a flower headpiece, others made necklaces and sashes.  It was really fun, and we felt like hippies!  After returning the bikes, we headed home, tired and sore from the day. 

    Easter Sunday, Grace, Rachel, and I woke up bright and early to catch the 7:30am train to Cinque Terre.  This area is known for its 5 cities, or lands in a row that people hike through. Its on the north west coast and is really an amazing site.  We decided to go to the upper most town and hike our way down to the bottom, hoping we would miss a lot of the tourists. However, there were just as many tourists if not more than we had dreaded.  But, it was only about 11am so we started on our 9 km hike through Italy.  We started in Monterosso al Mare, and began our hike, which was really quite strenuous.  Lots of narrow travels and tons of stairs and inclines to get up.  The visual scenery was to die for there on the coast, but the hike was much harder than I was anticipating.  However, the three of us pushed through and came to the second city, Vernazza where we stopped to eat some of our lunch we packed  and get some rays.  After our little rest, we continued on another uphill climb to the third city Corniglia.  Here we decided that we wanted cold and refreshing since we were quite sweaty at this point.  So we got lemon slushy-ish kinds of things at the local icecream shop and sat in the sun and rested our feet.  Soon we approached the fourth town, Manarola, where the hike was now much easier so we powered through to the last town Riomaggiore.  The end of the hike was nothing, and was more scenic than anything.  At this point, we had been hiking for over 6 hours and were pretty tired so we ate dinner and enjoyed a local beer in Riomaggiore.  We caught the train home, and were back in Florence around 10pm.  Grace walked with us home, and was too tired to go back to her apt so the three of us had a sleep over, which was pretty much us zonking out pretty fast. 

    We woke up on Monday morning and decided we needed to “catch up” so we made an amazing lunch of stir fry, that had chicken, peppers, zucchini, and soy sauce and enjoyed that before heading to the beach on Viareggio.  It was only an hour train ride away and a short 5 min walk from the train station.  It was open beaches and lovely weather…. For the first 15 minutes.  Then, out of nowhere, it started to pour.  So we ran to the local café, and decided it was a good time to get a snack.  We enjoyed some pasta and gelato and then headed back out to the beach.  We sat there for a while, and then it got cold again, so we decided that was our cue to head home.  We got home, showered and then Rachel and I met up with one of her friends from her college here and had drinks.  Rachel and I wound up walking around enjoying the night time ambiance of Florence together before heading home for bed. 

    Tuesday morning I had to go to class in the morning, so I woke Rachel up so she could do some laundry and packing.  I was home before noon, and made us lunch, and then we headed out to go see some museums.  We hit up the Academia first, which is famous for having the REAL statue of David.  This thing is HUGE.  I had no idea it was so big.  I had envisioned it to be about human size, however, his foot is bigger than my body, so you can imagine the rest of him.  They had him in this dome and you could walk all the way around him- it really was cool.  After seeing David, and more religious art (go figure) we walked over the Ponte Veccio over to the Pitti Palace.  Before we went in, we met up with Grace and enjoyed some famous cheesecake gelato, to refresh ourselves J hahah.  In the Pitti Palace, we went to the Galleria D’Arte Moderna, toured the apartments, and walked through some of the other exhibits before going back to the gardens.  We sat and enjoyed a different part of the gardens then we had seen before, then headed home to make dinner and do some homework.  After dinner, Grace and Lisa came over, and just had a fun night together.  

    Wednesday we got up at 7 to get Rachel to the train by 8:20am. We got there in plenty of time, but the computers were down, so we had to go and stand in line and wait and almost missed her train.  We were frantically running, and our goodbye was quite rushed… which really was probably better- no tears.   I packed up my school bag and decided I would just study for my quiz at noon in the library after I dropped her off, not really realizing how much time I had. The library didn’t open until a quarter till 9 so I had to wait outside until it opened.  Then I sat there and studied and did some homework until noon.  In all it was a FABULOUS weekend around Italy, and having Rachel here was just the best.  It was nice to have someone like family here to re-vamp my energy and give me a taste of home.

Pictures of this weekend

  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2140341&id=18312640&l=52956b505a

April 2- 5 2009

     Less than a week later and I was back to France.  This time Grace and I headed to Paris for the weekend.  We left Thursday afternoon-taking a train to Pisa to catch our 4pm flight, stood in line forever for RyanAir, and finally boarded the plane.  A short hour and a half later we landed in Beauvais which is like a private airport outside of Paris for RyanAir planes.  Then we caught an hour bus to the main bus station in Paris where from there we walked to the metro station a few blocks away.  We bought out tickets which took a while because we couldn’t figure out why the credit card wasn’t working- and the machine only took coins, not bills, so we kept running out of our time limit to insert the money- very frustrating when you have a bunch of people behind you waiting.  From here we took the metro up to our hostle which was located in the 12^th district right next to the metro station.  After checking in, we were famished and decided to go to this Kabob café on the corner. 

  After getting re-fueled, we took the metro back to the Eiffel Tower to see what all the fuss was about.  Well let me tell you- one look at this magnificent sight and I am now in LOVE with Paris.  Grace and I couldn’t stop saying “ohhhh” and “ahhhh” and taking pictures like it was our job.  We walked on the side of it and found a cute little park where there were many older couples lining the benches just enjoying the night.  We walked in front of it to try to get the whole structure in our pictures and just as we were about to take our pictures, it started to twinkle.  It lit up from top to bottom, like a Christmas tree, sparkling in white lights in complete random order. It would speed up, and slow down and then speed up again.  It did this for about 7 min and then stopped.  So every hour on the hour the tower sparkles for a few min and gives the whole city a free show.   Grace and I took our pictures and then laid down on the grass in the Champ de Mars and just enjoyed the night.  We sat next to this group of about 8 older women who were sharing a bottle of vodka and all laughing historically….Grace and I decided that would be us in 40 years J We got to see the tower sparkle one more time before we decided it was late enough to start heading back.  We wanted to walk along the river and see the Louver at night, however the walk was far too long, and about half way, and around 1am we decided to take the metro back.  We got back and our roommates were already sleep and the lights were off, so we stumbled up to the top bed of the bunk-beds and passed out. 

  The next morning we woke up at 8am, got dressed and ate our “complimentary breakfast” which was 3 coins to use in the vending machine, in which you could get a plain croissant, a chocolate croissant, and a drink.  Today was going to be our sight seeing day.  We started out at the Louvre at 930.  We bought our museum pass so we didn’t have to wait in any lines and went right in.  HOLY COW!!!! That place is HUGE!!!  Walking in was like a dream though, and it was very architecturally amazing.  We knew we wanted to see everything, and had limited time, so we knew we would be walking pretty fast through the exhibits.  You really could spend a week in each different wing and still not see it all.  There was so much history and so much art it was overwhelming.  We started in the Denon hall, where we saw (only listing the most famous) Mona Lisa, The Winged Victory of Samothrace, The Raft of the Medusa, The Wedding Feast at Cana, Psyche and Cupid, Aphrodite known as Venus de Milo, along with hundreds of others.  Next was the Rickelieu hall, where we saw many statues including Tomb of Philippee Pot, Winged Bull, and Napoleon III stuff.  Last but not least was the Sully hall, filled with hundred of thousands of French and English paintings and also a really cool Ancient Egypt exhibit.  We also got to go in the basement where we saw the Medieval Moat and old walls of the old Louver.  In all, it was AMAZING- and I would LOVE to go back someday and really sit and study more of the art.  After our marathon through the Louvre, we went outside for our pictures where we got a few fun ones with the famous glass pyramid in the background!  I was glad we went as early as we did because by the time we left that place was PACKED full of visitors. 

  Next we walked down the Seine down to the Nortre Dame and to explore the Latin Quarters.  The area was FULL of tourists and had quite long lines.  At this point we were both wearing cute little dresses, however, France was getting cold and windy, so we decided to get lunch and then run home and change into jeans and come back to the Nortre Dame to climb it. When we got back, the crowds had died down and we went into the church with no lines at all.  Inside was quite different that what I was expecting.  I think I was expecting the extravagance of the cathedrals there in Florence, and it defiantly was not extravagant.  It was quite simple, and plain, which great stained glass windows.  After exploring the church, we went to go see if we could climb the tower, however it was closed for an hour, so we decided to walk around.  Right across from Notre Dame we found  a cute little bookstore tucked away, called Shakespeare and Company.  We decided to go inside and… man I was SO glad we did.  This place was lined, from top to bottom, with every kind of book imaginable.  They had Shakespeare, politics, kids books, fables, fiction, horror, and everything in between.  There was just an aura around this place that was calming… it was just one of those places.  There was a random young guy playing the piano in the back (yeah a piano was crammed into this tiny little bookshop), and Grace and I just sat down and read for a bit.  There were walls covered in notes from people and pictures from people who had visited, and it was just a really unique place.  I’m not sure how else to describe it, other than it was just one of those moments that I will forever remember.

