Packing is almost done...
Only a couple more hours left in this ancient city. These three months have flew past, it seems like just yesterday I was moving in! It's a bittersweet moment, saying good bye to Rome, and hello to Wisconsin again. I had the most amazing time here. I've learned so much about myself and about the Italian culture. I thank everyone who helped me get here, and for all the wonderful support.
I love you all! See you soon!
Friday, May 7, 2010
Cinque Terra
Wow, what an exhausting weekend! This past weekend my friends and I went to Cinque Terra, Italy. Cinque Terra translates to "Five Lands." We went hiking through all five cities in one day! The hike was about 8 miles long. All the cities overlooked the beautiful blue ocean. Some of the towns were right on the coast and others were on cliffs overlooking it. We stayed in the first city in an apartment right in the harbor. The water practically came up to our door! We later found out that most of the of the postcards of our city had our apartment on it because it was such a beautiful view!
The hike was excruciating but still so much fun! The weather was great, a little bit too much sun but still beautiful! In total it took about 8 hours to hike all the cities, which also included lunch, snack breaks, and a little shopping in every city. When we reached the last city we ran into the ocean to celebrate. The sand had little pebbles instead of soft refined sand, so it wasn't nice to lay on, but it felt good on our sore swollen feet. The water was really cold but it felt great! Sadly, when I was digging for sea glass my camera dropped in the water. Hopefully I can save it when I get back home.
Overall, the weekend was a great success: we had a beautiful apartment, a great hike with some good friends, classical Cinque Terra food, and a nice trip back home on the train!
Now I have finals to finish up and then I'm on my way to WISCONSIN!
The hike was excruciating but still so much fun! The weather was great, a little bit too much sun but still beautiful! In total it took about 8 hours to hike all the cities, which also included lunch, snack breaks, and a little shopping in every city. When we reached the last city we ran into the ocean to celebrate. The sand had little pebbles instead of soft refined sand, so it wasn't nice to lay on, but it felt good on our sore swollen feet. The water was really cold but it felt great! Sadly, when I was digging for sea glass my camera dropped in the water. Hopefully I can save it when I get back home.
Overall, the weekend was a great success: we had a beautiful apartment, a great hike with some good friends, classical Cinque Terra food, and a nice trip back home on the train!
Now I have finals to finish up and then I'm on my way to WISCONSIN!
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Day 88: The days are flying by!
Ciao!
Sorry for the lack of blogging. Nothing too exciting has happened since my last post. The last few weeks I have been working on my research papers and studying for tests. I wrote three of my final papers on: Italian Cinema: the representation of women in the diva genre; Ancient Rome: the Roman baths; and Classic Mythology: tragedy.
I also went on a field trip with my Mythology class last weekend to Tarquinia, Italy. We visited the ancient Etruscan tombs and a museum. It was a beautiful day to spend on the country side. Although we were in and out of tombs all day, the town was very pretty and peaceful.
I've been here for 88 days already, but it only seems like 10. I've been having the time of my life here, but I am looking forward to home. I know I will definitely go through culture shock when I get home. There are some things that I can't even remember what they're like!
I've been thinking of some things that I'm really looking forward to. They may seem silly to you, but when you're gone so long you start to miss the little things in life.
I miss...
-My family and friends
-driving a car
-a queen size bed
-not having to separate the garbage
-the English language
-wearing colors and summery clothes
-getting my hair cut
-sushi
-Qudoba
-skittles
-my cat
-having my jeans fit, wishing they wouldn't stretch every time I wash them
-being thinner
-going to formal and other Pi Phi events
-sun tanning outside
I'm going to miss Italy so much, but I look forward to the summer! I haven't enjoyed a Wisconsin summer in such a long time!
Only 14 days until AMERICA!
Sorry for the lack of blogging. Nothing too exciting has happened since my last post. The last few weeks I have been working on my research papers and studying for tests. I wrote three of my final papers on: Italian Cinema: the representation of women in the diva genre; Ancient Rome: the Roman baths; and Classic Mythology: tragedy.
I also went on a field trip with my Mythology class last weekend to Tarquinia, Italy. We visited the ancient Etruscan tombs and a museum. It was a beautiful day to spend on the country side. Although we were in and out of tombs all day, the town was very pretty and peaceful.