  By now enough time had passed that we went back to Notre Dame and got to climb the tower to go see Quasimodo. Let me tell you- climbing this tower is not for the easily tired individual.  There are a million steps up to the top (ok only 400… but still.. its A LOT) and its all a tiny, crammed, stone, spiral staircase.  It was quite a workout if I do say so myself.  We finally get to the top and it was AMAZING! You could see all of Paris and it was so breathtaking.  The best part though was the gargoyles lining the top.  They were pretty funny and we took great pictures with them.  We got to climb into the bell tower where we saw where Quasimodo lived and it was fun, but again, small quarters.  It was not made for tall people for sure.  We then took even MORE steps up to a higher balcony and got an even better view of the city.  It was in all a really fun experience.  We then got to take the million steps (ok 400+) back down the spiral stairs again.  Going down was much easier than going up, but it sure was an easy was to get a little dizzy too.  Upon reaching the bottom we went out to the square in front of it and took some self timer pictures that we will cherish forever.  We had a grand time taking silly pics in front of Notre Dame, and I think we were good entertainment for everyone around us too!

  Next we headed to Musee d’Orsay.  Again, this place was overflowing with art.  They have over 13 thousand painting, and over 13 thousand sculptures from all kinds of artist from Van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Millet, Pissarro, Vallotton, Bonnard, Denis, Bouguereau, so many more I couldn’t possibly list them all.  There were 5 floors, and we tried to do it all in under 2 hours.  Again, we were pretty rushed.  But we got to see some amazing art, and did enjoy an ice cream Sunday in the Café too J It was absolutely inspiring and again, I wish I could go back and really enjoy the art more…. Oh well, I guess its just another excuse to have to come back here!  When we finished our mad rush through here we decided to take a little break and sit outside the museum for a bit and just enjoy the Paris atmosphere.  After some much needed rest for our feet, we decided to walk down the Jardin Des Tuleries  and follow the Champs Elysses to the Arc de Triomphe!  This walk was long, but really worth it.  We got to see locals, and tourists, and crowded streets filled with expensive shops.  Once we got to the Arc we used our pass and got right in and then… YEP… climbed MORE stairs.  I tell ya my nickname should be "Stair Master!!"  I would TOTALLY be ok with never having to climb another step ever again! Hahah! So anyway, we climb up the millions of steps up the small spiral staircase up to the top of the Arc and get another beautiful view of the city.  It was a bit hazy at this point, so the Eiffel Tower was almost eerie but still very cool.  We spent a good amount of time up there just enjoying the sights before heading down for more pictures.  We then decided to head to dinner.

  Then we took the metro up to the Eiffel Tower and got in the long line to be able to take the elevator up to the top.  We finally got our ticket, and got shoved in the tiny elevator and taken up to the first deck where we had to switch elevators.  And there waiting was yet another line- haha!  So we waited in line again, then finally got into another packed elevator and shipped up to the very top of the tower.  Even thought this took quite a while, it was well worth the wait! The view from up at the top was spectacular!  And while we were up on the tower it struck the hour, which meant we got to enjoy the sparkle from the inside (although to tell ya the truth, the view from the outside was much more fun.)  We took our pictures up at the top, and enjoyed every second of it before coming back down to the bottom.  Before we left the Tower, it was about to strike another hour, so we ran to our little park we found the night before with all the older couples and sat on the park bench and watched the tower twinkle one more time! It was fantastic! By this point it was again after midnight and time to head home to the hostle for a short nights sleep. 

  The following morning we woke up before 7 and took the train up to Versailles, which was Marie- Antoinette’s Estate.( It was an hour train ride, and we wanted to get there before the crowds really got bad.) Wow, she spared no expense with her gold gates, and magnificent rooms.  This palace was really a sight to see! Our museum pass got us in the castle and the Grand Trianon for free so we took full advantage of this and toured them both.  We got to see the Queens Chamber, Kings Chamber, the galleries in the chapel, the 17^th century galleries, and the history galleries, along with the heir to the throne Dauphin’s Apartment, and Louis XV’s daughter Mesdames’ Apartment. We also got to see the famous Hall of Mirrors, which was probably my favorite room because it is also lines with magnificent chandeliers.  After this tour we walked up through the town and along side the castle for about 25 minutes past the horse and sheep fields up to the Grand Trianon.  This was the queens little villa where she would go and it was decorated much differently than the Castle.  In all, we had a great time.  We left and decided to grab lunch along the way, then walked back to the train station and took the train back up main Paris to our next destination. 

  Next on our to-do list was the Catacombs in the 14^th district.  We had to wait in line for a bit, but it was worth the wait.  The whole Catacomb walk through was about 45 minutes, and about half of that was completely lined with bones.  It was astonishing as to just how many bones were there.  And they were not just thrown in, they were well organized, some even in shapes, like a cross made of skulls, and we even saw skulls shaped in a heart shape.  This Catacomb was dark, damp, and LOW.  Again, not made for tall people, and I found myself ducking a good portion of the time.  We weren’t allowed to take pictures with flash down there ( I have NO idea why) but under the dark damp conditions you really couldn’t see anything, but we managed to make a BFF with one of the security guards down there and he held his HUGE spotlight out for us wherever we wanted to take pictures and we managed to get some really cool pictures! J

  After we came out of the Catacombs, we took the metro up to the Moulin Rouge 18^th district.  We found the Moulin Rouge area, and the huge windmill, and it was really kind of a disappointment.  There really wasn’t much to see from the outside, and you couldn’t enter without a heavy fee, so we took our pics and headed to Sacre Coeur. Now Sacre Coeur is on the top of the hill in this district, so guess what… MORE steps! Along the way, we saw some chocolate pastries in the window of a shop for a very reasonable price, so we stopped there and enjoyed a little treat to give us some energy! We climb another million steps up to the top and enter the church and it was probably one of the most amazing experiences I have had yet.  We walked in on Saturday Mass being conducted by the Nuns, so we sat down for a while and enjoyed the service.  They had such lovely voices, and although there weren’t many of them, maybe 10 total, but their voices filled the church and it was a really intense experience.  Grace and I just sat there in awe, and were really grateful that we got to experience this first hand.  The inside of the church was also beautiful and filled with hundreds of thousands of candles.  The mosaic on the ceiling was remarkable, the detail was incredible and the stained glass was really amazing.  After observing the mass, we walked around the church, signed the guest book and headed outside to the steps.  There we found TONS of people just sitting and enjoying the Saturday afternoon.  There was a guy on the steps playing the guitar singing different popular songs so we sat there for a while and just enjoyed life for a while, until some creepy guys came and tried to talk to us, so we moved to a different portion of the steps to finish listening.  After an hour or so we decided to go explore more, so we headed down and looked for the metro to take us back to the Eiffel Tower again for dinner.  Along the way we went into many shops and wound up buying some fun little scarf’s too.

  We decided on a pizzeria of all things that was right by the tower for dinner, because it smelled amazing and was well priced.  Grace got salmon pasta with an egg in it, and I got a pizza with cheese, tomatoes, meat, and egg on it and we shared.  It was DELICIOUS!  Exhausted from our 2 days of running around Paris, Grace and I were running on fumes, so after dinner we headed back to the hostle and packed our bags and went straight to bed.

  We woke up at 545am and threw on our clothes and headed to the metro to take us back to the airport bus station. It was an EARLY day- but we were back home by about 2 pm.  So, in all, one busy, amazing weekend! I am SO glad I got to go to Paris, even for only 2 full days, and in all I am absolutely in LOVE with Paris, and can’t wait to go back! I’ve decided I could live there quite easily and can’t wait for that to be a reality! J

 Pictures (2 albums) 

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2138524&id=18312640&l=4f9615cb8f

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2138525&id=18312640&l=1e543cea45

SPRING BREAK March 20-27 2009

Nice-

     So our amazing adventure began on Friday morning when Lisa, Allison, Grace and I caught our 7:50am train to Nice.  The train was 8 hours long- BUT very cheap and VERY worth it.  The entire train ride (minus all the tunnels) was filled with beautiful views of the countryside.  It was really breathtaking to be on the coast and see the amazing ocean and towns.  In all- very cool.  We all slept a bit, read a bit, and just overall enjoyed each others company and the ride.  We arrived in Nice, and went to go find out hostel, which was pretty close to the station, so we dropped off our bags and headed out to go check out the city.  We walked down the main street, or Avenue Jean, and went down to the beach.  It was absolutely stunning. We continued exploring Nice and walking up and down the coast until we had worked up quite an appetite.  We wondered around looking for a reasonable restaurant to eat in, by the way France in general is VERY expensive L So after walking and becoming very desperate, I asked a woman on the street where a good place to eat would be ( in French mind you J ) and she recommended a restaurant just a few streets over in the more local part of town named Restaurant D’Angletere.  We went there and for a 16 Euro set price, we had unlimited fish soup with bread and this AMAZING spicy mayo spread, a steak with fries and spinach, pasta, and a chocolate moose dessert.  It was perfect and the people there were incredibly nice.  We were the only non-French people in there- but they treated us like family and were so so nice. By this time we were beat from our day of travel- so we headed back to the hostel where we were in an 8 person co-ed dorm.  There was a boy named Jeremy from England there and so the 5 of us played cards all night.  We played BS (or absolute rubbish) and got pretty intense with a game of Egyptian Rat Trap.  It was a really fun night of bonding.