I've been here for 88 days already, but it only seems like 10. I've been having the time of my life here, but I am looking forward to home. I know I will definitely go through culture shock when I get home. There are some things that I can't even remember what they're like!
I've been thinking of some things that I'm really looking forward to. They may seem silly to you, but when you're gone so long you start to miss the little things in life.
I miss...
-My family and friends
-driving a car
-a queen size bed
-not having to separate the garbage
-the English language
-wearing colors and summery clothes
-getting my hair cut
-sushi
-Qudoba
-skittles
-my cat
-having my jeans fit, wishing they wouldn't stretch every time I wash them
-being thinner
-going to formal and other Pi Phi events
-sun tanning outside
I'm going to miss Italy so much, but I look forward to the summer! I haven't enjoyed a Wisconsin summer in such a long time!
Only 14 days until AMERICA!
Monday, April 5, 2010
Days 65-69 The Euroadventure to Croatia?
Caution: Anyone going to study abroad in Europe, do not use Euroadventures for any vacations...
I'm going to make this blog short because I just arrived back from Croatia today and I'm sick of complaining of the company Euroadventures.
My friends and I booked a weekend trip to Croatia through Euroadventures, which is run by 4 young men who were once American students who studied in Europe. The company is based in Italy, but they do trips all over Europe.
Even though I am a little bitter about the organization of the trip, I had a wonderful time in the beautiful Croatia. However, because of false advertising and lack of organization from our event planners we took a 4 hour bus ride to the Italian port, then took an 8 hour overnight cruise/ferry ride to Croatia, then another 3 hour bus ride to the coast (there and back). Long story short, they falsely advertised our transportation creating an idea that it was going to be luxurious, fabulous, and a ton of fun. Instead, it was out of the way, not worth the money we paid, and generally lead terribly with our drunk "guides."
Our hostel was really cute though, and put together well. But our guides never gave us the keys so we always had a hard time getting into our hotel. Luckily there was always someone there to hear us banging on the door. It was just inconvenient.
But our time at the beach was much deserved and despite the chilly weather for 2 of the 3 days, it was still nice to lay in the sand and play in the ocean! Sadly, I didn't get a tan, but I can say I experienced a new country and a new culture and that's what I wanted!
But Euroadventures should be dreading tomorrow because all 120 of us will be responding with mad emails and refunds!!!
I'm going to make this blog short because I just arrived back from Croatia today and I'm sick of complaining of the company Euroadventures.
My friends and I booked a weekend trip to Croatia through Euroadventures, which is run by 4 young men who were once American students who studied in Europe. The company is based in Italy, but they do trips all over Europe.
Even though I am a little bitter about the organization of the trip, I had a wonderful time in the beautiful Croatia. However, because of false advertising and lack of organization from our event planners we took a 4 hour bus ride to the Italian port, then took an 8 hour overnight cruise/ferry ride to Croatia, then another 3 hour bus ride to the coast (there and back). Long story short, they falsely advertised our transportation creating an idea that it was going to be luxurious, fabulous, and a ton of fun. Instead, it was out of the way, not worth the money we paid, and generally lead terribly with our drunk "guides."
Our hostel was really cute though, and put together well. But our guides never gave us the keys so we always had a hard time getting into our hotel. Luckily there was always someone there to hear us banging on the door. It was just inconvenient.
But our time at the beach was much deserved and despite the chilly weather for 2 of the 3 days, it was still nice to lay in the sand and play in the ocean! Sadly, I didn't get a tan, but I can say I experienced a new country and a new culture and that's what I wanted!
But Euroadventures should be dreading tomorrow because all 120 of us will be responding with mad emails and refunds!!!
Days 59-64 Family Vacation in ROMA
MY FAMILY FINALLY CAME TO ROME!!!! One of the best weeks of my life! Sharing my new life here with my family was an amazing experience. It was exhausting but unforgettable.
There was so much traveling! I'll just give the main details:
Friday: My best friend Hannah from UW-Madison was already in town, so my family, Hannah, and I went to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. I was their tour guide because I had class already in the Colosseum and the Forum so I was already an expert!