    The next morning we woke up early, and ate at the place across the street where we enjoyed a lovely breakfast of bread, omelets, and coffee before we decided to explore more.  We headed back to the train station and decided to take a train to Antibes for the day.  We arrived in Antibes after a short ride and walked down to the water.  Antibes is apparently a popular hangout for HUGE yachts.  So, the 4 of us girls thoroughly enjoyed walked around the dock, picking out our future yachts and seeing these multi million dollar toys.  We continued into town and tried to go to the Picasso Museum there, however upon arrival we found it was closed for the season- and was getting renovated (like everything else in Europe).  So we were pretty sad about that, but continued to walk around the town and found a local market and other small galleries.  We decided to save money and buy a simple lunch of bread and cheese, and took it back to the yachts and ate on the dock.  It was AMAZING.  Simple, easy, and perfect.  We sat and soaked in the sun and really just enjoyed being able to relax.  After a few hours we decided to walk the coastline of Antibes, so we went to the beach and followed it all the way around town.  The beaches in Antibes are breathtaking.  (Now- I know I am going to say beautiful, and other synonyms for it a lot in this upcoming passage- but I really am running out of words to describe how utterly amazing these sights were- so while you may get sick of hearing it-there is nothing I can do-sorry about that). Along the way on the beach we ran into these urban jumper boys that like to run and jump off the main walkway onto the sand, and do acrobatically tricks in the process.  So the first guy we saw take a running leap onto the sand while doing a double front flip and lands perfectly on his feet.  Needless to say we were impressed, so we sat there in awe and just watched them for a while.   After exploring the coast and getting a little pastry along the way we decided to head home to Nice.  We got back and finally decided on a Chinese restaurant on the corner by our hostel.  It was spicy, and delicious and we were exhausted.  So we then went home, and fell fast asleep. 

    Sunday we had to checkout by 10 am so we were getting our info all ready only to discover we couldn’t find our flight itinerary for flying to Barcelona later that day.  Luckily, the family that owned the hostel was AMAZINGLY nice to us (his name was Fredderick, and his son was Fredderick JR, and after I was talking to him in French, he told me I had a great French accent! I was pretty stoked! Especially considering I hadn’t spoken French since JR year in high school! ) SO anyway- he let us borrow their computer (free of charge) to check our info. Only the info was nowhere to be found, and there was a lot of confusion and miscommunication and we had thought the transaction didn’t go through with the flights.  I was freaking out- BUT we figured it all out after careful tracing and searching and we did indeed have a flight.  So we got our info, and went to breakfast.  We ate at a little café on the main street and people watched.  It was really lovely. We walked back to the beach after this and walked through their local farmers market in the middle of old town.  They had flowers, and candy, and fruit, and vegetables, and everything one could imagine.  We bought a kilo of strawberries together and went to the beach and sat on the beach and ate them.  They were the best strawberries I have ever had in my life. We sat there on the beach, rolled up our jeans and just soaked in the sun.  After a few hours we decided some ice cream was needed so we went back to the market where we found a store that had about 50 flavors of ice cream.  They had about 10 different flower flavors, like rose, and lavender, and had every fruit imaginable along with chocolates and other fun mixes like cactus.  It was quite a sight.  So we all enjoyed our ice cream and decided we should continue exploring.  We walked over to the castle up on the hill, where there was a little hike that leads to a waterfall and a beautiful site of the city.  The waterfall was amazing, the sites were amazing, and on top of the hill also was a huge park filled with families and playgrounds and tons of little kids.  It was awesome to see so many locals enjoying a Sunday with their families.  After we explored the mountain, we were again famished so we walked down the coast and found a sports bar named Queenie where they were playing the Liverpool football (or soccor) match.  So we all got pizza (which had an egg on it, and was surprisingly amazing) and a beer, and watched the game.  We decided to cheer for Liverpool (since they had the cutest players J ) and wound up winning the match.  By now it was time to go and catch the bus to take us to the airport. 

 

Barcelona-

    So we headed back and got our luggage, and took the bus to the Nice airport.  We get there and the plane is delayed by an hour and a half, so we wound up playing cards in the airport on the floor.  Well our plane winds up being about 4 hours late, and finally at about 2 am we take off and get into Barcelona.  By this time everything, including the information center, is closed because its 3 am.  We were not sure how to get to our hostel at all.  After searching for a map of any sort, I finally just ask these workers there who wound up being very nice and helped us figure out how to get there.  We took a cab, with a very lively native Barcelona man who didn’t speak a lick of English, and we really knew no Spanish- so that was fun… but then we got to our hostel only to find out we were locked out since it was 3 am.  We tried calling the owners and didn’t get an answer- great- 3am, have no idea where we are in Barcelona, and have no where to stay.  No problem, we walk over to a nice hotel across the way and I ask the guy at the front desk to help us, and he calls the hostel owner and speaks to him in Spanish and we wind up getting it all figured out and he comes to let us in.  We were lucky and had our own room with 4 beds, however, our balcony door didn’t really close, so we were all freezing all night.  It was quite annoying.  On top of this, the owner told us breakfast was served from 8:30-10am everyday, and we hadn’t eaten in about 10 hours by this point and were very ready for breakfast.  So we all climb into bed and set our alarms for 9 am so we can eat a good breakfast.  We get up at 9, and no breakfast, no anyone- so we wait for 15 min- and go back to bed and wake up in 45 min and still no one- so we had no breakfast, we were starving, and we were cold…. BUT we were in Barcelona.

    We finally get up about noon- and want to shower and get ready to go explore, but all the hot water was gone- so a cold shower was a great start to our first day in Barcelona.  We were about ready to eat our own hands at this point so we leave and find that we have a café right next to us, so we go in and I snarffed a cheeseburger with lots of Tabasco on it. We then went walking to get to know the city.  We were right next to the Arc de Triomf and walked the Parc de la Ciutadella and walked by the Zoo too.  It was a lovely Monday walk indeed.  From here we walked down to the beach and walked up and down the beach.  Now, Barcelona had 17 Starbucks, and one of the girls I traveled with was a Starbucks feign, so we started looking for the coffee shops on the beach.  After aimless searching we decided to go into the local grocery store and buy some bread and cheese and meat and chips and go eat on the beach- so we rolled up our jeans and sat there socking in the sun again- which was lovely J  On the way home we found a Starbucks, and all enjoyed a coffee to pick us up.  We continued exploring and found our  home where we all took an hour power nap.  Then we met up with one of our friends Martin and his friend Leo who is studying abroad here and they took us to Leo’s favorite bar named Obama’s (not after the president- its been here for a long time) But the inside is all Africa themed with pics of animals and safari’s.  It was really fun.  We got a tortilla wrap of some sort and more Tabasco and really chowed down.  It was delicious. We enjoyed a drink and then headed back to sleep in the Hostel. 