Saturday: We said our goodbyes to Hannah, and headed off to the Tuscany area to Lucca, to visit our Quilici family (My Grandma's family). Our train was very early, but we got to Lucca in the afternoon and spent the whole day with our family. I decided to study in Italy mainly because I wanted to learn more about my heritage, and meet my relatives. Even though my Italian is very limited, and only 3 of our relatives could speak a little bit of English, we all connected and bonded because we are FAMILY. It was one of the most amazing experiences. It truly made me feel Italian :) Lucca was so beautiful and very different from Rome. We walked around the town and had lunch with our family. Then we went to two of our relatives' homes, and visited the house that my great-grandpa grew up along with my other relatives. The house was on our family's olive vineyard and land. Words can't explain how wonderful I felt being able to spend time with my family, my Italian family, and to step in a house that has been in my family for multiple generations....it was breathtaking.
Sunday: After visiting our family we spent the night in Florence, and then spent all day Sunday touring Florence. We climbed the Duomo, saw the Ponte Vecchio, and spent a lot of time shopping at the leather market. We were all exhausted by the end of the day and all slept on the train home to Rome.
Monday: Dad came to Rome to go to a conference so for part of the day he was at a conference. So Mom, Sam, and I went to the Campo di' Fuori market and bought fresh food and made lunch for when Dad came back. Then the rest of the day, I showed them some of the special places in Rome...Villa Borghese, the Spanish Steps, Piazza di Popolo, the Trevi Fountatian, and the Pantheon. Going to Rome or any large tourist city with a Roman or someone who lives in the city, is key, because we know all the secret side paths, and the non-tourists places to be-- which can sometimes be the most special.
Tuesday: While Dad was at work, Mom, Sam, and I did some tourist shopping. Let me tell you...that was exhausting! Being an actual tourist here is so tiring! I definitely recommend spending over a week here to get everything done!
Wednesday: Our family went to the Papal Audience/Mass with the Pope. Even though the Vatican is currently going through a huge scandal that is very sad and terrible, we decided that going to a mass with the Pope would be a once in a lifetime experience. The mass was very exciting! People were going crazy over the Pope! There were a lot of different groups or organizations that attended mass. I think we were sitting next to a children's Communion group from Italy, but there were many different groups from all over the world. The Pope delivered mass in multiple languages, everyone was able to enjoy it. Before announcing the language, a priest would introduce the mass with a welcoming of many of the registered groups. Surprisingly, one of the groups there from the U.S was...UW-MADISON!! WE WENT CRAZY! How unique is that?!?
After Mass, we went on a Vatican tour with the organization Roman Odyssey. It was great, I would recommend that company for anyone going to Rome, they do tours everywhere!
Thanks Mom, Dad, and Sam for coming to Rome! I loved showing you around, Rome is amazing and thanks for the wonderful opportunity to travel, learn, and find myself!
Sempre con amore,
Hannah Marie Rizzo Peltier
There was so much traveling! I'll just give the main details:
Friday: My best friend Hannah from UW-Madison was already in town, so my family, Hannah, and I went to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. I was their tour guide because I had class already in the Colosseum and the Forum so I was already an expert!
Saturday: We said our goodbyes to Hannah, and headed off to the Tuscany area to Lucca, to visit our Quilici family (My Grandma's family). Our train was very early, but we got to Lucca in the afternoon and spent the whole day with our family. I decided to study in Italy mainly because I wanted to learn more about my heritage, and meet my relatives. Even though my Italian is very limited, and only 3 of our relatives could speak a little bit of English, we all connected and bonded because we are FAMILY. It was one of the most amazing experiences. It truly made me feel Italian :) Lucca was so beautiful and very different from Rome. We walked around the town and had lunch with our family. Then we went to two of our relatives' homes, and visited the house that my great-grandpa grew up along with my other relatives. The house was on our family's olive vineyard and land. Words can't explain how wonderful I felt being able to spend time with my family, my Italian family, and to step in a house that has been in my family for multiple generations....it was breathtaking.
Sunday: After visiting our family we spent the night in Florence, and then spent all day Sunday touring Florence. We climbed the Duomo, saw the Ponte Vecchio, and spent a lot of time shopping at the leather market. We were all exhausted by the end of the day and all slept on the train home to Rome.
Monday: Dad came to Rome to go to a conference so for part of the day he was at a conference. So Mom, Sam, and I went to the Campo di' Fuori market and bought fresh food and made lunch for when Dad came back. Then the rest of the day, I showed them some of the special places in Rome...Villa Borghese, the Spanish Steps, Piazza di Popolo, the Trevi Fountatian, and the Pantheon. Going to Rome or any large tourist city with a Roman or someone who lives in the city, is key, because we know all the secret side paths, and the non-tourists places to be-- which can sometimes be the most special.
Tuesday: While Dad was at work, Mom, Sam, and I did some tourist shopping. Let me tell you...that was exhausting! Being an actual tourist here is so tiring! I definitely recommend spending over a week here to get everything done!
Wednesday: Our family went to the Papal Audience/Mass with the Pope. Even though the Vatican is currently going through a huge scandal that is very sad and terrible, we decided that going to a mass with the Pope would be a once in a lifetime experience. The mass was very exciting! People were going crazy over the Pope! There were a lot of different groups or organizations that attended mass. I think we were sitting next to a children's Communion group from Italy, but there were many different groups from all over the world. The Pope delivered mass in multiple languages, everyone was able to enjoy it. Before announcing the language, a priest would introduce the mass with a welcoming of many of the registered groups. Surprisingly, one of the groups there from the U.S was...UW-MADISON!! WE WENT CRAZY! How unique is that?!?
After Mass, we went on a Vatican tour with the organization Roman Odyssey. It was great, I would recommend that company for anyone going to Rome, they do tours everywhere!
Thanks Mom, Dad, and Sam for coming to Rome! I loved showing you around, Rome is amazing and thanks for the wonderful opportunity to travel, learn, and find myself!
Sempre con amore,
Hannah Marie Rizzo Peltier
Days 51-54 Copenhagen
After a week of midterms Gail and I headed off to COPENHAGEN! The farthest North I have been (in Europe).
We took a late flight into Copenhagen, Denmark and met with Gail's best friend Joey for some drinks in Copenhagen Central. Our hostel was right in the center of town! The nightlife was very different from Rome -- well I guess everything was different from Rome. It was cold and a little rainy, the fashion was different, the language was very different, everyone spoke English which was nice for once, there was a more variety of food (Italy usually only has Italian food, which doesn't have a lot of variation), and the city was much more modern than Rome or Italy itself. We planned out our weekend tourist attack at a cute urban cafe/club and tried some authentic Copenhagen drinks. Once we got settled, Gail and I made our way back to our hostel for a good nights rest. We were surprised to find out that there were 18 people in our room! The bunk beds had 3 bed on it! I slept above an Australian guy, about our age, and Gail slept in the bed above me! It was crazy! But the hostel was very cool despite the living situation. We had a huge lounge, great breakfast, and a TV!!! (something we don't have in Rome, and it was even in ENGLISH, with most American television shows!), and fast internet!
Gail and I made our way around Copenhagen alone during the day while Joey was at school. But it was very relaxing and we just hung around town. We took our time and walked through the King's Gardens, saw the Royal Castle, went to a couple museums, and did a LOT of shopping. Because it was more modern than Italy, there were a lot of cool stores and great shopping. Danish Crones and the money system was a little less expensive than Euros so we enjoyed the price tags :)
After class, Joey met up with us and we went to a place called Christiana, which is right outside of Copenhagen. It is known as a non-tourist Amsterdam (if you know what I mean). It wasn't as beautiful as Amsterdam, but everything was painted with graffiti. It wasn't ugly gang graffiti but rather graffiti murals. There were little markets, shops, a skateboarding park, a couple restaurants, and it overlooked a small lake. The ice was finally melting but it is usually used for ice-skating in the winter and swimming in the summer. There was only a few residents in Christiana, and most of them were squatters and hippies. We hiked through the forest and just looked around, but didn't participate in any 'activities' there because it was a little sketchy, but interesting. After a certain point, people couldn't take pictures in the center because the pictures could contain 'illegal things' in them. In the forest we saw the hippies' houses, and it was incredible how they lived. Their houses were very colorful, very "eco-green," they just lived with nature.
Later that night, Joey, Gail and I went grocery shopping and made Mexican food at Joey's dorm. It was FANTASTIC! While traveling, Gail and I try to 'picnic' or cook at our hostels in order to save money. We had a great time seeing Joey's dorm and meeting his friends. After dinner, a group of us went out and enjoyed the Danish nightlife!