    We woke up in the morning to breakfast provided (thank God)  but it was just a crape/pancake mix with fruit jams that we ate all of.  Luckily no one else was really in the hostel, so we ate to our little hearts content.  I then enjoyed a warm shower, which just made the whole morning better.  So we decided today was our tour day- and we really wanted to go see all the Gaudi architecture.  Now, Barcelona is filled with AMAZING architecture, I could spend all day just taking pictures of the buildings (which I did) but my most favorite were from Gaudi.  He is AMAZING and a genius and you should google him and see his history because its really interesting!  We walked by several of his buildings- all of which it costs money to get in, so we just looked from the outside.  We did however feel it necessary to go and see the Sagrada Familia, which is a temple built for the Sagrada family.  He was commissioned to do the temple, but never finished, and it is actually under construction now, and it is predicted to be done in 2025. So reunion in Barcelona when its done J We went there and saw his amazing nature inspired style or architecture and with this ticket to get in we could also go to his park and visit his house.  When we were done at the Sagrada Familia we  took the train to the park.  After a lot of uphill walking we finally got to the park and it was really pretty.  He originally designed this park for rich living- but his idea didn’t really work out and now it’s a public park for all, which is much better! He made a really nice ceramic, mosaic bench that goes around the entire lookout point, and has fun architecture all over.  We really enjoyed ourselves there.  We went to go into Gaudi’s house, which was a bit of a disappointment; there was only furniture in there, which was cool, but really not a good use of time.  So we left there and at this point, our friends Martin and Leo had met up with us.  Leo told us about this trail from the park that leads up the mountain to one of the best views in Barcelona.  So we followed him up for a 30 min hike up the mountain (which was steep) and came to one of the most beautiful views I have ever seen.  In front of us was the whole view of Barcelona main city and ocean; behind us and on our sides was all residential living.  It was amazing and truly breathtaking.   We sat up there for quite a while just enjoying the scenes and then climbed down the mountain and back to the train station to head home.  For dinner we decided to stop at a restaurant we saw along the way called Rosa Negra.  It was happy hour, so we all ordered drinks, and I got a margarita which was only ok.  Then we got a starter of guacamole and chips, and it was delectable! I then got a pork burrito that had beans and rice and tomatoes and onions in it. It was huge, and filling, and just what I wanted.  We really liked this restaurant.  On the way home it had gotten quite cold, so we stopped at a Starbucks for dessert and a coffee.  We stayed there for a few hours, until they closed then headed home and crashed. 

    The next morning we awoke to a full hostel, and the shower line was far too long so we ate our breakfast and packed up our stuff and headed out for our last day in Barcelona. We really wanted to go see the Picasso museum so we headed there first.  The exhibit was really cool and I had no idea Picasso was so good at all forms of art.  I just thought of him as an abstract artist and kind of interesting lopsided faces, however, he was really good at drawing and drew people and landscapes all the time. Overall, I learned a lot from the exhibit.  By the time we went through this exhibit we didn’t have a ton of time so we headed back to the hostel to get our bags.  Along the way we stopped at Rosa Negra again for lunch.  We got their lunch special where for 9 Euro we ate quesadillas, rice, a salad, dessert and a drink.  It was delicious.  We then headed to the bus station to head to the airport.  Security in the Barcelona airport was very strange.  No one ever checked our passports, we breezed through security, with bottles that were well over 3 oz and other belongings that a US airport would confiscate.  And did I mention they NEVER CHECKED OUR PASSPORTS… we found this very odd.  Once in the airport, the airline we flew, called Ryan Air, is like Southwest Airlines where it’s a first come first seat deal.  So we staked out our place at the front of the line to wait, and in the meantime the gift shop was having a sale on chocolate and wine, so we got one of each and shared it while waiting for our flight.....only in Europe! We get on the plane and snag an exit row … LOTS of legroom! I was a happy camper.  We flew out of Barcelona and into Porto just as it was sunset, so the entire plane ride was absolutely stunning.  Ryan Air is a different airline in the sense that the whole plane the flight attendants were walking up and down the aisle trying to sell us things.  They first walk up and back selling food and drink, then books and magazines, then lotto tickets and other strange thing.  It was so annoying and very strange for us.  Our landing was a bit rough and upon our landing, there was music that came over the loud speaker like a champion song.  Then on the loud speaker it says “We have landed!” and the entire plane starts cheering.  The four of us are now looking at each other tying to figure out what is going on and why people are cheering.  Then the loud speaker says “Ryan Air has a 92% success rate of landing…........on time!” I started cracking up.  I was like a “92% success rate of landing”- great never taking this again, and then they said the “on time” part and I was in stitches. 

 

 

PORTO-

    So we get off the plane, and head in the airport, where again we go through customs, with no one even looking at our passports or anything.  Pretty much we just walked through the door, that was it, nothing else.  We got help from the information desk and got a map and metro card and headed to our new hostel.  Upon arrival we checked in and needed to grab dinner, and the girl at the front desk recommended the place across the street.  So we went up there to check it out and it was all in Portuguese.  Luckily there was a lady there, named Vera, who spoke English since she lived in the States for a year and helped explain to us what each meal was.  There were so many amazing things on the menu, we decided to just get four different dishes and share family style.  We got steak, veal, pork, and codfish.  The codfish was the winner of the night and we had 3 helpings of it, they just kept coming out and bring us more.  It was amazing.  Best seafood I’ve had.  Also for their bread, they bring out tuna to spread on the bread instead of butter…overall wonderful!  After our tummy’s were full and we were quite content, Vera came over and talked to us for about 45 min in which she wrote down all the places we should go to see and just talked to us about her life.  It was fabulous- gotta love making BFF’s over in Portugal.  By this time it was close to midnight so we went back to our Hostel and slept.

    We woke up early in the morning- because we only had one full day in Porto and wanted to get the most out of it.  So we ate our breakfast that was provided, cereal and bread and yogurt.  Then we took a bus over to the Ponte Luis I (or a main bridge in town) and went over the river over to the different wine cellars in Porto.  We first went to Sandeman- which was really cool, and they had this whole display on how they got their name and their marketing and advertising techniques they use- which I found fascinating.  When we went to go tour the factory, we found out we would have to wit like 30 min, so we walked next door to the next wine place called Calem.  We took the tour and got a tasting of two of their wines too.  Porto is known for their dessert wines, and they were very fruity, and very alcoholic.  I liked them, but they definitely weren’t my favorites.  At this point, we were itching to get to the beach, so we took the bus back over to our hostel which was right next to the shore, and stopped at the grocery store and picked up more sandwich materials, went to the beach and laid out in the 77 degree weather.  We stayed there for several hours and soaked in as much sun as we could. And you have to remember that it was a Thursday so the beach was not too crowded, and it was overall just perfect.  After our fill of the sun we went back and showered and headed back downtown to find somewhere to eat.  We found a little diner that was cheap and was playing the Portuguese version of “The Price is Right.”   It was funny and we enjoyed ourselves.  We then got a blizzard at McDonalds right next to it and headed to the bus stop to head home. Upon waiting for the bus we experienced much catcalling, a black Mercedes filled with 6 guys came and pulled up and opened their doors and started cat calling us… after feeling uncomfortable, we just started laughing… and then they finally left.   Then we saw this guy that was drunk off his ass and was leaning against the bus stop for dear life.  Some of the locals that were there with us shooed him away.  We went back and climbed into bed and fell asleep. 

    The next morning we had to wake up at like 5:30 am so we set our alarm, but forgot to change our cell phone clocks an hour back (since Porto is a different time zone than Florence) and wound up waking up an hour early.  We got up and ate and got dressed only to realize we had an extra hour. Hahah. Better early than late I guess.  So when 6:15 am rolled around we headed to the bus stop and took it to the airport.  Here we experienced even different security.  They checked us quite thoroughly and did a pretty intense pat down to each of us, and then searched all of our bags and took everything out and took all of our liquids.  They also took two of the books we had, a Rick Steves traveling Europe book and a Condoleezza Rice book and scanned them through security like 3 times before letting us have them again.  Very strange.  We got to our flight with only 30 min to spare and found out of plane was filled with middle school kids going to Pisa.  So our flight was noisy, and annoying- but we got to Pisa.  From here we took a train to the train station, and then took another train into Florence.

    So now I am back home, 4 countries, and 4 different languages in 7 days, what a spring break! Definitely not an experience I will forget J What a lucky girl I am! Speaking 4 different languages got a bit tricky- and we wound up speaking a lot of Italian out of habit- which was actually really nice because it made me realize how much I have learned while being here!! This coming up weekend is Paris! Can't wait! :) 

Pictures

Nice-

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2137352&id=18312640&l=d7ab5f5a1d

Barcelona-

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2137357&id=18312640&l=e23de278e6

Porto-

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2137361&id=18312640&l=4d9103be0b

The city of a hundred spires truly lived up to its name.  Prague is absolutely beautiful and probably one of my favorite cities I have ever been to.  We left for our excursion on Thursday night, at 8pm.  We met at the train station and from there took a 13 hour bus ride all the way up to Prague.  Thirteen hours you say? Yes it was very long- but they played movies on the bus and we tried to sleep as much as we could.  Sleeping was not very comfortable, but the scenery all the way up through Germany was absolutely breathtaking.  It was actually snowing!  We arrived in Prague about 8 am where we checked into out Amazing 3 star hotel, Ibis, and took a power nap in a real bed until 10 am when we met our tour group for an orientation tour of Prague.  Our hotel was located right in the middle of downtown, so we were very close to all the touristy sights.  A quick 20 minute walk and we walked right by Saint Wenceslas Statue, the main square (Vaclavske nam), past the local markets and vendors into old town Prague where the Astronomical clock and Tynsky Cathedral (which resembles Disney World Castles) are located in Starmestske nam.  There is also a Starbucks in this square- just FYI- the first one I have seen in 5 weeks!  Needless to say we stopped to take a picture and also have a coffee!  Then we went to the amazing bagel shop, Bohemia Bagels, where I enjoyed a huge bagel covered in cream cheese and turkey and tomatoes and a huge bowl of their local potato, egg, mushroom soup for only 89 Czech Crown (CZK)!!! That is only like 3 Euro! Which was quite AMAZING!!!