The next day, the 3 of us went to Malmo, Sweden. It was only an hour train ride from Copenhagen. It was a first time for all of us, so we were a little confused about the Danish/Swedish train. Then all of a sudden Joey realized the train that was currently at the station was the train that we NEEDED to be on! So we quickly shuffled to the door...Joey and I got in just fine, but poor Gail was just about to jump on but the doors started to CLOSE on her!!! Joey and I tried to pry the doors open but they shut, separating us from Gail!
(For those who are regular readers, you may remember that in London the same thing happened on the Tube, but instead Gail jumped on the Tube/Metro without telling us and I tried to pull her off the Tube, but the doors closed on us! It was our first day in Europe, and we were so scared! Luckily, Gail got off on the next stop and I jumped on the next Tube to get to the next stop as quick as possible and looked throughout the station looking for her, and were reunited with laughs and tears!)
It's obvious that public transportation for Gail and I have always been a little difficult, and it wasn't the first time that we each faced two separate sides of a metro door looking at each other with fear and trying to scream through the door telling each other what we should do! Hahah, luckily we had cell phones this time around, and Joey and I went only one more stop on the metro and then caught another back to meet Gail at the first station. It was quite funny for all of us because the same silly/terrifying situation happened again!
After that 'bump' in the road (seems like I use that phrase a lot for our traveling "mistakes") we got on correct train to Sweden. Sweden was very similar to Copenhagen. It was very quaint, modern, and everyone was blonde! We mainly stayed in the center of Malmo because Sweden was a little cheaper for shopping than the Euro and Crone. We went to the mall and all the small boutiques. The food was great and spending time in another country was extra-special! Two countries in one day!!!
On our last night, we walked the streets of Copenhagen and look in its beauty. Then we went to Joey's apartment to cook dinner and have some wine. It was a very relaxing weekend. It felt good to just 'hang around' in the city and didn't have to stress about seeing specific tourist sites.
We took a late flight into Copenhagen, Denmark and met with Gail's best friend Joey for some drinks in Copenhagen Central. Our hostel was right in the center of town! The nightlife was very different from Rome -- well I guess everything was different from Rome. It was cold and a little rainy, the fashion was different, the language was very different, everyone spoke English which was nice for once, there was a more variety of food (Italy usually only has Italian food, which doesn't have a lot of variation), and the city was much more modern than Rome or Italy itself. We planned out our weekend tourist attack at a cute urban cafe/club and tried some authentic Copenhagen drinks. Once we got settled, Gail and I made our way back to our hostel for a good nights rest. We were surprised to find out that there were 18 people in our room! The bunk beds had 3 bed on it! I slept above an Australian guy, about our age, and Gail slept in the bed above me! It was crazy! But the hostel was very cool despite the living situation. We had a huge lounge, great breakfast, and a TV!!! (something we don't have in Rome, and it was even in ENGLISH, with most American television shows!), and fast internet!
Gail and I made our way around Copenhagen alone during the day while Joey was at school. But it was very relaxing and we just hung around town. We took our time and walked through the King's Gardens, saw the Royal Castle, went to a couple museums, and did a LOT of shopping. Because it was more modern than Italy, there were a lot of cool stores and great shopping. Danish Crones and the money system was a little less expensive than Euros so we enjoyed the price tags :)
After class, Joey met up with us and we went to a place called Christiana, which is right outside of Copenhagen. It is known as a non-tourist Amsterdam (if you know what I mean). It wasn't as beautiful as Amsterdam, but everything was painted with graffiti. It wasn't ugly gang graffiti but rather graffiti murals. There were little markets, shops, a skateboarding park, a couple restaurants, and it overlooked a small lake. The ice was finally melting but it is usually used for ice-skating in the winter and swimming in the summer. There was only a few residents in Christiana, and most of them were squatters and hippies. We hiked through the forest and just looked around, but didn't participate in any 'activities' there because it was a little sketchy, but interesting. After a certain point, people couldn't take pictures in the center because the pictures could contain 'illegal things' in them. In the forest we saw the hippies' houses, and it was incredible how they lived. Their houses were very colorful, very "eco-green," they just lived with nature.
Later that night, Joey, Gail and I went grocery shopping and made Mexican food at Joey's dorm. It was FANTASTIC! While traveling, Gail and I try to 'picnic' or cook at our hostels in order to save money. We had a great time seeing Joey's dorm and meeting his friends. After dinner, a group of us went out and enjoyed the Danish nightlife!
The next day, the 3 of us went to Malmo, Sweden. It was only an hour train ride from Copenhagen. It was a first time for all of us, so we were a little confused about the Danish/Swedish train. Then all of a sudden Joey realized the train that was currently at the station was the train that we NEEDED to be on! So we quickly shuffled to the door...Joey and I got in just fine, but poor Gail was just about to jump on but the doors started to CLOSE on her!!! Joey and I tried to pry the doors open but they shut, separating us from Gail!
(For those who are regular readers, you may remember that in London the same thing happened on the Tube, but instead Gail jumped on the Tube/Metro without telling us and I tried to pull her off the Tube, but the doors closed on us! It was our first day in Europe, and we were so scared! Luckily, Gail got off on the next stop and I jumped on the next Tube to get to the next stop as quick as possible and looked throughout the station looking for her, and were reunited with laughs and tears!)
It's obvious that public transportation for Gail and I have always been a little difficult, and it wasn't the first time that we each faced two separate sides of a metro door looking at each other with fear and trying to scream through the door telling each other what we should do! Hahah, luckily we had cell phones this time around, and Joey and I went only one more stop on the metro and then caught another back to meet Gail at the first station. It was quite funny for all of us because the same silly/terrifying situation happened again!
After that 'bump' in the road (seems like I use that phrase a lot for our traveling "mistakes") we got on correct train to Sweden. Sweden was very similar to Copenhagen. It was very quaint, modern, and everyone was blonde! We mainly stayed in the center of Malmo because Sweden was a little cheaper for shopping than the Euro and Crone. We went to the mall and all the small boutiques. The food was great and spending time in another country was extra-special! Two countries in one day!!!
On our last night, we walked the streets of Copenhagen and look in its beauty. Then we went to Joey's apartment to cook dinner and have some wine. It was a very relaxing weekend. It felt good to just 'hang around' in the city and didn't have to stress about seeing specific tourist sites.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Day 45-47 Naples, Pompeii, Capri
Ciao Everyone!
Sorry for such the delay in blogging. It's been a busy time in Rome!
Three weeks ago my school took a trip to Naples, Pompeii, and Capri. It was probably the most interesting and amazing trip I have taken so far.
The adventure begins on Friday, March 12th... early in the morning we pilled onto our 3 buses and began the journey to Pompeii. I dozed into a pleasant nap and awoke in an ancient abandon city. We enjoyed some pizza right in front of the Pompeii walls, and waited for our class to start. My history class went off on our own tour because our teacher was in charge of the trip and we were learning about Pompeii in class at the time. Pompeii is not completely excavated but what is, is extraordinary! We saw houses, restaurants, temples, bakeries, a WEIRD brothel, and areas of recreation and daily activities of the Pompeiians. We went there primarily to see the ancient Roman-style city because Pompeii was part of the Roman republic territory. It was a very educational trip.
After our Pompeii trip, we drove to our hotel in Naples. Since Naples is where pizza originated from, we went to an authentic restaurant to have a tasty slice Naples' pizza. The restaurant was so cute; there was a little girl's birthday party going on, and all native Italians enjoying their dinner. It was fantastic!
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The following day, we all went to Capri. Capri is an island off of Italy. We had to take a bus to the port and a ferry to the island. The ferry was very bumpy and I was very sea sick, but I fell asleep after awhile. When we arrived in Capri, it was like opening a page in a book to a long lost island. The water was amazingly clear and as blue as sapphire. My friends and I took a private boat around the island and saw the Blue Lagoon, and other caves around the island. The air was warm on our faces, and the splashes from the boat was refreshing. It truly was the most beautiful sight ever. As we rode around the island there was huge rocks in the water, I felt like we were in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie!