 

From here we walked to the Charles Bridge where we were then allowed to be on our own for the rest of the day.  A few girls and I decided we wanted to hit up the Galerie Rudolfinum right next to us and see the Andy Warhol Motion Picture exhibit.   It was an exhibit of 10 motion pictures that focused on the artist’s “screen test.”  Pretty much it was 10 screens set up in different halls all displaying people doing different things   There was an film called Sleep, The Thirteen Most Beautiful Women, Kiss, Haircut, and more which were...well… interesting to say the least… hahaha.  After that exhibit we wanted to go see all the Jewish Museums in Prague because they would be closed on Saturday, since that is their day of worship.  There were six sites on our ticket, most of which were different synagogues around town, and then we also got to see the Old Jewish Cemetery.  This cemetery had over 12 thousand tombstones, which date as far back as 1439.  This was really quite an eerie place to see.

 

After this we decided to go and get lost in Prague, and just get to know the area.  Eventually we wound up back in the Staromestske nam by the Astronomical clock and got the best bratwerst I have ever had.  It was less than 50 CZK, covered in mustard and ketchup in an amazing bread bun, and Grace and I shared it quite easily and thoroughly enjoyed it.  After shopping around some more we decided to go back to the hotel for a much needed power nap.

 

We met our group that night for dinner at 8pm where we walked over to the oldest and most famous beerhouse in Prague, called U Fleku , founded in 1499.  We sat in this huge room filled with about 6 huge long wooden tables and benches on either side where we all squished together and had a traditional Czech meal.  We started out with bread and their homemade beer and then were given a Czech soup, main dish, and apple stroodle for dissert.  The main dish I chose was their Goulash, which was AMAZING! It was very different from our family Goulash, but was SO delicious- a mix of pork and beef in a dark gravy stew, served with three slices of bread and potatoes.  Needless to say- I was stuffed to the rafters after this meal.  The best part about this place is they had a traditional Czech band playing old Czech songs while we ate.  I got pictures and videos of them playing and even requested my favorite Czech song, the 7 Step Polks, but they told me they couldn’t play that song because they were on a strict music plan of what to play when.  Kind of sad, but overall the old Czech men were really fun and loved playing for us.

 

Then our group went to the famous Karlovy Lazne, a 5-story night club.  Each floor has a different theme, ie: hiphop, house, techno, trance chill out, and 70’s 80’s and 90’s house.  Each level was jam packed with Prague kids, like 15 in age- which was very strange! But there was amazing music and lights and dancing on every level.  After staying at the club for a while, we decided to head home and get some sleep so we could be ready to go early the following morning. 

The next morning we got up and ate our amazing breakfast that was offered by our hotel.  I had about 2 bowls of cereal, 4 chocolate little pasties, and a sandwich.  We really wanted to fill up so we wouldn’t have to eat till dinner.  After our fill of food, we walked all the way over to the Kariuvnost, better known to us as the Charles Bridge.  The bridge is covered with local vendors selling painting, jewelry, and different crafts.  There is also tons of live music on the bridge, which I found quite delightful and fun.  We walked all around the area finding different parks and galleries and shops to stop in.  Slowly we made our way up past St. Nicolas Church and up to the Prague Castle.  The sight from up here was incredible- because the Castle is located on top of a huge hill.  The trek alone was quite a work out- but well worth it.  We took pictures with the Prague Castle guards standing guard at the entrance gate, trying to make them laugh was quite fun.  We then made out way across this over 7 football fields long estate (which by the way hold the world record as the largest Castle in the World!) and came to the St. Vitus Cathedral.  The inside of this Cathedral was honest to God absolutely breathtaking.  Every window is covered in amazing stained glass, and the gothic architecture is truly unique.  The best part of our visit however, was the fact that there was a choir of older gentleman practicing for the service on Sunday, so we got to stand there and just listen to their beautiful songs while enjoying the Cathedral.  It was a really unique experience that I will not forget.  I even took a short video of it-which I will be glad to share with anyone interested.  

 

After touring the Cathedral and around the grounds a bit more it was coming upon noon- which is when there is the Changing of the Guards at the front entrance.  So we staked out a spot, weasled our way through the masses, and watched the Changing.  It was kind of fun- there was a 7 piece band playing from the 2^nd story while the Guards did their traditional changing.  After observing this- Grace and I walked back down the hill to further explore this side of the river.  Upon our exploration we came across the John Lennon Wall.  This was a wall that the locals would come and paint and graffiti everyday, and each morning the police would come and paint over all the artwork that the locals had left.  Finally one day the police stopped painting over it and since that point everyone that comes to visit the wall writes on it.  This wall was SO cool! There was artwork you wouldn’t believe on it, and tons of inspirational quotes and saying written all over it.  It was a very cool experience to see all the love people were trying to spread. I signed the wall with my name :)  

 

We continued walking and stumbled upon a park on the river.  We went in and enjoyed the swings, which were very hard to get into- I guess they weren’t made for older kids… hahah ! We also did all the ropes and climbing we could and went down the slides and enjoyed the day.  Later on Grace and I decided we should probably head back to the hotel, and with out feet begging for a rest after hours of walking, we took a quick power nap before we again headed out for dinner. 

 

For dinner we went to a French-Asian 5 star restaurant located near the Staromestske nam. We were early as far as dinner standards in Prague, so we had no problem getting a seat in this amazing restaurant, which also had a photo gallery in their basement that was dedicated to dogs! Hahah! It was a fun gallery to see.  For dinner, I had a chicken dumpling soup and a salmon fillet that was sitting on a carefully crafted mound of spinach, broccoli, potatoes and a butter sauce.  It was INCEDIBLE! So so so so good! And we spent less than 17 euro on it, what a steal! We decided we wanted to get dessert in the nam where they were selling these traditional Czech pastries, Trdelnik.  It was like a circular dough covered in sugar and caramel and nuts… pretty much amazingness!  After this we went on the Prague Pub Crawl experience.   We went home quite early to get a good nights sleep for Sunday.

 

The next day we woke up around 9 am , had our amazing breakfast and then headed out to buy souvenirs.  We walked around and wound up back in the Staromestske nam where we found a museum showing Salvedor Dali artwork.  So Grace and I explored the exhibit and saw his different artwork.He is a really cool artist and I would suggest everyone Googling him!  By the time we finished this exhibit we had to run to the bus and spend 13 hours on it and get back into Florence around 12:20 am.  I was home and in bet before 2 but it was a LONG and tiring day.  Over all it was an AMAZING weekend and I met tons of great people! I loved every moment of it and  I can’t wait to go back to Prague!

To see pictures from Prague- go to 

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2133856&id=18312640&l=34b66

This weekend was another adventure to add to the books.  Our program met at the train station at 8 am for our EuroStar train to Roma.  Its about a 1.5 hour train ride- I slept the whole way again- and we arrived about 10 am.  From here we took a short public bus to a street near our hotel.  We stayed at the Hotel Pomezia on Via dei Chiavari (or the key makers street) which was found right next to the huge local market called the Campo de Fiori (or field of flowers).  The hotel was lovely and we were very fortunate to be given a large buffet style breakfast every morning.  After getting our rooming assignments we were on our own until 2:30pm.  So a few other girls and I just walked the streets looking for fun.  We came upon the Chiessa del Gesu, which is a beautiful church found in the plaza del Gesu.  Then we went to the Piazza Campidoglio which is where Mussolini used to give his infamous speeches to the town from his window.  Right next to that is the Monumenro a Vittorio Emanuele which is a monument to honnor Vittorio Emanuele the first king of a unified Italy.  Its HUGE and is all made of marble and is really quite pretty.  From the upper balconies here you can see all of Roma and the sights are unparallel.  We explored all over this for about an hour, and we found a church there that had over 53 chandeliers hanging from its alter and ceiling.  They were simply stunning- all crystal- but unfortunately you couldn’t take pictures.  From here we saw the Colonna Traiana which is a really tall column made up of 19 blocks of marble with a helicoidal band of figures spiraling up it, documenting the Dacian War of Emperor Trajan. From here we walked down the via  dei Fori Imperaili passing hundreds of ruins on either side until we came to the Colosseo (or Coloseum).  We had our own tour here on Sunday, so we kept walking through the Arco di Constantino where the soldiers used to have to walk through to enter the main square of Roma.  We kept walking and came to the Circo Massimo, which was the largest horse racing arena in Europe.  It is now covered in grass and most of the locals go there and eat and play and use it as a recreational park.