After a quick lunch at a cafe on the top of the island, one with a beautiful view, we took a chairlift to the tip-top of the island. On the chairlift ride we were able to see many residents' houses, of course the ocean, and all below us. The ride was about 15 minutes. It was very peaceful...I laid back relaxed and let the wind blow through my hair and the sun beat down on me. Once at the top we had a fabulous AIFS group photo shoot, and enjoyed the picturesque view. Then we made our way back down the middle of the island. We had to wait for the local bus to pick us up to take us down to the port.... but it never came! We only had 15 minutes until the ferry left!!! So the only other option was to RUN! Yes, I actually RAN down the side of the island! We ran down the side allies of the island that were often entrances into the property or houses of the residents. We made it to the ferry with about 3 minutes to spare. But we didn't have our tickets!!! We accidentally ran past our professor who was holding the tickets. So one of my friends ran to the other entrance of the port to catch her. While she was gone, some of my other friends and I had distract/pled with the sailors or I guess people in charge of the ferry, not to leave without us. They were laughing at us pleading with them, and we even had to pull on the bridge so they wouldn't take it off and leave us there. We sat on it so they couldn't lift (they even tried)! Eventually, only 5 minutes late, our professor arrived with the tickets and saved the day! Everyone was relieved!
The ferry was, as expected, bumpy and nauseating. But luckily I fell asleep. Then all of a sudden, I was lifted out of my seat and flung into the seat ahead of me! We hit a HUGE wave which propelled everyone's bodies from their seats. It was quite scary at the moment, but for those awake, I heard it was funny to watch people come out of their sleep with such fright! In the end, the day was a success, a few "bumps" in the road but was still my favorite day yet! I would love to return to Capri one day soon, and would recommend it to everyone! BEST DAY EVER!!!!
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Our last and final day on our adventurous weekend, we went to an archeological museum in Naples. We all tried to fit in a quick nap from the hotel to the museum because it was about 45 minutes away. Then all of a sudden, I woke up to the sound of a gunshot! I thought to myself, "What? A gun shot at 10 AM in the morning?!?!" then I smelt burning rubber and instantly realized, one of our tires blew up! The bus started to swerve in and out and quickly pulled over. The other 2 buses carrying the other students also pulled over. The damaged ended up being so bad they had to transfer all the students on my bus to the other buses. But there were definitely limited seats, and some people had to sit in the isle! Luckily, we only had about 15 minutes left until we arrived!
Once at the museum, we were all tired because of the long days and the long travels but I was still excited to see the museum. My class was able to see all the artifacts excavated from Pompeii. It was so interesting to see their tools, pottery, art, and items used in everyday life. They were very advanced for their time...they had the same style tools for gynecological exams, surgeries, and other medical tools! And we didn't get tools like that until much later! Pompeii art was a mixture between Roman and Greek. It helped to understand our class lessons by seeing the actual artifacts and influence of Greece and Rome!
Our bus returned to the museum just in time to pick us up. Evidentially, no one came to help the driver change the tire, even though he called a towing company, so he ended up changing the tire by himself on the side of the highway! Can you imagine, trying to change a tire of a huge coach bus?!?! He was our lifesaver!
This trip had some transportation problems (missing the local bus and running down the mountainous island, almost not getting on the ferry, almost capsizing the ferry, and popping the bus' tire) but it still was my favorite trip of all! Words can't explain Italy's beauty. And I'm sure right now I am taking it for granted. I know Madison will be nothing like it, and I will miss seeing its beauty everyday. But I thank God for creating such a holy and beautiful place I can call home for now --ROMA!
Ciao!
Sorry for such the delay in blogging. It's been a busy time in Rome!
Three weeks ago my school took a trip to Naples, Pompeii, and Capri. It was probably the most interesting and amazing trip I have taken so far.
The adventure begins on Friday, March 12th... early in the morning we pilled onto our 3 buses and began the journey to Pompeii. I dozed into a pleasant nap and awoke in an ancient abandon city. We enjoyed some pizza right in front of the Pompeii walls, and waited for our class to start. My history class went off on our own tour because our teacher was in charge of the trip and we were learning about Pompeii in class at the time. Pompeii is not completely excavated but what is, is extraordinary! We saw houses, restaurants, temples, bakeries, a WEIRD brothel, and areas of recreation and daily activities of the Pompeiians. We went there primarily to see the ancient Roman-style city because Pompeii was part of the Roman republic territory. It was a very educational trip.
After our Pompeii trip, we drove to our hotel in Naples. Since Naples is where pizza originated from, we went to an authentic restaurant to have a tasty slice Naples' pizza. The restaurant was so cute; there was a little girl's birthday party going on, and all native Italians enjoying their dinner. It was fantastic!
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The following day, we all went to Capri. Capri is an island off of Italy. We had to take a bus to the port and a ferry to the island. The ferry was very bumpy and I was very sea sick, but I fell asleep after awhile. When we arrived in Capri, it was like opening a page in a book to a long lost island. The water was amazingly clear and as blue as sapphire. My friends and I took a private boat around the island and saw the Blue Lagoon, and other caves around the island. The air was warm on our faces, and the splashes from the boat was refreshing. It truly was the most beautiful sight ever. As we rode around the island there was huge rocks in the water, I felt like we were in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie!
After a quick lunch at a cafe on the top of the island, one with a beautiful view, we took a chairlift to the tip-top of the island. On the chairlift ride we were able to see many residents' houses, of course the ocean, and all below us. The ride was about 15 minutes. It was very peaceful...I laid back relaxed and let the wind blow through my hair and the sun beat down on me. Once at the top we had a fabulous AIFS group photo shoot, and enjoyed the picturesque view. Then we made our way back down the middle of the island. We had to wait for the local bus to pick us up to take us down to the port.... but it never came! We only had 15 minutes until the ferry left!!! So the only other option was to RUN! Yes, I actually RAN down the side of the island! We ran down the side allies of the island that were often entrances into the property or houses of the residents. We made it to the ferry with about 3 minutes to spare. But we didn't have our tickets!!! We accidentally ran past our professor who was holding the tickets. So one of my friends ran to the other entrance of the port to catch her. While she was gone, some of my other friends and I had distract/pled with the sailors or I guess people in charge of the ferry, not to leave without us. They were laughing at us pleading with them, and we even had to pull on the bridge so they wouldn't take it off and leave us there. We sat on it so they couldn't lift (they even tried)! Eventually, only 5 minutes late, our professor arrived with the tickets and saved the day! Everyone was relieved!
The ferry was, as expected, bumpy and nauseating. But luckily I fell asleep. Then all of a sudden, I was lifted out of my seat and flung into the seat ahead of me! We hit a HUGE wave which propelled everyone's bodies from their seats. It was quite scary at the moment, but for those awake, I heard it was funny to watch people come out of their sleep with such fright! In the end, the day was a success, a few "bumps" in the road but was still my favorite day yet! I would love to return to Capri one day soon, and would recommend it to everyone! BEST DAY EVER!!!!
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Our last and final day on our adventurous weekend, we went to an archeological museum in Naples. We all tried to fit in a quick nap from the hotel to the museum because it was about 45 minutes away. Then all of a sudden, I woke up to the sound of a gunshot! I thought to myself, "What? A gun shot at 10 AM in the morning?!?!" then I smelt burning rubber and instantly realized, one of our tires blew up! The bus started to swerve in and out and quickly pulled over. The other 2 buses carrying the other students also pulled over. The damaged ended up being so bad they had to transfer all the students on my bus to the other buses. But there were definitely limited seats, and some people had to sit in the isle! Luckily, we only had about 15 minutes left until we arrived!
Once at the museum, we were all tired because of the long days and the long travels but I was still excited to see the museum. My class was able to see all the artifacts excavated from Pompeii. It was so interesting to see their tools, pottery, art, and items used in everyday life. They were very advanced for their time...they had the same style tools for gynecological exams, surgeries, and other medical tools! And we didn't get tools like that until much later! Pompeii art was a mixture between Roman and Greek. It helped to understand our class lessons by seeing the actual artifacts and influence of Greece and Rome!
Our bus returned to the museum just in time to pick us up. Evidentially, no one came to help the driver change the tire, even though he called a towing company, so he ended up changing the tire by himself on the side of the highway! Can you imagine, trying to change a tire of a huge coach bus?!?! He was our lifesaver!
This trip had some transportation problems (missing the local bus and running down the mountainous island, almost not getting on the ferry, almost capsizing the ferry, and popping the bus' tire) but it still was my favorite trip of all! Words can't explain Italy's beauty. And I'm sure right now I am taking it for granted. I know Madison will be nothing like it, and I will miss seeing its beauty everyday. But I thank God for creating such a holy and beautiful place I can call home for now --ROMA!
Ciao!
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