 

By now it was time to meet up for our tour, so we headed back to the hotel.  Our amazing tour guide was named Freya, and she was originally from Australia but has living in Florence for 8 years.  She was an art history major, and was younger, so she had the coolest accent and she was the best tour guide ever.  I really don’t think I would have enjoyed learning all this history as much as I did if it weren’t for her own excitement on the subjects.  Our tour was about 3 hours and on the tour we went to several places.  First was the Piazza Navona which is a city square that follows the plan of an ancient Roman Circus,the 1st century Stadium of Domitian, where the Romans came to watch the agones ("games"). It was known as 'Circus Agonalis' (competition arena).  This square was filled with locals and live music and people selling lots of stuff.  We then continued to the Pantheon which was SO cool! The Pantheon is more than 43 meters high is most impressive. It was the largest dome in the world until 1436 when the Florence Cathedral was constructed. At the top of the dome is a large opening, the oculus, which was the only source of light for the entire complex. The front portico has three rows of 8 columns, each one with a diameter of 1.5m and is a solid piece of marble imported directly from Egypt.  Its diameter of the dome equals the interior height of 43.3m.  They brag that a perfect sphere could fit inside the Pantheon. (I could go on for pages about all the fun facts we learned, but Google does a great job too- so I urge you to look it up- it really is cool)  Then we went to the San Luigi dei Francesi, a French Church, and San Ignazio another famous Italian church (there are a lot of those around here J )  We ended our tour at the Fontana di Travi (Trevi Fountain). A traditional legend holds that if visitors throw a coin into the fountain while making a wish, they are ensured a return to Rome and get their wish too.  So I decided since I am an American, I should throw an American coin, so I chose to throw a Denver mint penny in for the luck.  By this time- it was about 50 below zero- or close to it and we were starving.  So a group of us went to a local restaurant and ate a three course meal for a 16 Euro special.  After this- we all walked home, picked up some gialto J and went back to the hotel.  It was about 9:30 pm and all of us girls went to bed.  Hahah! It was a LONG day, and we had to be up at 8 am for our tour. 

 

Saturday morning came far too soon, but we were well rested and ready to go.  We walked over to the Vatican City and Basillica Saint Pietro (or St. Peters Basilica).  We had a tour set up and got to tour the whole Musei Vaticani.  There are 54 Galleries total in this museum- so let me tell you- you could spend DAYS in this museum- and there was so much art, and so many statues, I can’t even begin to describe everything we saw- or you will be reading a novel.  Again, I think its another thing you should Google and see some of the absolutely amazing things there.  I will touch on a few of my favorites.  I loved The Gallery Of Maps- which houses topographical maps of the whole of Italy, painted on the walls by friar Ignazio Danti of Perugia, commissioned by Pope Gregory XIII  (1572–1585). The Gallery is 120 m long and it took Ignazio Danti three years (1580–1583) to complete the 40 panels.  There are also many galleries dedicated to different Roman and Greek sculptures that were really nice to hear the stories behind them.  My favorite thing by far was the Sistine Chapel. Under the patronage of Pope Julius II, Michelangelo painted 12,000 square feet (1,100 m²) of the chapel ceiling between 1508 and 1512.  This is truly a sight that everyone should see.  The magnitude of this art is unreal- and hundreds of people are in this room at a time- just admiring the art.  Behind the alter is painting of the Last Judgment which I also loved admiring.  The detail in his art is truly unreal and our tour guide Freya did a great job of explaining everything to us while there- along with little fun facts about Michelangelo and his little hidden things in his art.  For example, the lord of the underworld has the face of Cardinal Carafa and is complete with donkey ears and a snake biting his genitalia all due to the fact that this Cardinal insulted Michelangelo’s use of naked men in the painting.  Note to self, never insult a great artisan who is painting in fresco style on something that will last forever, he will be the winner in the end. J After spending hours in the museum we went into the Basillica to take pictures. To say this Basilica is huge is an understatement for sure.  Its about 6 acres long and can fit over 60,000 people in it at a time. The dome of St. Peter's rises to a total height of 136.57 m (448.06 ft) from the floor of the basilica to the top of the external cross.  The Statue of Liberty could fit in the dome without a problem. It was the tallest dome in the world with an internal diameter is 41.47 metres (136.06 ft) for quite a long time before being beat slightly by the Pantheon and Florence Cathedral.  SO to reiterate- it is HUGE! And also very beautiful!  We also saw the tombs of popes berried below the basilica- and here is another fun fact, Pope John Paul II’s tomb was the only one with secutiry guards surrounding it- and was OVERFLOWING with flowers, notes, candles and other things people had left there to honor him.  Again, pictures were not allowed inside. 

 

After being all toured out, a few of us decided to go to the long way home-  and went to the Piazza del Popolo for a beautiful view of the city, walked by the Villa Medici, and ended up at the Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti (Spanish Steps).  We decided to lay on the steps for a while- too tired to do anything else.  It was a great local hangout and the steps were quite crowded with other people just enjoying the sunshine.  After regaining some energy we voted for dinner at the Hard Rock Café.  Now- before you judge me for going to an American restaurant while in Roma, just know that there was one thing that sealed the deal for me…. They had an endless supply of RANCH! Lets just say I probably ate an entire container of ranch dressing while being there- and I was just a happy camper! :)

 

After dinner- we decide to do the Roma “pub crawl.”  Basically we gathered about a hundred other people on the Spanish Steps at 9 pm and were then told where the first destination was from there.  Upon arriving to the first pub, you pay 25 Euro, get a t-shit, and all the beer and wine you can drink for one hour.  After one hour, they lead everyone in a follow the leader line to the next pub where you get a free shot upon entry.  There are four pubs total, and then you end up at a disco techa for the rest for the night.  Now, knowing me- I made friends with all the right people and made sure we got in first to all these pubs, and got pictures with everyone.  In all, it was a great way to get to meet tons of people- I even met a few girls from CO and even a few other AXO’s! Because we started at 9:30pm we were so tired at midnight- and were in bed before 12:30am.

 

Sunday started with an 8:15am checkout time and then our tour of the Colosseo (Coliseum).  It was AMAZING- again- you should definitely Google its history. But some of the fun facts we learned were that women (even those of noble status) could not sit anywhere in the Colosseo besides at the upper most level that was designated to the slaves and bums. Sand was used for the fighting floor because it was better at soaking in the blood and stench of the killings.  They also had rose pedals soaking in water that they would spray around to try and make the smell of blood and guts and gore less prevalent during the matches.  Around the Colosseo you find about a dozen horse and carriages that will give you a tour around the city, and you also find tons of men dressed in cheap gladiator outfits asking you if you want a picture with them, and then after the picture they ask you for 5 Euro.  Not gonna lie- I was a bit disappointed by the lack of real costumes- I mean even their swards were cheap and cardboard. I did not take a picture with them. However, all cheap gladiators aside, the Colosseo was pretty cool!  We then had a few hours to kill before our train departed.  So we continued exploring the city and ate at a local Chinese restaurant with about 20 other Italians.  We then went back to the Circo Massimo and laid in the grass and enjoyed the sun.  Soon it was time for us to go- and now I am back in Florence feeling deader than a door knob.  Roma (which by the way is AMOR, or love backwards) was absolutely unreal, and the history is all over everywhere!  I am truly hoping my Denver penny in the Trevi fountain worked and I will someday soon return to this amazing place.  

Pictures of ROMA-   

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Here is the link for my pics from Venice and Murano and Burano-

This weekend has been quite the adventure, I feel as if I have been going non stop for about 3 full days.  I am very glad to be sitting my in room relaxing and able to take a breath.  My roommates Riki, Lara, and I left Thursday morning on the 8:36am EuroStar going to Venice.  We almost missed our train that morning because we decided to take a “short cut” that wound up making us SPRINT to our train with only 2 minutes to spare.  Lets just say we got quite a work out running through Florence.  Luckily- we made it and I was asleep the entire 3 hour train ride.  Upon arriving in Venice, we found the nicest man in the train station that helped us find our way to a hotel by foot.  It took us about a half hour to walk and find our hotel- mostly due to the fact I was taking pictures of EVERYTHING, and also the street system there is VERY confusing.  There is no grid, and it all goes around the canal, so as you can imagine there are hundreds of bridges and curved streets leading every which way….. really it is too easy to get lost.  But the locals were very friendly and helped us find out way.  We stayed in a little bed and breakfast called the Locanda Poste Vecie.  It was over by the fish market and fresh produce market, which was not only fun to smell all the time (hehe) but it really was nice to walk through it all and see the different things they had to offer.  My friend Grace and I got a vine of about 6 tomatoes and one blood orange for only ,50 cent! It was really delicious. 

 

So after we got all of our things in the room,we decided to explore.  We went all over Ponte Rialto and around the local shops.  We went to the famous Plazza San Marco and walked through the Basilica di Dan Marco too.  Inside the Basilica it was so beautiful, again unfortunately no pics allowed.  The inside ceiling was lined in gold and murals of historical religious figures. The floors were all tiled in very intricate marble designs.  It really was stunning and absolutely beautiful- which seems to be the case everywhere here in Italy.  On this adventure we also passed many gondola men that are dressed in blue and white striped shirts with the traditional straw hat and black pants.  They all try and sweet talk you for a cheap gondola ride.  “Oh because you have beautiful eyes I will give it to you for 80 Euro.”  With prices like that we were NOT intending to go on a gondola ride at all, however, I got haggling with this really nice man named Lorenzo, and we haggled it down to only 12,50 Euro per person and figured it was a must.  Lorenzo and his ‘grandfather’ Stefano gave us the tour around the city where we saw Casanova’s house and several churches and historical sights.  Stefano was not too fond of his singing voice, so I started singing and Italian song I could think of to give us the full experience.  I sang “When the moon hits your eye, like a big pizza pie, that’s AMORE!”  I also sang “Figaro” and a few other silly songs with Italian words inserted here and there.  It really was quite fun, and worth the 12,50.  We saw Stefano and Lorenzo around the entire weekend and each time they would tell us how beautiful we were and how much they loved us, in which my response was “Lorenzo, what would your WIFE say!” and then we would laugh.  They helped us find cheap sandwiches that day too, and helped us find the water buses and such too.  Overall, good connection J  Grace and I spent the rest of the day going in local galleries and local shops and looking at the local splendor.

 

The next day, Friday, Grace and I ate breakfast, and headed out quite early to walk over to the Accademia to see historical art.  It really was quite a lot of art all stuffed into one small area, but was worth seeing.  I may be a bit religious art overloaded, but it really is pretty none the less.  After that museum Grace and I decided to go get lost and walk all over the island.  We literally walked around about half the island.  It was simply beautiful and we got to see a lot of local living and local restaurants.  Very fun to get away from all the tourist places. This night we decided to also go and have dinner at the famous Trattoria de Remigio which is a nice local restaurant that Aunt Lynda told me about.  So of course I had to go visit.  I made reservations and Grace, Kaley, Jamie and I went to go splurge on a nights dinner.  It was a bit high in price, but we had fun.  Our waiter was Joseph Remigio, the son of the original founder of the restaurant.  I told him that was my family name and told him from what I had been told where in Italy my family had come from.  He chatted a bit and said “Ah so we are family” hahaha.  He was nice to us, but very short conversations and not really in to telling me more about his family and such.  But then again, he was working, and this was his restaurant and it was PACKED.  So, c'est la vie.  I enjoyed a very spicy spaghetti and veal there. Joseph was nice enough to take a picture with me outside the front of the restaurant, but no discounts for family I guess. Hahah.  Overall it was fun and I was very glad to have the girls with me. 

The next day we had to check out by ten, so Grace and I decided to go make the tours of the other islands.  So with our backpacks on our backs (which were quite annoying), we took the water bus over to Murano which is known for making glass.  We took a tour of the factory, which was really just watching a glass blower show us the two different techniques (blowing, or spinning.)  He made two different items, a vase and a horse in like two minutes flat.  It was pretty incredible! Then we went into the store and bought little trinkets.  I bought a necklace pendant that has a cursive ‘R’ on it and it really pretty blue with designs around it.  I talked to the lady a bit about why I chose the ‘R’ in ITALIAN (go me) and she was very nice to me.  We toured around the rest of the island and then decided to take the water bus over to Burano.  Grace had seen this restaurant advertised called Da’ Romana on the travel channel by a few different people that happened to be on this island so we went there for lunch.  It was quite pricey as well, but we had the most amazing cuttlefish Risotto there (which is what the travel channel recommended.) We also had fried calamari which was ok.  After that we traveled the island and went all the way around it to see the local houses and such.  Burano had the most beautiful houses you have ever seen.  The colors they use are so bright and cheerful and so lively.  There were turquoises and bright pinks and yellows and oranges and reds and purples and blues.  The pictures really don’t do it justice-but it was the most color I have seen while being here.  Grace and I just walked around taking pictures of all the colors until we found a playground.  We sat and just swung on the swings for a good chunk of time while watching the sunset over the water.  It was really relaxing and really nice just to sit and swing in such a beautiful place.  How lucky am I?!

Then- the horror struck- we took the water bus back to Venice- however, they were running late, and long story short, we didn’t get back on the island until 615 and we had a 630 train to catch. After talking with the bus operators and such on the way we realized that the only way to get us there on time was with a water taxi.  We literally RAN off the boat before it was really docked and caught a cab to the train station.   The taxi was OUTRAGIOUSLY expensive and we wound up missing our train anyway.  So we caught a less expensive train that let us off in Bologna and then to the 2^nd station in Florence.  We almost miss this train due to the fact that we are buying the tickets as its loading.  We run to the train and it is COMPLETELY filled.  So we have to sit in the in between  cart compartments where the bathroom.  These areas are completely squished too since it was Carnivale weekend. So we had to stand in this area with other people- and the ones next to us were Mormons that were on a mission trip to convert people and “enlighten them to the ways of our lord.”  So we got the full preaching on the way to Bologna. Finally enough people exited the train that Grace and I were able to sit for about an hour of the trip.  We get to Bologna and realize that our train doesn’t leave for like 2 hours. So we run to the McDonalds just outside the station and have some good cheap home cooking J hahah

 

We get back and see there is an earlier train leaving so we try and catch that and find out that it is running 40 minutes behind.  Figures that the ONE train that is running late is the one we are not running trying to catch. We arrive in Florence and have to take a cab back to the main Duomo since you can’t really walk there and it was like 1230 when we arrived and all the buses were done for the day.  So we shared a cab and paid like 4 euro each and then walked home.  It was a LONG day of travels and a LONG night to get home.  I got home, showered and fell asleep and was out cold for over 8 hours.  Didn’t even move from the spot I landed.

 

Today we made laundry day since our washer has been broken since we got here and had not been able to be fixed.  So three loads later and I am ALL clean which is SUCH a nice feeling. This week we have the Opera on Thursday and then Roma is Friday through Sunday! Ill have to make sure I rest up this week so I can have energy to experience Roma the way we experience Venice J     

Today- Sunday- my friend Grace and I decided we wanted to take a day trip up to Pisa! So we woke up early this morning and caught the train and an hour later were in the city of Pisa.  Super easy- and only 5,60 Euro each way.  Upon arrival, we walked the town and crossed the Arno River and found the site that everyone goes to see- the Leaning Tower! It was kind of funny- just a little tower slightly leaning- and TONS of people taking pictures acting like they were holding it. So of course we joined in the mayhem and took our turn holding up the tower... hahah.  Unfortunately it was quite overcast so the pictures are quite dark :( BUT you get the gist of our fun.  Also, it was raining off and on the entire time- so good thing I had my gloshes, umbrella, and rain coat.  And its REALLY good my camera is water proof- because it has seen more rain in this past week then I ever would have imagined... and I hear its not even rainy season yet... hmmmm.  

For fun we decided to go off the main roads and go down the more local streets and found these cute little markets where they sell TONS of just stuff.  Lots of books, a few furniture places, jewelry, clothes, and lots of umbrellas.  We found a little cafe with yummy little sandwiches and they were pretty cheap too!  We wondered the streets some more and found really amazing architecture and lots of artistic graffiti.  Everything here is just so beautiful! I mean I wanted to take pictures of absolutely everything!  

We were both zonked by the end of our day and totally slept the whole train ride home.  Now I am home and now have to start on my homework due tomorrow... uggg... school what a pain!  Hope yall had a great weekend too! :)     

On Friday- our Accent Study Abroad program took us all on a day trip to Siena and San Gimignano.  We had to meet at the bus at 7am- which was very early for us student- then road the bus for about 1.5 hrs and arrived in Siena.  We had breakfast at a local cafe, I had a custard filled croissant and a hot chocolate. Now- just so you know, the hot chocolate is literally melted chocolate in a cup.  It was VERY thick, VERY rich, and I just don't know if I could get that all the time.  

Well today was sure an eventful day- Starting out with buying books and going to Italian and Italian Literature from 12-3.  Then I had a break and had class again from 6-830.  This was my Fashion Marketing class.  The professor is a character named Sergio Fintoni. He was giving us his background and he has been in fashion since he was 18.  He started out working at fashion events held in Florence, since he could also speak English, then traveled all over the world for textiles and fashion designers, then owned several high fashion stores all over Europe, had his own fashion line, has been a consultant for many companies and governments, and has even written books on marketing trends.  I think it is safe to say this guy has done it ALL! (You can Google him and see for yourself... I did) He continued to tell us all about his life and how he has had 4 wives, and his "current wife" as he said now is a major figure in Coach designs and is going to come talk to our class and show us new samples for their new lines. Yes- I am living the dream :) He also stressed that since out class is 2.5 hours that at least 3 minutes will be dedicated to fashion gossip.... "it is a must, no?" he told us. 

Well- lets just say I am very glad I have my gloshes, rain coat, and umbrella.  Today is rainy and cold! Angela I am so glad you sent me with that white Bench fleece zip up! It has been a SAVIOR! :)

 Anyway, today was class day #2! I only had one class from 9-1130 and it was the History of Italian Fashion.  This professors name is Franco Fiesoli.  The first thing he says to us is "I was born in Florence, I went to school in Florence, I graduated Florence, I got married in Florence, I had my children in Florence, I got separated in Florence- haha- I am a typical Florence man eh?" These Florence natives crack me up! It seems all of our professors have the same story of staying in Florence and not wanting to go anywhere else! Moving on- the class seems very interesting- we get to study all the famous designers and trends throughout Italy.  The designer names sound SO much cooler in an Italian accent! hahah!! He lectured for about an hour and a half and then he told us we were going on our first field trip! 

We took a 15 min walk down to the WorkWear LavoroModaSeduzione (meaning WorkFashionSeduction). It was an exhibit of clothing, accessories, images, and sounds of the work and fashion worlds that will be dialogue with each other.  There were 300 different work-suits (fireman's uniforms, fisherman suits, nurses outfits, airlines outfits, space suits, diving suits,and much much more), 2,500 safety and protective gear (hardhats, masks, aprons, gloves, ear plugs,shoes etc.), and 15,000 images (of different people in different countries and their every day clothing choice, mixed in with couture fashion shows) that are constantly flashing from the projector on the 60 canvases screens hanging from the ceiling. This whole display was inside of the old Fondazione Pitti which is an old train station.  The station was architecturally stunning and the exhibit was quite interesting.  By different styles of clothes were different sounds coming from the speakers hung from the ceiling.  So by the fire suits were sounds of sirens and burning fires, by the steal workers outfits were sounds of drills and metal, and by the couture clothes were sounds of classical balls and high heels walking on a tile floor.  They also had different soundtracks playing in different sections, the one that really caught my attention was in the "overalls" sections and the music was Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs soundtrack singing "Hi- Ho, Hi-Ho- Suo fuori lavorare andiamo(Its off to work we go)" in Italian! HAHA! I laughed so hard when I heard this. My friends and I did a little gig and danced to the music. 

After the exhibit I went to go and buy my books and notebooks- and eat lunch at this cute little cafe near one of my classes- only 3,50 euros for a sandwich you make (tell them 5 things you want on it) and they also don't charge you a sitting fee and they also give you a student discount in the cafe (originally the sandwich is 4 euro.) In all a great deal! 

Well I'm off to go start some Italian homework! 

Did you know the Italian alphabet doesn't have the letters "J,K,W,X,Y"?!? There is your fun fact for the day :) Hope everyone has a great day!

Well- today was my first day in my new school! The day started with class at noon... SO nice :) I left here at 1130am because I had NO idea where my classes were.  There is not a defined campus- instead there are different parts of the University found all over the city.  Kind of like NYU or Chicago campus.  And keep in mind that there is no grid system here in Florence, so finding streets is sometimes hard because many street names change names half way down the street, then add the fact that everything is in a different language- and it is just one big bowl of confusing! So I left early, but made it to my class in about 5 minutes- so really it was not a big deal at all! 

Last night we went out to a few clubs around the Florence area- they were very different from the clubs back in the States.  The first club we went to was a local pub named Amaderus, and was very fun! Made great friends with the bar tender which is never a bad thing! The second place we went to was a club called TWICE and was a totally american "disco" as they say.  The Italians hate it, but the American's love it.  They played all american music and hits and it was one big dance party.  Drinks were outrageously expensive however, and we didn't stay there long.  The last club we went to was Club Cool, a total Italian local hand out dance club and lounge.  It was huge and hard to get in- but being in a group of four girls, we only waited 2 minutes.  It was very loud and crowded and Italian.  Come to find out, this club is ONE door down from us on the left! Now we understand why we were being woken up at all hours of the morning to techno music and drunken people yelling.  Very annoying when we are woken up at 6am to someone trying to ring our bell downstairs and get in the building because they are lost and not in their right mind, hopefully this is not an everyday occurrence.

Last night the the four of us roommates went out to dinner together at a restaurant three doors down called Acqua del 2.  It was delicious! We had pasta, and steak and wine, and a variety of desserts. A bit expensive, but worth every euro! Come to find out that they do not do take home boxes here in Italy- which is SUCH a bummer since there are so many courses! So determined not to waste any money, I forced myself to eat every last bit of my meal.... way too much food. hahaha! But how does the saying go... when in Rome...? :)

WOW! So I am currently sitting on my new bed in my new apartment here in the middle of Florence! It still feels like a dream!!

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The Leaning Tower of Pisa
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Using my super human strength
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its so itty bitty
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Grace and I holding the tower
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on the river... I thought it was pretty
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the decorative graffiti
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just a normal ceiling on the street
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on the river
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Overview of San Gimignano
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Entrance into San Gimignano
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Streets of San Gimignano
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Some of the streets
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off the beaten trail
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the hill side view
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more hill side- living the dream
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our secret garden we found!
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photo op
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this amazing tile work in the fish pond
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her fishy fishy
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basilica Caterininana di s. domenico
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basilica Caterininana di s. Domenico from far away
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basilica Caterininana di s. Domenico again
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narrow streets in Siena
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one of the many inclines
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The goose seal
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outside the Cathedral of Siena
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Front of the Cathedral of Siena
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front and top of Cathedral of Siena
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The black and white columns in the Cathedral
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Up at the altar of the Cathedral
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up in to the Duomo in the center of the Cathedral
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One of the many marble inlays
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Shrine to Virgin Mary
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art within the Cathedral
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In the books in the library in the Cathedral
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looking up in the library in the Cathedral
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Cathedral of Siena as seen from the Museo dell' Opera dell Duomo
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view from the top of the tower of the Opera dell Duomo
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Grace, Kaley, Jamie and I on the top- the Cathedral is behind us
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Another view from the top
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the itty-bitty spiral stair case!
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Grace, Kaley, Kelly, Jamie and I at lunch :)
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Where the horse races and James Bond happened
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The WorkWear exhibit logo
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a few of the 60 screens
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The was the rubber section
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Fire Suits
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Bellmen outfits
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some of the hundreds of gloves
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This was the most GORGEOUS Versace dress ever!
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This was the textile sections- thousands of clothes just pilled on each other- trying to represent recycling
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More of the textile section
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Roman Theatre
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Arches in front of the baths
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Roomates at the top!
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A view from the top
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Florence with a haze
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Another view
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The outside of the Monks quarters
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Gates inside a local church
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The heading on one of the monks studies
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Inside the monks study
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Duomo!
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This is the cute little apt that were outside of our hotel
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Out street we live on
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Our lovely street- "Old vine"
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Our front door to our apt complex
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Our inside botanic gardens!
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The view from inside our door way in our apt complex
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Dining room table
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old stove in our dining room
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Kitchen side one
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kitchen side two
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Living room!
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my bed (closest) and Andrea's bed (on wall)
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Andrea and my bathroom
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Lara and Ricki's bathroom
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Lara's bed (on left) and Ricki's bed (on right)
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Lara and I on top of our Hotel right next to the Duomo!
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Italy
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The church attached to the Duomo
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hotel medici
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3 of us shared this room at our hotel... it was crowded!
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our toilet, sink and shower... all in a 2x3 area
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this is the view from ourside our hotel window
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